Casa de Sueños El Soñador Toro – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

El Soñador was the inaugural release from Casa De Sueños in 2019, a relatively new cigar company. The tobacco used in the Casa De Sueños El Soñador comes from a hidden valley in the Dominican Republic, cultivated over six generations by the De Los Reyes family. “El Soñador” translates to “The Dreamer” in English.

El Soñador is a Dominican puro, described as a medium blend cigar. It features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, San Vincente binder, and Dominican fillers. The cigar is available in four vitolas: Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 54), Maximo (7 x 60), and Salomon (7 x 56).

In this review, we'll be focusing on the Toro size, which measures 6 x 54. Previously, we reviewed the Robusto size, here.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: De Los Reyes S.A.
Blender: Nirka Reyes & Ozhen Arenous
Number of reviewers: 5 – Bradlee W. (Brad W.) Fred L. (Fred L.) Mickey T. (irratebass) Doug S. (Unpossible_1) Jason A. (Jason A.)
Price: $15.25
Age: 1 year
Release Date: November 2019
Contributed by: Casa De Suenos Cigars

Initial Impressions – Casa de Sueños El Soñador Toro

Appearance: 89

“Deep and dark brown, the wrapper has an oily sheen that is quite prominent in the sunlight. Nothing like an oily sheen to signal flavor, right?” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Aroma: 92

“Mild barnyard aroma on the sniff test.” –Jason A. (Jason A.)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Must, cinnamon, earth, and walnuts on the cold draw. There are not a lot of flavors coming at me to be honest, but I am getting some black & white pepper notes as well as earth and some baking spices throughout. Maybe some coffee and definitely some floral notes especially on the retro. The strength is mild to medium but more mild.”-Mickey T. (irratebass)

“The pre-light: The cold draw has a pleasant earthiness complimented by barnyard, cedar, and straw. Upfront there's a heavy presence of black pepper, cedar, and a slight hint of cream. Once that blast of pepper dies down there's a welcome greeting of caramel sweetness with a creamy aftertaste and a slight hint of citrus. After a few more puffs the overall profile becomes an interesting sweet & creamy combo underscored by a subtle pepper tone and a very light citrus tang.” –Fred L. (Fred L.)

Second Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Getting into the 2nd third, I'm picking up on a slight coffee note along with the continued nuttiness. The construction is very good. The coffee note continued throughout the second third.” –Jason A. (Jason A.)

“Things have settled down during the second third. Some honey roasted peanuts, and just a touch of that black pepper remaining.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Final Third

Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Amazingly this cigar started stronger and finished lighter. The nuances mentioned in the first and second thirds tend to fall off. In the final bit of the cigar the notes mellow to oak and warm leather. There is a touch of cardamom in the end that is a nice touch to the blend.” –Bradlee W. (Brad W.)

“Not much change on the flavors getting into the final third. Still has a pronounced coffee note with a hint of the nutty. The strength picked up a notch but nothing major. The burn remained solid. Slight peeling up of the wrapper but held together nicely.” –Jason A. (Jason A.)

Overall Impressions – Casa de Sueños El Soñador Toro

Draw: 95

“Perfect draw. That's literally it.” –Bradlee W. (Brad W.)

Burn: 92

“Near perfect, the burnline is razor-sharp for most of the smoke while the ash is snowy white and solid.” –Fred L. (Fred L.)

Construction: 96

“Construction was great for the entire smoke. Some minor peeling of the wrapper in the final third but didn't affect the smoking experience.” –Jason A. (Jason A.)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 92

“This cigar was like a beautiful symphony. Started strong and mellowed through each third. Each third of the cigar revealed a new flavor note that was beautifully placed.” –Bradlee W. (Brad W.)

“While not the most diversely flavored, this cigar more than makes up with a full-bodied flavor profile that drives loads of caramel sweetness with rich leather and earth notes and loads of lovely black pepper. A must for smokers who prefer maduros and cigars on the full side. I would recommend pairing it with a Triple Belgian ale or a dry Brut for special occasions.” –Fred L. (Fred L.)

“Overall I enjoyed this cigar until the final third. This cigar was full of earth, coffee, spice and black pepper. It did also have nice floral and cream notes but only on the retro and the black pepper and spice still overpowered that. This was not a bad cigar at all just a bit too spicy for my taste, however the strength was a mild to medium all the way to the end and then it was a full blown strong cigar that became bitter.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

“This cigar had quite the story for me. Starting off with some intense mineral and pepper combo that was balanced with honey goodness. This carried me into the middle of the tale, where things took a more subtle turn, wanning me into a sense of comfort and preparing me for what was to come. I was rewarded with an epic ending of cosmic proportions that even the most thrawn soccer mom would love. Okay maybe cosmic is a bit of an overreach, but this was unquestionably a fantastic finish for me.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

“This was a pretty enjoyable cigar. Nice notes of nuts and coffee, and no major transitions during the smoke but still pleasant. Very nice burn and construction.” –Jason A. (Jason A.)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 114

To view the complete scores and notes, click here

Casa de Sueños El Soñador Toro – Blind Cigar Review