Welcome back Snustopians!As I was taking one of my famous long walks thru the gardens of Skruf Square last week, my trip to Sweden was still on my mind. I was remembering a small park just off the main boulevard that has canals, like the ones in Holland, meandering thru it and had been there for over 100 years. It reminded me of my own gardens here in Snustopia but not as old. That’s when it hit me. Our next review should be on a snus that not only comes from a beautiful place in the home of snus but, have a lot of history that’s tied to that place. So, this week, we’ll be reviewing a snus that comes from the island of Gotland in Sweden and that snus is Jakobsson’s Classic portion snus.
I picked Jakobsson’s Classic for a few reasons. The first one is the fact that it’s made by the folks at Gotlandssnus AB on the island of Gotland and has been made there since 1897. The new plant is actually located only a few miles where Jakob Jakobsson’s family farm is and where he came up with his recipe for his snus! While the basic recipe for Jakobsson’s Classic is more than 100 years old, the version we’ll be reviewing today was launched in 2008 with only a few changes. The second reason is because Gotlandssnus uses tobacco that’s grown right there on the island. This tobacco is called Alida and is grown only on the island of Gotland. So, now that you know a bit about the history of Jakobsson’s Classic portion snus, let’s get to the review!
Like we learned in the beginning, Jakobsson’s Classic is a regular type portion snus made by the folks at
Gotlandssnus AB. Regular portions, as you all remember, are portions that go thru an added step in the manufacturing process that adds a bit more water to the portion’s material. “Water Snus Guy? Are you sure it’s water? We thought it was a type of juice made from the snus!” I thought the same thing until my trip to Gothenburg but it is just plain, filtered water. The reason we think of the liquid being a “snus juice” is the fact that while the regular portions are in the can, the bit of added water helps the flavors in the snus to marry together and release its flavor faster when it’s in your lip. The byproduct of this is the portion material turning brown and that’s where we got the whole “Snus Juice” myth! Ok, back to the review.The material that Gotlandssnus uses for Jakobsson’s Classic portion is the same soft teabag type material that they use in all of their snus and is pretty comfortable under the lip for about 2 hours. The Nicotine content in Jakobsson’s Classic is at the same level as all Gotlandssnus brands which are 9 mg per portion. Now, I know you all really get antsy when I describe the different cans that snus come in but Jakobsson’s Classic had a pretty unique one! If you’ve read the Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit review, you pretty much know what the can looks like but, since we may have some new visitors to Snustopia, I have to give the can its due!
Jakobsson’s Classic’s can is, quite possibly, one of the most unique cans I’ve come across. While its makeup is basic black plastic with a plasticized paper label, it’s the designs in and on it that make it unique. Gotlandssnus wanted the cans for the Jakobsson’s line to reflect where the snus came from so, since Gotland is a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, they decided to give the cans a nautical look. If you take a look at the top of the can, you’ll notice that there are notches on the lid that mimic the directional points on an antique compass! There are even degree hash marks between each directional waypoint. If you lift the center of the compass, you’ll find the used portion compartment underneath it and Gotlandssnus even embellished the bottom of the compartment with an old mapmaker’s directional key. The inside bottom of the can has the same mark. “It’s a pretty cool can Snus Guy! But, does the snus taste as good as the can looks?” Well, let’s take a look!
Gotlandssnus describes Jakobsson’s Classic as having a classic, memorable taste of snus, with an undertone of
citrus. I know what you’re saying “Snus Guy, what does classic and memorable taste like?” I agree that using “Classic” and “Memorable” as taste descriptions really don’t make sense to Snustopians that have never tried snus or, seasoned Snustopians that haven’t tried Jakobsson’s before so, let’s try to describe it in a language that everyone can understand! The main taste in Jakobsson’s Classic is, obviously, tobacco but Gotlandssnus uses Alida tobacco along with other hand selected tobaccos from around the world so, what you taste is the earthy, leather flavor from the other tobaccos and a light herbal, grassy flavor that Alida tobacco is known for. Alida also imparts a slight sweetness that kind of offsets the light peppery flavor the other tobaccos also have.The citrus flavor is another unique thing in Jakobsson’s Classic because it’s more of an orange, lemon flavor rather than the typical bergamot taste that is used in most snus when referring to “citrus”. When you combine all the flavor elements in Jakobsson’s Classic, you get a portion snus that is balanced in flavor and definitely Gotlands! The downside to Jakobsson’s Classic is that it has the same characteristic that all of Gotlandssnus’ snus brands do regarding the length of time the flavor lasts. I’ve had a portion in for about 2 hours and suddenly, the flavor gets bitter. I look at it this way, The Swedish use a portion for anywhere between 15 minutes and 45 minutes and swap it out for a new one. Gotlandssnus was created for use in Sweden so; anything over 45 minutes with the flavor is a definite bonus! Now, what to drink with Jakobsson’s Classic!
My staple drinks of Diet Coke and Monster Energy drink were the first I tried and I have to tell you that Diet Coke and Jakobsson’s Classic went really well together. This was due to the lemony notes in the snus that actually made a taste close to a
Diet Coke with Lemon. The acidity in the Diet Coke also helped to bring out the tobacco flavor as well. The Monster didn’t do that well since its flavor was a bit too strong for the snus but the one thing that did go well with Jakobsson’s Classic was an Arnold Palmer! “Hey Snus Guy, how could a golf pro go well with a snus?” No, no, not that Arnold Palmer, the drink! For those of you that don’t know what an Arnold Palmer is, it’s made with half sweet iced tea and half lemonade. It’s named after its creator, Arnold Palmer, and really goes well with Jakobsson’s Classic. The iced tea flavor helped to enhance the tobaccos and the lemonade brought out the citrus. It’s really the best combination!My overall recommendation for Jakobsson’s Classic portion snus, Snustopians, is this; Jakobsson’s Classic is truly an historic snus that’s unique to Sweden due to the Alida tobacco. Snustopians that want to experience a snus that has the classic flavors of tobacco and citrus but, like a portion that’s a bit lighter in flavor, Jakobsson’s Classic is the snus for you. Seasoned Snustopians will find Jakobsson’s Classic’s orange and lemon mix a refreshing change from the normal bergamot as well but, I’ll let you decide! At approximately $3.19 USD a can at Snustopia’s favorite snus shop, Northerner.com, you really can’t go wrong by adding a can or two to your next order! Just be sure to tell them That Snus Guy sent you and get 10% off if you're a first time customer!
Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our tour of Jakobsson’s Classic portion snus and found it informative and fun and encourage you to leave any questions, comments or suggestions you may have about Jakobsson’s Classic or any snus! I look forward to reading and answering them as soon as I can.
So, until our next review Snustopians, as always,
Happy Snusing!
That Snus Guy
http://www.snustest.com/
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