Greetings my fellow Snustopians!Today, I thought we would journey into the world of General Ekstra Sterk loose snus. Why, you may ask? Simple really, I know I’ve already done a review on General Ekstra Sterk portion snus so, you would think that the loose version couldn’t be much different. In all actuality, they are pretty close in the taste department with a few subtle differences. We’ll get into those in a bit but the main reason I wanted to get a review out for it is the fact that Ekstra Sterk loose will be released for sale in snus shops on the web soon! I’ll explain towards the end but, without further ado, let’s get into the review of General’s newest loose offering, General Ekstra Stark loose snus!
You’re probably asking yourselves, “Snus Guy, what’s with all these recent snus varieties being released for Americans?” Well, it looks like Swedish snus is becoming more and more popular in the states. Swedish Match, the makers of the General brand, is seeing this and, bringing Swedish snus to American snus lovers! I’m sure there is more to it than that but, SSNN (Snustopian Satellite News Network) really has been out of the loop on this one! Guess I’ll have to have a talk with them! Anyhow, I do have a Field Trip planned for us soon that will get these answers. More about that in another review but, let’s get back to Ekstra Sterk loose!
As I said before, General Ekstra Sterk loose is another offering by the folks at Swedish Match. Ekstra Sterk loose is a medium grind snus meaning that it packs pretty well and the pris holds its shape longer than a finer ground snus like Skruf Stark loose. Hand baking is relatively easy with Ekstra Stark loose provided you know how to do it. As you all know, I am hand bake challenged so, for this review, I used an Icetool to give you how the pris feels. Knowing this, making a pris by hand will yield a completely different type of feel as well as a different length of time the pris lasts before mudslide. Ok, enough about methods. Let’s get back to the snus!
The pris can get a bit hard if compressed too tightly with the tools so, I recommend a medium pressure on the plunger prior to putting the pris under the lip. Ekstra Sterk loose also has higher moisture content which, among other things, makes the pris last as well as making it comfortable. I got a pris to last about 3 hours before mudslide but, like I said before, hand baking will yield about 1 ½ hours to 2 hours before this happens. I recommend a 2 hour max with the tool and about 1 ½ hours with a hand baked pris. “Hey Snus Guy! Are you holding out on the Nicotine content? Is it the same level as the portions?” I’m glad you brought that up actually! The answer will surprise you.
When I got my can of General Ekstra Stark loose, I automatically assumed it would be just like the portion version in every way. I was really wrong. Like I said in the beginning, there are subtle differences in taste but, the Nicotine level is different as well. Where General Ekstra Sterk portions have 15 mgs of Nicotine per
portion, Ekstra Sterk loose has 13 mgs of Nicotine per gram. Now don’t assume the worst like I did, let me explain a few things first. If you go off total weight, there are 22 portions in a can of Ekstra Sterk portions and there is 45 grams of snus in a can of loose. Each portion has a little over 1 gram of snus in them but, when you make a pris of loose, you typically use about 1.3 to 1.5 grams of snus. I know I do! So, when you look at it that way, you’re getting the same Nicotine content with the loose as you would with the portions but there’s another difference, the release!Loose snus, as we have discussed before, does release Nicotine faster than portions do. Why, you ask? Really simple, the tobacco makes direct contact with your gums in the loose type. With portions, the material acts as a bit of a barrier so; it takes a little longer for the Nicotine to hit the gums. That’s also the reason why there is a saltier taste in portions over loose. The salt interacts with the tobacco to allow the Nicotine to release. That’s the way I look at it anyway so, don’t fret Snustopians, just remember that you can control the amount of Nicotine you get with any loose snus just by adjusting the size of the pris! So, on to the taste!
One would think that Ekstra Stark loose and portion would taste exactly the same. If you think that, like I did at first, you would be wrong but not entirely wrong. While other snus flavors, like V2’s Phantom blue for example, do have a distinct difference in taste between the portion variety and the loose, this is not the case with Ekstra Sterk. An overview of Ekstra Sterk portion’s flavor would be pure tobacco with a lemony, not citrusy, background and slightly salty with peppery notes and a bit of smoky flavor, the only thing that would be different in the loose variety would be the absence of the salty taste, less smoke flavoring and a more defined tobacco flavor! “Snus Guy, this is not your normal rambling on flavors! What gives?” Well, I forgot that some Snustopians may not have read the original Ekstra Stark portion review so, if you click on this link "General Ekstra Sterk Portion snus review", it will take you to the review and you can get a better understanding.
Another thing about the flavor difference is the length of time it lasts between the two. I said in the portion review that I got about 2 ½ hours from a portion before it began to get bitter. With the loose, I got 3 hours before mudslide began to take over but, there was still flavor and, no bitterness. I still recommend a 2 hour max with Ekstra Stark loose for full enjoyment! Now, what to drink with Ekstra Stark loose?
Loose snus always proves to be a challenge to drink with for new Snustopians! It takes a bit of practice to be able to take a drink without either completely destroying the pris or, swallowing half of it but, there are a few tricks you can use! The first one is pretty obvious, using a straw! The biggest complaint I hear, and have experienced in the beginning, is drinking from a glass. Be it a cup of coffee, A glass of iced tea or a pint of Guinness, it can be a challenge to learn how to drink from a glass with a pris of loose under your lip! The only method I can offer is this; when going to take a drink, don’t suck the drink from the glass or cup, just raise the vessel and tip out the drink in your mouth. Doing this will allow the upper lip to relax and thus keeping it from crushing the pris! As you use loose more, you’ll find better ways but, this is the method I use and I use loose almost 40% of the time! “Hey! Professor Snus Guy! We appreciate the how-to-use-a-glass sermon but, you’re going off topic again!” Oops, sorry! I just wanted to hit this topic a little so I don’t get angry emails from new Snustopians. Ok, back to actual drinks!
I’m not going to bore you with the Diet Coke test because I think it goes well with General Ekstra Sterk Loose. Monster on the other hand, overpowered the taste of the snus. I prefer iced tea with Ekstra Sterk. Southern Style Sweet tea pairs well with it but, I did have iced Earl Gray as well and it tended to be a bit too strong. As I said in the taste review, Ekstra Sterk looses’ flavor isn’t quite as strong as it’s portioned brother so, stronger flavored drinks tended to bury the snus’ flavor. Stick with lighter flavored drinks and you’ll be able to enjoy both!
My overall recommendation for General Ekstra Sterk loose snus my fellow Snustopians is this; Those Snustopians that like the portion version of Ekstra Sterk, will find the loose version just as likeable. Snustopians that are fans of strong snus and loose snus will really enjoy it as well. New Snustopians that are currently using Copenhagen or, a tobacco flavored Smokeless will immediately fall for Ekstra Sterk loose as well. Since both versions are getting ready to be released in the states, I do recommend Cope users give it a shot!
Like I said, General Ekstra Sterk loose, or lös, will be available soon at snus shops like The Northerner with other new General brands. The average cost for General Ekstra Stark loose runs about $3.49 a can depending on where you buy it but remember Snustopians, if you click on The Northerner banner at the top of the page and it's your first order, you can get 10% off!
Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our tour of General Ekstra Sterk loose snus by Swedish Match and found it helpful. Please leave any questions, comments or suggestions in the comments area. I look forward to reading and answering them as soon as I can.
As always,
Happy Snusing!
That Snus Guy
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