IPCPR 2019: Tarazona

It’s been a number of years since I last saw Tarazona Cigars at an IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, but right in front of the Southern Draw booth was Eddie Tarazona and company. I ran into Tarazona, the person, earlier this year in the Dominican Republic, and he was with Henderson Ventura of Tabacalera William Ventura. So it’s no surprise to see that many of his cigars are now being produced by the ever-growing Dominican factory.

The Tarazona booth is a similar style to how I remember it from years past. A lot of white furniture. I think it’s an effective use of a small both space, particularly given the number of new products the company had this year.

Caraballo828 Claro

A new brand family that shares the name of Tarazona’s business partner Mario Caraballo.

• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut)
• Binder: Ecuador (Sumatra)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa)

• Caraballo828 Claro Greenbacks (5 1/2 x 44) — $7.20 (Box of 20, $144)
• Caraballo828 Claro Shekel (5 x 52) — $8.20 (Box of 20, $164)
• Caraballo828 Claro FFOD (6 x 54) — $9.20 (Box of 20, $184)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Late July 2019

Caraballo828 Oscuro

• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Habano)
• Binder: Ecuador (Sumatra)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa)

• Caraballo828 Oscuro Pocket Change (4 1/2 x 42) — $7.40 (Box of 20, $148)
• Caraballo828 Oscuro Shekel (5 x 52) — $8.40 (Box of 20, $168)
• Caraballo828 Oscuro Dead Presidents (6 x 52) — $9.40 (Box of 20, $188)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Late July 2019

Not pictured.

Caraballo828 EL

This line is being made in Nicaragua by Juan “Pepito” Alberto Gomez-Pacheco.

• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega & Jalapa)

• Caraballo828 EL Silverback (5 x 50) — $10 (Box of 10, $100)
• Caraballo828 EL Benjamins (6 x 52) — $12.50 (Box of 10, $125)

Production: 200 Boxes of Each Size

Release Date: Fall 2019

Not pictured.

Tarazona Guerrilla305 EL

The limited-edition Tarazona BlackSheep and Liber8, sans a few letters. The sizes are different than the last I wrote about the cigar, now a lonsdale compared to a lancero.

• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
• Binder: Connecticut
• Filler: Dominican Republic

• Tarazona Guerrilla305 EL LIBER8 (6 1/2 x 52) — $13 (Box of 10, $130)
• Tarazona Guerrilla305 EL BLKSHP (6 1/2 x 44) — $13 (Box of 10, $130)

Production: 200 Boxes of Each Size

Release Date: November 2019

Tarazona 305 & Guerrilla 305

The existing 305 and Guerrilla 305 lines are now being produced at Tabacalera William Ventura.

2020

A small note on the company’s price list indicated that the Tarazona XTC  and Revolution305 will be returning in 2020. In addition, there will also be a new line called Casa Caraballo.

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.