On a continuum of potentially reduced risk tobacco products, heated tobacco products (HTPs) represent an important novel tobacco category that is closer to smokers’ ritual and sensory expectations. Commercial HTPs have set high intellectual property barriers on new and existing players wanting truly innovative HTP products. Digging deeper into fundamental tobacco thermophysics and thermochemistry can be a source of inspiration to drive better HTP performance. In this work, tobacco thermophysical principles in combustible cigarettes are explained and used to demonstrate the design behind a closed-ended HTP prototype. By bridging the combustion science established from a burning cigarette, this innovative HTP solution is able to enhance overall product performance on reducing toxicants while improving the deliveries of key sensory chemicals as compared to its open-ended equivalent. Specifically, the physics behind the air flow to release entrained aerosol constituents without undesirable cooling of the heated tobacco bed is demonstrated, and the effects on aerosol chemistry and particle size distribution are presented. In summary, innovative HTP designs can be achieved by tapping into decades of fundamental tobacco research that has been built on the basis of cigarette combustion science.