Cigar World Deep Dive: Brazilian Mata Fina

For some consumers, the quality of Brazilian tobacco comes as a surprise — even in 2024. While South America’s largest country is famous for its soccer team, beautiful beaches, and exports like coffee, it is not generally the first place people associate with incredible cigar tobacco. However, Brazilian tobacco, specifically Brazilian Mata Fina, has a rich history in the cigar industry. And the exotic and flavorful nature of Brazilian tobacco can captivate any smoker. 

Here, we’ll explore Brazilian Mata Fina tobacco, explain its unique properties, and recommend the best Brazilian-wrapped cigars to add to your collection. 

Where Does Brazilian Mata Fina Tobacco Come From? 

Though Brazil is a vast country in terms of population and geographic size, Brazilian tobacco comes almost exclusively from the Bahia region along Brazil’s eastern coast. This region possesses numerous “micro-climates” that allow for various tobaccos to grow. As a general rule, “Mata Fina” is a term that encompasses tobacco grown in this area. Still, sub-distinctions like “Mata Sul” (from the southern region of Mata Fina) and “Mata Norte” (the northern area of Mata Fina) denote, specifically, where the tobaccos have been cultivated. “Mata Fina” translates to “Thin Forest” in English. 

Brazilian tobacco, unlike African or Asian tobacco, is indigenous to Brazil. This means that Brazilian tobacco has its own distinctive flavor profile, and—just as interestingly—Brazil has its own centuries-long culture of tobacco cultivation. Indeed, part of what makes Brazilian tobacco so striking is not just the natural flavor of the leaves but also the traditional curing processes, which develop the sweet and spicy taste famous in Brazilian-wrapped cigars. 

Note: While many cigar companies use Brazilian tobacco, most don’t produce their cigars in Brazil; instead, they maintain factories in the Dominican, Honduras, or Nicaragua. 

What Does Brazilian Mata Fina Tobacco Taste Like? 

The short answer is Brazilian Mata Fina tobacco is most often sun grown and stalk cut — meaning that it is typically rich, sweet, and flavorful. Conventional Brazilian wrappers make excellent Maduros and Oscuros. Flavors you can expect to find in cigars with a heavy Brazilian influence are cocoa, earth, chocolate, and leather.

Of course, not all Brazilian tobacco fits into this category. Some cigars — like the Macanudo Inspirado Brazilian Shade — utilize a Connecticut Shade Wrapper grown in the Bahia region, resulting in a smoke with notes of cream and spice. Other cigars may feature “Brazilian Sumatra” tobacco, which is a leaf grown in Brazil with Indonesian seeds. 

A Quick History of Brazilian Tobacco 

Before we get to our recommendations, it’s worth digressing for a moment to touch on the history of Brazilian tobacco. As we mentioned above, tobacco has been grown in Brazil for hundreds — if not thousands — of years. It was in places like Brazil across the Americas where Europeans first encountered tobacco and the indigenous people who cultivated and smoked it. 

Brazilian tobacco may not have the reputation of other South and Central American countries, but Brazil is still the leading exporter of tobacco in South America ($2.62 billion). 

For many years, Brazilian tobacco was seen as a complement to Dominican tobaccos but rarely given top-billing in a cigar blend. It wasn’t until the early 21st century, when CAO debuted the iconic CAO Brazilia, that a brand decided to fully embrace Brazilian tobacco and highlight it as a selling point to consumers. Strange though it may sound, the prevailing wisdom in the cigar industry at the time was that consumers wouldn’t respond well to Brazilian tobacco. 

Now, thanks in part to the trailblazing CAO Brazilia, dozens of high-quality cigars proudly sport Brazilian wrappers. Here are a few worth checking out. 

Best Cigars with Brazilian Tobacco 

CAO Brazilia 

No list of Brazilian cigars would be complete without CAO. Not only did they pioneer the most recognizable Brazilian cigar ever — Brazilia — but they’ve also developed other lines with Brazilian tobacco like Amazon Basin and BX3. All are stellar options, but you owe it to yourself to try Brazilia if you haven’t yet. 

Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro 

A classic example of a cigar with a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, this quality smoke from Drew Estate delivers notes of coffee, earth, and spice with a medium-to-full-bodied profile that will satisfy any aficionado. 

AJ Fernandez Bellas Artes Maduro 

It shouldn’t be surprising that a master blender like AJ Fernandez knows how to handle Brazilian tobacco. The Bellas Artes Maduro is highly rated (91 points from Cigar Aficionado) and

offers the signature sweet and toothy smoking experience that makes Brazilian tobacco so beloved. 

Hoyo de Monterrey Oscuro 

Looking for a new Brazilian-wrapped cigar to try? Then pick up a few Hoyo de Monterrey Oscuros! These exciting smokes from Hoyo de Monterrey combine the tradition of a legacy brand with an innovative flavor profile defined by the powerful Mata Fina wrapper. 

What’s your favorite cigar with Brazilian tobacco? Sign up for Cigar World and let us know with a comment!