InterTabac 24 exclusive: Great Wall Cigars - a fascinating world and voyage of discovery with Alex Huang

I'm standing here at a stand and I have to admit, I've never heard of Great Wall Cigars. I don't even know if you can get them here, but it looks extremely interesting and, above all, extremely beautiful. So of course I want to find out a bit more about this brand.

5 Minutes

The author behind these articles is Oliver - survivalist, winter griller, TV fuzzie from Bonn. He constantly fails at trying to stay sporty, loves cigars, rock'n'roll, barbecues, bad jokes and single malt whisky. He is now too old to grow up.

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Great Wall Cigars has over 100 years of history

I am greeted warmly by Alex Huang. "Hello, I'm Alex from Great Wall Cigars in China. Our brand has a history of over 100 years. The first tobacco store was opened in 1918, and I'm delighted to be able to introduce our cigars to you today." - "100 years, that's impressive!" I say in amazement.

"Yes, and we have a wide selection. Look, here are our four series. Some people may think that Chinese cigars are made from Chinese tobacco. But that's not quite true. We use tobaccos from all over the world, including Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Brazil and, of course, China."

Alex Huang explains Great Wall Cigars to me.

Mao has selected series 2

I am impressed. "That sounds exciting! I see very different cigars here. Tell me more about the different series." - "Of course! Our top series is the G series. These are hand-rolled premium cigars that stand for special occasions in China. Then we have the 132 series, which got its name from a team in the 60s that made cigars especially for Chinese leaders like Mao Zedong. Mao chose series 2, and the combination of 1 and 3 for other statesmen resulted in the 132 series."

"Wow, that's an interesting background story. And what's the international series all about?" I want to know. - "The international series is a collaboration with companies like Tabacalera. We want to conquer the global market, especially the European market. Our latest series is the Flourishing Age series, which is aimed particularly at cigar beginners. It has a milder taste and is more attractively priced."

Europe is an important step

"I have to say, this packaging looks great too. Is this the latest edition?" - "Yes, this is our latest release, GL number 2, and comes in a white jar. It was delivered this year and is particularly rich in flavors. These cigars have a long tradition and we are very proud of them."

"That all sounds very good. I wonder what the situation is with your market in Europe. Are you already here or are you working on establishing yourselves here?" Alex enlightens me: "The European market is an important step for us. We have made great progress in China in recent years and are now ready to explore the market here. We have already held initial talks with European retailers and hope that our cigars will become better known in Europe over the next few years."

"That sounds like an ambitious plan. Is this your first time here at the fair?" - "No, we were here for the first time in 2009. A lot has happened since then and we are working hard to establish our products on the international market."

"Thank you very much, Alex. That was very informative and exciting. I look forward to seeing how Great Wall Cigars develops in the future." - "Thank you, it was a pleasure." A really exciting conversation - it remains to be seen how Great Wall Cigars will establish itself on the international market.

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