Christmas comes early to Snustopia!!!

Yes my fellow Snustopians you heard right! Christmas has indeed come early to Snustopia direct from the great folks at Swedish Match! Today, we will be doing a special review on General Onyx portion snus. Why is it special, you ask? Well, let's do the review on the snus first then, we'll go onto why this review is special!

General Onyx is a strong, large, white portion snus. The nicotine in this snus is 11 mg per portion which makes it stronger than the standard white portion but, the Nicotine content in this snus is not the only thing that makes Onyx unique! Take a look at the image to the right. This is a can of Onyx. As you can see, the can is unique to Onyx in the fact that the label is entirely matte black with gloss black embellishments. The other unique piece of the can is the lid of the used portion compartment. It looks like it's Aluminium but, it's actually a plastic lid with an embossed foil label. The body of the can is plastic as well. General Onyx is one of my absolute favorites and, the can is one of the reasons why. When I'm out and about, I always get to talk about snus when I take the can out for a portion and, after talking to them, thier first order will almost always include Onyx, simply for the can! I know your saying "Who cares about the can! I want to know what the snus tastes like SnusGuy!" Well, without further delay and, less cantor (I know.....cheesy), on to the portion review!

If you thought the can was cool and unique, the portion will blow your mind! Upon opening the can, you'll find the portions are Black. Take it easy, they haven't gone bad, it's just the color of the portion material. General wanted to keep the Onyx theme going by putting the tobacco in an "Onyx" colored pouch. The other thing you'll notice is, the portions are arranged in a circular pattern. Swedish Match calls this a "Star" pattern and, this also makes Onyx special. Swedish Match is the only snus manufacturer that uses this arrangement and, they only use it for "special" snus. There are a few other brands that Swedish Match has that use the Star pattern and, as we do more reviews, you'll see them.

The flavor is the real reason why I like Onyx. Onyx was included in my first snus order and, has been in every order since. Onyx flavor is basically, full flavored tobacco with citrus, salt and peppery notes. The tobacco flavor is the predominant player here with the citrus a close second. The salt along with the peppery note give this snus the flavor of a roasted lemon with salt and pepper lightly sprinkled on it. Trust me, the color of the portion has no effect on the flavor and, is not a coloring that will turn your teeth black. I say this because, when I first used it, I thought the same things!

General Onyx is a snus you could use at anytime of the day. The higher Nicotine in it, makes it a great snus for first thing in the morning with either a cup of Earl Gray or, coffee. I have had it with both and, I prefer the tea (hot or cold). It really brings out the lemony flavor and enhances the tobacco flavor as well. Ironically, I also have it with a Diet Coke and, volia, Diet Coke with Lemon! I highly recommend this snus for the new snusser who is trying to quit smoking as well.

"SnusGuy.....are you going to forget the reason for the "Special Review?" Not at all. While I am still unclear as to why Swedish Match decided to do this, I'm glad they did. About a week ago, Swedish Match announced they were releasing a Limited Edition of General Onyx, which they were limiting to a run of 1000 cans worldwide. The thing that was special about this edition was the can. The can is made entirely out of Carbon Fiber! The can was designed by Swedish Match and produced by the same supplier that develops carbon fiber parts for Porsche and Koeningsegg! What's really special is that Swedish Match has chosen to give can #889 to Snustopia! The picture on the right is the carbon fiber can with it's presentation pouch. Snustopia, and it's founder, is extremely honored by being picked to receive such a glorius gift!

Gifts aside, I encourage you to give General Onyx a try. I'm positive you'll enjoy it as much as I do and, will become another favorite in your rotation!

God jul från V2!!(Merry Christmas from V2!!) Nordströmmen Julesnus!

Well fellow Snustopians, it's that time of year again! The time of year that most people love and, my favorite time of the year! Here in America, we know it as Christmas time, Chanukah or Kwanzaa. In Norway and Sweden it's known as Advent. No matter how or where you celebrate it, it's meant to be a celebration, to spend with family and friends, good food and drink and to celebrate life. To the kiddies, they mainly remember the gifts and waiting the entire year for that special gift they asked for! Not a bad thing but, we adults like gifts too! I know I do and, V2's Nordströmmen Julesnus is the one I've been waiting for since I heard about Julesnus in June. There are two companies that make Julesnus, Gotlandssnus and V2. Today, we'll be reviewing V2's!

As I said in the last review, V2 is a relatively new player in snus and, Nordströmmen Julesnus is thier version of a snus created for the Advent season. This is the first year that they have made a Julesnus and, I was impressed with their efforts.

V2 offers both a portion version and a lös version of Julesnus and, they both have their own unique taste and character. As you all know by now, I prefer lössnus over portion so, we'll review the lös first but, before we go to that, let's go over the base flavors.

Julesnus is designed, and advertised, to taste like Christmas. V2's rendition's do taste like Christmas but, not what most Americans would envision Christmas to taste like. This snus has all the tastes of a Scandinavian one! Glögg, Cloves, spiced fruit and Gingerbread are the predominant flavors in this snus. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of tasting Glögg, think Mulled Wine or, Red wine with Clove, cinnamon and Ginger. Although there is a major taste difference between the portion and lös versions (same base flavors just, a difference on which is more predominant) all the flavors are in both to varying degrees of intensity.

The lös version is, in my opinion, is the best out of the two. The cut of the tobacco is a coarser cut which means that it works perfectly for hand baking. An Icetool or Prismaster can be used but with caution. Since it's a coarser cut, it is generally drier than most lös flavors we are used to from V2. If the pris is over compressed, it will leave you with a hard feeling pris in the lip. I just pack the Icetool as usual and, put a small amount of pressure on the plunger against the lid to get the loose bits together. You could add a couple of drops of your favorite beverage in the tin as well to give it more moisture if needed. The initial flavor, in my opinion, is Gingerbread and Clove. Salt and tobacco are in the background but, like most of V2's flavored lös, just barely. The finishing flavor is Glögg. Again, it's not strong just, like a hint. I'm half Norwegian and, when I was young, we celebrated Advent. The flavors in V2's Julesnus lös take me back to when I was a kid, in the kitchen with my Oma helping her make Julekake and Krumkake cones listening to her say "holde seg borte fra Krumkake jern, det er varmt!" (stay away from the Krumkake iron, it's hot!) Overall, V2 really hit a home run with their version of Julesnus!

Julesnus portions, on the other hand, are completely different from the lös! Where we initially got the sweet flavors of spice and fruitiness in the lös, Glögg takes center stage with the portions. Surprisingly, there isn't a salty flavor with this portion. It's there but, this snus is so densely flavored that, only the flavors of Glögg, fruits and subtile spices come thru in a good way. When I initially opened the tin of portions, Glögg was the only thing I could smell. As the tin sat for a bit, the Glögg smell became less overpowering allowing the other flavors to make themselves known. The actual portions are a "white" type and a bit dry. Again, adding a bit of your favorite beverage would help but, to stay in the holiday spirit, I'd add a few drops of Glög or a spicy red wine like a Cabernet or Zinfandel. If you're a non-drinker, like yours truely, or, don't like wine, H2O will do just fine.

In my honest opinion, I prefer the lös version of this snus solely due to the predominant wine flavor in the portion version. This withstanding, I do believe that V2 has done a great job with both versions. I have asked other Snustopians for their opinions and, some love the portions, some love the lös, some love both and, a few didn't care for either but, as I've said in prior reviews, we all have different tastes and, will taste different things. At under $3 USD a tin, you can try both and, if your one of the few that dislike both, it didn't cost much to find out. If your looking for a snus that really offers you the chance to experience the tastes of a Scandinavian Christmas, V2's Nordströmmen Julesnus will give you that chance! I highly recommend you give both a try!

V2's Offroad Cranberry Lös, Don't let the price fool you!!

Welcome Back!! Sorry we haven't met in 2 weeks but, my internet connection has been acting weird and, I had to replace the modem so, you will now be seeing more reviews and random talks about snus and snuff more often!! Praise the I.T. gods. ;>)

Before we get into reviewing Offroad Cranberry Lös, I need to tell you a bit about this company. V2 is a relatively new snus company located in Silkeborg, Denmark and owned by Marc and Patrick Vogel. They currently produce mainly the Offroad and Phantom brands (as well as others), in portion and lös versions. They began production in 2006 and have been producing high quality snus at a remarkable price ever since! All of V2's snus is priced below $3 USD a can but, as the title says, don't let the price fool you into thinking their product is sub-par. Other snus manufacturers could take a page from the Vogel's book when it comes to making an outstanding product and, not charging an arm and a leg for it.

The current thought process has been that "Low price means low quality" and "you get what you pay for". This is simply not true with V2's snus. I, for one, was a card carrying member of this thought process until a fellow SnusOn member convinced me to try it. Well, I'm hooked! Not just because of the price but, the flavor and, quality of the ingredients would make you think it costs just as much as the more expensive brands. We will be doing reviews on ALL of V2's snus but, today, let's get into Offroad Cranberry Lös!!

Hopefully, many of you by now have tried some form of snus and have formed some opinions. Some of you probably like the pure tobacco flavored snus and some, like the different flavored snus. This snus is unique in the fact that most Swedish snus has the salt and tobacco flavors first and foremost. Offroad Cranberry, on the other hand, has the Cranberry flavor in the spotlight! As with all of V2 snus, in my opinion, whatever the flavor on the can says it is, that's what you taste. There is no mistaking what flavor it is and, the flavor is not subtle, like other flavored snus is. If you like Cranberries, this snus is for you!

The snus itself is a medium grind tobacco. Great for using a tool to form the pris or, the "hand baking" method. It is also seems to have a higher moisture content which also makes it ideal for hand baking. Nicotine content seems to be on the medium side. I can't find a definite nicotine number but, if I had to venture a guess I'd say it has about 8 mg. Pris feel in the lip is pretty comfortable, being a coarser cut than Skruf lös you would think it would be rougher on the lip and gums but, it's not actually. Over time, the pris is pretty durable no matter how you form it. I have had a pris in for about 2 hours with very little slide.

Flavor, obiviously, is Cranberry with a subtile hint of tobacco and very little salt. There are also hints of pepper but, no citrus which, is a staple in most Swedish snus. All of the acidity seems to come from the Cranberry. Again, the pris lasts about 2 hours and, the flavor could go on forever, if you let it! Offroad Cranberry is also unique from other snus in the fact that it's a sweet snus. As we've discovered in previous reviews, Swedish snus tends to be salty in flavor but, Marc and Patrick, in true V2 fashion, have taken their snus one step further by adding a sweet note.

In my opinion, this snus is one of the best! Although snus purists will say that it's too sweet or "Candy Like" we here in Snustopia think it's a great change from the traditional flavored snus. I rate Offroad Cranberry Lös as one of the best. It has made it's way into my regular rotation and, I'm sure it will become a favorite of yours! Marc and Patrick, keep up the great work and, we're looking forward to the new flavors for 2009!