Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus, reviewing another beginner’s staple snus!

Greetings fellow Snustopians!

Well, it’s been a pretty weird weekend here in Snustopia my friends! We had a freak snow storm which kept me in my office most of the weekend so, I figured it was a perfect time to go thru my snus fridge. I usually have about 10 to 15 cans of snus open at any given time and while I was arranging them, I came across a snus that was one of the first that I tried! No, it hasn’t been in there since June of ’08 (although there were a few in there that have been a month past the best before date!), it is one, however, that is always in there. That snus is Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus!



Before we go into the review though, let’s review something about the best before dates on the bottom of snus cans.

I want to bring this up again because, even though I have a couple of cans in my fridge that are a month or two past the best before date, they are still good and, I do use them so, after reading the next paragraph remember, snus is not milk! It’s still good past the best before dates so, don’t throw them away and keep them cold! Ok, back to the review.

If you’ve read the article “Ministry of Information – Snus Type and Distinction, Reverse Yearing office” from last year, you’ll know that the dates on Swedish snus cans are a bit confusing. So, to review, the best before dates on the Swedish snus cans go as follows; DD/MM/YY or DD/MM/YYYY! “Snus Guy, we read the article! You didn’t need to explain it!” I know but, some new Snustopians just want the facts and I wanted to provide it here. Another bit of information in that article also explains that snus will last longer than the best before date. As long as it’s kept cold! That’s why I have a couple open cans of snus in my snus fridge that are a bit beyond the best before date. Ok, enough about the cans of snus in my fridge, on to the review!

You may be asking yourselves why I called this snus a “beginner’s staple snus”. If you ask most Snustopians what was in their first order, the majority of them will tell you that Ice Fruit was among them! Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus is another fine snus made by the folks at Gotlandssnus. The portions contain about 1 gram of snus and there are 24 portions in each can. As with all Gotlandssnus brands, Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit has 9 mg of Nicotine per portion. One thing that’s unique about Ice Fruit is the can! It’s made from plastic but that’s not the unique thing, the lid is.

The lid for Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit does have a compartment for used portions but, it’s actually made to look like a sailing ship compass from the directional notches down to the degree markings! Another neat thing is that inside some of the compartments is a small, round brochure that tells the history of the original Jakobsson’s snus brand. Although it’s printed in Swedish but you can brush up on your translator skills while enjoying a portion! Even the inside bottom of the can has embossing on it! I know, I know, enough about the can. Let’s get back to the portions.

The portions are of the regular type meaning that they do go thru the extra wetting step. The material that the portion is made from is the same type that Gotland’s uses in all their portion snus which is soft and really comfortable under the lip. I’ve had a portion in for about 3 hours with little irritation to speak of. In fact, the only reason I changed it was because the flavor ran out after about 2 hours. Knowing this, I recommend a 2 hour max per portion. That brings us to the flavor.

Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit is another snus I tried to find information on when I began snusing but unlike the others, the reviews I read were mostly “this is the best snus in the world”. While it is a good snus, I wished there was a review out there that really described the complex flavors I was getting. The other thing I was seeing was that Snustopians were confusing Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit’s taste with Offroad’s Icemint. The flavors couldn’t be more different!

Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit does have an Icy mint flavor like Offroad’s Icemint but that’s where the similarities end. Ice Fruit adds a fruity flavor to the icy mint flavor that gives Ice Fruit another depth of flavor. The fruit I get is a mix of lightly sweet berries or, to make it easier to picture, a flavor that’s similar to the fruit flavor in Juicy Fruit gum! One would think that the two flavors would not go well together but, in this snus, they really do play well together. “Snus Guy, doesn’t Ice Fruit have a salty flavor like other Swedish Snus?” Well, no. It really doesn’t. That doesn’t mean there is no salt in it though. That’s another thing that makes Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit unique! I think that Gotland’s adds just enough flavoring to Ice Fruit so to mask the typical salty taste. It’s also another thing that makes Ice Fruit great for new Snustopians to use. Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit does have a down side though.

As in all Gotlandssnus varieties, after about 2 hours, the flavor goes bitter. It’s not a subtle transition either. I don’t think it’s a bad thing though. “Snus Guy, how could a snus going bitter not be a bad thing?” Well, as I’ve said in other Gotlandssnus reviews, I look at it this way; Swedes typically keep a portion of snus in for anywhere between 10 to 45 minutes per portion. Snus manufacturers design their snus for the Swedish user. If I can get 2 hours of flavor out of a snus that was designed to be kept in for an hour max, I’m ahead of the game, so to speak! Plus, it a reminder for me to change out the portion since I stopped getting Nicotine out of it after an hour! Now, let’s talk drinks.

I was kind of torn as to which drink I preferred with Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit. My staple Diet Coke was a bit neutral with Ice Fruit which may surprise you! If you remember back to the Offroad Icemint review, I didn’t like the combination but with Ice Fruit, it did better and I believe it’s due to the less intense icy mint flavor in it. Instead of my typical Monster energy drink, I decided to try Red Bull. It went really well with Ice Fruit. Where Monster tends to turn mint flavored snus a bit bitter, Red Bull did not. But the two drinks that went the best with Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit were iced tea and San Pellegrino Limonata!

With iced tea, specifically Black teas like Earl Gray and Orange Pekoe, the mint flavor went extremely well while enhancing the fruitiness of the snus and bringing out a subtle hint of the great tobacco flavor. With the Limonata, the natural lemon flavor in the drink brought the fruit flavor to the front and made the icy mint flavor tamer. The natural carbonation and the slightly salty flavor of San Pellegrino helped to bring a bit of the tobacco flavor out as well. So, you can see why I was torn on which was best! I really recommend you try both and decide which you like best!

My overall recommendation for Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus Snustopians is this; If this is your first time to Snustopia and looking for that first Swedish snus experience, I really recommend that you consider adding Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit to your first order. Long time residents of Snustopia will find that a can of Ice Fruit may bring back memories of your first trip to Snustopia and the world of snus! Snustopians that are not fans of mint, specifically peppermint, may not like Ice Fruit but, like I always say, it’s your decision! At around $3.75 a can at Snustopia’s favorite place for snus, The Northerner, you really can’t go wrong, even if you find out you don’t care for it. And remember, if this is your first order, just click on the banner to the right of the page and get 10% off!

Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our trip thru Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus by Gotlandssnus. I look forward to answering any questions and invite you to leave comments about it by following the link below. I’ll be happy to answer them as soon as I can!

As always Snustopians, happy snusing!

That Snus Guy