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Welcome back Snustopians!
I thought today we’d continue our tour of the fascinating way that snus is made by sharing with you another experience both Larry from SnusCENTRAL and I had while touring the Swedish Match factory in Gothenburg, Sweden. Not only did the wonderful folks at Swedish Match let us tour the factories, they also showed us the different processes that are involved in creating the flavors we all like and how new ones are developed. In this review, we’ll be looking at the flavoring process but not in a way that you would think. I think, by now, you know how they did it just by the title of the review! Yes Snustopians, Swedish Match actually let Larry and I create our own snus flavors and this review will be on a snus called “That Snus Guy’s Own” Vanilla Berry loose snus! “Snus Guy, they let YOU create a flavor? Really?” Now, be kind! Remember, I just review the flavors! But it was pretty cool to do and see so, without any further self promoting from me, let’s review the flavoring process and how my snus turned out!
If you asked me before the trip how snus was flavored, I would have said 
that artificial flavors were used and that the final product was developed by some scientists in white lab coats and poured into the flavoring drums. But now that I’ve personally experienced the process, I know that this way is not entirely true. While there are white lab coats and a scientist or two, Swedish Match gets a lot of input from their customers while researching new flavors. And as for artificial flavors, there are a lot of natural flavorings and extracts used in the making of Swedish snus! “So Snus Guy, are you saying that ALL Swedish Match snus is flavored with natural flavorings?” Not really and here’s why!
As we were being told about the flavoring process by Conny Andersson, probably the most passionate person I’ve ever met regarding flavors and how they intermingle and react with tobacco, I began to realize that some flavorings, in their natural state, may not be practical to use like mint leaves or raw ginger for example. Some are just not strong enough to taste without using massive amounts of it like Vanilla beans or just do not exist naturally like Tutti-Frutti. “Tutti-Frutti Snus Guy? We think you may have stayed too long near the Probe Whiskey vat!” Actually, it’s one of the flavorings I used in my snus but, I’m jumping ahead!
You see, sometimes artificial flavors and extracts are needed in order to create the flavor combination you want. It’s like baking a cake. Let’s say that you want to create a lemon flavored white cake with mint frosting. Some people use natural lemon juice and lemon zest to flavor the cake but, the high temperature can cause the lemon flavor to bake out. Some people really don’t like the texture of chunks of lemon zest in a cake and it can turn the color of the cake yellow. Here, lemon extract is used to get the flavor since the extract will withstand the heat and provide the lemon taste, without the chunks and coloring! With the frosting, mint leaves just plain don’t work and Mint extract would be the practical solution. “We get it now Snus Guy! So, how did you do it with your snus?” Let’s go into that now.
The first step in flavoring anything is getting a good base. With Swedish snus, the base is quality tobacco. Like we talked about in the last review of the manufacturing process, Swedish Match uses handpicked tobacco from 
many different places in all their snus. In my snus, we used Ettan loose as a base because its flavor is just pure tobacco and salt with no other flavorings. The next step is to decide what exactly you want your finished product to taste like. Here, we see the different types of flavorings we had to use. At first, I just added the things that I thought would make a good tasting snus. Boy was I wrong! I added Vanilla beans and rum extract, thinking this would really taste good! Well, I forgot that one of the things I like about loose snus is the smell. My first attempt at snus flavoring was horrendous but I did learn something. Never jump right in and I realized why it takes snus manufacturers so long to develop new flavors! My second attempt turned out much better because I took the time to think how I wanted the snus to taste and smell! It was here that I designed “That Snus Guy’s Own Vanilla Berry Loose snus”!
Yes, I know it sounds weird but, let’s see if I can do it some justice by reviewing the flavor for you! Since the base is Ettan, the dominant flavor is pure tobacco but it’s the only remaining element from Ettan that’s in Vanilla Berry. My goal for Vanilla Berry was to make a loose snus that would have the flavors I would like to see in a snus which is Vanilla and Red Berries. Kind of like a cross between Offroad Vanilla and Röda Lacket but a little sweeter. What I did was added real vanilla beans and the ingredient we talked about before, Tutti-Frutti flavor!
Tutti-Frutti is a flavor that has the scent of a mix of red berries with a light, almost non-existent, black licorice
smell. The taste is really close to Juicy Fruit gum but when it’s added to tobacco, takes on a completely different flavor! The Ettan has a leafy, peaty almost leathery taste by its self. When you add the vanilla and Tutti-Frutti flavors, the vanilla gets mellowed while bringing out a bit more of the licorice flavor in the Tutti-Frutti! “So, you basically made a Vanilla and Black Licorice flavored snus, Snus Guy?” Not really. The licorice flavor is still barely noticeable like it is in Röda Lacket but with the vanilla and berry flavor mixed in; the entire combination is pretty complex! Imagine sitting in a just raked pile of fall leaves while eating a bowl of mixed berry sorbet with a portion of Grov Svart in your lip and you pretty much have Vanilla Berry! I know, long way around a simple explanation but this still goes to the tremendous amount of work that goes into creating snus flavors! I only had an hour to make Vanilla Berry so, just think what the guys at Swedish Match will go thru when it’s time to make a new flavor! So, let’s take a look at what drinks would go well with Vanilla Berry!
I’m telling you, Monster Energy Drink was phenomenal with Vanilla Berry! It actually added the one element I needed that wasn’t on the flavor table, bitterness! The Monster’s bitterness mellowed out the fruitiness a bit and allowed the vanilla to come thru. Diet Coke just drowned out the Tutti-Frutti flavor but did help the tobacco flavor a bit. The second best thing though was Sweet tea! The sweet tea brought the vanilla flavor out as well but helped it to mix in with the other flavors and added the sweet element that I was looking for.
I know that here, Snustopians, I usually tell you where you can buy the snus we reviewed and what my recommendations would be but, since I highly doubt that “That Snus Guy’s Own” Vanilla Berry loose snus will be in your favorite snus shop anytime soon, all I can tell you is this; those Snustopians that want to try your hand at flavoring your own snus, should use a snus that is just pure tobacco flavor, like Ettan. Remember that some natural flavors, like mint or ginger, have another set of challenges if you use them like weird texture issues and the possibility of going bad sooner that the expiration date on the snus can and that artificial flavors can be your best bet! Another thing is to use your imagination to make the flavor that you like because; you have to be able to describe it to people!
The final thing Snustopians is, have fun with it! Thanks to my friends at Swedish Match, I now have a snus flavor I can call my own and had a blast making it! I hope this inspires you to try your hand at it and that I reviewed the process and my snus well enough!
If you do give it a try, leave me a note in the comment section! Who knows, I may ask you if I can review it!
Until our next review Snustopians, as always,
Happy Snusing!
That Snus Guy
Greetings Snustopians!
Yes, it’s true! I’m leaving for Sweden, the “Land of snus”, on June 10th 2009! Why you ask? Well, as you all know, I’ve been scouting a spot for our next field trip ever since we ventured into Snuffland last year. I finally settled on Sweden for a couple of reasons. One, since I began reviewing snus back in October of 2008, I’ve always wanted to take the review process to the next level and actually see how Swedish snus was made. Not from You Tube videos but really be on a snus factory floor and physically experience the entire process from start to finish. I also wanted to see how the Swedish actually used snus and what the shops really look like. So, after a lot of negotiations, my good friend and colleague, Larry Waters from SnusCENTRAL.org, and myself will be touring the city of Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden and visiting some of the snus manufacturers!
“Hey Snus Guy, are you taking ALL of us with you?” Well, in a way, yes! While I wish I could afford to take all of you there, I will however, be posting pictures and videos of the trip here on Snustopia for all of you to see! In the upper left column, I’ll be posting pictures each day and below that will be a video of the day’s activities! We’ve also set up a Twitter feed as both Larry and I will be tweeting live from the factory floors, reporting what we see and information about the people we meet! I know it’s not the same as being there but, it’s close!
This is a pretty historic event since it’s not very often that Americans get to see just what makes Swedish snus so special! Both Larry and I will do our best to represent SnusCENTRAL and Snustopia in the best possible light and we both encourage you all to become members of SnusCENTRAL.org (if you’re not already) for a more in depth accounting of our trip. Larry will be interviewing some very important people and the videos will only be available at SnusCENTRAL.org!
We also ask you to follow us on Twitter so you can tweet questions to us and we can get you answers! I think it will be pretty cool since I know both new Snustopians and seasoned ones have a lot of questions and what better way to get the answers than to get them from the experts, in real time!
I hope you’ll join us for this wonderful event and like I said, check back each day (or more) for updated pictures and answers to any questions you post in the comments section below! Also, be sure to become a member of SnusCENTRAL.org so you can see the exclusive interviews!
As always,
Happy Snusing!
That Snus Guy!
Welcome back Snustopians!
This weekend, I took advantage of the beautiful weather here in Snustopia and decided to take a walk in the gardens here at the Ministry of Information and figure out which snus we should discuss next. While I was taking my constitutional, a colleague of mine had asked why I hadn’t reviewed a loose snus lately. As I reflected on the question, I realized not only haven’t we discussed a loose snus brand in a couple of months, we also haven’t discussed a brand family in a while either! If memory serves me correctly, the last true family we reviewed was Kronan back in February!
So I asked myself, which family should I review? Since it had been quite some time since we’ve done a family review, I wanted a snus that not only had all three varieties, loose (lös), white and original portion, I wanted it to be a snus that not a lot of Snustopians had heard of or tried and one that had a bit of history behind it. That’s when I thought of the Ettan family of snus.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “Snus Guy! All Swedish snus has some history behind it! After all, snus was invented in Sweden over 200 years ago. What makes Ettan so special?” I’m glad you asked. Let’s get into the review and you’ll see what makes the Ettan family of snus so special!
Ettan snus is another snus brand made by the fine folks at Swedish Match and comes in 3 varieties, Loose (lös), Original portion and White portion. The first thing that makes Ettan so special is the fact that the Ettan brand is one of the oldest brand names in Sweden! Ettan loose has been around since 1822 so it’s also one of the oldest snus brands as well. Ettan Original portion was introduced to the snus world in 1990 and the White portion variety was launched in 2006.
The Loose portion variety has about 8 mg of Nicotine per gram and there is 45 grams of snus in each can. The loose version’s can is the typical laminated paper type with a plastic lid that’s embossed with the brand’s coat of arms. In the portion varieties, both versions also have approximately 8 mg of Nicotine per portion and each have 24 portions per can. These cans are made of plastic with the label covering the seam between the top and bottom of the can. The lids also have the used portion compartment that’s embossed with the brand’s coat of arms. “Snus Guy, your can obsession is showing again! Get on with the review already!” I know I do go on when it comes to the cans so; let’s go to mouth feel and on to the other reason why Ettan is so special, the taste!
Ettan loose is a coarse grind snus that is similar in grind and texture to most of Swedish Match’s loose snus. 
This means that the texture and moisture level in Ettan loose makes it a great beginner’s loose snus. I’ve actually used Ettan to better hone my Hand Baking skills since the moisture level is perfect to be able to mold a pris and it holds up pretty well once it’s in the lip. Although I did get better in making a handmade pris, I still recommend a tool for maximum durability of it. I’ve had a “tool made” pris last for well over 2 hours with little mudslide. A hand baked pris only lasted about 1 hour but, like I said, I still have some work to do in this department! The texture of the grind was also pretty comfortable for the 2 hours but I recommend using a lighter compression in a tool. If it’s compressed too much, the pris can be a bit hard and uncomfortable so, just use a bit less pressure and you’ll be fine!
The portion varieties both use the standard material that Swedish Match uses in all their portion snus which is pretty soft to the touch and really comfortable in the lip. The original portions go thru the extra step of adding moisture which lets the flavors come out pretty quickly but adds no discomfort to the portion. I had an original portion in for over 2 hours with no discomfort but your lip can get a bit wrinkly. No discomfort but it can be a bit weird feeling for new Snustopians. The White portions have the same feel and comfort level but last a bit longer. Since they do not go thru the additional wetting step, the flavor seems to last a bit longer but can take a little longer for it to start coming out. For comfort, I recommend a 2 hour max! “Ok Snus Guy, we want to hear about the other thing that makes Ettan so special!” Alright then, let’s discuss the flavor! That’s the other special thing about Ettan.
“But why does the flavor of Ettan make it so special Snus Guy? Isn’t all Swedish snus special when it comes to flavor?” Well, you’re right in the sense that all Swedish snus flavors are special, especially to Americans and others that cannot get Swedish snus in their local store. But Ettan’s flavor is special within Swedish snus flavors because of its ingredients. The ingredients in Ettan are simple: Tobacco, water and salt. They have been this way since 1822 which means that Ettan’s flavor has remained the same since then! There are not too many other snus brands that can say this and this is why Ettan is so special. But, how does it taste?
One would think that simple flavors and simple ingredients would normally taste…. well…..simple! But that’s not the case with Ettan. There is a difference in taste between the loose and portion varieties but the difference is minimal. In the loose variety, pure tobacco and salt are pretty much predominant. There is a smoky element in the loose but it seems to play in the background and is barely noticeable. In the portions, there really is no smoky taste but the portions do have a saltier taste. In the Original portions, the saltiness is much more predominant and in the White portions it not as strong but both do have the same pure tobacco taste.
Here I would like to explain a bit on what a “pure tobacco flavor” means when it comes to Swedish snus. When American tobacco companies describe a tobacco product as having a “Pure tobacco flavor”, as in say 
Copenhagen or Red Man smokeless tobacco and Camel SNUS Mellow, we taste a generally earthy, herbal and sweet flavor. In some cases, like Camel SNUS Mellow’s overly sweet taste, this is due to the sweetener that is used in the processing of most American smokeless tobacco and SNUS. In Swedish snus, the sweetener is omitted from the process leaving just the earthy, herbal tobacco flavor. I say this for two reasons. One, when I was just beginning to use Swedish snus, I would get confused and sometimes disappointed when a snus that was said to have a “pure tobacco flavor” didn’t have the sweetness I was accustomed to with the American tobacco and two, I felt that new Snustopians shouldn’t have to go thru the same thing I did in the beginning. So to recap, Swedish snus that’s described as having a “pure tobacco flavor” means just that. No sweetener, since Swedish snus manufacturers do not use sweeteners in their recipes, just true tobacco flavor! Ok, back to the snus.
Ettan’s flavors also last a good bit of time as well. They do, however, vary between the types. Ettan loose lasted the longest with a maximum time of about 2 ½ hours and this was due to the pris beginning to fall apart. Ettan Original portions seemed to last the shortest amount of time with about a 1 ½ hour max. Ettan White gave me about 2 ½ hours when the portion’s flavor just seemed to die out. The max time recommendations I give Ettan is as follows; for the loose type, I recommend a 2 hour max when the portion is made with a Prismaster or an Icetool. With a hand baked pris, I recommend the same amount of time if you’re good at making them. If not, I’d recommend a 1 ½ hour max. With the portions, I’d recommend a 1 to 1 ½ hour max and with the White I’d go with about 2 hours. Now, what to drink!
I was thinking that since Ettan has a very simplistic flavor, I would forgo my usual drinks of Diet Coke and Monster Energy Drinks. “Snus Guy! Are you sick? You’ve never reviewed Swedish snus without trying Diet Coke and Monster with it! What’s the deal?” Calm down, I’m not sick or anything. Since I’ve reviewed so many different snus brands, I’ve learned that with tobacco flavored snus Diet Coke and Monster energy drinks are way too powerful in flavor. They tend to drown out the snus’ flavor leaving just a salty flavored drink. So this time I started out with iced Earl Grey tea.
Since Earl Grey tea has a light citrus flavor, bergamot actually, and Ettan does not, the two were made for each other! Bergamot has an uncanny way of bringing out more of the tobacco flavor while mixing really well with
the saltiness of Ettan. I really recommend trying iced Earl Grey with Ettan. Another great pair was Lemonade! Again, the citrus did bring out more of the tobacco flavor while mixing well with the higher salt content.
For those Snustopians that like an Alcoholic drink with their snus, I found a relatively new Vodka flavor out there I thought would go great with Ettan. Sweet Tea flavored Vodka called Sweet Carolina mixed with lemonade to make an alcoholic version of an “Arnold Palmer”. I had a member of the Ministry of Information try Ettan with it and she commented that it’s the best of both worlds! The Vodka naturally brings out the flavor of tobacco but with the Sweet tea flavoring, it mellowed it out and actually made it less salty. Since I can’t drink, I’d love to hear from other Snustopians on this combination! Now, let’s go to the overall recommendations.
My overall recommendations for the Ettan family of snus, Snustopians, are this: Ettan’s flavor is a very unique one since it has been relatively unchanged since 1822. Even though the portion version didn’t make its debut 
until 1990, Swedish Match left Ettan’s flavor unchanged. Snustopians that are looking for a true “Original” flavored snus can’t go wrong with Ettan. Snustopians that want to experience what snus was like back in the 1800’s will like Ettan loose as well. New Snustopians that want to try out hand baking will do well with Ettan because it’s pretty easy to mold and has a relatively mild taste. They will also do well with either portion version for the same reason. Snustopians that are fans of the strong snus brands will find that Ettan’s 8 mg of Nicotine per portion, or gram in the loose version, a bit too weak but what Ettan lacks in Nicotine, it makes up for in flavor. I recommend that all Snustopians give Ettan a try but, I’ll leave the decision up to you. At around $3.35 USD for the loose, $3.44 USD for the Original portions and the White portions at Snustopia’s favorite place for Swedish snus, The Northerner, you really can’t go wrong! If you’re a new customer, you can save 10% on your first order by clicking on the banner to the left and entering the code on the banner at checkout!
Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our trip thru the Ettan family of snus, by Swedish Match, and found it fun and informative. Remember, I love hearing and answering any questions or comments you may have and will try to answer them as soon as I can!
So, until our next review, as always,
Happy Snusing!
That Snus Guy
