Principle Cigars

Veteran treasure hunter, Darren Cioffi, developed a deeply rooted passion through years of handling antique tobacco artwork and vintage cigars dating back to the 1870s. He embarked upon creating a series of Cigars that encompassed the entire beauty of this product, to give harmonious pleasure to all the senses.

Along with Hendrik Kelner Jr., scion of the legendary ‘Henke’ Kelner, the two spent a year and a half selecting tobaccos and working to create blends that met with the vision. This task took them through several countries, many farms and discussions with countless estate growers.

Cultivated tobaccos were fermented repeatedly to their tastes and put aside until maturity at the very small ‘Kelner Boutique Factory’ in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Production is severely limited, for some vitolas to as few as 10 cigars per day. Much like Champagne, the blends are tweaked continuously by Darren and Hendrik to maintain the consistency of this vibrant, living product.