Tobacco Asia 31
The novel tobacco stand was broader still.
CTIHK's official advance list named seven heated
tobacco brands—SENTIC, UGare, MC, kuanzhai,
ZL, FARSTAR and MU+—representing more
than 100 products. The display also included three
nicotine pouch brands: TOOP, Shuangxi, and Ashi-
ma. According to CTIHK, the heated tobacco and
nicotine pouch categories together accounted for
more than 180 products.
The significance of the line-up lay less in any
individual product than in the attempt to present
multiple categories, brands and manufacturers
within a coordinated overseas framework.
What one international observer saw
The Chinese cigar presence also attracted attention
from specialist media. In an InterTabac show re-
port published on September 17, Charlie Minato,
editor and co-founder of halfwheel, described
China as "the clear growth market at the moment,"
with substantial room for further expansion.
Minato outlined four ways in which hand-
made cigars are supplied or obtained in China: im-
ports through official licenses and quotas; products
entering from neighboring markets such as Hong
Kong, Macao, Vietnam, and Thailand; gray-market
channels; and domestic production. The last of
these is not an import route, but an increasingly im-
portant part of the market's supply picture.
After sampling newer Great Wall cigars, Mi-
nato wrote that he was impressed by the progress
in both flavor and construction. He also noted that
Chinese-made cigars were developing recognizable
identities through their packaging and size choices.
Traditional tobacco
pavilion at InterTabac
2026, Dortmund.
