Friday, February 13, 2009

General Dry Mint Mini white portion snus. A review of a Swedish snus made for America!

Well Snustopians, the snus we’ll be reviewing today is one that most of you may not have ever heard of, General Dry Mint mini portion snus. I say this because not only is it a new snus, it’s a snus that’s only available in America! How did I find it? Well, while I was out and about last week, I stopped in at a local Pipe and Tobacco shop here in Snustopia and saw something new.

My tobacconist has always carried General brand Snus but this time, there was a snus called General Dry Mint mini. I asked him about the new snus and he really couldn't tell me more than “it’s from Sweden” and “it is Mint flavored”! In reality, that’s the most common response I get from a lot of tobacconists in the states!

Since I wanted to know more about General Mint Mini than what he told me, I decided to get a couple of cans and do the research myself. What I found was pretty exciting! So now that I have your interest, let’s get started with the review of General Dry Mint Mini portion snus!

General Dry Mint Mini is a Dry, white mini portion snus manufactured in Sweden by the fine folks at Swedish Match. “Hold it, Snus Guy! Back up. Dry, white, mini snus? We need a bit of explanation on this!” You’re right! Since this is the first time we have reviewed a mini portion snus, let alone a White mini portion snus, let’s run through the basics first.

A mini portion snus is just like it sounds. A miniature version of a regular sized snus! Mini portions average between .3 and .5 grams of snus per portion and between 3.5 and 6 mg of Nicotine depending on the brand. Since mini portions are smaller, they are more discreet meaning, no bulge in the lip and you really can’t see them when talking or smiling so they can be used anywhere without worry! There is a trade off though with discreetness and that’s the low amount of Nicotine in each portion.


The White classification in mini portions has the same meaning as in the regular portions but the Dry classification, really needs to be defined! In Swedish snus, Dry doesn’t mean that there is dried tobacco, like cigarette tobacco, in the portion. Don’t laugh; some Snustopians really thought this was the case but it’s not.

Dry simply means there is less moisture in the snus than in regular snus. Look at it this way. Cigarette tobacco has almost zero moisture in it. Regular portion snus has an average of 50% water. Dry on the other hand, has an average of 25% water making it dryer than regular portion snus! Now you have a basic idea of what a dry, mini white portion is. Ok then, on to the review.

General Dry Mint Mini comes in 6 gram cans with 20 portions per can. That makes the portions about 0.33 grams each. The portion material in Mini Mint is very soft from beginning to end. One would think that a snus with a moisture content of 25% would be really rough on the gums but with General Mint Mini, that’s not the case at all. I’ve had a portion under my lip for about an hour with no gum irritation at all! Each portion of General Mint Mini also has 4 mg of Nicotine. “Ok Snus Guy, we want to know about the taste already!” Alright then, let’s go on to the taste.

The taste of General Dry Mint Mini is pretty interesting. The flavor in my opinion is an Icy Peppermint-Wintergreen combination with the Wintergreen flavor being very subtle. Kind of like "I know that flavor but, I can't make it out!" I liken the flavor to a Starlight Mint minus some of the sugary taste or, Dentyne Artic Blast gum. The kind that comes in the black pack. It’s sweeter than what we Swedish snus lovers are used to but not over sweet like Camel SNUS. As a matter of opinion, the base flavor of General Dry Mint Mini is very similar to Camel Frosts. The difference is that Mint Mini is not as sweet and, has a subtle hint of tobacco flavor as time goes on where Camel Frost doesn’t.

Another thing to point out is that General Mint Mini does have a slight burn in the gums. Not the Nicotine burn like in the higher Nicotine snus but a minty burn, like Camel Frost. To be completely honest, General Mint Mini is, in my opinion, a perfect taste replacement for Camel Frost. And a safer one at that!

General Dry Mint Mini’s flavor also lasts a lot longer than Camel Frost as well! Camel SNUS’ flavor, in general, only lasts 30 minutes max while I’ve had a portion of General Mint Mini last for about an hour before losing its flavor! I personally recommend a 45 minute max.

There is one more unique thing about General Mint Mini. It is only available in the US. Yes Snustopians, General Dry Mint Mini white portion snus was developed for the US market and only available in the US through tobacco shops that sell other General Snus products or, at the Swedish Match Snus Store online. At the end, I’ll include a link to the Swedish Match store locator so you can find a store near you!

Now, what to drink? Diet Coke is a great drink to go with General Dry Mint Mini! Unlike other mint flavored snus, Mint Mini’s flavor doesn’t get bitter with it. Sprite and 7 up go really well! Some Snustopians liken the combination to a non-alcoholic Mojito! Ice tea though, in my opinion, is probably the best. The minty flavor plays well with it and you get a Mint Julep type flavor, especially if you add a little lemon to it.

Well Snustopians, here is where I usually give my recommendations for the snus we just reviewed. I wish I could say that all Snustopians should try a can but, since General Dry Mint Mini is only available in the US, to US residents, Snustopians from Europe won’t be able to order it. So, with that in mind, I recommend that Snustopians that live in the US really should give General Dry Mint Mini a try.

To sum it all up, if you’re looking for a true Swedish snus with a flavor that’s close to Camel Frost but, longer lasting, safer and less expensive, General Dry Mint Mini portion snus is the one!

I hope you found this review of General Mint Mini white portion snus informative and I really recommend you all get a can and form you own opinions. Depending on where in the US you live, prices will vary based on your location. If you click on this link:

Edit: General Mini Mint is now available at all online shops, including Snustopia's favorite place for snus, The Northerner. If this is your first time ordering with them, just click on the banner in the upper right and get 10% at checkout!


As always, I look forward to your questions and comments and will do my best to answer them!


Until our next review,


Happy Snussing!


That Snus Guy
Swedish Match Store Locator you’ll be able to find a store near you that carries it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Snus Guy,

General Dry Mint Mini comes in 6 gram cans with 20 portions per can. That makes the portions about 3.33 grams each. The portion material

Your arithmetic is suspect. 6 grams divided by 20 portions is 0.3 grams each exactly.

TobakGuy a.k.a. Rob Jarzombek said...

Hi sydb!

Thaanks for pointing out the error! Looks like I put one too many 3's in the post. I'll get it changed.

Sincerly,

That Snus Guy

Anonymous said...

Snus Guy,

Thanks for your work in education us Americans on the true joy of Snus -- I have learned a lot! Picked up a few cans of this as my first Snus experiance and loved them (have one in right now). I am limited as to what I can buy locally so I just ordered some other mini's from BuySnus -- can not wait to try them. Especially looking forward to the Catch Vanilla Mint after your review.

Keep posting and I will keep reading !

TobakGuy a.k.a. Rob Jarzombek said...

Thanks again SnusGal!

There's a banner at the top of the blog page that, if it's your first time ordering from them, you can get 10% off your first order by entering the code in at checkout.

Thier prices are pretty close to those of BuySnus.com. There may be a few cents difference.

I only buy from them and their delivery thru Swedish post is usually 5 to 7 days!

I'll keep reviewing, please keep reading or feel free to suggest a snus you have questions about.

Thanks again!

That Snus Guy

Anonymous said...

This stuff is amazing-ordered a roll from buy snus and have one in right now. The only strange thing is that I woke up this morning with a bit of a fat lip over the spot where I snused two bags the night before. I am wondering if, because this was my first snus experience with a flavored pouch, it was an allergic reaction.

Anonymous said...

Hey Anonymous,
If you never use the artificial sweetner acesulfam K (a.k.a Aspartame/NutraSweet)that might be what your reaction was to. I get horrible headaches with this sweenter. Unfortunately, it's also listed as an ingredient in the white portion dry mini mint American version.... didn't know that until I snussed just one portion and on came the headache. I think they ruined a really good product by adding this to suit the American sweet tooth. If you don't have a problem with the sweetner in other products then ya, it could be the flavoring. BTW Snus guy, I love this site! Very informative.