The Particulars

The Review

This review for the Principle Cigars Engagement - Corona Gorda (5.75 x 46) is based on the journal entry dated 2026-02-07

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Average (2)

A more petite and diminutive-sized cigar, it has that rustic à la vintage feel that many of Principle’s releases are known for. The Nicaraguan wrapper is a warm, slightly Rosado-pushing, orange-hued light-to-medium brown that has a nice sheen and a good amount of mottling to it. There are a large number of thicker veins running through it and the cigar is quite lumpy. The cigar has varying degrees of firmness down the shaft with uneven roundness. The seams and triple cap are all tight and blend in nicely. The red and gold band is simple, but I’m left with Yagua vibes from this one. I’m assuming we’re marrying the Engagement for her personality, not her looks.

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Poor (1) / Good (3)

The draw is good to go but the burn starts very uneven and wavy. It’s burning quickly and with a ragged char line, but self-correcting. The ash is a very light gray that is crumbling and flaking in the first inch. I don’t have high expectations that this will hold very well, so I would just advise to ash early and often.

The draw is tightening up and I’m thinking I need to grab my draw tool. I dump the first inch of ash and grab my PerfecDraw. While there’s an urge to violate the hell out of this cigar, the PD is aggressive and it feels like the tightness is at the head of the cigar, not further down. So just the tip, gently, to see how it feels. This is for marriage, not hot lust, and the Engagement is a tender cigar you don’t want to be rough with. Position… and thrust, just a little bit and gently. Yep, it’s tight and the Engagement feels fragile, so I softly pull out the PerfecDraw and the draw is improved. Not great, but better.

Post-draw correction, the ash is holding very nicely and the burn line has settled in as well. The striations in the ash have turned into tight and evenly spaced narrow cracks. The burn line is still soft and wavy, but well controlled. I’m seeing some small oil crystals in the later sections of the burn as well. The cigar gets squishy and warm in the final third, making it a little more difficult to hold.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Good (3)

Immediate woodiness, red pepper, cinnamon, and cream out of the gate. The draw issues are distracting from focusing on the blend, but it’s coming together by the second third. Bits of earth, leather, coffee, and the missing sweetness have appeared. Pepper has scaled back, allowing the other flavors to step up. It’s a nice combination of wood, spice, citrus, honey, and heavy cream. Honestly, it sounds more like a body moisturizer now that I think about it. 😅

But we have a really nice balance and level of refinement here. It’s not an assaulting level of spice, just enough to keep things interesting and flavorful. The sweet is a little subdued for my tastes. My biggest gripe is the Engagement—well, she’s not very complex. Cedar, spice, lots of cream. Bits of honey, citrus, earth, leather, and coffee, but that’s about it. But creamy, very creamy. Some folks might call this Cubanesque. For me, it’s nice, pleasant, but a little boring.

The final third starts to fall flat. Flavors are falling off, leaving mostly wood, a generic tobacco flavor, baking spice, and diminishing creaminess. But then the sweetness and creaminess come back, pulling a nice honey, thick creamy finish, and a final kick of red pepper. Overall, the Engagement is smooth, refined, relaxing, and enjoyable, but a bit dull and not very engaging for my palate. Like any marriage, there are ups and downs to the time spent with this cigar.

Overall Experience (0-5):  Average (2)

Well, I hope the wedding and honeymoon were nice because I’m not sure I want to get hitched to the Engagement for life. There are moments that are nice and relaxing, others that are flat and boring. If you love a milder, smaller cigar that is woody and creamy and with just enough spice to keep things from being completely dull, this could be for you.

It seems the Engagement is for the guy who really enjoys driving his Camry to his accounting job, loves a freshly ironed pair of khakis to pair with his favorite New Balances and a polo shirt that has his college logo embroidered on it. This is for the guy who gets married to the first girl he had sex with in college, settles down in the suburbs, has 2.1 kids, loves to grill, and takes pride in his landscaping skills. Very relaxed fit. 😅 If you’re going to check this one out, grab a coffee and smoke it in the morning.

Review Base Rating (0-5):

2.75

Would I Buy It Again?

Reply hazy, try again (just ok, the juice isn't worth the squeeze)

Review Final Score (0-10):

5.67

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.