Phantom Classic Blue, a much needed snus review!

Greetings my fellow Snustopians!

I’ve been pacing around my office here in The Ministry of Information, trying to figure out which snus I should review for the first post of 2009. I knew this review had to be memorable and, the snus needed to be one that has very little in the way of true taste descriptions. Then it hit me! In the various forums I’ve read, V2’s Phantom Classic Blue has become almost controversial amongst snus lovers. From what I’ve read, this snus is on the top of the list of “I love it!” or “I can’t stand it!” posts. There really is no detailed, unbiased taste reviews, just biased. That’s the reason for Phantom Classic Blue being the first review. Snustopians, old and new, need an unbiased review of this snus so, without further ramblings from me, I give you, V2’s Phantom Classic Blue!

Phantom Classic Blue is a snus made by V2 Tobacco, the same company that makes Offroad Cranberry and Nordströmmen Julesnus. Phantom Classic Blue comes in two versions, Portion snus and lössnus. Although they share the same name and, same core flavor, the intensity of this flavor is different between the two! Because of this, I will separate the two versions and do a review on both! So, let’s start with the portion version!

Phantom Classic Blue Portion is a large, original portion snus. Portions come in three sizes; Mini, Large and Maxi. This refers to the physical size of the portion. Minis hold approximately 0.3 g of tobacco, large portions hold 1.0 g of tobacco and Maxi’s hold around 1.7 g of tobacco. Within the sizes there are subcategories that refer to finishing and, sometimes, amount of Nicotine.

Original portions generally have one last step added to the process. This step rinses the portion in a “snus juice” that adds more moisture to the snus. Original portions, in my opinion, have the most flavors right off the bat! This is due to the extra step. White portions get their name because they do not go thru the extra step. Some Snustopians refer to them as dry portions. This can get confusing when a portion made of black material is called a “White” portion. Grovsnus Svart would be a perfect example. The final portion is a strong portion. These portions can be in original or white form but, are always high in Nicotine! So, you can see it can get quite confusing but, just remember, I’ll do my best to let you know what kind we’re talking about.

Now, since Phantom Blue is a large, original portion snus, its flavor comes out immediately. When you open the can, you’re immediately hit with a very recognizable smell first off. Let me tell you what the flavors are before we get to that though! The flavors I get are very strong, bright citrus and Juniper with some flowery notes and salt. What’s common with most of V2’s flavored portion snus is, the tobacco flavor doesn’t come out for almost 45 minutes. I believe this has to do with the flavoring added to the additional step. Again, this is my theory. The lös version has the same flavoring base and smell to it as the portions do but, in a different way. I’ll get to that in a bit. Some will say that the Juniper takes center stage but, I believe the citrus does! It almost tastes like Bergamot. As I said before, the intense flavor lasts about 30 minutes then the salt and tobacco flavors mix in, this is when a whole other flavor experience comes in! Overall, I’ve had a portion in for about 1½ hours when the portion began to get bitter. I recommend about 1 hour as a max. The material that the portion is made of is very soft in the lip and easy on the gums.

The lös version is a medium cut snus which is good for hand baking of pris’ but, in my experience, it’s better to use a Prismaster or Icetool. The moisture content in Blue lös is pretty high. I’m not saying its dripping wet but, if you hand bake, have a way to wipe your hands. Like I said earlier, the flavor is pretty much the same but, the release is reversed. The lös version is lightly flavored in the beginning and, takes about 15 to 20 minutes to really get going! I’ve had a pris in for up to 2 hours with little flavor loss. Keep this in mind with Phantom Blue; both versions have 8 mg of Nicotine. The Nicotine is pretty much released after 30 to 45 minutes so, if you’re feeling like “hey, I’ve had this in for 1½ hours and I’m having a nic fit!” this is why! The lip feel for the lös version is very comfortable provided you don’t compress it too much with the tools. The pris its self, will start to degrade after an hour hence, the 1 hour use recommendation.

So, now you know the taste of Phantom Classic Blue snus! “Aren’t you forgetting something Snus Guy? You mentioned something about the smell in the beginning of the review. You’re not holding out on us….are you?” Not at all! When you open the can of either Phantom Blue, there is a very familiar smell that comes out. After using both for a week straight, I figured out that it’s the mix of Bergamot and Juniper but, in the beginning, the smell reminded me of a famous blue window cleaner! Don’t be alarmed! V2 isn’t trying to sell a W****X flavored snus; it’s just the mix of Bergamot, Juniper and, the tobacco that is giving it the smell!

I usually like to pair drinks with different snus and, since I can’t drink Alcohol, I first try every snus with Diet Coke. Phantom Blue is great with it. Basically, you get a Diet Coke with Lemon! The best thing I’ve had with it though is, Iced Tea, especially Earl Grey. You’ll notice the Bergamot more in the Earl Grey with Phantom Blue!

I recommend all snustopians should experience at least one can of each type of Phantom Classic Blue snus and form your own opinion. With the average price of $1.84 USD for either version, you really have nothing to lose! You never know, it may become a new addition to your rotation or, like me, another addition to a long list of “likes”. As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments and questions and, will do my best to answer them all!

Happy Snussing!
That Snus Guy