PRESS RELEASE

TABACALERA EL ARTISTA AND CHINA TOBACCO JOIN FORCES ON NEW TAISHAN · ARTISTA CIGAR PROJECT

Dominican cigar craftsmanship meets Chinese production as two versions of the same blend prepare for an international rollout

DORTMUND, Germany — September 15, 2026 — A new chapter in international cigar collaboration took shape at InterTabac 2026 as Tabacalera El Artista and China Tobacco formally signed an international cigar cooperation agreement that will bring together Dominican tobacco expertise, Chinese production capabilities and access to some of Asia’s most important cigar markets.

The partnership was signed during InterTabac in Dortmund, where the companies also unveiled their first joint cigar project: Taishan · Artista.

And this collaboration comes with an interesting twist.

Rather than simply producing the same cigar in different markets, Taishan · Artista will feature two cigars made from the same blend but produced in two different countries.

The Toro will be produced at Tabacalera El Artista’s factory in the Dominican Republic, while the Pyramid will be manufactured in China at China Tobacco Shandong’s Jinan factory.

At the heart of the project is a blend developed in China by Radhames Rodriguez of Tabacalera El Artista, working alongside China Tobacco Shandong’s blending team. The tobaccos used for the blend are supplied exclusively by Tabacalera El Artista.

The result is a project that brings together two very different cigar-production traditions under one name.

For El Artista, it is an opportunity to put its tobacco, blending and manufacturing expertise into a collaboration designed for an international audience. For China Tobacco, it creates a vehicle to combine its substantial production infrastructure and market reach with the experience of an established Dominican cigar manufacturer.

TWO COUNTRIES. ONE BLEND. ONE PROJECT.

The Taishan · Artista concept is built around a simple idea: take the same blend and let two different cigar-making environments tell the story.

The Dominican-made Toro will be produced by Tabacalera El Artista, giving the project a direct connection to the Dominican Republic’s premium cigar-making tradition.

The Pyramid, meanwhile, will be manufactured at China Tobacco Shandong’s Jinan factory, bringing the project into China’s domestic cigar-production environment.

That makes Taishan · Artista more than another international cigar collaboration. It represents a direct exchange between two tobacco industries that traditionally have operated in very different corners of the global cigar business.

And this first release may only be the beginning.

THE ROAD TO MARKET

The first commercial launch is scheduled for Hong Kong and Macau in December 2026, with distribution in those markets overseen by CTIHK.

From there, Taishan · Artista is expected to expand into China Duty Free locations throughout mainland China in spring 2027.

The project is then scheduled to reach China Duty Free locations across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the mainland Chinese domestic market, in summer 2027.

For cigar smokers in the Americas and Europe, the Dominican-made Toro is planned to arrive in late spring 2027, with distribution handled by TCD Logistics and Tobacco & Cigar Distribution.

That rollout gives the project an unusually broad footprint, moving from Hong Kong and Macau into mainland China and the wider Asia-Pacific market before bringing the Dominican-produced version to established cigar markets in the West.

A PARTNERSHIP BUILT BEYOND ONE CIGAR

While Taishan · Artista is the first cigar to emerge from the agreement, both companies describe the cooperation as a broader framework for future work.

The agreement covers collaboration in cigar development, tobacco, manufacturing, technical exchange and international market development.

For Tabacalera El Artista, the partnership extends the company’s work with international cigar companies and markets while opening a new avenue into China and Asia.

For China Tobacco, the agreement combines its production and distribution capabilities with El Artista’s experience in tobacco sourcing, blending and premium cigar manufacturing.

That could ultimately mean more than just another release under the Taishan · Artista name. The agreement establishes a platform for additional product development and technical cooperation between the two companies.

A NEW KIND OF CIGAR COLLABORATION

International cigar collaborations are nothing new. What makes Taishan · Artista particularly interesting is the decision to keep the blend consistent while changing the country of manufacture.

The project effectively puts two production environments under the same cigar umbrella and gives smokers an opportunity to experience how that shared foundation translates into two different formats and production locations.

The first chapter begins with a Toro from the Dominican Republic and a Pyramid from China.

The Taishan · Artista project is the first cigar initiative resulting from the cooperation between Tabacalera El Artista and China Tobacco—and, if the partnership develops as planned, it may not be the last.

Taishan · Artista is scheduled to begin its international commercial rollout in December 2026.