On May 30th, 2Firsts learned from Firstunion Group that the company officially announced to the HTP (heated tobacco product) industry at a press conference: the issue of "pre-heating" no longer exists.
On the same day, PTH, Firstunion’s premium technology brand, held a product launch event in Jakarta, Indonesia, where it officially unveiled the world’s first mass-produced puff to heat HTP—PTH MASTER. Leveraging multiple industry-first technologies, PTH MASTER not only eliminates the wait time associated with pre-heating, but also resolves the challenge of inconsistent flavor between the first and last puffs, achieving a breakthrough in puff to heat.
Puff to Heat: A New Form of Heated Tobacco Product
Since its inception, the heated tobacco industry has been striving to optimize thermal conduction efficiency. By altering the heating systems applied to tobacco sheets—such as shifting from ring-shaped heating to central heating, and from resistive heating to electromagnetic heating—mainstream products in the industry have shortened the pre-heating time from nearly one minute initially to under 10 seconds today. The core challenge has always been to “eliminate the wait.”
However, as long as pre-heating exists, consumers’ anxiety about waiting remains.
Not to mention the constraints imposed by the heating cycle: once an HTP stick is activated, it must be consumed within a fixed time period and cannot be paused. Users frequently complain that puffing too fast leads to poor flavor, while puffing too slowly results in waste.
Modern consumers have virtually zero tolerance for waiting. It is precisely this insight that led to the creation of the PTH MASTER project. “The essence of product development is to make technology adapt to human instinct—not the other way around,” said Jack Kuai, Product Lead at PTH MASTER.
After more than three years of development and the dedication of over a hundred cross-disciplinary experts, PTH MASTER has reconstructed its foundational technological framework, delivering innovation through three major breakthroughs:
· Distributed Hexa-Core Thermal Control System: Featuring six independent thermal modules controlled by AI-driven algorithms, it precisely regulates temperatures, eliminating uneven heating and overheating common in traditional ring-shaped heaters.
· HOP Honeycomb-Engineered Tobacco: A pioneering tobacco sheet innovation that releases tobacco uniformly and efficiently through point-to-point heating.
· Lingxi Airflow Sensor: Responding within 30 milliseconds to user inhalation, this sensor dynamically adjusts heating intensity based on puff strength, enabling instantaneous start and pause functionality.
These three technological breakthroughs not only address the issues of pre-heating wait time and the inability to pause but also fundamentally redefine the energy delivery method of heated tobacco products—from “overall thermal conduction” to “precise intervention,” marking a significant shift in the industry’s technical paradigm.
Beyond breakthroughs in technology and performance specifications, PTH MASTER achieves a more intelligent, convenient, and premium product form through a comprehensive integration of innovative design and functional engineering.
Based on extensive user research, PTH MASTER redefines the user experience with a "zero-compromise design philosophy." It offers intelligent dual control modes that allow users to manage their time anytime, anywhere: Ultra and Eco modes. Users can select "Ultra Mode" (6 puffs with high concentration) or "Eco Mode" (12 puffs with a gradual release), catering to various scenarios such as fast-paced business settings or relaxed leisure environments. Its ultra-slim micro tobacco chamber, the Tiangong Chamber, is less than 9 mm thick and supports one-handed, single-button operation to prevent accidental activation. In terms of interactive design, PTH MASTER features a 0.71-inch Chrono Halo Display and more than a dozen linear motor feedback waveforms that provide real-time updates on battery life, puff count, and full operation guidance.
In appearance, PTH MASTER derives its color inspiration from Earth's 4.6-billion-year evolutionary palette, offered in three series—Master, Ultimate, and Premium—with seven color options: Master Edition Royal Vermilion; Ultimate Edition Dune White and Basalt Black; Premium Edition Misty Gray, Rosewood Brown, Dai Emerald, and Starry Blue, harmoniously blending natural beauty and advanced technology.
Moreover, its body is constructed using 100% recyclable aluminum alloy, and the mouthpiece is made from medical-grade integrated ceramic material, not only delivering a premium tactile experience but also aligning with the product’s commitment to sustainability.
As for flavor selection, HOP offers a variety of innovative formulations such as Original Tobacco, Menthol Tobacco, Mild Menthol Tobacco, Blueberry Menthol Tobacco, Clove Tobacco, and zero-nicotine variants like Original 0% Nicotine and Blueberry Menthol 0% Nicotine . PHT MASTER will continue to launch innovative flavors to meet the diverse taste preferences of consumers across different regions.
Harm Reduction Without Compromising Satisfaction
Beyond the heating system, the tobacco sheet craftsmanship and aroma profile are the two other key indicators used to evaluate the performance of HTPs.
In terms of tobacco processing, HOP uses premium tobacco leaves sourced from the world’s top-growing regions, selecting base leaves aged for 540 to 720 days to deliver a rich and authentic tobacco foundation. From raw leaf to sheet, more than 20 processing steps are involved. Additionally, a team of master blenders with over 20 years of experience employs a proprietary flavoring technique that fuses tobacco with natural flavor extracts, preserving the core aroma compounds and accurately recreating the authentic tobacco flavor.
When measuring satisfaction, the industry typically refers to two key indices: TPM (Total Particulate Matter) and nicotine delivery. On both metrics, PTH MASTER performs significantly better than other products. Moreover, its near-flat performance curve indicates high consistency in flavor—meaning the long-standing issue of flavor inconsistency between the first and last puffs in traditional HTPs has been effectively resolved.
Thanks to point-to-point heating, the device only heats a fixed tobacco area with each puff during use, ensuring uniform and stable release per session and completely eliminating the uneven flavor experience found in traditional heated tobacco products.
“Our goal has always been to achieve peak performance from the very first puff—and maintain it consistently,” said Jack Kuai.
In terms of flavor quality, PTH MASTER also outperforms competing products across eight key sensory indicators, including aroma, aftertaste, consistency, and comfort.
More importantly, such exceptional flavor and sensory performance is achieved with 60% less tobacco—a single traditional combustible cigarette contains 700–900 mg of tobacco; conventional HTP products use reconstituted tobacco sheet with about 300 mg of tobacco content; HOP tobacco sheet, by contrast, contains only 120 mg. Tobacco content is reduced, utilization is improved, yet the performance remains uncompromised.
This also leads to significant gains in harm reduction. Based on the World Health Organization’s nine harm reduction indicators and in comparison with the 3R4F reference cigarette, PTH MASTER achieves an overall harm reduction rate of over 97%.
Meanwhile, a variety of zero-nicotine HOP tobacco sheet options allow those trying to quit smoking to maintain the hand-to-mouth habit while gently transitioning toward nicotine-free alternatives.
Sustained Market Growth: Firstunion Poised to Reshape the Industry Ecosystem
The global heated tobacco market is undergoing a structural transformation. According to the 2024 World Tobacco Development Report, in 2024, among all novel tobacco categories, heated tobacco products (HTPs) accounted for the largest market share, with annual sales rising 12.7% year-over-year to USD 38.85 billion. The Asia-Pacific region contributed the largest portion of sales. Behind these numbers lies a dual consumer demand—for both “harm reduction” and a premium “user experience”—which calls for not only reduced health risks but also solutions to long-standing pain points in traditional HTPs.
PTH MASTER is poised to offer the market a glimpse of new possibilities.
In several major tobacco-consuming countries, heated tobacco products have already become popular harm-reduction alternatives to traditional smoking.
Take Indonesia as an example. As the world’s fourth-largest tobacco consuming country—and one of the nations with the highest smoking rates—Indonesia presents an urgent demand for safer, more technologically advanced smoking alternatives. PTH MASTER precisely addresses these pain points. According to McKinsey’s 2023 statistics, Indonesia’s middle class has grown to 52 million people and is expanding rapidly. These consumers are increasingly seeking high-end, intelligent products.
Firstunion Group had already established a presence in the Indonesian market years ago. Through its Indonesian subsidiary, the company actively invested in local market development, research and innovation, and support for the emerging tobacco industry. This early groundwork provides PTH MASTER with a significant market advantage in Indonesia.
Beyond Indonesia, similar growth trends are evident in European markets where e-cigarette penetration is also high. German research indicates that 27.3% of smokers seek alternatives due to excessive tobacco taxation. A report by Tianfeng Securities shows that, as of 2021, heat-not-burn products held a 9% market share in the Czech Republic and as high as 12% in Greece.
As a leading alternative to traditional cigarettes and a flagship product for harm reduction, PTH MASTER could trigger a wave of demand for technologically advanced products in emerging heated tobacco markets such as Europe and Indonesia. PTH is expected to become a new benchmark and possibly even a technological synonym in the novel tobacco sector.
According to available information, Firstunion Group has filed 50 patent families (including 12 under the PCT, Patent Cooperation Treaty) for PTH MASTER, covering multiple countries and forming a comprehensive global patent portfolio. Leveraging its seven global laboratories, six intelligent manufacturing bases, and full-category R&D capabilities, Firstunion Group plans to continuously iterate and optimize its offerings, with future products expected to be even more forward-looking and user-friendly.
As the heated tobacco market continues to expand, PTH MASTER, with its exceptional technological capabilities and superior user experience, not only provides a new choice for consumers but also sets a new benchmark for technological advancement in the industry—positioning itself to lead the sector toward its next stage of development.
Source: Firstunion Group
