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!