Monday, December 8, 2008

Grovsnus Svart - The new Strong, Black portion in town!!

Welcome back Snustopians! I hope everyone had a great holiday! Today, we're going to review the newest edition to the Grovesnus line, Grovesnus Svart. Before we go on, I guess we should begin by explaining what "Svart" means. Some of you that are relatively new to Swedish snus, and Snustopia for that matter, may confuse the word "Svart" with "Sterk" or "Stark". "Svart" is Swedish for "Black" while "Sterk" and "Stark" means "Strong". It is confusing because Grovsnus Svart is both! Yes, Snustopians, this snus is a black portion and STRONG! Since this snus is really new, I wanted to finish the entire tin before doing the review. I normally don't do that because I have a few different flavors open at a time but, Grovsnus Svart, I had no problems doing that with! I actually grabbed it before any other and, went thru the tin in 2 days! Well, enough babbling! On to the review.

In the last review of General Onyx, I had told you that there are very few "Black" portion snus' out there on the market. Grovsnus Svart is another of them. The portion material is the same material used in Onyx which, only makes sense since, Swedish Match makes them both but, that's where the similarities end! One would think that since the portions are the same color and, manufactured by the same company, the taste would be pretty similar. Wrong! This is why I like Swedish Match products. They produce the majority of the major brands of Swedish Snus but, they all have their own flavors and personalities. Anyway, Grovsnus Svart is very unique in flavor and, Nicotine content.
Grovsnus Svart is the Fourth edition to the Grovsnus family This snus is classified as a White portion snus. I know, your saying "Snusguy! you just said it's a Black colored portion!" Remember back to the Onyx review. The color of the material isn't what classifies the snus. White portion means it's a dry portion. I tend to think this: If the portion material is "Black", it usually means it's strong. In my case, "White" portions tend to be a bit rough on the gums but, this snus has a good feel to it meaning, it didn't feel rough on the gums. Even after an hour, this snus felt comfortable. It's the same feeling I have with Onyx.
The portion material isn't the only thing special about this snus. Grovsnus Svart is a Strong snus as well. At 12 mg of Nicotine per portion, it's 1 mg higher than Onyx. Don't be alarmed though, It's not so high that it will send you into a head spin but, it's the perfect level to quell any cigarette craving you may have. But, the flavor is the real reason I went thru the first tin so fast!
In my opinion, some of the high Nicotine snus' have a bitter flavor after 20 to 30 minutes of being in so, with the first portion I tried of Svart, I prepared myself for it. It never came! Now, most of you already know that I tend to favor the lös varieties over the portion due to portion snus being more heavily flavored than lös. Not in a bad way, mind you, it's just that I like the subdued flavor that lös has. Even though Svart is a portion snus, the flavor is extremely mellow. Pure tobacco flavor with some flowery notes. The salt content is mild and, you'll get the burn but, in my opinion it's due to the higher Nicotine and not the salt. The burn is the same level you get with Onyx but, the salty flavor is less noticeable. Grovsnus Svart is the perfect snus, for me, to wake up with and, to relax with simply because of the flavor.
Grovsnus Svart is another great snus for those of you looking to stop smoking. The high Nicotine content makes Svart a perfect replacement for a cigarette. As you all know, I don't drink but, a few other Snustopians have told me that they have used Svart when at the local bar and, didn't get the smoking cravings they would get with other snus. I personally like Svart with my morning coffee. The flowery notes give the coffee another flavor dimension and, really gives me a jump start. What I wouldn't recommend is, using Svart near bedtime. I already made the sacrifice for Snustopia and, can tell you first hand that, unless you like crazy, vivid dreams and, waking up in the middle of the night, I'd switch to a lower Nicotine content portion about 4 hours prior to bed.
Overall, I can honestly say that Grovsnus Svart has made it into my regular use rotation. (That's something since I have only 2 other portion snus there so far) At about $3.40 USD a tin, it's less expensive that it's High Nicotine cousins and just as tasty, if not more! I highly recommend you give it a try!

4 comments:

Aaron said...

I ordered just one can [grov black] with my recent order, to see if I'll like it better than Grov white, which somewhat surprisingly, I didn't like much at all!

Unknown said...

There's one thing I find strange about this snus: Why didn't they come up with a new brand name for this product? I don't find any similarities between this and the ordinary Grov Portion.

But I really like it. It has quite much vanilla flavor, and the way it makes my lips taste after a while reminds me of some nice cigars I've smoked.

Anonymous said...

Phew! why did they call it "grov"
I didnt like it att all, the taste is terrible i think it tastes like ashes of a cigar. Gives me a real headapin,

Anonymous said...

grov=rough