Still Catch Violet Licorice, reviewing the third flavor in the Catch snus collection!

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

Swedish snus! The first American review of the snus manufacturing process!

Welcome back Snustopians!

I’ve been sitting here in my office at the Ministry of Information all week, recalling all the beautiful things I saw in Gothenburg and the wonderful people I met, trying to figure out how I would communicate all of this to you. While it all seems like some wonderful dream, I was having a hard time believing it actually happened! As you all know, it’s been my ultimate dream to be able to go to Sweden and actually see, with my own eyes, how Swedish snus was made so I could tell everyone here in Snustopia and it finally came true via the great folks at Swedish Match. But how can I make it feel like you all have been there and put what I’ve learned in a format that everyone could understand? That’s when it hit me! Why not take everyone on a virtual tour!

“Hey Snus Guy, are you going to make us wear those goofy looking 3D glasses or have us buy some expensive helmet to do this?” Well…….while I wish I had the funding to do that, I think putting this article in my typical review format, and include pictures for each step in the process, we can forgo the expensive equipment and still get the point across! So, if everyone’s ready, grab a glass of your drink of choice, a comfy chair and a tin of snus and we’ll begin our tour of the way real Swedish snus is made!



Before we begin, I’d like to thank all the great people at Swedish Match AB’s Gothenburg and Kungälv factories as well as the guys from the Stockholm Headquarters for a fun and extremely informative tour! Without their willingness to share the Swedish Experience with me, this review would not have been possible. Tack så mycket! With that said, since the factories I toured were Swedish Match’s, we’ll be referencing their brands in this tour but, the basic manufacturing processes, save a few proprietary ones, can be said of most Swedish snus that follows the GothiaTek standard. Ok, let’s begin!

As with all Swedish snus the first, and most abundant, ingredient is tobacco, but not just any tobacco. Swedish Match uses a blend of tobaccos from around the world in their snus. Tobaccos from Nicaragua, South Africa, Spain and America are used just to name a few. Once these tobaccos are air-dried, blended and packed, they are shipped to the factory where they are taken to the grinder and ground to the specifications of the snus they happen to be making. The picture to the right shows the bales of tobacco being prepped prior to entering the grinder! “Hey, is that you Snus Guy smelling the tobacco? How does it really smell?” Yes, the one in the middle is me. The guy on the right is Larry Waters from SnusCENTRAL.org and the one on the left is Andreas Riksén, Master tobacco grinder and our guide thru the grinding process. Andreas is very passionate about what he does, as are all the great folks at Swedish Match, and allowed us to feel and smell the raw tobacco, something that outsiders rarely get to do! I know, you asked about the smell. That’s something that may surprise you!

Unless you’ve been to an actual tobacco ageing barn or have smelled tobacco prior to processing, it can be very hard to describe all the scents that raw tobacco has. As I stood there, holding the big chunk of tobacco, a myriad of scents began to come out. The first scent was of a pile of autumn leaves, like the kind you would rake up in a big pile and jump into when you were young. The next scent was of raw leather, like a new leather glove or shoe. The final scent was of peat. Peat has an earthy, mossy scent that, when combined with the others, creates a true fall foliage smell that reminded me of when I was growing up in Northern Illinois and playing in the leaf piles my Grandpop would rake up, without the “Hey you damn kids! Get outta there, I just raked those up!” we’d normally hear! This scent is pretty much prevalent throughout the entire factory but was the strongest at the grinder.

Once the tobacco bundles, which are about as big as a small deep freezer, are unboxed, they travel up a conveyor to the grinding mills. The grinding mills look just like a flour mill and pretty much work the same way. Since this step was proprietary, I couldn’t take any pictures with exception to the one on the left. The guy in the picture is Joakim, one of the team from the Stockholm office, and he takes this very seriously as you can see by the “Area 51” reference he’s pointing to, so a small flour mill is the best way to describe it! Once the tobacco is ground, it’s moved to a sifting box that shakes rapidly and separates the ground tobacco into sizes. If it’s not the right size, it goes back into the grinding mill until it is. Like I said, the tobacco grinding process is very similar to the flour milling process. From here, the tobacco goes to the steam pasteurizing area.

Here is where real Swedish snus begins! Up until now, tobacco was manipulated by human hands. From here on out, the process is hands free meaning, untouched by human hands until you Snustopians open a can of your favorite and use it! This is where we begin to see the GothiaTek process in action. “Hey Snus Guy, we’ve heard of the GothiaTek process! That’s where the snus has to conform to the same safety standards as food in Sweden, right?” Exactly! You guys have been paying attention! The GothiaTek process was created by Swedish Match and has pretty much become a standard in snus making throughout Sweden. Here, in the pasteurization room, a big rotating dryer actually uses heat and steam to cure the tobacco. American Smokeless tobacco, like Copenhagen and Skoal, uses fire curing to achieve its flavor where the steam does in Swedish snus. This is done at a lower temperature than fire curing and keeps the TSNA’s low.

The GothiaTek part is more of a health and safety process. In the factory there are 3 “zones” where you have to wear certain coverings like lab coats, shoe covers and hair nets. In the picture to the right, we’ve just come out of a “Yellow” zone. You may see someone in that picture you may not know. Although the four of us look like a screen shot from a Marx brother’s movie, the guy on the right, across from me, is Markus, another member of the team from Stockholm. “Yellow” zones mean lab coats and shoe coverings since we are near the machines but, they are sealed meaning you can’t touch the snus.

The area we just emerged from was the paper can manufacturing area for loose snus. This area was one of the most interesting for me since Swedish Match is the only snus manufacturer that still uses paper cans for their loose varieties of snus! Even though this part of the factory is proprietary, I can tell you that the cans start out as rolls of paper and come out cans. It was pretty interesting to see them made! The next part of the factory was the flavoring room!

The flavoring room is where, you guessed it, flavorings are added to the snus! Since this area of the factory holds the flavoring machines, it’s pretty quiet and plain. All there is in this part of the factory are large, insulated drums that mix the flavorings in to the snus. There are a few interesting things here though. The first thing is that the machines are actually made by the same company that manufactures Tanks for the Swedish military! This means, to me anyway, that these machines are built to a quality standard and will last a long time! But that’s not the most interesting thing. You see, the flavoring machines are actually on the 3rd floor of the factory! “Snus Guy, why would flavoring machines being on the 3rd floor of the factory be so interesting?” Remember when I said that after the grinder, the snus is never touched by human hands? Well, how do you think the snus gets from the flavoring machines to the packaging line? Probably the same way I thought it got there, by dumping it into a hopper. Well, I was wrong!

The way it gets to the line is when the snus is completely flavored, which can take a long time, it’s ejected thru the bottom of the flavoring machines, via a pipe system, down to the packaging line on the first floor. There are two dedicated packaging lines here at the Gothenburg factory as well as two at Kungälv, one for loose snus and another for portions. The only differences in the lines between the two factories are that at Kungälv, they package the portion snus with the “Star” pattern in the can like General Onyx and General White portion. This process is extremely protected and the only thing I can tell you is that it’s pretty cool. They also make all White portion snus there as well. Original portions, like Kronan, Ettan and General Original are made at Gothenburg. That brings us to the process that makes Original or Regular portion snus. I think you’ll be surprised!

Swedish snus is pretty much put into the portion material and packaged by machine. I know that was a no brainer but the speed and complexity in which they make a portion is mind boggling! It’s even more mind boggling when you consider that portions are made by the machine at a rate of about 2 per second and the error rate is around 2%! But understand that the errors also include under or over filled cans, misaligned labels and things that will not allow it to pass GothiaTek standards! “Snus Guy, if a can is not filled or a label is crooked, they consider it an error? Why not just add the missing portions or put a new label the can?” While it would be the easy way to reduce an already really low error rate, the GothiaTek standard is still in force here, any snus that doesn’t make the cut, gets destroyed, end of story. I know it sounds cruel but, if sacrificing a few cans is what it takes to be the best, I can live with that! “Snus guy, that’s pretty cool and all, but not that surprising. What are you leaving out?” Let’s discuss that now!

In all the reviews I’ve ever read since I began using Swedish snus, be it in a formal review, a forum thread or from people I’ve talked to that have used Swedish snus longer than I have, all agreed that the distinction between an original or regular portion and a White portion was the extra step of wetting the portion with a “snus juice” during the production process. I’ve even written many reviews on regular portions that have said just that. Well Snustopians, I’ve seen the regular portion production process and am here to tell you that the magical “snus juice” we’ve all been hearing about is………..water! “Snus Guy! It can’t be just water! The portions are just a brown as the snus and the juice tastes like snus, how can it be just water?” I was just as amazed as you are now but I’ve seen the process! But, at the end of the tour it all became clear.

The final process is the packaging and storing of the snus. This is done in a “Cool room”. Once the snus is packed in 10 can logs, it’s put in cases and moved into the cool room to rest for at least two days. The room is large but not as big as you may think. This picture is of Larry and I in the cool room at the Gothenburg factory. If I had to venture a guess, they wouldn’t give us the exact dimensions of the room, I’d say it’s about 20,000 Sq. Ft., and holds approximately 4 million cans of snus! “Whoa, Snus Guy, 4 million cans of snus in only 20,000 Sq. Ft. of space? Can’t be!” I thought the same thing until I began to do the math. If you figure there are 10 cans of snus in each roll, and 20 rolls in each box, that’s 200 cans per box! Depending on how many are on a pallet, perhaps 40, that’s 8,000 per pallet so, as you can see in this picture, there are 22 pallets just in this line. There are 176,000 cans just in this line alone so, you really don’t need a lot of space! “Snus Guy, you’re rambling again! What does this have to do with the portions and the wetting process?” You’re right. It was just really intriguing to see that much snus is such a small space! Let’s go on to the end process.

The end process is basically right where we were, in the “cool room”. The snus stays in the cool room for 2 to 4 days to rest. This is where, in the regular portions, the magic happens. During this time, the water melds with the snus to create a more flavorful snus and transforms the plain water into the “snus juice” we’re all accustomed to. This is also when the portion material turns brown from its original white color. From here, the completed snus gets shipped all over Sweden and other parts of the world, including the U.S.!

Well Snustopians, that’s pretty much how real Swedish snus is made. I know we kind of ran thru the process but in future reviews, I’ll be adding other things I’ve learned like the tobacco selection process, the way snus manufacturers select the flavors and the shapes of the cans and many other things!

I really hope you all found this virtual tour informative, fun and a little educational. All these pictures, and more of our trip to Sweden, can be found in the slideshow at the top left of this page! I really look forward to your questions and comments and will try to answer them all as soon as I can! So, until our next review,

Happy Snusing!

That Snus Guy

Kronan snus. The first review of "lower priced" snus brand families!

Greetings fellow Snustopians!

While I was sitting in my study this past weekend watching SSNN (Snustopia Satellite News Network) to see how the economy was doing, (yes, my friends, Snustopia is in the same boat as the rest of the world when it comes to the economy) something hit me!

I’ve been reviewing a lot of very popular snus this year that can be a bit pricy if that’s all that you’re ordering! Grant it; even a can of Nick & Johnny West is still cheaper than a pack of cigarettes in most places! So I decided that I would do my next review on an entire brand of lower priced snus and the brand we’ll be reviewing today is Kronan.

I know what you’re saying, “Hey Snus Guy! You’ve reviewed value snus before! Remember the Phantom Blue and Offroad reviews? Why pick Kronan?” You’re right, we did do some reviews of lower priced snus but, I want all Snustopians to know that there are other low priced snus brands available out there besides Offroad and Phantom! Throughout the next few months, we’ll review other low priced snus brands but, Kronan is the one that most snus shops include as a free or “Mystery” can with larger orders and is in most sample boxes. So, with that information in hand, let’s begin our review of the Kronan family of snus!

First, I want to reiterate something before we begin. Like I said in the Offroad Cranberry review, low price does not mean low quality. All Swedish snus must pass a strict and controlled process that’s overseen by the Swedish equivalent of the U.S. FDA. Since snus is an oral product, it must pass the same quality and safety standards that food in Sweden does! In essence, a can of Kronan or any other lower priced snus will have passed the same quality and safety standards as a can of General Onyx. I only say this because in the beginning, there was some concern about it. Now that we have that out of the way, On to the review!

Kronan is another snus manufactured by the folks at Swedish Match and comes in 3 different types; loose (lös), regular portions and white portions. Kronan is actually a pretty unique snus in a couple of different ways! First, most snus brands that come in different types tend to have different tastes between them. Offroad Cranberry comes to mind as an example. There is a distinct taste difference between the loose and the portions. Kronan’s taste really doesn’t vary throughout the different types. The only variant would be the intensity of the flavor.

“Well, don’t keep us waiting Snus Guy! What’s Kronan taste like?” Swedish Match describes the taste as “A traditional tobacco taste with mild citrus and flowers”. I, on the other hand, taste something completely different. While there is a distinct, full tobacco flavor along with a slight lemony taste, flowers I don’t taste. This is not a bad thing though.

The flowery flavor I get from Kronan is of Dill! “Dill, Snus Guy? You mean like a Dill Pickle?” Well, yes and no. I mean fresh Dill. It’s not strong though, just a hint. Here’s the overall flavor I get, in laymen’s terms. Imagine a slice of roasted lemon sprinkled with salt and dill then add the earthy flavor of quality tobacco and you have the taste of Kronan! Where’s the Dill pickle reference come in, you ask? The scent from the can!

The scent I get from Kronan is not like the smell from a jar of dill pickles with the famous talking Stork on the label! More like the smell you get from a fresh kosher dill pickle from a true delicatessen. A distinct, earthy tobacco scent, with a bit of sourness and a hint of dill. Pretty unique I think! So, let’s go to mouth feel, beginning with the portions.

Since the portion material in both the regular and the white types are the same material as used in other Swedish Match portion snus I won’t go into the makeup of it and just focus on the flavor release and mouth feel.

Both portions have a really comfortable feel under the lip. I’ve had both portion types in, not at the same time, for over 2 hours with no irritation at all. The regular type will get your inner lip a bit wrinkly due to the added moisture but, no pain is associated with it. The white portion’s flavor lasts a bit longer than the regular portion does though. I’ve had a white portion’s flavor last for about 2 ½ hours while the regular will usually go flat at the 2 hour mark. The trade off though is that the regular portion will give you flavor in an instant where the white portion takes about 10 minutes to get going.

Kronan loose (lös) is a mid-coarse grain loose snus. Coarse refers to the cut of the tobacco. The really good part about Kronan loose is that it’s really easy to hand bake! As you all know, I’m hand bake challenged and for me to say that a loose snus is easy to hand bake, it really is! Coarse cut tobacco is usually the easiest to do this with but, the amount of moisture plays a role in it as well.

I know mid-coarse really doesn’t explain the cut so, let’s use a comparison snus. Skruf Stark loose is a fine grain snus. Phantom Blue loose is a coarse grain. Kronan lös’ grain falls in the middle. Coarse enough to hold a pris well but not as fine as to cause immediate mudslide!

Lip feel is really comfortable and the flavor lasts a good long time but the flavor is a bit more subdued than the portions! I’ve had a pris in for over 2 ½ hours with the flavor still going strong! Depending on which method you use to make the pris, mudslide times vary. With my 3 ml Icetool and medium compression, I’ve had a pris last over 2 ½ hours with very little mudslide. Hand baking a pris yielded only about 1 ½ hours before complete mudslide. Like I said, I really can’t hand bake so, those Snustopians that have that skill down pat, will more than likely get a pris to last much longer!

Now, on to the drinks! I really had a hard time trying to pair drinks with Kronan. The flavor is really unique and I wanted something that wouldn’t mask the flavor. Diet Coke did well but it just didn’t have what I wanted. The acidity in the Diet Coke kind of killed the slight sourness but, did bring out the tobacco a bit more. Coffee was a disaster! Coffee and the dill flavor just didn’t work. Iced Earl Grey did a bit better but the best thing I have had with it was lemonade!

No, I didn’t slip on a spent pris of Kronan loose and bang my head! Lemonade brings out the citrus flavor and enhances the dill a bit more. The sweet and sour of the lemonade along with the slight sourness of the snus helped to bring the tobacco to the front as well! If you haven’t thought to try lemonade with snus that has citrus and tobacco flavors, you really have to try it! Trust me, you won’t be sorry!

My recommendations for the overall Kronan brand, Snustopians, are this; Kronan is a uniquely flavored, family of snus at a great price. Snustopians that are new to the world of Swedish snus and want to add a can of a lower priced snus to their order won’t be disappointed with a can of Kronan white. If you’re new at using loose and want to try your hand baking while still getting a great mild flavor, Kronan loose is a good choice. For new Snustopians, I recommend sticking with the white portions at first and move to the regular portions simply because the flavor is a bit more subdued in the white. Experienced Snustopians looking for something less pricy but still has a great flavor should give each type a try!

Kronan’s prices range as follows; Kronan white portion snus averages around $3.70 USD a can, Kronan regular portion snus and Loose (lös) snus run about $3.30 USD each so, you really can’t go wrong by giving it a try! You can even save more by clicking The Northerner banner to the right. If this will be your first order, just enter the code on the banner and save 10%!

Well Snustopians, I hope you all have enjoyed our review of the Kronan family of snus. As always, I look forward to hearing your questions and comments and will try to answer them as soon as I can!

Until our next review,

Happy Snussing!

That Snus Guy