Back in early February, Tarazona Cigars announced a line extension to their Caraballo 828 Silverback known as the “The Benjamins”. The (6 x 52) Torpedo, joins The Sterling (5 x 50 Perfecto) in this limited edition line. When I spoke to company owner, Eddie Tarazona, he informed me that this particular cigar has been aging longer than most due to the pandemic. Instead of a normal 3 – 5 months of aging, it had close to a year on it before hitting the shelves. That alone had me enticed to try it. Eddie sent me three samples to review on Stogie Press and today I offer my take on this new addition to the Tarazona family of cigars.
The Benjamins debuted at the 2019 Stogie Press Lounge of the Year – Cigar Life in Lakeland, FL – late February and began shipping March 1st to Tarazona retailers across the country.
The company describes the blend as:
- Wrapper: San Andrés Mexico
- Binder: Nica Jalapa
- Filler: Condega, Jalapa
As with the Sterling they are available in 10-count boxes. Production is limited to 500 boxes. They are being produced by Juan ”Papito” Gomez at Tabacalera Papito Cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua. MSRP has been set at $15.00/cigar
Pre-Light Examination
The Tarazona Cigars “The Benjamins” Caraballo 828 Silverback Edición Limitada is a well constructed torpedo with all but invisible seams and minimal veins. A perfect pencil point cap is applied. Dark, almost black in color, the cigar has a decent oily sheen and is a little sticky to the touch. There is a mild tooth to the wrapper and I found it to be well packed and solid from head to foot.
Like the original Silverback “The Sterling”, it is adorned with two bands that use a silver and black motif. The primary band uses the Caraballo 828 logo and the secondary band, placed just below, declares this as a Silverback Edición Limitada.
Running “The Benjamins” along the nose, I picked up a mildly pungent fermented leaf aroma along the barrel and an earthiness off the foot.
I sliced the cap on a 45 degree angle, like I do all torpedoes, and gave it a few cold draw puffs that were nicely restricted. The draw delivered a distinctive and growing black pepper note.
With the pre-light examination out of the way, I proceeded to warm the foot with my triple flame torch bringing the foot to an even orange glow. I drew in a nice peppery blast along with a back note of floral to get the journey started. Follow along as I burn “The Benjamins” to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Rich pepper and floral notes right off the first light
- Toasted cracker aroma adds to the early pleasure
- White ash forms on top of a thin char line
- Cream notes join the mix about a half inch into the burn
- Full volume of thick chewy smoke is being produced and filling the palate on every puff
- A gentle natural sweetness helps to smooth out the profile
- Ash fell in a good chunk revealing a well formed ash cone
- Caramel notes evolve keeping my interest in the transitions
- Super creamy and smooth smoke
- Sweetness maintains moving through the second third
- Spice and dried fruit notes begin to evolve and take center stage
- Slight jag in the burn deep in the second third
- Dark chocolate appears entering the final third
- Increased spice notes wrap the chocolate down to the end
- Medium plus in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Final Analysis
The Tarazona Cigars “The Benjamins” Caraballo 828 Silverback Edición Limitada was another fine example of what Eddie Tarazona has been offering since his return to the industry a few years ago. The Benjamins was a very pleasant smoking experience that offered a delicate array of flavors and nuances through the journey. I liked how it started with pepper and floral and through the burn developed a pleasing natural tobacco sweetness that made way for the late journey dry fruit and dark chocolate notes. Eddie’s motto is #DoItWithPassion and it shows in the recent offerings of the small boutique company especially the “The Benjamins” Caraballo 828 Silverback Edición Limitada. If you are an experienced enthusiast, this is one you need to grab a box of and add to your rotation. I rate this a
Point Deductions: (-1) Slight Jag In Burn in second half; (-1) Slightly Flaky Ash
Bonus Points: (+1) Buy a Box; (+1) Complex and Balanced; (+1) Pleasurable and Consistent across Multiple Samples
