Göteborgs Rapè White Large Lime portion snus by Swedish Match. Reviewing the boldest flavor in the Göteborgs family!

Greetings Snustopians!

I know, I know, it's been quite a long time since we've been together and actually reviewed snus. The past year has been a pretty hectic one here in Snustopia and I must apologize for not being here to bring the new Snustopians reviews on all of the new snus flavors that are out there today. As I sit here, it's hard to believe that in only 2 short years we've seen such a huge influx of new flavors from so many different manufacturers! I can remember back to a time when Swedish Match only had 45 types of snus in their portfolio and ..."Hey Snus Guy, as much as we'd love to hear about your walk down memory lane, we want to hear about Göteborgs Rapè Lime!". Well, as you can see I'm still the same Snus Guy and I still ramble on so, without any further delay, sit back, pop in a portion and let's get started on our review of Göteborgs Rapè White Lime portion snus!

General Ekstra Sterk Loose snus, a review of General’s newest “available in America” snus!

Greetings my fellow Snustopians!

Today, I thought we would journey into the world of General Ekstra Sterk loose snus. Why, you may ask? Simple really, I know I’ve already done a review on General Ekstra Sterk portion snus so, you would think that the loose version couldn’t be much different. In all actuality, they are pretty close in the taste department with a few subtle differences. We’ll get into those in a bit but the main reason I wanted to get a review out for it is the fact that Ekstra Sterk loose will be released for sale in snus shops on the web soon! I’ll explain towards the end but, without further ado, let’s get into the review of General’s newest loose offering, General Ekstra Stark loose snus!

You’re probably asking yourselves, “Snus Guy, what’s with all these recent snus varieties being released for Americans?” Well, it looks like Swedish snus is becoming more and more popular in the states. Swedish Match, the makers of the General brand, is seeing this and, bringing Swedish snus to American snus lovers! I’m sure there is more to it than that but, SSNN (Snustopian Satellite News Network) really has been out of the loop on this one! Guess I’ll have to have a talk with them! Anyhow, I do have a Field Trip planned for us soon that will get these answers. More about that in another review but, let’s get back to Ekstra Sterk loose!

As I said before, General Ekstra Sterk loose is another offering by the folks at Swedish Match. Ekstra Sterk loose is a medium grind snus meaning that it packs pretty well and the pris holds its shape longer than a finer ground snus like Skruf Stark loose. Hand baking is relatively easy with Ekstra Stark loose provided you know how to do it. As you all know, I am hand bake challenged so, for this review, I used an Icetool to give you how the pris feels. Knowing this, making a pris by hand will yield a completely different type of feel as well as a different length of time the pris lasts before mudslide. Ok, enough about methods. Let’s get back to the snus!

The pris can get a bit hard if compressed too tightly with the tools so, I recommend a medium pressure on the plunger prior to putting the pris under the lip. Ekstra Sterk loose also has higher moisture content which, among other things, makes the pris last as well as making it comfortable. I got a pris to last about 3 hours before mudslide but, like I said before, hand baking will yield about 1 ½ hours to 2 hours before this happens. I recommend a 2 hour max with the tool and about 1 ½ hours with a hand baked pris. “Hey Snus Guy! Are you holding out on the Nicotine content? Is it the same level as the portions?” I’m glad you brought that up actually! The answer will surprise you.

When I got my can of General Ekstra Stark loose, I automatically assumed it would be just like the portion version in every way. I was really wrong. Like I said in the beginning, there are subtle differences in taste but, the Nicotine level is different as well. Where General Ekstra Sterk portions have 15 mgs of Nicotine per portion, Ekstra Sterk loose has 13 mgs of Nicotine per gram. Now don’t assume the worst like I did, let me explain a few things first. If you go off total weight, there are 22 portions in a can of Ekstra Sterk portions and there is 45 grams of snus in a can of loose. Each portion has a little over 1 gram of snus in them but, when you make a pris of loose, you typically use about 1.3 to 1.5 grams of snus. I know I do! So, when you look at it that way, you’re getting the same Nicotine content with the loose as you would with the portions but there’s another difference, the release!

Loose snus, as we have discussed before, does release Nicotine faster than portions do. Why, you ask? Really simple, the tobacco makes direct contact with your gums in the loose type. With portions, the material acts as a bit of a barrier so; it takes a little longer for the Nicotine to hit the gums. That’s also the reason why there is a saltier taste in portions over loose. The salt interacts with the tobacco to allow the Nicotine to release. That’s the way I look at it anyway so, don’t fret Snustopians, just remember that you can control the amount of Nicotine you get with any loose snus just by adjusting the size of the pris! So, on to the taste!

One would think that Ekstra Stark loose and portion would taste exactly the same. If you think that, like I did at first, you would be wrong but not entirely wrong. While other snus flavors, like V2’s Phantom blue for example, do have a distinct difference in taste between the portion variety and the loose, this is not the case with Ekstra Sterk. An overview of Ekstra Sterk portion’s flavor would be pure tobacco with a lemony, not citrusy, background and slightly salty with peppery notes and a bit of smoky flavor, the only thing that would be different in the loose variety would be the absence of the salty taste, less smoke flavoring and a more defined tobacco flavor! “Snus Guy, this is not your normal rambling on flavors! What gives?” Well, I forgot that some Snustopians may not have read the original Ekstra Stark portion review so, if you click on this link "General Ekstra Sterk Portion snus review", it will take you to the review and you can get a better understanding.

Another thing about the flavor difference is the length of time it lasts between the two. I said in the portion review that I got about 2 ½ hours from a portion before it began to get bitter. With the loose, I got 3 hours before mudslide began to take over but, there was still flavor and, no bitterness. I still recommend a 2 hour max with Ekstra Stark loose for full enjoyment! Now, what to drink with Ekstra Stark loose?

Loose snus always proves to be a challenge to drink with for new Snustopians! It takes a bit of practice to be able to take a drink without either completely destroying the pris or, swallowing half of it but, there are a few tricks you can use! The first one is pretty obvious, using a straw! The biggest complaint I hear, and have experienced in the beginning, is drinking from a glass.

Be it a cup of coffee, A glass of iced tea or a pint of Guinness, it can be a challenge to learn how to drink from a glass with a pris of loose under your lip! The only method I can offer is this; when going to take a drink, don’t suck the drink from the glass or cup, just raise the vessel and tip out the drink in your mouth. Doing this will allow the upper lip to relax and thus keeping it from crushing the pris! As you use loose more, you’ll find better ways but, this is the method I use and I use loose almost 40% of the time! “Hey! Professor Snus Guy! We appreciate the how-to-use-a-glass sermon but, you’re going off topic again!” Oops, sorry! I just wanted to hit this topic a little so I don’t get angry emails from new Snustopians. Ok, back to actual drinks!

I’m not going to bore you with the Diet Coke test because I think it goes well with General Ekstra Sterk Loose. Monster on the other hand, overpowered the taste of the snus. I prefer iced tea with Ekstra Sterk. Southern Style Sweet tea pairs well with it but, I did have iced Earl Gray as well and it tended to be a bit too strong. As I said in the taste review, Ekstra Sterk looses’ flavor isn’t quite as strong as it’s portioned brother so, stronger flavored drinks tended to bury the snus’ flavor. Stick with lighter flavored drinks and you’ll be able to enjoy both!

My overall recommendation for General Ekstra Sterk loose snus my fellow Snustopians is this; Those Snustopians that like the portion version of Ekstra Sterk, will find the loose version just as likeable. Snustopians that are fans of strong snus and loose snus will really enjoy it as well. New Snustopians that are currently using Copenhagen or, a tobacco flavored Smokeless will immediately fall for Ekstra Sterk loose as well. Since both versions are getting ready to be released in the states, I do recommend Cope users give it a shot!

Like I said, General Ekstra Sterk loose, or lös, will be available soon at snus shops like The Northerner with other new General brands. The average cost for General Ekstra Stark loose runs about $3.49 a can depending on where you buy it but remember Snustopians, if you click on The Northerner banner at the top of the page and it's your first order, you can get 10% off!

Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our tour of General Ekstra Sterk loose snus by Swedish Match and found it helpful. Please leave any questions, comments or suggestions in the comments area. I look forward to reading and answering them as soon as I can.

As always,

Happy Snusing!

That Snus Guy

General Wintergreen portion snus. Review of a Swedish snus for American tastes!

Welcome back Snustopians!

This past weekend I decided to take a walk around my favorite part of Snustopia, Skruf Square, to relax and decide which snus we should review this week. As always, I stopped by my tobacconist to see what new snus came in and, lo and behold, I found a snus that Snustopians from America will really be interested in reading a review about, General Wintergreen white portion snus!

I know what you’re all thinking! “Snus Guy! Why would Americans be so interested in General Wintergreen? Is it made there?” No, it’s made in Sweden by Swedish Match. It’s the taste that Americans will really like and most will identify with. Identify how, you ask? Let’s get into the review of General Wintergreen white portion snus and you’ll see!

General Wintergreen white portion snus is another fine snus manufactured by the folks at Swedish Match, the same people who make General Mini Mint! You may be asking yourselves why I mentioned Mini Mint. I did this because General Wintergreen, like General Mini Mint, was created specifically for the American market meaning, to date, it’s only available in American tobacco shops or, from the Swedish Match snus store online. As I did in the General Mini Mint review, I’ll include a link to the Swedish Match store locator at the end of the review! “Ok, enough history already Snus Guy, get back to the review!” Sorry, got a bit wrapped up but it is important to know this! Now, back to the review!

General Wintergreen is a white type portion snus. As you all remember, white portions are white in color and get this way because they do not go thru the additional wetting step that regular portions do. They have 1 gram of snus per portion and there are 24 portions in each can with 8 mg of Nicotine per portion.

The portion material is the same soft tea bag type material that Swedish Match uses in all its white portion snus and sits really comfortably under the lip. I’ve had a portion in for over 2 hours with hardly any discomfort from the material. My time recommendation is about 2 hours max. I also offer this observation about it though. Even after an hour, the snus will wrinkle the inside of your lip. I’ve found that most snus that contains any kind of mint will do this. Although not irritating, some Snustopians have questioned me about it. If this bothers you, try doing what I do. I alternate sides when using mint flavored snus after each portion and this seems to not wrinkle my inner lip as much! Just some food for thought.

The can that General Wintergreen comes in is the exact same one that General Sterk comes in, complete with the used portion compartment in the lid. The only difference is the label. You’re probably thinking that the can is really not that special and, you would be right. The taste is what makes General Wintergreen special. “Special how, Snus Guy?” I’m glad you asked that Snustopians!

General Wintergreen’s taste is pretty unique. When most people think Wintergreen, the first thing that jumps to mind is Wintergreen Life Savers. I asked a few Snustopians here to smell an open can of General Wintergreen just to get their opinion on what they smelled. 3 of the 4 did indeed smell Wintergreen Life Savers but the 4th Snustopian smelled the exact same thing I did, the American Smokeless brand, Skoal Wintergreen! But this is not a bad thing and next you’ll see why!

While the scent is very close to Skoal Wintergreen, the taste has its differences. The first thing you taste in General Wintergreen is, indeed Wintergreen Life Savers but the more you have a portion in, the more it develops the flavors reminiscent of Skoal Wintergreen. General Wintergreen has the same burn in the lip as Skoal does as well! Wintergreen though, is not the only flavor I taste in General Wintergreen. I can actually taste the tobacco and salt in it as well! In Skoal Wintergreen, all I could taste is Wintergreen. The hint of tobacco and the slight saltiness really plays well with the Wintergreen and helps to eliminate the bitterness you typically get with Skoal Wintergreen. I’ve had the flavor last about 2 hours when the taste is pretty much gone. I recommend an overall max of about 2 hours in regards to feel and flavor.

“Snus Guy! You’re making a lot of connections with Skoal Wintergreen here! What exactly are you driving at?” Well, here’s where I explain the whole “taste that most Americans will identify with” thing! Since the flavor of General Wintergreen is really close to the flavor of Skoal Wintergreen, it would be very easy for new Snustopians that were using a wintergreen flavored American smokeless tobacco product, to easily switch over to General Wintergreen. In addition to that, Snustopians that used to smoke menthol cigarettes seem to like the Wintergreen taste as well!

So, what drinks go well with General Wintergreen? “We know Snus Guy, Diet Coke and Monsters do well!” :) Actually, Diet Coke and General Wintergreen created a taste I never thought it would! The two together tastes very similar to a Diet Coke with lime! Monster Energy Drinks really didn’t do well actually. The Monster made the snus taste bitter and gave the drink an off taste. The best drink was a true Southern Style sweet tea! The sweetness in the tea enhanced the wintergreen flavor and helped to bring the tobacco flavor out. Sweet tea Snustopians, I really recommend!

Before I give you my overall recommendations for General Wintergreen white portion snus Snustopians, I have to admit something to you. I had my reservations about General Wintergreen when I first smelled the can. The reason I don’t really care for Skoal Wintergreen is the fact that Skoal Wintergreen was really over flavored to the point it made me sick. After I smelled General Wintergreen, all the memories of that incident came flooding back. Being the sacrificing soul for my fellow Snustopians, I gathered all my courage and tried it. It was then I learned that I had nothing to be concerned about!

My overall recommendation for General Wintergreen white portion snus Snustopians, is this; New Snustopians who currently use an American Smokeless tobacco product and want to transition to a safer, cleaner way to use smokeless tobacco but still want a familiar flavor, can’t go wrong with a couple of cans of General Wintergreen! Seasoned Snustopians that like wintergreen flavors can’t go wrong either! If you really don’t care for wintergreen flavors, you may not want to try General Wintergreen but, I leave this decision up to you!

As I said in the beginning, as of the writing of this review, General Wintergreen is only available at American tobacco shops and Swedish Match’s Snus Shop. Today, General Wintergreen is now available online and at Snustopia's favorite snus shop, The Northerner, for about $3.72 USD a can and, if your a first time customer, simply click on the banner to the right and get 10% off so, you really can't go wrong by trying a can or two!

Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our trip thru Swedish Match’s General Wintergreen white portion snus and found it useful and informative. As always, I welcome your questions and comments and will do my best to answer them all as soon as I can!

Until our next review,

Happy Snussing!

That Snus Guy

General Dry Mint Mini white portion snus. A review of a Swedish snus made for America!

Well Snustopians, the snus we’ll be reviewing today is one that most of you may not have ever heard of, General Dry Mint mini portion snus. I say this because not only is it a new snus, it’s a snus that’s only available in America! How did I find it? Well, while I was out and about last week, I stopped in at a local Pipe and Tobacco shop here in Snustopia and saw something new.

My tobacconist has always carried General brand Snus but this time, there was a snus called General Dry Mint mini. I asked him about the new snus and he really couldn't tell me more than “it’s from Sweden” and “it is Mint flavored”! In reality, that’s the most common response I get from a lot of tobacconists in the states!

Since I wanted to know more about General Mint Mini than what he told me, I decided to get a couple of cans and do the research myself. What I found was pretty exciting! So now that I have your interest, let’s get started with the review of General Dry Mint Mini portion snus!

General Dry Mint Mini is a Dry, white mini portion snus manufactured in Sweden by the fine folks at Swedish Match. “Hold it, Snus Guy! Back up. Dry, white, mini snus? We need a bit of explanation on this!” You’re right! Since this is the first time we have reviewed a mini portion snus, let alone a White mini portion snus, let’s run through the basics first.

A mini portion snus is just like it sounds. A miniature version of a regular sized snus! Mini portions average between .3 and .5 grams of snus per portion and between 3.5 and 6 mg of Nicotine depending on the brand. Since mini portions are smaller, they are more discreet meaning, no bulge in the lip and you really can’t see them when talking or smiling so they can be used anywhere without worry! There is a trade off though with discreetness and that’s the low amount of Nicotine in each portion.


The White classification in mini portions has the same meaning as in the regular portions but the Dry classification, really needs to be defined! In Swedish snus, Dry doesn’t mean that there is dried tobacco, like cigarette tobacco, in the portion. Don’t laugh; some Snustopians really thought this was the case but it’s not.

Dry simply means there is less moisture in the snus than in regular snus. Look at it this way. Cigarette tobacco has almost zero moisture in it. Regular portion snus has an average of 50% water. Dry on the other hand, has an average of 25% water making it dryer than regular portion snus! Now you have a basic idea of what a dry, mini white portion is. Ok then, on to the review.

General Dry Mint Mini comes in 6 gram cans with 20 portions per can. That makes the portions about 0.33 grams each. The portion material in Mini Mint is very soft from beginning to end. One would think that a snus with a moisture content of 25% would be really rough on the gums but with General Mint Mini, that’s not the case at all. I’ve had a portion under my lip for about an hour with no gum irritation at all! Each portion of General Mint Mini also has 4 mg of Nicotine. “Ok Snus Guy, we want to know about the taste already!” Alright then, let’s go on to the taste.

The taste of General Dry Mint Mini is pretty interesting. The flavor in my opinion is an Icy Peppermint-Wintergreen combination with the Wintergreen flavor being very subtle. Kind of like "I know that flavor but, I can't make it out!" I liken the flavor to a Starlight Mint minus some of the sugary taste or, Dentyne Artic Blast gum. The kind that comes in the black pack. It’s sweeter than what we Swedish snus lovers are used to but not over sweet like Camel SNUS. As a matter of opinion, the base flavor of General Dry Mint Mini is very similar to Camel Frosts. The difference is that Mint Mini is not as sweet and, has a subtle hint of tobacco flavor as time goes on where Camel Frost doesn’t.

Another thing to point out is that General Mint Mini does have a slight burn in the gums. Not the Nicotine burn like in the higher Nicotine snus but a minty burn, like Camel Frost. To be completely honest, General Mint Mini is, in my opinion, a perfect taste replacement for Camel Frost. And a safer one at that!

General Dry Mint Mini’s flavor also lasts a lot longer than Camel Frost as well! Camel SNUS’ flavor, in general, only lasts 30 minutes max while I’ve had a portion of General Mint Mini last for about an hour before losing its flavor! I personally recommend a 45 minute max.

There is one more unique thing about General Mint Mini. It is only available in the US. Yes Snustopians, General Dry Mint Mini white portion snus was developed for the US market and only available in the US through tobacco shops that sell other General Snus products or, at the Swedish Match Snus Store online. At the end, I’ll include a link to the Swedish Match store locator so you can find a store near you!

Now, what to drink? Diet Coke is a great drink to go with General Dry Mint Mini! Unlike other mint flavored snus, Mint Mini’s flavor doesn’t get bitter with it. Sprite and 7 up go really well! Some Snustopians liken the combination to a non-alcoholic Mojito! Ice tea though, in my opinion, is probably the best. The minty flavor plays well with it and you get a Mint Julep type flavor, especially if you add a little lemon to it.

Well Snustopians, here is where I usually give my recommendations for the snus we just reviewed. I wish I could say that all Snustopians should try a can but, since General Dry Mint Mini is only available in the US, to US residents, Snustopians from Europe won’t be able to order it. So, with that in mind, I recommend that Snustopians that live in the US really should give General Dry Mint Mini a try.

To sum it all up, if you’re looking for a true Swedish snus with a flavor that’s close to Camel Frost but, longer lasting, safer and less expensive, General Dry Mint Mini portion snus is the one!

I hope you found this review of General Mint Mini white portion snus informative and I really recommend you all get a can and form you own opinions. Depending on where in the US you live, prices will vary based on your location. If you click on this link:

Edit: General Mini Mint is now available at all online shops, including Snustopia's favorite place for snus, The Northerner. If this is your first time ordering with them, just click on the banner in the upper right and get 10% at checkout!


As always, I look forward to your questions and comments and will do my best to answer them!


Until our next review,


Happy Snussing!


That Snus GuySwedish Match Store Locator you’ll be able to find a store near you that carries it.

Camel SNUS vs. Swedish Snus. A snus review solely on taste!

Greetings Snustopians!

Today, I thought we’d do something a little different in the way of snus reviews. Instead of just reviewing one kind of Swedish snus, I thought we would do a review that compared American snus against Swedish snus.

The Snustopian Ministry of Information has been flooded with questions about the differences between the two lately that, I feel this is necessary to further your journey into the wonderful world of Swedish snus and Snustopia! One warning though, this review will not contain scientific data regarding TSNA levels, amounts of nicotine and guest speakers from the medical factions or anything like that.

We are going to review both types as we always do and compare the tastes, portion materials, mouth feel and their differences. My great friend and colleague Mr. UNZ, Snus Guru at SnusCENTRAL.org has articles that will give you all the data above. We’re just concerned with taste! So, with that out of the way, let’s begin our journey!

It seems like just yesterday when I began my journey into snus. As you all remember from the first blogs, I began with Camel SNUS and within a few weeks, became a huge fan and supporter of true Swedish snus.


Between then and now, I’ve reviewed a lot of different Swedish snus varieties but, never did compare them to American versions. Why you may ask? Simple, Camel SNUS was the only one I could find locally back then!

Another thing that’s happened since the beginning is that Camel SNUS has gained more popularity in the US recently. Because of this, people need to know what the differences in tastes are before deciding which is best.

When I began with Camel SNUS, the first thing that hit me was the taste. Camel SNUS Spice had the taste of sweet pumpkin spices, which I like, but it was sweet! The other flavors in the Camel family (Frost and Original) were sweet as well.

Swedish snus on the other hand is not sweet. It’s just the opposite, salty. Not heavy salt taste like liking a salt block just, salty. “But Snus Guy, wouldn’t sweet taste better than salty?” It depends actually. You have to understand the difference each makes in the way things taste before you can answer that question. I’ll try to explain a bit.

In my opinion, adding a bit of salt to any food will bring the flavors of the food out. Consequentially, adding sugar to foods will tend to mask the flavor of them. The same theory works when applied to snus. Sweet snus, like Camel SNUS, tastes good initially but, all you really taste is the sweetness. Once it’s gone, so is the flavor. Salty snus, like Swedish snus, tastes a little salty initially but, after a few minutes you begin to taste the underlying flavors that the snus was intended to be. For example let’s take Röda Lacket portions.

Initially, Röda Lacket has a salty flavor but after a few minutes, you get the taste of berries, Anise and tobacco which lasts quite a long time! (Can you guess what the next review will be? ;>) ) Camel Frost on the other hand, starts off sweet and Wintergreen tasting but, after 30 minutes, becomes tasteless.

So, to recap taste, Camel SNUS is sweet and flavorful but, the flavor only lasts for about 30 minutes at the most and can taste a little synthetic. Swedish snus is mildly salty for the first 10 minutes or so. After that, the intended flavors come out and can last for over an hour! Swedish flavors are natural tasting because natural food grade flavorings are used.

Another major difference between the two is this. Swedish snus production is overseen by the Swedish version of the FDA. Since it is used orally, Swedish snus must comply with the same food safety standards as a cheeseburger would in Sweden. Unfortunately Camel SNUS, as far as we know, is not.

The portion materials are very different as well. Actually, there are many differences in the portions themselves. Let’s look at the material first. Since Camel SNUS’ portions are small and white, we’ll compare them to Swedish White portions. The two are somewhat similar in appearance. The similarities being the color of the portions and both types use a tea bag like material but, that’s where the similarities end!

Camel SNUS pouches tend to be tube shaped (long and round) while Swedish snus portions are pillow shaped, meaning they are more rectangular and shorter. You may think that shape doesn’t really make a difference but, when it’s in your upper lip, it really does! And that brings us to mouth feel.

Mouth feel is important because you can’t enjoy the flavors if you’re not comfortable with the portion in your lip! I said before that both Swedish snus and Camel SNUS both use a tea bag like material but, in my opinion, the materials feel different.

Camel SNUS uses a material that tends to be a little hard on the gums. This is for two reasons. One, the material feels rougher in and out of the lip, wet or dry. Two, is the shape of the pouch. Since it’s longer, it sits farther back than Swedish snus pouches and will rub when it moves.

Swedish snus, particularly White portions, are easier on the gums. In part because the material just has a softer feel in and out of the mouth and, wet or dry as well. Even though the portions are pillow shaped, meaning they are shorter and wider, they sit more comfortably in the lip in my opinion.

Well Snustopians, I hope this sheds a little light on the taste differences between true Swedish snus and Camel SNUS. As a homework assignment, I encourage you all to visit Mr. UNZ at SnusCentral.org and read his articles on Camel SNUS and other American snus. Who knows, I may even see you there!
As always, I welcome your questions and comments and, will answer them as soon as I can!

Happy Snussing!

That Snus Guy