toro is one of the great cigar sizes, especially for a late-night smoke…which for me, this is. Moreover, the Dissident Soapbox comes highly recommended. This boutique stick has been around for years, in various iterations, but through it all, I can truly say I have never heard a negative review of the Soapbox. Still, I have never before smoked a Soapbox myself, so I was delighted upon being assigned to smoke a the Toro Gordo for this review, and I have been eagerly looking forward to it.
Weighing in at 16.6 grams out of the cellophane, the cigar looks and feels like a hefty smoke. A milk chocolate-colored wrapper leaf gleams when you shine a strong light on it, and it exhibits signs of oil and tooth. Veins & seams are no more obtrusive than your average premium smoke (meaning, not obtrusive at all). The cigar looks and feels firmly and evenly packed and well-constructed in every aspect.
The aroma, pre-light, is in harmony with the chocolatey appearance: I’m detecting, above all, baker’s cocoa on the nose, even more prominently emanating from the foot of the cigar; and there are subtle hints that remind me of an old, damp oak chest my uncle kept in his root cellar. After a standard punch cut, the cold draw is free and easy and presents only the slightest hint of hot pepper.
A single 4-inch wood match was more than enough firepower to toast and evenly light this beauty. Early notes are cream. Vanilla cream. I feel like I have just been hit in the face with a cream pie—and I mean that in a good way, for I do love a creamy cigar. The retrohale is as smooth and forgiving as the thick clouds of smoke that every puff generates. My first impression is that this is going to be a fairly light-bodied cigar, although it is still a bit early to make that call. In the background, a growing chorus of classic cigar notes is rising, including nuts, light brown sugar, and creamed coffee. I find myself smoking this delicious cigar rapaciously, and it takes me only 15 minutes to grow the slate-white ash to an inch and a half. A couple minutes later I lop off the ash into my little bowl. The burn line is slightly asymmetric, but not out of control.
I am well into the first third when I notice the nicotine sneaking into the picture—just enough to be pleasant and to make the Soapbox Toro Gordo a medium-strength cigar, if all continues on track. But there are transitions, so there may yet be surprises: The flavors are trending toward lightly honeyed cappuccino, and the vitamin N continues to rise, prompting me to slow down and take a big swig of iced tea, lest I overspeed things and spoil the fun with exuberance. The retrohale is still velvety, with only the slightest pepper note. It’s still mostly rich cream.
At 32 minutes I’m halfway through. The burn line has self-corrected; the cigar is on autopilot, delivering a symphony of spices and a retrohale that features rising pepper and cedar notes. At 45 minutes I again lop off the ash and pop the band off without difficulty. Now I am taking notice of an increasingly long finish—bready and rich, it bridges the gap to the next puff. I cannot proclaim any great surprises. Having already heard through the grapevine that this would be a great cigar, I can report that it simply is that, living out the prototype of a boutique premium I had been given to expect. There are no off-putting flavor notes. There are no demerits.
In the final third, as the temperature slowly rises, the cigar is becoming more prominently and richly flavored with the leaf’s oils, which give a deeply satisfying roundness (a high achievement in the blender’s art). At one hour I’ve only got two inches to go, and I wish I had taken things more slowly. This is not a heavy or strong cigar. A novice could probably handle it, though I would not advise anyone to take it on with an empty stomach. This is a proper after-dinner smoke.
Sometimes, after smoking a light cigar—even if it is a large cigar—I confess I am inclined to grab a cigarette just to get caught up on my nicotine deficit. Tonight there will be no such temptation. The Soapbox may not be a nicotine gun, but neither is it light fare. As Goldilocks said, it’s “just right”—medium-bodied, medium strength.
The ash drops to the floor just as the nub begins to get too hot to hold in the fingertips. Wistfully, at 72 minutes I set the nub down, but continue to relish the buttery aftertaste for several minutes longer. The Dissident Soapbox Toro Gordo is a splendid cigar, especially considering its rather conventional price of $11 per stick. I am very happy that the magazine bought me a few of these babies. Tomorrow after supper I will, without fail, be coming back for more.
Dissident Soapbox Toro Gordo
- Size: 6 3/4 inches x 54 ring gauge
- Wrapper: Sumatra
- Fillers: Nicaragua
- Binder: Ecuador
- Re-released: Mid-2022 (with wrapper change)
- Made at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua
- Available in 20-count boxes
- MSPR: $11 single
- Smoking time: 72 minutes
– Samples purchased from smokingpipes.com. Review by William C. Nelson
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 1, 2023. To receive a copy of this magazine you must be a current member of PCA. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.