1847 by Philip Morris snus, now by Swedish Match, reviewing a new manufacturer of a classic snus!

Welcome back my fellow Snustopians!

I know, I know, the title to this snus review is a bit confusing but it’s true! 1847 by Philip Morris is now made by Swedish Match, the folks that make General, Röda Lacket and Catch snus brands. I decided to review 1847 while I was on the plane back to Snustopia from the family vacation a few weeks ago. It was the snus I used primarily during the vacation but that wasn’t the true reason I wanted to do a review of it. No, the reason I wanted to review 1847 by Philip Morris is due to a mindset that most people have. The mindset is that when something they are used to having one company make, gets sold or changes hands, the product typically changes be it in taste, if it’s a foodstuff, or quality. I want us to dispel this theory when it comes to 1847 by Philip Morris! So, if you’re ready, let’s be seated and begin our review of 1847 by Philip Morris Original and White portion snus by Swedish Match.



Like I said before, there is a mindset in some people, particularly in the States, that thinks if a product they’ve used for some time changes hands, the new product is not as good, or is better, than the original. To prove a point, let’s take Oreo Cookies! “Snus Guy, I thought we were talking about 1847? You miss dinner tonight?” No, but in order for everyone, including our newer Snustopians, to get an idea of what happened between Philip Morris and Swedish Match, I want to use a well known product to use as an example! You see, Oreo’s began their life as a product made by the Nabisco Company. Around 1981, the Nabisco Company merged with a company called Standard Brands. Between 1985 and 2000, the Nabisco brand changed hands a few more times until settling under the Kraft family of brands between 2000 and today. Thru all these different mergers and owners of the Oreo brand name, never once did the taste change. Oreo’s were, and still are, the same great tasting cookie they started out as, even though the original company is no longer around. The same is true with the 1847 by Philip Morris brand!

1847 by Philip Morris was first introduced to the snus world in 2008 and was originally made by Philip Morris AB in Sweden. In early 2009, a merger between Philip Morris AB and Swedish Match was completed and 1847 by Philip Morris, both Original and White portion, began to be made by Swedish Match. The Original portion is made in the Gothenburg, Sweden factory and the White portion is made in the Kungälv, Sweden factory. Both snus types made by Swedish Match were released in the fall of 2009 and the first, and most frequently discussed, difference was named, the can!

When Philip Morris AB produced 1847, they released them in metal cans with embossed lids. The ornately designed lids had the 1847 logo, complete with floral swag under the “1847” name, embossed in the metal lids. Each can also had a used portion compartment concealed in the bottom and, looked quite stylish! When the Swedish Match version of the 1847 family debuted, they were released in plastic cans. 1847 Original has a black can with a black and orange label on the sides and a gray label with the 1847 logo on the top. The White type has a silver plastic can with a gray and orange label on the side and the same label on the top. Each has a used portion compartment on the lid and the cans resemble the 01 and 02 cans by construction. What the snus community was questioning was why Swedish Match would change the cans!

It seems that the majority of snus users really liked the metal cans and thought that if they changed the cans, they must have changed the flavor. Even I wondered why the can was changed so, I asked my friends at Swedish Match. I figured it had to be something to do with the cost to manufacture the cans and I was right! What Swedish Match said was that to produce the cans would be much too costly and would actually raise the price of the snus which is what they wanted to avoid. But they assured me, the recipe was to remain unaltered. They were right! Before exploring the flavors though, let’s take a look at the portions.

First, 1847 Original is classified as a Regular type portion which means that each one gets a bit of additional moisture prior to being packaged. This added spray of water helps the flavors in the snus marry and release that flavor faster once it’s in the lip. 1847 White does not get the added water and leaves the material its original white color and actually lets the flavor last a bit longer than its regular type sibling. Both types have 24, 1 gram portions in each can and both have 8 mg of Nicotine per portion. Swedish Match also gave 1847 White portion the signature “Star” pattern in the can that it gives to all of its high caliber White portion snus.

Mouth feel with both 1847 by Philip Morris snus was pretty comfortable in the lip with only a bit of wrinkling after about 2 hours. This is due to Swedish match using the same soft material in the 1847 brand that they use in all of their portion snus. I did a side by side comparison of the portions that were made by PMAB and Swedish Match and the material from Swedish Match is indeed a bit softer so, you Snustopians that are fans of the PMAB version may find that in the comfort arena, the Swedish Match version is a bit more comfortable. My recommendation for length of time from a comfort standpoint is about 2 hours max. So, now we know about the history of the brand, I didn’t obsess too much about the can and we know about the portions. Now let’s take a look at the flavors!

In the versions of 1847 made by PMAB, the flavor was intended to be very simple, just quality tobaccos from various places around the world, salt and a touch of citrus. The only difference between the original portion and the White portion was the intensity of the overall flavor. The original version was a bit more pronounced in flavor in the beginning and softened as time went on. The White version was softer in the beginning and intensified as you kept it in. What I experienced in the PMAB version was just that! In actuality, the combination of flavors created a slight chocolaty scent with an earthy, peaty tobacco flavor that pure tobacco flavored snus is known for.

In the Swedish Match versions I half expected to taste the flavors that Ettan is known for but, believe it or not, the flavors were almost dead on to the flavors of the PMAB versions, with only one difference, the citrus flavor. To me, it seems that the citrus flavor is a little more recognizable in the Swedish Match version but, it’s not like you can taste it right out of the can, it’s just a slight background flavor that you can barely recognize and actually gives Swedish Match’s 1847 a bit of a twist from the old version. The flavor really lasts as well! I’ve had a portion of both 1847 original and White last for over two hours before the flavor began to fade away. I recommend a maximum time limit for flavor at about 2 hours. So, what to drink?

Well, it’s beginning to get a bit brisk here in Snustopia and I started to switch from my staples of Diet Coke and Monsters to hot coffee and teas. So, we’ll be looking first at how coffee goes with 1847 Original and White portion snus. First, I tried some plain black coffee, Gevalia to be exact, and it actually went really well. Some coffees can be pretty bitter but Gevalia isn’t. This bitterness can affect how some snus brands taste and turn them a bit sour tasting. With the Gevalia, this didn’t happen and really added another dimension of flavor with both versions of 1847. Another great drink that went well with 1847 was Black tea. The Black tea was great since it has the same base flavors of earth and foliage that tobacco has and just enhanced the flavor of the snus! I really suggest trying both with 1847 but, I’ll leave the decision up to you!

My overall recommendation for 1847 by Philip Morris, made by Swedish Match, Snustopians is this; If you’re a new Snustopian, looking for a true Swedish snus with just tobacco as a flavor, you can’t go wrong with 1847. Seasoned Snustopians that enjoyed 1847 by Philip Morris and were saddened by Swedish Match’s changes to the can really should try the new version. Nothing’s been lost regarding to the flavors and the change to the material is really a positive! Like I said in the beginning, only the can has changed, not the flavors. 1847 by Philip Morris can be bought just about everywhere but, I recommend using Snustopia’s only place for Swedish snus, The Northerner. They have really great prices and with some Swedish snus brands, have quick shipping to the US since they have added quite a few of them to their US warehouse and add more and more each day! If you’re a new customer, you can get 10% off your first order by just clicking on the banner to the left; just tell them That Snus Guy sent you!

Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our tour thru 1847 by Philip Morris, made by Swedish Match, and found it fun and informative. I really look forward to you questions and comments and will try to answer them as soon as I can. So, until next time Snustopians, as always,

Happy Snusing!

That Snus Guy