Principle Cigars Releases Aviator Espoir

Principle Cigars has added a new—and very sizable—cigar to its Aviator series, the 9 1/2 x 46 Espoir.

The cigar uses an Ecuadorian-grown, habano 2000 wrapper, while the binder and filler are both Dominican, with three varietals in the filler. The company describes the profile as beginning with “an explosion of cold suede leather and continues to unfold in layers.”

The cigars were rolled in January 2023 at the Kelner Boutique Factory in the Dominican Republic and have been resting since. Production is limited to 200 boxes of 10 cigars.

“The format is really for me,” Darren Cioffi, founder of Principle Cigars, told halfwheel. “I’m a fast smoker that strongly dislikes a warm cigar. I am constantly forcing myself to smoke more slowly in order to regulate heat and maintain flavor and performance.”

Cioffi added that he really wanted something he could smoke the way he wanted to, without having to think too hard about it and just enjoy himself.

“But, of course, I want to do this with a great cigar. That is for what this was created. It’s the kind of cigar that if I told nobody about it, I’d be happy to smoke them alone for the rest of my life,” he said.

As for the name, it is the French word for hope, and comes from one of Cioffi’s friends who hails from Senegal and speaks French. “I mentioned to her in 2022 that this cigar was incoming and I was working on a name, and Espoir came right out of her mouth. I liked it, and rolled with it. The naming workshop lasted 15 seconds.”

Pricing is set at $38 per cigar and $380 for a box of 10 cigars. The Aviator Espoir is available through both Principle’s website and its retailers.

Image courtesy of Principle Cigars.