V2's Offroad Icemint lössnus. A "Very cool" snus review!

Greetings fellow Snustopians!

This week we will be reviewing Offroad Icemint lössnus. I’ve wanted to do a review on Icemint for a long time and for a lot of reasons but mainly because of all the questions Snustopians have been asking about it. I’ve also seen the taste compared to Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion as well and that’s when I said to myself “Snus Guy, you know the tastes are completely different! Maybe you should let the people know and do the review already!” So with that being said, let’s go and review V2’s Offroad Icemint Lös!

Offroad Icemint Lös is another loose snus varietV2's y made by V2 Tobacco, the same company that makes Phantom Classic Blue, Nordströmmen snus and the new Thunder Snus. Even though V2 manufactures their snus in Denmark, they adhere to the same vigorous Swedish standards as the manufacturers in Sweden do! Offroad Icemint comes in both lös and portions but today, we will focus on the lös variety.

Each can of Icemint Lös has 45 grams of quality snus with a Nicotine content of 8 mg per gram and 56% water content. The can is made entirely out of plastic which makes it durable enough to keep in your pocket!

Icemint lös’ texture is a medium grind just like Phantom Blue lös and the same moisture content which makes it pretty easy to hand bake but, I do recommend using a tool like a Prismaster or Icetool simply due to it being so moist. “Hey Snus Guy, why do you always recommend tools to make pris’?” Well, to be honest, this Snustopian is Hand Bake challenged (otherwise referred to as Baketarded) and in order to give you proper reviews on mouth feel I use the tools for consistency. There, I said it! Now you know my little secret. ;>)

Sorry for getting off topic a little there. Let’s get back to the snus! The texture of Icemint lös makes for a pretty comfortable pris. Due to its cut and moisture content, the pris stays together for a pretty long time. I’ve had a pris in for over an hour with very little movement or the pris coming apart! You may ask if there’s any mud slide with Icemint and the answer would be no. Since Offroad Icemint is a medium grind, the pieces are not as fine as a fine grind snus like Skruf or Röda Lacket.

You may find after an hour that small bits of tobacco begin to flake away from the pris but, the mudslide associated with finer grind snus is nonexistent. Overall, the mouth feel with Icemint is easy on the gums and, the pris is very manageable. Now that you know about the mouth feel, on to the taste!

Like I said earlier, Offroad Icemint’s taste has been compared to Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit. While the icy component is very similar, Icemint does not have a fruity undertone which makes Offroad Icemint very unique in my opinion.

Some say that Icemint is a Peppermint type flavor but, while I do taste some of the Peppermint notes, there are hints of wintergreen in it as well. There is a flavor, not snus related, called Wintermint out there and that’s the flavor of Icemint. If you haven’t heard of Wintermint or, haven’t tasted it, think of Dentyne Ice Arctic Blast gum in the black package. It’s that flavor minus the sweet component.

Another unique thing with Offroad Icemint is the fact that after about 45 minutes, a hint of the tobacco flavor will begin to mix in. I say it’s unique because out of all of Offroad’s flavored snus, Icemint is the only one I’ve been able to taste the tobacco in no matter how long I’ve had it in my lip!

I must say that for a value priced snus, V2’s Offroad Icemint lössnus really surprised me in a lot of aspects. From the quality of the tobacco used to the manufacturing process and the unique taste, Offroad Icemint lös is just as good as it’s higher priced cousins.

As I always do, I like to recommend drinks with snus and Offroad Icemint really posed a challenge for me! The icy, Wintermint flavor works really well with a strong Iced Tea but, my beloved Diet Coke on the other hand, didn’t fare so well. The Diet Coke skews the flavor and gives off a bitter taste. Energy drinks like Monster and Red Bull and another dimension of flavor to both.

As I’m writing this review, I’m drinking a Monster and have a pris of Icemint in. The Monster brings the wintergreen flavor out of the snus while the Icemint brings the sweetness of the Monster out. Pretty surprising!

To sum it all up, I highly recommend trying a can or two of V2’s Offroad Icemint Lös. Even if this is your first time using a lössnus, at $3.07 USD a can at The Northerner, you really can’t go wrong! If this is your first order with them, click on the banner to the right of this review and get 10% off. That’s an even better reason to give it a try!

Well my fellow snus lovers, I hope you found this review of Offroad Icemint lössnus informative and remember; I welcome your questions and comments and will do my best to answer them all!

Until my next review,

Happy Snussing!

That Snus Guy

Phantom Classic Blue, a much needed snus review!

Greetings my fellow Snustopians!

I’ve been pacing around my office here in The Ministry of Information, trying to figure out which snus I should review for the first post of 2009. I knew this review had to be memorable and, the snus needed to be one that has very little in the way of true taste descriptions. Then it hit me! In the various forums I’ve read, V2’s Phantom Classic Blue has become almost controversial amongst snus lovers. From what I’ve read, this snus is on the top of the list of “I love it!” or “I can’t stand it!” posts. There really is no detailed, unbiased taste reviews, just biased. That’s the reason for Phantom Classic Blue being the first review. Snustopians, old and new, need an unbiased review of this snus so, without further ramblings from me, I give you, V2’s Phantom Classic Blue!

Phantom Classic Blue is a snus made by V2 Tobacco, the same company that makes Offroad Cranberry and Nordströmmen Julesnus. Phantom Classic Blue comes in two versions, Portion snus and lössnus. Although they share the same name and, same core flavor, the intensity of this flavor is different between the two! Because of this, I will separate the two versions and do a review on both! So, let’s start with the portion version!

Phantom Classic Blue Portion is a large, original portion snus. Portions come in three sizes; Mini, Large and Maxi. This refers to the physical size of the portion. Minis hold approximately 0.3 g of tobacco, large portions hold 1.0 g of tobacco and Maxi’s hold around 1.7 g of tobacco. Within the sizes there are subcategories that refer to finishing and, sometimes, amount of Nicotine.

Original portions generally have one last step added to the process. This step rinses the portion in a “snus juice” that adds more moisture to the snus. Original portions, in my opinion, have the most flavors right off the bat! This is due to the extra step. White portions get their name because they do not go thru the extra step. Some Snustopians refer to them as dry portions. This can get confusing when a portion made of black material is called a “White” portion. Grovsnus Svart would be a perfect example. The final portion is a strong portion. These portions can be in original or white form but, are always high in Nicotine! So, you can see it can get quite confusing but, just remember, I’ll do my best to let you know what kind we’re talking about.

Now, since Phantom Blue is a large, original portion snus, its flavor comes out immediately. When you open the can, you’re immediately hit with a very recognizable smell first off. Let me tell you what the flavors are before we get to that though! The flavors I get are very strong, bright citrus and Juniper with some flowery notes and salt. What’s common with most of V2’s flavored portion snus is, the tobacco flavor doesn’t come out for almost 45 minutes. I believe this has to do with the flavoring added to the additional step. Again, this is my theory. The lös version has the same flavoring base and smell to it as the portions do but, in a different way. I’ll get to that in a bit. Some will say that the Juniper takes center stage but, I believe the citrus does! It almost tastes like Bergamot. As I said before, the intense flavor lasts about 30 minutes then the salt and tobacco flavors mix in, this is when a whole other flavor experience comes in! Overall, I’ve had a portion in for about 1½ hours when the portion began to get bitter. I recommend about 1 hour as a max. The material that the portion is made of is very soft in the lip and easy on the gums.

The lös version is a medium cut snus which is good for hand baking of pris’ but, in my experience, it’s better to use a Prismaster or Icetool. The moisture content in Blue lös is pretty high. I’m not saying its dripping wet but, if you hand bake, have a way to wipe your hands. Like I said earlier, the flavor is pretty much the same but, the release is reversed. The lös version is lightly flavored in the beginning and, takes about 15 to 20 minutes to really get going! I’ve had a pris in for up to 2 hours with little flavor loss. Keep this in mind with Phantom Blue; both versions have 8 mg of Nicotine. The Nicotine is pretty much released after 30 to 45 minutes so, if you’re feeling like “hey, I’ve had this in for 1½ hours and I’m having a nic fit!” this is why! The lip feel for the lös version is very comfortable provided you don’t compress it too much with the tools. The pris its self, will start to degrade after an hour hence, the 1 hour use recommendation.

So, now you know the taste of Phantom Classic Blue snus! “Aren’t you forgetting something Snus Guy? You mentioned something about the smell in the beginning of the review. You’re not holding out on us….are you?” Not at all! When you open the can of either Phantom Blue, there is a very familiar smell that comes out. After using both for a week straight, I figured out that it’s the mix of Bergamot and Juniper but, in the beginning, the smell reminded me of a famous blue window cleaner! Don’t be alarmed! V2 isn’t trying to sell a W****X flavored snus; it’s just the mix of Bergamot, Juniper and, the tobacco that is giving it the smell!

I usually like to pair drinks with different snus and, since I can’t drink Alcohol, I first try every snus with Diet Coke. Phantom Blue is great with it. Basically, you get a Diet Coke with Lemon! The best thing I’ve had with it though is, Iced Tea, especially Earl Grey. You’ll notice the Bergamot more in the Earl Grey with Phantom Blue!

I recommend all snustopians should experience at least one can of each type of Phantom Classic Blue snus and form your own opinion. With the average price of $1.84 USD for either version, you really have nothing to lose! You never know, it may become a new addition to your rotation or, like me, another addition to a long list of “likes”. As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments and questions and, will do my best to answer them all!

Happy Snussing!
That Snus Guy