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. 

Electronic Cigarette Review: Volcano Inferno + Volcano Bottom Coil Tank

Volcano, a company based out of Hawaii since 2009 has since grown temendously in the booming electronic cigarette market, most famous for their invention of the extremely popular and widely copied Lavatube. Other than that, they are known for their all around quality products and excellent customer service.

Their arsenal of vaping equipment ranges from small to big, pretty much. Starting with their Magma, which is their cig-a-like vaporizer, being the smallest of them all; targeted towards smokers who want to make the transition to vaping without carrying around something that looks like some kind of crazy sex toy. Then comes the Inferno, which is basically an Ego battery, but with some changes in the design. It puts out more power than the Magma and is customizable in terms of what you choose to vape out of (tanks etc.). It is also known for it's portability and ease of use. After that they have their famous Lavatube mod, now in version 2.5, which does read ohms, remaining battery and has the ability to adjust voltage freely from 3.0-6.0 volts.

I'm here today to review the Inferno Starter kit though. As I wrote previously I do own a older version of the Lavatube, which has been with me through thick and thin, and still is. However, I felt like getting something new, and leaned towards the newer Lavatube first as I was scared the Inferno might not put out the power I have been used to, and desire when I vape. Boy, was I wrong! Here is Volcano's description of the Interno:


"The Volcano INFERNO is the perfect e-cigarette kit for someone who's looking for great performance and long lasting battery life. The Tube Tank BCT (Bottom Coil Tank) setup and long lasting INFERNO batteries are an unbeatable combination. The pass-through USB batteries allow you to charge and vape at the same time and between them have enough battery life to vape for more than 12 hours between charges! The Tube Tank BCT (Bottom Coil Tank) system is a revolutionary vapour delivery system both simple and effective to use! Just fill the tube with your chosen e-liquid, screw on the base with its replaceable heating coil and you're set for hours of enjoyable vaping time! . This kit is perfect for for heavier smokers as well as occasional ones who want real power."



The Inferno Kit is quite expensive for being an Ego at $79.99 (or £49.99), but you certainly get what you pay for, both in terms of quality and quantity.

The kit includes:

• (1) Gift Box
• (1) 650 mAH Pass-through INFERNO Battery with 5-Click power on/off
• (1) 900 mAh Pass-through INFERNO Battery with 5-Click power on/off
• (1) Wall Charging Adapter
• (1) Mini USB Cable
• (1) Tube Tank BCT setup with (1) 1.8Ω heating coil
• (1) 3-Pack of 1.8Ω replacement heating coils
• (1) 15ml Bottle of USA MADE V-Liquid

So you do get two batteries, a killer bottom coil tank system, juice and everything you need to be up and running like a champ. Nice.

This thing just looks sick. As of now they come in four different colors, being: red, black, silver and pink. It is as said before an Ego battery, and is pretty much recognizable as one except for color schemes. I got the silver one, but it was difficult choosing as I also love black. Needless to say though, I wasn't dissapointed.

It has got an extremely clean finish, with the device being all aluminum (at least to my knowledge) with the exception for the fire button which is a harder plastic. It has got a dotty pattern thing going on which I really dig.

On the bottom of the battery you have "The Inferno" engraved in, and underneath the whole thing, a flame. At the top of the tank connector you see the Volcano logo with the text "Tube Tank". It all looks really neat and goes very well together. The tank system is really new though. It previously came with their Tube Tank; a cartomizer tank which I as I matter of fact currently use on my Lavatube. Design-wise, this bottom fed tank looks so much cooler, and makes the whole unit look like one piece. Love it.

This thing is extremely portable and easy to use. I carry it around in the pocket of my jeans all day, and never feel it's too big.

It powers up with five clicks on the fire button, and shuts down doing the same thing. It's a stealthy little thing, and while sitting on your desk, almost looks like a fancy pencil (with some kind of awesome smelling liquid in there).

This is not a device that attracts a lot of negative attention, as bigger mods have the potential of doing to the uneducated public. This is easily hidable in your hand, and is great for stealth vaping.                                                                       

It comes with a USB-charger, and both batteries are pass-through, meaning you can vape off of them while they are charging. You also have a AC adapter, so you can charge the unit both off the computer and from the wall. The charging port is located on the bottom of the device, which works very well.

As seen above, the kit comes with two batteries. One at 650 mAh (smaller) and one at 900 mAh. I've used both of these equally, and after a full day of vaping, using only one fully charged of them in a day, I've never had the battery die on me. Frankly, I've never even seen the low-battery warning yet (the fire button will go from a white color to a purple/red when you fire the device). So the vape time is great. Having two batteries means you could easily go two days without charging any of them, if you are a moderate vaper (I vape pretty heavily though).                                                                                                                                                        

The new tank system is also extremely easy to use. Since this is bottom fed, there is no longer need for tilting the device to saturate a top coil, which you have to do with the Vivi Nova for example. Gravity does the trick here. Switching out coils are also painless; just unscrew the tank from the battery while it's upside down, unscrew the old coil, put in a new one, add liquid to the tank, take a few primer puffs without firing to saturate the coil, and you are good to go. No need to prime after that - just keep your tank filled (at least the bottom) and vape way.                                                                                              

It does have a fire cutoff timer, which I feel sometimes is a little bit too low, as I like to take a few primer puffs to get the device going and end with a long drag. Most of the times it works fine though, but I have been cutoff mid-vaping a few times. Might just be me.

I have no idea if this comes with battery protection, but having read up a little bit, it seems most (at least from respectable vendors) have short-circuit protection and other battery safety features, so I would expect the Inferno to have it as well. Li-ion batteries are quite powerful, and if mistreated or if something sinister would take place, knowing protection is there is a great relief. 

This thing hits like a beast. I have no idea what voltage this is set on, but would guess it's 3.7. In all aspects of the vaping experience, for it's size, this hits really good. I have noticed sometimes that the power seems to shift a bit though, meaning the throat hit sometimes can be less pronounced. Other factors could play in to this though, like vaping too much; making your throat less responsive to the sensation. I do think it has something to do with the battery though, but this is not something I experience often. 

I have had a few dry hits with this, which in terms of physics should be impossible. I might be from vaping it too fast and hard, not giving the juice a chance to enter the coil for a second or so. But, again, this is not an issue I've had to deal with more than a few times.

Since I got it, I've tried quite a few juices (all from Volcano at 16 mg - and for the last few days, Shaka Strawberry and Choconilla Haze), and have also compared them with my Tube Tank on my Lavatube. What I find pretty crazy, again, coming back to the power of the device, is that at 5.0 volts on my Lavatube, the Inferno still outpowers it in terms of throat hit and vapor production. Might be a faulty Lavatube, I don't know, but I have to say I'm really impressed with this little thing. The flavor is really pronounced with the new tank, and you avoid getting the wicking material taste like you do get a bit from the TubeTank. Switching flavors and cleaning the tank is also extremely easy. Just rinse the tank with water, dry it, fill with your favorite e-juice and you are good to go. In the future, if I don't find anything better than this device, it will be the device I use for flavor sampling. All-around, great taste, fantastic throat hit and vapor production.

• It looks fantastic.
• The new tank is awesome, delivering fantastic taste, vapor and throat hit.
• Coils in the tank are extremely easy to switch.
• Easy and pretty fast charging, pass-through is also a great plus.
• The batteries seem to last forever.
• Great power for such a small device.
• Very easy to use, and pretty much maintenance free.

• Juice seems to leak in to the well where you put the drip tip several times a day. So you do get juice in your mouth and have to remove it with a paper towel.
• The power feels inconsistent at times, but it is luckily barely noticable and pretty much to be expected with an Ego type device.
• It's pretty expensive. You do get quite a lot with the kit, and you do get what you pay for in terms of quality, so it ain't that bad. 

I love this device, and am very glad I got it. I didn't think it would replace my Lavatube, as I wanted something new that was smaller. And to be honest I was a bit sceptical about how much power such a small thing could put out. Luckily I was extremely wrong. This thing will accompaning me for a long time ahead.

A big plus for Volcano's amazing customer support as well. They really are a great company, and I have a great trust in their products.

If you want a portable little device that looks totally bad-ass, get yourself an Inferno!

US Store: http://www.volcanoecigs.com/inferno-kit.html

UK Store: http://www.volcano-ecigs.co.uk/inferno-electronic-cigarette-starter-kit.html

Snus Review: General Long White Extra Strong

General. The brand of the vikings, from the manufacturer Swedish Match that still tops the lists of the market share in both Sweden and abroad, released this gold piece in April 2012 together with the non-white extra strong, long portion variant.

It's original portion brother came in on the market with a bang - laughing in the face of the nicotine sensitive individuals in an arrogant manner. 20 mg/g of nicotine. What. Oden's had when this was relased been topping the nicotine race with their 22 mg/g product "Oden's Extreme", but had luckily (?) worked some magic on the PH level, making it not hit you in the face with a sledge hammer, but rather be decently strong for a longer time.

The General though had no mercy. You put one in with your morning coffee and god knows what would happen. People loved and love it.

Enter the General Long White Extra Strong. Swedish Match chopped off 2 mg's of the nicotine content, making it slightly weaker, but still in the extreme range.

The can looks super slick. All the colors mix well together, and I have to say I love the winged design on the catch lid. The dark red color surrounding the "extra strong" hints to your subconcious that shit's going down if you put on in, while the white calms you down a tad.

The smell is extremely similar to General White; a light and refreshing citrus aroma with some pepper and hay surrounding it - the sensation is almost minty to the smell, giving your nose a nice sting.

Whilst looking in the can I noticed the portions do not come in the loved and well-known star formation like any other white portion from Swedish Match does. This bummed me out a little bit, but also took me on a bit of a nostalgia trip to the times when in fact all portions were displayed like this (a mess). Nothing major, and I don't really care, since you screw up the neat packaging after having a few portions either way.

So yeah, long portions. Long portions are awesome. If you love snus but are concerned the ladies (or men) will notice your portion goodness sitting tight under your lip, then look no further. It's thick as a mini portion, but longer than a regular portion, meaning you are ensured perfect gum contact for nicotine release and ultimate discreetness. SM has really jumped on the long portion train, launching both General and Göteborgs Rapé in the format. I have a strong feeling this will pretty much be the standard in a few years. Good stuff.


Now on to the flavor. Like any other General (except for the Mint, Wintergreen et cetera), citrus will be in the forefront of your senses. The white portion dulls the darker tones of the tobacco as well, making this as fresh as the Göteborgs Rapé, and in a way a little bit similar in flavor tone. Fresh, citrusy, a slight hint of pepper, and very light tobacco together with a touch of saltiness.


For some reason I can barely feel the nicotine in this at all. Don't get me wrong, it's not weak, but at the same time it is in no way overbearing. I might admittingly have taken my nicotine tolerance and put it on a plane to the Siberian forests though, so new snus users, proceed with caution. This still has nicotine enough to kill a small animal, but - if you are not a small animal or a baby, I would say you have nothing to worry about.

The drip is minimal, but delivers great satisfaction flavor and nicotine wise.

An awesome product. I do prefer the Original Long Extra Strong to this one though, but having leaned towards white portions more recently, this will make a great contribution to my daily rotation.

Get sum'!

Snus Review: General Classic White (Mint)

 General Mint has been around since forever, at least for what it feels like to me. I did some quick research now though and found out that the General Mint that has only been available in the US came out in 2010 as a regular sized white portion. The mini variant came out a little bit before that though - sadly I have no idea when.

Until recently when the product of this review was released, there was not really that many options for mint flavored snuses here in Sweden. If you were lucky you could manage to get some Thunder Frosted after some store hunting, but other than that the only way to get a mint fix was to either order from the internet or to get yourself a can of Catch portions. That is until now, when Swedish Match decided to make their first Mint brand widely available in Sweden, in almost every store.

I did manage to try the US mint variant a long time ago along with some other stuff I could not get in regular Swedish stores, and I really loved it. It was like a sweet piece of mint gum, for real. Absolutely delicious - it made your breath smell great, it delivered a nice amount of nicotine and it tingled pleasantly under the lip the time it was there, leaving a reminder of the taste even when you had taken it out. You could also "marinate" it in a few drops of Bailey´s, making a minty, after-eight kind of flavor that was simply divine.

Having a portion of the Swedish variant under my lip I can't say that these familiar feelings are coming back. This is much less sweet, and to me tastes more like a natural mint, rather than a sweet candy-like one. According to Swedish Matchs' description of this, they state that this should have a background of the regular General flavor, and I would say my experience matches this (even though the bergamot and citrus are not that pronounced).

It tastes like Mint, but more like a salty mint, with a dash of vanilla that comes through more after the forty minutes to an hour mark. It's pretty pleasant, but to me lacks something that stands out. It's a well-known fact that the American palette generally is more focused on sweeter stuff, and comparing the US and the Swedish version of these two snuses confirms this, and it might be that the Swedish snusers would like the less sweet variant than they would the sweeter one, I don't know. I wouldn't fall in this category though in this case, as I much preferred the American variant of this.

Generally for me, my snus usage is black or white, I either go for a crazy flavored snus that does not resemble tobacco at all, or I go for  natural flavored ones. Something in the middle ground, like the General Classic Mint, makes a little bit irritated, since I does not get a fully flavored snus, or a tobacco one. It jumps back and forth and messes with my taste buds.

It is not bad at all though, the portions are pretty well-packed and very comfortable under the lip, like with all Swedish Match products, and is beautifully presented in a star formation, which as I've said in previous white portion reviews really adds to the freshness and style of a white portion.

The nicotine kick I would say is on the weaker side. It should not differ to other regular portions, but for some reason this feels a bit weaker from say, a Grovsnus White Portion. It does the job, but will not make your heart pound or give you a blasting kick start in the morning, but more a mellow, slow kind of satisfactory nicotine hit. Works very well for me, but when drinking I felt I needed two of these to satisfy.

The can is basically a General White can, with the difference being a light blue circled line around the huge catch lid and and on side. I feel like they could have highlighted that this is a mint in the design, perhaps by making the blue line more visible, maybe making the can itself blue or something crazy. Right now it's extremely alike the General White can, and it's not that easy to tell the difference (the "mint" is in extremely small letters as well). I do like the design, but feel more could have been done to make this really stand out.

To summarize, it's a decent snus for me. I have really nothing bad to say about it, but after having tried the US variant, this seems a little bit bland in comparison. I generally dislike sweet snus, but there was something about the sweeter mint that caught me. I will continue buying this one, probably not that often, but when I want to switch things up a bit. I know a lot of people truly hate sweeter mints, and I think they will love this one, pretty much since it basically is a General portion with a dash of mint and vanilla. I feel I want more of the mint flavor though, and since I love vanilla, making that more pronounced would be awesome. Speaking of that, my dream would be a vanilla flavored snus from Swedish Match, and if you increased the flavors of this snus a bit, and added some sweetness to it, this could be absolutely fantastic.

Good product, but nothing that really impressed me.

Snus Review: Nick And Johnny Green Spyke (Xtra Strong Cactus)

Nick And Johnny is a brand from Swedish Match which features an only above-average strength nicotine level line-up of different variations. Their second newest addition, aside from their most recent Captain Yankee Xtra Strong, is Green Spyke. A cactus flavored snus.

Wait what? Cactus? Have they lost their minds? How can you put cactus in a snus? Read further and you'll see that maybe it wasn't that bad of an idea, after all.

The design of the can is very forward and cocky, with a background of the brown leather color seen from the Nick And Johnny Original Portion, but with a splash of green. Together with the hip, spiky "Green Spyke", you have the devil sign on the side (sadly forgot to include that in the pictures), which now decorates all variants from the brand.

The new design that now has transformed all variants in the Nick and Johnny line is pretty neat but to be honest I much preferred the older one. My impression is that the redesign is an attempt to attract a different kind of customer group (my guess is younger people). The older one had class, and a style that in my opinion have since been lost, and become replaced by some crazy graffiti thing. Despite this I still like the design, and especially the Green Spyke one, so I don't lie sleepless at nights. I liked seeing Nicolas and Jonathan out on their crazy adventures though, with the old vintage-y, American kind of zing to it. What are those guys up to now? Have they finished their road trip across the US? Are they up to some kind of Brokeback Mountain story in the Alaskan forests, or did they meet some hot chicks on the way and ended up getting married? We may never find out.

The portions are very plump and pretty darn moist. One of these gems weight 1,1 grams, making them fill and fit very well under your lip, assuming you have developed a pocket in your gums to fit this in. Being an extra strong, these babies pack about 15 mg's of nicotine per portion (1,4%), making it kick pretty hard. I don't really notice that much of a difference between the nicotine content in portions anymore like I did before (where one of these would almost kill me), but one of these suckers fresh from the freezer sure will kick your teeth in. Awesome!

The can itself now also has the new design to it, with a bigger catch lid, fitting more used portions or whatever you want to put in there, and makes a bigger space for the design of the can. I like it!


So back to the flavor of the snus. Cactus! Crazy, right? The smell of it is kind of apple-y, sweet, and with a hint of grass. The flavor I would describe is pretty much the same. A long time ago I had a cactus flavored soft drink, and having never eaten a cactus (can you do that?), I was scared, and wondered who was the crazy guy behind that taste experiment. Turns out cactus tastes good. Very good. The same goes for this snus. I knew initially when they announced that this snus was coming to the market that it was going to be interesting, and I hoped good.

I wondered how Swedish Match would pull off mixing cactus with tobacco, but now I know, and I applaud them. It takes some guts putting it all out there and making a flavor like this, and pure skill to blend it together. It is pretty hard to describe the flavor of cactus, but it resembles an apple without the sour bite in a way. The salt is there, but barely noticeable, and in the background, I notice a very pronounced taste of hay, grass, a little bit lemon, and an earthy aroma that somehow sets the all over mood of the flavor blends. Sounds like a crazy mix, but they all go very well together. The first times I had it, I thought it got a little bit bitter towards the end, but having used a few cans of it, I like it. It's very sweet, almost like a candy, but the bitter, tobacco punch of it can make this an all-day snus, if you like a little bit sweeter brands. Nash over at GoSmokeless.org did a review of this and said it tasted like green Jolly Rancher candies. I've never had them myself I think, but thinking about it, I know I've had some candies that resembled the taste of this. I think it was some kind of apple candy. Oh well. Hopefully you get the idea, and if you like apple/cactus flavored stuff, you will love this.

This is a top in my book, and I would be sad if this were to get discontinued. A great kick, great taste, and awesome feel under the lip. I wouldn't have it with coffee though - apparently cactus and coffee don't mix.

Go and get some right away, it's awesome!

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.