CIGARETTE BRANDS FROM CHINA

In the first two parts of this series, I introduced two cigarette brands: Mudan and Huang Guo Shu. They are regional brands and don’t have too many market shares.

But today, I’m introducing one of the most famous cigarette brands in China: Hong Ta Shan.

These cigarettes were named after Hongtashan Hill in the vicinity of Yuxi City, Yunnan province, where the Yuxi Cigarette Factory, which began producing this brand, was located.

Hongtashan cigarettes have been produced since 1959 and have received numerous industry awards, ranging from provincial to national levels.

Hongtashan Cigarettes were produced in both soft and hard packs, in various varieties, but with a consistent presence in the form of a national architectural monument known as the “Iron Pagoda.”

Today, Hongtashan is still being produced, although the packaging has become less elaborate, and the detailed image of the pagoda has become highly simplified.

Since the 1990s, these cigarettes have been at the top of the Chinese national market and are produced in a variety of price ranges.

There have been too many versions of Hongtashan cigarettes over the decades. Here let’s see a special cigarette pack for exporting.

• The pack has a design typical of the 1990s – a pure white pack adorned with a “golden” landscape and a bright red image of a pagoda.
• The packaging is bilingual – the front side bears the hieroglyphic notation of all inscriptions, while the reverse side is in English. The entire design is not only highly contrasting but also embossed.
• The cigarette pack is wrapped in traditional transparent cellophane with a tear strip, and the top of the pack is sealed with a paper ribbon bearing the logo of the manufacturer’s factory. – Typical packaging method for most Chinese cigarette brands.
• The sides of the pack are beautiful red Chinese characters, of course, which means Hongtashan cigarettes.

The cigarettes:

• The pack contains twenty king-size cigarettes with a regular acetate filter.
• The construction and quality of the cigarette tubes are at a good level.
• The cigarette design features the traditional “cork-style” filter paper found in many non-Chinese brands.
• The brand name is bilingual on the cigarette paper, written in light brown in Chinese and in red in English.

The tobacco leaves:

The tobacco blend in the cigarettes is quite light, with an abundance of yellow and light-yellow fractions.

About a quarter of the total volume consists of brown-colored particles.

The cut is fairly fine, composed of narrow, long ribbons.

The Taste:

The taste of Hongtashan cigarettes may not meet smokers today:

The taste is quite strong and leaves a persistent “aroma” of burning.

What’s more, there’s a throaty sensation upon inhalation, and a slight bitterness lingers in the mouth.

Maybe rare smokers make it a daily food.

(Subjective sensation)

But to many people, its sensations are only pleasant. After all, Hongtashan cigarettes have been popular in China for decades. They have a significant market presence and are among the top-selling cigarette brands in the country. The brand has maintained its popularity over the years.

In any case, as one of the major tobacco-producing regions in China, Yunnan is renowned for its unique and distinct tobacco varieties. The province is particularly famous for its Yunnan tobacco, which is often used in the production of premium and specialty cigarette brands. And Hongtashan is in the top 2.

In the end, let’s see what grade Hongtashan can get: