Welcome back!!! I hope you all had a great day off! Today, we will be discussing the different types of Portion snus. My goal for this post is, by the end of it, you will know a bit about the world of portions, the differences between them and lössnus and have enough information to make an informed purchase. This may be my longest post yet due to there being many different types of portions so, please be patient and read the entire post. I just do not want you to make the same mistake I did in the beginning. So, if your ready, pop in a pris of lös, grab you favorite beverage (yes, you can drink and read here in Snustopia!) and get ready to enter the land of portion snus!
You're probably sitting there right now thinking, "well, his post on lössnus wasn't that long so, what could be so different about portions?" Plenty! Not only is it a relatively new way to enjoy snus (the first portion snus was introduced in 1973) but, it is also a more convenient and discreet way to enjoy it as well. Did you know that out of the near one million snus users in Sweden, women make up almost 10% of them? Some people attribute that to the creation of Portion snus! In my opinion, this is why this post will take some time and is extremely important here in Snustopia.
Ok, before we go into the different kinds of portions, let's go over what a portion is! A portion is exactly what the word implies, a portion of snus. It's the way the portion is presented that makes the difference or, changes the word into a term. Portion snus is a portion, in grams, of lössnus placed in a pouch made of a tea bag type 
material. The amount of snus in the pouch varies on the size of the portion (from 0.5g for mini portions, 1.0g for regular portion and 1.7g for maxi portions), the amount of portions in a can depends on the manufacturer. In my experience, most Large portion cans have 24 portions, Maxi portions are delegated by the weight of the snus (typically 24g) and mini portion cans have 24 portions. So, there you are, we have already discovered the 3 basic types of portions. Mini, Large and Maxi. Don't be fooled by thinking that the size of the portion dictates the amount of nicotine in it. You would be making the Number 1 newbie mistake here in Snustopia. As we will discover thru tasting the different portions, good things don't always come in Maxi packages!
material. The amount of snus in the pouch varies on the size of the portion (from 0.5g for mini portions, 1.0g for regular portion and 1.7g for maxi portions), the amount of portions in a can depends on the manufacturer. In my experience, most Large portion cans have 24 portions, Maxi portions are delegated by the weight of the snus (typically 24g) and mini portion cans have 24 portions. So, there you are, we have already discovered the 3 basic types of portions. Mini, Large and Maxi. Don't be fooled by thinking that the size of the portion dictates the amount of nicotine in it. You would be making the Number 1 newbie mistake here in Snustopia. As we will discover thru tasting the different portions, good things don't always come in Maxi packages!The picture to the right shows two things. One, a portion of snus in it's tea bag type pouch and two, the typical size of a Mini portion. Mini portions generally hold the smallest amount of snus but not necessarily the smallest amount of nicotine. So, since we are looking at a Mini portion, let's explore a bit. While the typical Mini does have the smallest amount of nicotine (4 to 6 mg per portion) and tobacco (0.5g per portion) there are some Minis that have just as much nicotine as a large. We'll get into the specific brands later in the tour but, just be aware. Since the portion is small, this portion is generally used by women and, have flavors created just for women. (I personally think highly of some of them and I'm a man. It's just marketing and marketing is the same no matter where you go in my opinion.) Don't let the stigma get to you. As I said in the first posts, try them ALL. no matter who they are geared to. There are male Snustopians that like minis and female Snustopians that like Maxi's. I personally use minis when I'm at work because they are more discreet. Anyway, if you want to see the actual size of a mini and, are not ready to order from BuySnus.com and, live in the US, you can get a can of Camel SNUS or Marlboro snus. They are basically mini portions and will give you the feel of a mini and an idea of size. One other thing about Minis, they are generally "White" or dry portions. We'll get more into the difference later.
Large portions are pretty much the norm for snus. Most manufacturers make their portion snus in large portions. Why, I don't know but, in my research, this seems to be the practice. They are generally twice the 
size of a mini and use the same material for the pouch. They also come in either White portions or Original portions. "White" portions are dry meaning, the manufacturing process does not add anymore moisture to the product. "Original" portions have added moisture or "snus juice" sprayed on them in the final stage to enhance flavor. The main difference is, White portions have less tendency to "Run" than Original. I personally like the juice so, I prefer Original portions. Most American snus is White. This is one of the reasons why they do not need to be stored cold after opening. Large portions also have 1.0g of snus inside and, this is where it gets interesting, anywhere between 6mg and 12mg of nicotine per portion. The amount of nicotine is not dictated by the 
amount of snus. The amount of snus stays the same. It's the type of tobacco and, the part of the plant that does that! There are portion snus out there that have more nicotine than a Maxi portion. There are a few large portion snus out there that are black. Not to worry, this is a part of the marketing and do not effect the taste, in my opinion. One of them is General Onyx and, I think LD still uses them in one of thier snusses as well. The picture to the right shows a "White" portion snus and to the left, General Onyx and it's "Black" portion.
size of a mini and use the same material for the pouch. They also come in either White portions or Original portions. "White" portions are dry meaning, the manufacturing process does not add anymore moisture to the product. "Original" portions have added moisture or "snus juice" sprayed on them in the final stage to enhance flavor. The main difference is, White portions have less tendency to "Run" than Original. I personally like the juice so, I prefer Original portions. Most American snus is White. This is one of the reasons why they do not need to be stored cold after opening. Large portions also have 1.0g of snus inside and, this is where it gets interesting, anywhere between 6mg and 12mg of nicotine per portion. The amount of nicotine is not dictated by the 
amount of snus. The amount of snus stays the same. It's the type of tobacco and, the part of the plant that does that! There are portion snus out there that have more nicotine than a Maxi portion. There are a few large portion snus out there that are black. Not to worry, this is a part of the marketing and do not effect the taste, in my opinion. One of them is General Onyx and, I think LD still uses them in one of thier snusses as well. The picture to the right shows a "White" portion snus and to the left, General Onyx and it's "Black" portion.The last type and, the largest of the portions, is the Maxi portion. Maxi portions have the most tobacco in them and, generally the highest nicotine levels. Maxi portions generally have about 1.7g of snus and their range is above 11mg of nicotine. I haven't seen a white maxi so, in my opinion, they are all Original. (If anyone here has seen a white Maxi, please post a reply and we will edit this statement.) These are the only differences in regards to Maxi. They use the same tea bag material and overall, they are a larger portion. About 50% larger than a Large portion.
There are many sub-categories for these sizes and, we will explain them as we run into them because if we went ahead and explained them now, the post would be a mile long, we'd never get to any reviews and, I'd have to blow a horn every 30 minutes to wake you up!!! As long as you remember that there are three main classes of Portion snus (Mini, Large and Maxi), there are two main types (White and Original) and, nicotine levels are dictated by the type of tobacco not, the size of the portion, you'll be OK. Just remember, don't be intimidated by the marketing of a snus. Just because it says it's designed for women doesn't mean only women can use it or, just because it doesn't say it's for women ,women shouldn't use it. Try them all and make the decision yourself.
I know today was a short lesson but, the next lesson will be exciting because we will begin to review the actual snus. I felt that without a little knowledge about the differences between Lössnus and Portionsnus and, the differences between all portion snus, you wouldn't have the tools you need to either grasp the reviews or, if you will be tasting along with us, what you were purchasing. I promise, from here on out, the posts will become more exciting and, we may travel outside of Snustopia on field trips to other lands with other smokeless products! Class dismissed for today!!!
1 comment:
Professor! very thorough!
Sending a "snuffet" your way!
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