Greetings Snustopians!Last week I received a package in the mail that simply said “To That Snus Guy, please review as soon as possible!” I thought perhaps that the guys at the Ministry of Information were trying to get me back for the last alcoholic drinks comparison I had them do because the package smelled like black tea. I looked at the package bit more closely and saw that the postmark was from Sweden and knew it was snus but what kind of snus would have the scent of black tea? Then I realized it must be the newest flavor in the Catch collection! I was right; it was a roll of Still Catch Violet Licorice. Since the name implies that the flavors should be flowery with a hint of licorice, I knew I had to get a review done on it quickly so you Snustopians knew what it tastes like and why it has a black tea scent! So, without any further rambling from me, let’s get right into our review of Still Catch Violet Licorice mini white portion snus!
Still Catch Violet Licorice is the third limited edition flavor, of a total of four, to be introduced in the Catch Collection and manufactured in Kungälv,
Sweden by the folks at Swedish Match AB. Still Catch Violet Licorice is classified as a mini White type portion which means that each one is about half the size of a regular sized portion and do not go thru the added step in the manufacturing process that adds a bit more moisture to them. While this leaves the material a bit dry, Swedish Match uses the same, soft material that they use in all their portion snus which is pretty comfortable under the lip. I’ve had a portion in for about an hour and a half with no discomfort what so ever.Each can of Still Catch Violet Licorice contains 20 portions that have .5 grams of snus each. You may be saying to yourselves “only 20 portions Snus Guy? Why only 20 when most portion cans have 24? What gives?” Actually, 20 portions are the norm for Minis. If you think about it, the amount of snus in a portion dictates the amount of Nicotine it will have. Most of Swedish Match’s mini portions have between .3 and .5 grams of snus with Nicotine contents between 4 and 5 mg per portion. The total amount of snus in the can is between 6 and 10 grams and always comes out to 20 portions per can. I know, I took the long way around the explanation so, back to the review!
The Nicotine content in Still Catch Violet Licorice is approximately 4 mg per portion which is also the norm for a mini portion snus. While for most seasoned Snustopians this amount of Nicotine is low and most will double up on the portions, New Snustopians will find that 4 mg of Nicotine is the perfect level to begin with! Now that you know the makeup of the snus it’s self, let’s take a look at the can!
“Hey Snus Guy, you’re not going to let your can obsession take over, are you?” No! Still Catch Violet Licorice’s can is made of the same gray plastic that the other Catch Collection cans are made from with the only difference being the color of the label. That and the fact that Swedish Match added “Still” to the name! The label is purple to reflect the Violet in the snus’ name with gold embellishments just like the other two flavors. There is also a used portion compartment in the lid, under the Still Catch logo label but, before I let my “can obsession” get the better of me and I start to bore you all to death, let’s take a look at what you all came here for, Still Catch Violet Licorice’s flavor!
Like I said in the beginning, Still Catch Violet Licorice had the scent of Black tea but it’s a complex scent. When you really sit down and analyze the scent, you can really pick up the individual scents. “Snus Guy, we’ve always read at forums that you shouldn’t smell the snus. It’ll turn you off!” Well, personally I smell each and every can of snus. For me, its habit but the reason others say this is that some Swedish snus has an ammonia smell. This doesn’t mean that the snus has gone bad, on the contrary, the Ammonia smell is a natural byproduct of the Swedish snus manufacturing process and is typically found in snus that is tobacco flavored. Other flavored snus will have this smell in the background but with Still Catch Violet Licorice, this is not the case.
What I smell is licorice and an herbal scent that, when combined with the tobacco, gives the snus a black tea type scent. The flavor is just like the smell with the Licorice flavor being predominant. The flowery flavor of Violets gives the snus an herbal taste and really combines well with the licorice and the hand selected tobaccos from around the world. The earthy, leather flavor of the tobacco mixes with the herbal taste to give Still Catch Violet Licorice a sweet taste without the need for any added sweeteners. The addition of the licorice flavoring to the others is what gives it the slight tea taste in the background.The flavor is pretty unique for a snus but the only downside is how long it lasts. I’ve had a single portion’s flavor last for about an hour when it pretty much went flat but, doubling up on the portion, or using two portions at the same time, made the flavor last for another half hour. I look at it this way Snustopians; Mini portions are made to suit Swedish tastes and usage habits. If the flavor in Still Catch Violet Licorice lasts for more than 45 minutes, which is the max time that the Swedish keep a portion in, anytime after that is a bonus so, my recommendation for keeping a portion of Still Catch Violet Licorice in is about an hour max. Ok, let’s take a look at what drinks go well with it!
As you know, I always review snus with my two staple drinks, Diet Coke and Monster Energy Drinks and Still Catch Violet Licorice was no exception. The Diet Coke was actually good in a unique sort of way. Like I said in the beginning, Still Catch Violet Licorice has an iced tea type of background flavor with a licorice front. The unique thing about the Diet Coke is that it takes the iced tea flavor out and enhances the licorice one. The
Monster’s bitterness also gave Still Catch Violet Licorice another flavor dimension by dimming down the licorice flavor but the one drink that went really well shouldn’t be too big of a surprise, iced black tea!I tried a green iced tea and it was just too light a flavor to have any effect on the snus. The flavored iced teas like Peach and Raspberry interfered with the licorice flavor and drowned out the tobacco flavor all together. The iced black tea enhanced the underlying tea flavor while bringing the tobacco taste to the front more. The licorice flavor was actually pushed more to the back and gave the snus a natural sweetness that brought it all together but, I’ll let you decide which is best!
My overall recommendations for Still Catch Violet Licorice by Swedish Match Snustopians, is this; Swedish Match created the Catch Collection to have a unique twist which is that 4 times this year it’s flavor will change and each one will be a unique, limited edition. Still Catch Violet Licorice is the third in that line and should be tried by all Snustopians! With a lower Nicotine content, new Snustopians will like the smaller size and the light flavor. Experienced Snustopians will like the unique flavor as well but, may find the 4 mg of Nicotine a bit on the light side but, since this snus is only available for a limited time, you should try at least one can before it’s gone but, like I said, the decision is yours. At around $3.60 USD a can from snus shops like The Northerner, it’s a small price to pay to give a snus that won’t be around long a try!
Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our trip thru Still Catch Violet Licorice by Swedish Match and found it fun and informative. Remember, if you have any questions about this snus or, any questions or comments about snus in general, feel free to leave them here and I’ll do my best to answer them as soon as I can!
So, until our next review Snustopians, as always,
Happy Snusing!
That Snus Guy
