Snus Review: Lundgrens Skåne Vit

 

Lundgrens is a fairly new product line on the market, made by the well-known company Fiedler & Lundgren (who are otherwise famous for products like Granit, Mocca, the low-budget snus Knekt and the discontinued, lovely snus; Lucky Strike). They launched the Lundgrens line in 2014, which in my opinion really put F&L out there as an innovative company with killer products.

The Skåne Vit is their newest edition for their line-up, and for you people scratching your chins about the meaning of the name; Skåne is the southernmost province of Sweden, ranging from the city Älmhult down to Trelleborg, and “Vit” simply means “White”. Apparently F&L grows their organic tobacco down in Malmö and/or Fjälkinge, which I guess relates to the name of the product as both those towns are located in the Skåne province.

On to the portions – they are perforated. Yes. 

There are small holes punched in the very thin portion material to get the snus user “closer to the flavor” with “the same drip as with a normal white portion”, as F&L states. Does this work? Yes and no. I can’t honestly say I notice no real difference in flavor intensity between a Lundgrens portion and a, say, Swedish Match portion. This is pretty hard to pin point though, as I don’t know how these would taste without the perforation, and as these are strong and good tasting. 

On another note, it makes the texture rougher, in a pleasant way, similar to having a loose snus under your lip without the mess that comes with it. The portions look cool as hell too.

So, Skåne Vit, it doesn’t say much about the flavor other than the fact that it’s from southern Sweden. However… if you look to the side of the can (and learn Swedish if you don’t know it), it says, and I translate: “A taste of Swedish tobacco and tones av forest berries”. Damn that sounds tasty.

I was actually surprised at how complex this flavor was if looking deep in to it. It’s not complex in the sense of crazy-ass berry flavors, but more in terms of how the licorice, the tobacco and the forest berries mix together. If you want, and put your mind to it, this can be a straight up blend of the flavors described above. I did pick up some more notes though, which included dark chocolate, coffee, dark berries, citrus, smoke and if I’m not completely insane, a hint of viola. The tobacco bass is very dark, but slightly freshened up by the citrus. Describing flavors I realize now is extremely difficult, but this has been my first impression of it. It is awesome.

The nicotine hit is pretty mild, but satisfying. I would say a bit lower than what I usually feel from Swedish Match products in the same standard strength (8mg/g).

I'm super excited for this product, and I've got to say it's probably one of the better out there right now. As I've only used half of this one can, I have no idea if the flavor is something you grow tired of. It could happen; but luckily the berry flavor is muted and very well blended in with the tobacco. If I suddenly turn on it, I will edit it in the review.

Excellent product from F&L. Keep it up! I highly recommend it. 

Snus Review: General Extra Strong Classic Portion

When most people think about snus, even the Swedes who do not use it, they think about General. A man named Johan A Boman came up with the recipe in 1866, after a four year long, world wide search for the worlds best tobacco. The end result consisted of twenty two different types of tobacco and a drop of bergamot oil, and is the recipe that came to change the definition of snus forever.

The General Extra Strong Classic Portion was first released in Norway back in 2008 under the name "Ekstra Sterk", which is norwegian for extra strong. It gained some serious popularity there, and was later launched in Sweden, keeping the name. Recently they changed it again to English; my guess is to make it fit better with the world wide market that is expanding rapidly.

In difference to its' regular strength brothers, this bad boy contains almost double the amount of nicotine, at 1,4% for every 1,1 gram portion, which makes the nicotine per portion about 15 mg. It won't go unnoticed under your lip.

The can also has some changes - the top lid for used portions (or whatever you want to put in there) is bigger, which is very welcomed. Other than that, it's your regular General can, with the golden text, and a red stripe above, which I guess symbolizes the strength of the snus.

When you smell it, you are struck by licorice, and even by just smelling it you can feel that it's stronger. It has got a punch, giving you a dark tobacco flavored aroma and a hint of citrus. The licorice for me is what shines through the most though, and it really stings your nose if you take a big whiff.

The flavor is also very licorice-y, and has an alkaline kick to it, in a good way. This is not a mellow kind of taste, but a very forward one, burning, sizzling under your lip, giving you one hell of a kick. I noticed it burns the throat more than the regular General, but that it due to the change in PH level, together with the heightened nicotine level. You have some bergamot and citrus flavor coming through, but to be honest it's mostly licorice - and in the General Extra Strong, not a candy like licorice, but a natural, semi-sweet kind of one. It mixes very well with the strong tobacco notes in the background, and will leave you well satisfied.

For a beginner, this snus can be off putting, considering the strength of it. It also drips quite a bit, maybe making for a nauseous experience for a snus user that's just starting out. This is no weak stuff. The portions are also a little bit bigger, at 1,1 grams, making them very welcomed for a experienced user, looking for more snus and more feel.

If you have a tolerance, and like the stronger variants - try this. I would also recommend it strongly for people who snus, but still sometimes get the urge to smoke (maybe at parties, with the morning coffee, etc.). This will take your craving, beat it up and knock it off the face of the earth, and if that doesn't do it, you can always take two (I wouldn't suggest trying it though). For me, this is perfect with beer, and sometimes (not so much anymore though) whilst intoxicated, the need for a quick nicotine fix can present itself, and before, my choice in the situation was to reach for a cigarette (and often snus at the same time). This one however makes a cigarette seem undesirable and weak in comparison.

It's a fantastic product, and is as the same suggests, an extra strong General, but with a welcomed licorice twist.

Snus Review: Göteborgs Rapé Havtorn (White Portion)

Göteborgs Rapé has been around since the early 1900's, but by then, the only format it was available in was loose. In 1970, the year of the invention of the snus portion, an original portion variant was added to the Göteborgs Rapé line. This was the first brand to come out as a white portion in 1997, and has since replaced the original portion variant of the line.

Today, Göteborgs Rapé is one of the staple of Swedish Match's snus arsenal, holding a 14% market share in Sweden as of three years ago. Being born and raised in Sweden, I've noticed the popularity of it here, especially among younger men. It also seems to be a favorite with women.

Havtorn is a new limited edition white portion with the taste of sea buckthorn, that will only be available in the summer of 2013 (so if you enjoy it, stock up, because you never know if it will ever be back again).
I have to say I am positively surprised, although; as always with Swedish Match products.

The snus comes in the regular Göteborgs Rapé can, with the only difference being a slight blueish magenta tint on the labels, and with a dash of orange, simulating a sunrise or sunset, together with the text of the brand of course. It looks pretty sweet. Other than that, if you have had a can from Swedish Match, you know how they will look, it's the regular size of the catch lid, which holds about five used portions (with force you can squeeze some more in there though, with the quite disgusting possible risk of the lid coming off and getting used snus in your pocket). The snus comes in the now regular star formation, seen with all white portion brands from Swedish Match. It really adds to the freshness that the white portion in my opinion has.

The smell kind of reminds me of the regular Göteborgs Rapé, which is a pine-y, forest-y and fresh kind of scent. Havtorn has those attributes, but a lot more subdued, and it does smell fruitier and more sweet. In one way it reminds me a lot of the original, but in another, it differs a lot. The smell is allover pleasant though, with a nice sting. I guess it does smell like sea buckthorn (Havtorn in Swedish), but to be honest, I have never smelled one, and I can't even remember if I have ate one either.


The flavor is interesting. For some reason, with my first portion of it, I was surprised that it lacked the salty flavor that usually comes through quite a bit with other Swedish Match products like General, Grov and even the original Rapé. It tasted extremely balanced, like it melted in my mouth and disappeared. I remember several times I had to actually check with my tongue to see if I still had a portion under my lip. I have no idea why I got this sensation, but it has after about nine cans changed a bit.

Again, I can now taste the salt, and it is quite salty. I would say a tad less than the original, but still noticeable. It is also quite sweet, but not in a nauseous way. The sweetness feels very natural, and is not sugary or crazy, bu
t like the sensation of sweetness you would get from eating a real berry or fruit. Mixed with the tobacco, it's really good. The sea buckthorn flavor is not dominant, but mingles nicely in the background, cheering up the flavor of tobacco. I have no idea if this contains any juniper berries, but I feel there's a touch of that in there as well, but with a sweeter kick.

It has the normal drip of a white portion, which is quite little, but if you moisten it up, then it can get almost as drippy as a regular portion.

Like I felt when I first tried it, it feels very balanced. I don't know what it is, and maybe it's just me, but it feels like the salt level, the PH and overall flavor just matches my mouth, making no real contrast of having a portion in your mouth. It's not bad, but just a sensation I got off of it. The original Göteborgs Rapé is in comparison a little more zesty, and more flavorful in a way. The Göteborgs Rapé Havtorn does not leave a major impression, but it sits under your lip safe and tastes good while there.

The nicotine is what you would expect from a regular strength portion. One portion is 0,9 grams (21,6 grams total in the can), and the nicotine content is 0,8%, which would make it 8 mg nicotine per portion. It will not kick your teeth in, but will make you satisfied without not giving you any jittery overdose symptoms after having a few in a row, which might be the case with stronger variants. A nice level for everyday use, but maybe not enough for a hardcore smoker looking for something to completely kill cigarette cravings.

Overall, this is a very nice change of phase, and a nice limited edition. I love the original Göteborgs Rapé White Portion, and have been using it quite a lot recently. Do I prefer the new Havtorn over the original? Probably not, but seeing as it is a limited edition only, I'm happy to have bought a roll of it. A recommendation though if you don't have a thing for sweeter flavors as your main staple is to buy some regular tobacco flavored ones together with the Havtorn (if you have time before they discontinue it), as the flavor can become a bit tiring in the long run.

It's an awesome snus for sure, but in my opinion, something that is best used as a change up once in a while.