Tre Ankare White and Mini White portion snus. Review of another value priced Swedish snus duo!

Welcome back Snustopians!

I thought this week we would continue our journey into “Value Priced” snus by reviewing the other low priced brand in the Swedish Match family, Tre Ankare. I know you’re all saying “Snus Guy, what’s up with the low priced snus reviews?” Basically, I wanted to review lower priced snus brands for two reasons. The first one you all may remember from our review of Kronan. Long story short, I want to make sure that Tre Ankare, as well as other value priced snus, doesn’t get the branding that value priced foods and merchandise get which is, that they are typically subpar in taste and quality.

The second reason is that Tre Ankare is a relatively unknown snus brand. I don’t mean that nobody knows that Tre Ankare is a snus brand, just that it’s not as popular as its well known siblings in the Swedish Match family like General and Röda Lacket! So, with that information in hand, let’s begin our journey into Tre Ankare White and Mini White portion snus.

Tre Ankare is, as I said above, another snus brand made by the fine folks at Swedish Match AB. Tre Ankare also comes in both a mini and a regular sized portion. Both types are white portions which, as you all remember, do not go thru the additional wetting step.

The portion material for both regular and mini is the same type that Swedish Match uses in all its white portions and, pretty soft and comfortable under the lip. Each regular White portion has 1 gram of snus and there are 24 portions per can. The Nicotine content is 8 mg per portion. With the Mini White portions, there is about .5 grams of snus per portions and 20 portions per can. Nicotine content in the Mini White portions is 4 mg per portion.

Here, I want to bring up a concern that has been brought up by some Snustopians regarding White portions. The concern is that some White portions can be a bit irritating in the beginning. While I haven’t run into this with Tre Ankare, I have come across it in a few others and the question remains why. The answer is not necessarily in the material its self, but the moisture level in the snus as well! “Ok Snus Guy, you’re going to have to explain this one!” Alright, let’s get to it, it’s pretty simple!

While the quality of the portion material is pretty important, since there is no additional wetting process with White portions, the moisture level in the snus plays a big role in the comfort of the portion too. “We get it Snus Guy but, why does the moisture level in the snus play a big role?” Good question! When the snus has a lower moisture content, it can be a bit grainy and allow the portion to slide a bit under the lip. This can cause some discomfort if the material is of a lower quality. When it has higher moisture content, the snus will stay together better and help the portion to stay put. See, pretty easy explanation! Now, back to the task at hand, Tre Ankare!

The cans with both types of Tre Ankare are made of plastic and have the compartment for used portions on the lid. Another thing about the lids is the cool engraving of a coat of arms! I know, enough about the lids!
As I said, both the regular sized portions and the minis are pretty comfortable under the lip. I had both in for about 2 ½ hours with virtually no discomfort to speak of. What does happen after the 2 ½ mark is that the portion tends to get a bit weird feeling and, can slip down a bit. No discomfort but can get a bit aggravating so, I recommend a 2 hour max with both for full enjoyment! So, what about the taste? Let’s take a look, starting with the Full sized portions!

To be honest, I couldn’t really tell any flavor difference between the full sized portions and the mini portions, only a difference between how long each lasted. I’ll divulge that bit of information later so; let’s get back to the taste.

Tre Ankare’s flavor is pretty mild compared to most of the other snus brands that Swedish Match has. Most of Swedish Match’s snus brands have a strong, predominant flavor of some kind. In General Onyx, you can really make out the citrus and salt within the first few minutes! With Kronan, the dill and tobacco are right up front as well. Tre Ankare, on the other hand, doesn’t have that “in your face” flavor up front. Rather, a very light tobacco flavor with a touch of salt.

Swedish Match describes the flavor of Tre Ankare as “A snus with full bodied and distinct flavor of dark tobacco and dried herbs”. While the taste of the tobacco is the predominant flavor with the background flavor being salt, it’s not very strong. Another very subtle background flavor is there as well but, it took me a while to figure it out. It’s pretty close to parsley or a peppery greens type flavor but like I said, it’s really faint but does go well with the overall flavor! It seems though; the longer a portion is in, the more the flavor seems to come out but the flavor still remains pretty mild. I’ve had a portion of regular white’s flavor last about 2 hours which I recommend as a max and a portion of Mini’s flavor last about an hour which I also recommend as a max. So, what to drink!

I thought that with Tre Ankare I’d skip the Diet Coke and Monster test. “Snus Guy! Are you feeling ok? You review all snus with Diet Coke and Monster energy drinks!” I know, but with the light flavor of Tre Ankare I knew that both of these would really overpower it. So, I decided to try lighter flavored drinks. I tried iced coffee with Tre Ankare and it did go well, much better than hot coffee. The coffee helped to bring the tobacco flavor out but, since coffee varies in strength depending on where you get it, stronger varieties, like Starbucks, completely overpowered the flavor. Green tea, either hot or cold, was the definite winner with Tre Ankare! The light tea flavor brought out the light tobacco flavor while combating the subtle saltiness. In actuality, the Green tea helped me to define the parsley flavor as well so; it’s my recommended drink of choice!

My overall recommendation for Tre Ankare White portion and Mini White portion snus Snustopians is this; Snustopians new to the world of Swedish snus would really like Tre Ankare. Its light salty taste and mild flavor will allow you to get used to the Nicotine and the taste of true Swedish snus. Snustopians looking for a Mini portion snus that has a basic tobacco flavor without the mint or fruitiness of other minis will find that Tre Ankare fills that need! Seasoned Snustopians that like the boldness in flavors that Swedish snus is known for, may not like Tre Ankare. You will find that Tre Ankare’s flavor may be too light but, I’ll leave that decision up to you!

Prices for Tre Ankare White portion snus average about $3.45 USD depending on the shop and the Minis average about $3.20. But, if you visit Snustopia’s number one shop for Swedish snus, The Northerner, and it’s your first time buying from them, you can save 10% at checkout on your order by clicking on the banner near the top right of this page! Just tell em’ That Snus Guy sent you!

Well Snustopians, I hope you found our tour of Tre Ankare White portion and Mini White portion snus helpful and informative. I encourage you to leave comments and any questions you may have at the bottom of this page and, I’ll do my best to answer them as soon as I can!

Until our next review, as always,

Happy Snusing!

That Snus Guy

Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus, reviewing another beginner’s staple snus!

Greetings fellow Snustopians!

Well, it’s been a pretty weird weekend here in Snustopia my friends! We had a freak snow storm which kept me in my office most of the weekend so, I figured it was a perfect time to go thru my snus fridge. I usually have about 10 to 15 cans of snus open at any given time and while I was arranging them, I came across a snus that was one of the first that I tried! No, it hasn’t been in there since June of ’08 (although there were a few in there that have been a month past the best before date!), it is one, however, that is always in there. That snus is Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus!



Before we go into the review though, let’s review something about the best before dates on the bottom of snus cans.

I want to bring this up again because, even though I have a couple of cans in my fridge that are a month or two past the best before date, they are still good and, I do use them so, after reading the next paragraph remember, snus is not milk! It’s still good past the best before dates so, don’t throw them away and keep them cold! Ok, back to the review.

If you’ve read the article “Ministry of Information – Snus Type and Distinction, Reverse Yearing office” from last year, you’ll know that the dates on Swedish snus cans are a bit confusing. So, to review, the best before dates on the Swedish snus cans go as follows; DD/MM/YY or DD/MM/YYYY! “Snus Guy, we read the article! You didn’t need to explain it!” I know but, some new Snustopians just want the facts and I wanted to provide it here. Another bit of information in that article also explains that snus will last longer than the best before date. As long as it’s kept cold! That’s why I have a couple open cans of snus in my snus fridge that are a bit beyond the best before date. Ok, enough about the cans of snus in my fridge, on to the review!

You may be asking yourselves why I called this snus a “beginner’s staple snus”. If you ask most Snustopians what was in their first order, the majority of them will tell you that Ice Fruit was among them! Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus is another fine snus made by the folks at Gotlandssnus. The portions contain about 1 gram of snus and there are 24 portions in each can. As with all Gotlandssnus brands, Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit has 9 mg of Nicotine per portion. One thing that’s unique about Ice Fruit is the can! It’s made from plastic but that’s not the unique thing, the lid is.

The lid for Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit does have a compartment for used portions but, it’s actually made to look like a sailing ship compass from the directional notches down to the degree markings! Another neat thing is that inside some of the compartments is a small, round brochure that tells the history of the original Jakobsson’s snus brand. Although it’s printed in Swedish but you can brush up on your translator skills while enjoying a portion! Even the inside bottom of the can has embossing on it! I know, I know, enough about the can. Let’s get back to the portions.

The portions are of the regular type meaning that they do go thru the extra wetting step. The material that the portion is made from is the same type that Gotland’s uses in all their portion snus which is soft and really comfortable under the lip. I’ve had a portion in for about 3 hours with little irritation to speak of. In fact, the only reason I changed it was because the flavor ran out after about 2 hours. Knowing this, I recommend a 2 hour max per portion. That brings us to the flavor.

Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit is another snus I tried to find information on when I began snusing but unlike the others, the reviews I read were mostly “this is the best snus in the world”. While it is a good snus, I wished there was a review out there that really described the complex flavors I was getting. The other thing I was seeing was that Snustopians were confusing Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit’s taste with Offroad’s Icemint. The flavors couldn’t be more different!

Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit does have an Icy mint flavor like Offroad’s Icemint but that’s where the similarities end. Ice Fruit adds a fruity flavor to the icy mint flavor that gives Ice Fruit another depth of flavor. The fruit I get is a mix of lightly sweet berries or, to make it easier to picture, a flavor that’s similar to the fruit flavor in Juicy Fruit gum! One would think that the two flavors would not go well together but, in this snus, they really do play well together. “Snus Guy, doesn’t Ice Fruit have a salty flavor like other Swedish Snus?” Well, no. It really doesn’t. That doesn’t mean there is no salt in it though. That’s another thing that makes Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit unique! I think that Gotland’s adds just enough flavoring to Ice Fruit so to mask the typical salty taste. It’s also another thing that makes Ice Fruit great for new Snustopians to use. Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit does have a down side though.

As in all Gotlandssnus varieties, after about 2 hours, the flavor goes bitter. It’s not a subtle transition either. I don’t think it’s a bad thing though. “Snus Guy, how could a snus going bitter not be a bad thing?” Well, as I’ve said in other Gotlandssnus reviews, I look at it this way; Swedes typically keep a portion of snus in for anywhere between 10 to 45 minutes per portion. Snus manufacturers design their snus for the Swedish user. If I can get 2 hours of flavor out of a snus that was designed to be kept in for an hour max, I’m ahead of the game, so to speak! Plus, it a reminder for me to change out the portion since I stopped getting Nicotine out of it after an hour! Now, let’s talk drinks.

I was kind of torn as to which drink I preferred with Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit. My staple Diet Coke was a bit neutral with Ice Fruit which may surprise you! If you remember back to the Offroad Icemint review, I didn’t like the combination but with Ice Fruit, it did better and I believe it’s due to the less intense icy mint flavor in it. Instead of my typical Monster energy drink, I decided to try Red Bull. It went really well with Ice Fruit. Where Monster tends to turn mint flavored snus a bit bitter, Red Bull did not. But the two drinks that went the best with Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit were iced tea and San Pellegrino Limonata!

With iced tea, specifically Black teas like Earl Gray and Orange Pekoe, the mint flavor went extremely well while enhancing the fruitiness of the snus and bringing out a subtle hint of the great tobacco flavor. With the Limonata, the natural lemon flavor in the drink brought the fruit flavor to the front and made the icy mint flavor tamer. The natural carbonation and the slightly salty flavor of San Pellegrino helped to bring a bit of the tobacco flavor out as well. So, you can see why I was torn on which was best! I really recommend you try both and decide which you like best!

My overall recommendation for Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus Snustopians is this; If this is your first time to Snustopia and looking for that first Swedish snus experience, I really recommend that you consider adding Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit to your first order. Long time residents of Snustopia will find that a can of Ice Fruit may bring back memories of your first trip to Snustopia and the world of snus! Snustopians that are not fans of mint, specifically peppermint, may not like Ice Fruit but, like I always say, it’s your decision! At around $3.75 a can at Snustopia’s favorite place for snus, The Northerner, you really can’t go wrong, even if you find out you don’t care for it. And remember, if this is your first order, just click on the banner to the right of the page and get 10% off!

Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our trip thru Jakobsson’s Ice Fruit portion snus by Gotlandssnus. I look forward to answering any questions and invite you to leave comments about it by following the link below. I’ll be happy to answer them as soon as I can!

As always Snustopians, happy snusing!

That Snus Guy

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

Skruf Stark Portion and White portion. Reviewing the original Stark portion snus brands!

Welcome back Snustopians!

You may be asking yourselves why I chose to do a review on both Skruf Stark Portion snus and Skruf Stark White portion snus this week. The reason why is pretty simple actually! Skruf Stark portion has always been on my list of snus to review and just when I was getting ready to introduce it to you, Skruf came out with Skruf Stark White! So I figured, instead of reviewing them separately, why not review them together and point out the differences!

“Snus Guy, we’ve heard that the only difference between Skruf Stark regular portion and White portion was the color of the portions!” It’s the main difference but not the only one. I have found a few more that you may be interested in! So, let’s get started reviewing them, beginning with Skruf Stark portion snus!

Skruf Stark portion snus and Skruf Stark White portion snus are the product of the folks at Skruf AB. Skruf Stark portion really has a pretty good story to tell due to the fact that it was the first strong portion snus to go over the 11 mgs of Nicotine per portion hurdle! “But Snus Guy, doesn’t General Maxi portion have 14 mgs of Nicotine per portion? Since it came out in 2004, wouldn’t that make it the first strong portion?” Great question! While General Maxi does have 14 mgs of Nicotine per portion, it is actually a Maxi portion meaning that it has almost double the amount of snus per portion than Skruf Stark portion. That’s why there is a high amount of Nicotine in General Maxi and what makes Skruf Stark portion’s story so good!

Skruf Stark portion was introduced into the snus world back in 2005 so, it’s really is the first of the high Nicotine, regular sized portion snus! Each portion has 1 gram of snus and there are 24 portions in each can. The portions in Skruf Stark portions are regular type portions which, as you all remember, go thru an additional wetting process towards the end of manufacturing but this is another hitch in the story of Skruf Stark portion!

Most regular type portions are wet. Not the kind of wet like they’re soaking in liquid but, have a moist look and feel in the lip from the start. Skruf Stark portions really don’t have that. They do have the trademark immediate flavor that other regular portions do but run less. Why, you ask? It’s because the snus inside the portion material is more moist that in other portions. This is what gives them the immediate flavor release while not being as prone to running as other regular portions! “Sounds pretty good Snus Guy but, how do they feel under your lip?”

Well, the portion material is pretty soft to the touch but has the same feel as most other regular portion snus. One would think that since the portion material isn’t as moist as a normal regular portion, Skruf Stark’s portions would be a little irritating but, that’s not the case! I’ve had a portion in for up to 3 hours with only a bit of wrinkling under the lip but, no discomfort to speak of. As I’ve said before, the Nicotine is pretty much gone after about 30 to 45 minutes but the flavor lasts much longer! Now, let’s talk about Skruf Stark White portion’s history and feel!

Skruf Stark White portion snus was released in February 2009 as a true “White” type portion snus. I feel that the reason for Skruf to release Skruf Stark in a White type was the fact that, at the time of its release, the majority of the Extra Stark/Extra Sterk/Extra Strong snus brands were produced as white types. So, in order to bring Skruf Stark into the race for the Strongest Snus around, Skruf released a White version of its strongest snus!

While most of the characteristics of Skruf Stark White are the same as Skruf Stark’s, the portion material seems to be a bit softer in White. It’s basically due to the portions not going thru the extra step. The other differences are when the flavor is released and how long it lasts.

With Skruf Stark White, the flavor takes a bit go get going unlike the regular. Let me explain a bit. Where the flavor in the regular Skruf Stark pretty much comes on within a minute or two, Skruf Stark White takes about 10 minutes to begin flowing but, that’s not a bad thing. The flavor in White lasts about 2 ½ hours where with the regular, the flavor lasts about 2 hours. A common thing in both is that when they hit their maximum time limits for flavor, the portions get bitter. It’s almost like a timer for me that says “Hey! Snus Guy! You’re not getting any more flavor out of us! It’s time to change us out!” Knowing this, I recommend a 2 hour max for both for full enjoyment!

“Ok Snus Guy, how about taste already?” Ok, let me say this about the can first and we’ll get to the flavor! The cans in all Skruf products are pretty much the same, no matter if its loose snus or portion snus, with exception of the lids. They all are made of white plastic and both Skruf Stark and Skruf Stark White have used portion compartments in the lid. The design of the labels is the same as well. The only difference is the color of the band and the marking on the top. The band for Skruf Stark is red and the band for White is black. Also, the top of White has a label where the top on Skruf Stark portion is embossed. I know you probably didn’t really need to know that but, I find it easier when I grab for them in the morning. I just look for the color of the band! Ok, enough about the can and my weird way of finding them, on to the taste!

One would think the flavors in Skruf Stark portion and Skruf Stark White portions would be pretty much identical but this is not the case. Skruf describes them to taste of Rose Oil and Bergamot. For those Snustopians that don’t know what a Bergamot tastes like, it tastes like a cross between an orange, a lemon and a grapefruit. Most Snustopians describe it as a citrus flavor but have a hard time pinpointing which one of the three. I liken it to a bitter orange taste but, in both Skruf Starks, it’s more of a red grapefruit taste. A little sour, a little sweet and just the right amount of the bitter grapefruit taste in the background. What I didn’t really taste in the regular type was the Rose Oil!

“Snus Guy! What does Rose Oil taste like?” Glad you asked. It’s really not a taste you can sense with your taste buds. It’s more of a flavor you pickup in the back of your mouth, almost like a scent. If you read the Skruf Stark Lös review, I can sense the Rose Oil in the loose version. In the regular portions, it’s pretty much nonexistent. It’s not a total loss though. The trade off is the slight peppery taste that enhances the Bergamot flavor. In the White version, the Rose Oil scent is pretty much the same as in the loose. It’s not a “Wow, I smell Roses when I have a White portion in” type of flavor, it’s more of a flowery taste much like tea has. In all honesty, imagine a cup of black tea with lemon and you’d be pretty close to Skruf Stark White’s flavor. Sadly though, as I said above, the flavor only lasts about 2 to 2 ½ hours and the portions get bitter so, for maximum enjoyment, I still stick to the 2 hour max! Now, let’s talk drinks!

My staples, Diet Coke and Monster Energy drinks, played well with both types but overall did really well with the regular portions. Black teas like Earl Grey did better with the regular portions too because of the predominant Bergamot flavor. Here’s where it gets a bit weird though. I tried Iced Earl Grey with the White version and it was a bit too strong for it. It seemed to overtake the Rose Oil flavor but, did enhance the tobacco flavor! The best thing I’ve found to go well with both was lemonade!

Yes, you heard me right, lemonade. I know, there’s only been one other snus I’ve said went well with it but, now there’s three. In the regular portion type, the lemonade enhanced the Bergamot flavor while bringing the tobacco taste to the front more. In the White portion type, the lemonade did something completely surprising! While it did the same thing as in the regular type, with the White type, it actually enhanced the Iced Tea flavor and created a flavor similar to an “Arnold Palmer”! For those Snustopians that don’t play golf, an Arnold Palmer is a drink made with half Iced Tea and half lemonade. It was really surprising!

My overall recommendations for Skruf Stark regular portion and White portion Snustopians, is this; Skruf Stark portion snus is the original strong portion snus. For those Snustopians who want to experience what it was like before the current Extra Strong/Extra Sterk/Extra Stark race at a time when 14 mgs of Nicotine was the king, then Skruf Stark portion is a definite “must try”! New Snustopians who want to start the race slowly will enjoy it as well. Current fans of Skruf Stark portions will find that Skruf Stark White portion has the same basic flavor as their favorite does, with a twist. Overall, I really do recommend that you give both a try!

Both Skruf Stark portion and Skruf Stark White portion can be found at Snustopia’s favorite snus shop, The Northerner, for around $3.72 USD each. If this is your first time placing an order with them, just click on the banner at the top of the page and get 10% off!

Well Snustopians, I hope you enjoyed our trip thru Skruf Stark portion and Skruf Stark White portion by Skruf AB. Please feel free to leave your questions, comments and suggestions! I look forward to hearing and answering them.

Until our next review, as always,

Happy Snussing!

That Snus Guy

Nick & Johnny East and West portion snus. A review of a unique pair of Swedish snus!

Greetings Snustopians!

You all may be asking yourselves why I picked Nick & Johnny East and West portion snus to do a review on today. Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, Nick & Johnny East and West are truly very unique, from their Nicotine contents to their tastes to their cans! Second, I’ve been meaning to review them for a while now but the last reason is the most important one! I’ll explain later about the last one but let’s get right into the review of Nick & Johnny East and West portion snus!

I know what you’re thinking, “Snus Guy! Why are you doing a review on just two of the Nick & Johnny family when there are a total of three? ” True, there are three in the Nick & Johnny family but, like I said in the beginning, there is a big reason why I want to only focus on these two for now. I promise it’ll all become clear towards the end! So, on to the review!

Both Nick & Johnny flavors are made by the folks at Swedish Match and are white portion snus types. As you remember, white portion snus do not go thru the additional wetting step and the portion material is white. Both have portions that have about .84 grams of snus per portion and 24 portions in each can. The material is the same soft, tea bag type material that Swedish Match uses in all of its white portions and has a pretty comfortable feel under the lip, even after 3 hours but, I recommend about a 2 hour max!

The cans that Nick & Johnny come in is the first unique thing about them, the cans are often referred to as “Coffin” cans due to their shape. Take a look at the cans to the left. You can see that the cans do indeed resemble coffins but that’s not really what Swedish Match had in mind when they designed them.

You see, Swedish Match developed Nick & Johnny East and West to be a snus that would cater to Snustopians that were in their 20’s and 30’s or “The Hip Crowd” so, they started with the can. The can was actually made to resemble a cell phone! If you take another look at the cans, they succeeded in doing just that! The cans even have a used portion compartment under the trendy graphic on top. Speaking of the graphic, it too is unique in the fact that they differ not only between East and West but, differ within each brand! By the way, Nick & Johnny are, in fact, real guys according to Swedish Match! I know…..”Enough about the cans Snus Guy! What kind of Nicotine punch do Nick & Johnny East and West pack?” I’m glad you asked that actually.

Another unique, albeit disappointing, thing about Nick & Johnny East and West is their Nicotine contents. The Nick & Johnny family is pretty interesting in the fact that 2 of the 3 snus varieties are strong portions. East is the black sheep! West has a Nicotine content of 11 mg. per portion while East has 8 mg. per portion. The disappointing thing is that it can be confusing to new Snustopians. In the beginning, it was to me! So, remember Snustopians, N & J East has a lower amount of Nicotine that West does and you won’t be disappointed like I was at first! So, let’s go on to tastes.

East and West have two very different tastes. Although they look the same, they taste completely different from one another! Let’s start with Nick & Johnny West. West’s flavor is described by Swedish Match as ”A strong snus with a higher level of nicotine, classic and full tobacco taste” but, there’s more to it than just tobacco flavor! Tobacco does play the lead in West but, lemon and just a bit of a peppery note are there as well. I liken it to a dulled down Onyx taste with less pepper. There is a slight burn in the back of the throat from the higher Nicotine level but it’s pretty subtle.

Nick & Johnny West’s flavor lasts a pretty respectable amount of time as well! I’ve had a portion in for about 2 ½ hours before the flavor went a bit flat so, I recommend about a 2 hour max. Now that you know about Nick & Johnny West, let’s meet his little brother, Nick & Johnny East! The difference will surprise you!

Nick & Johnny East is a complete 180° from Nick & Johnny West, flavor wise. Swedish Match describes Nick & Johnny East as “A snus with full tobacco taste and an oriental influence with hints of cardamom and citrus”. Here, I believe, Swedish Match’s description is good but, some Snustopians may not really know what cardamom tastes like so, I’ll do my best to describe the taste. The taste of East is really close to same flavor of a fruit flavored gum called Juicy Fruit. “Snus Guy! Nick & Johnny tastes like Juicy Fruit?” Well, yes and no.

The juicy fruit flavor is a background flavor. East’s flavor is a mild tobacco in the front and a lightly sweet, fruity flavor in the background along with a bit of spices. Cardamom is a sweet, Far Eastern spice that’s used mostly in baking and exotic dishes. Swedish Match wanted East to have an exotic, Far East flavor but, I feel they created a snus with an exotic, tropical flavor when they added the citrus taste to it. To be honest, Nick & Johnny East could be a close replacement for Camel SNUS Spice, in the flavor department and the Nicotine department!

Nick & Johnny East’s flavor lasts just as long as West’s flavor does and, I recommend the same time of 2 hours max with East as well!

“Well Snus Guy, you’ve told us about most of the unique things about Nick & Johnny East and West but, you’re not forgetting the big reason why you wanted to review it, are you?” Nope! Let’s go into that now and I’ll give you my recommendations after.

Nick & Johnny East and West were among the first snus brands I purchased back when I started using Swedish snus. Both were launched early in 2008 which makes them relatively new snus varieties but, sometimes a snus variety will be discontinued by the manufacturer for many reasons but the most common reasons are popularity and sales. Unfortunately Snustopians, this will happen to Nick & Johnny East and West in May 2009.

As you all know Snustopians, I try my best to write unbiased reviews and basically stick to giving you an honest and accurate account of whatever snus we happen to be reviewing. So, in knowing this, I must say this one time, that I, my fellow Snustopians, will be saddened to see Nick & Johnny East and West go! So, now that I have that off my chest, let’s look at what to drink!

As you all probably know by now, my staple drinks are Diet Coke and Monster energy drinks so, let’s start with them! Diet coke did do well with Nick & Johnny West but, didn’t fare well with East. The Diet Coke made the flavors in the snus go a bit weird. Monster had the same effect with East. The best thing I have tried so far was iced tea, Green tea to be exact. The light flavor of the tea helped to bring out the tobacco flavor in both but not to the point of being overpowering. In Nick & Johnny East, it actually enhanced the cardamom flavor as well!

My overall recommendations for Nick & Johnny West and East Snustopians, is this; For Nick & Johnny West, this snus would be great for the new Snustopian that wants to begin to explore the world of strong snus. With 11 grams of Nicotine per portion, it’s basically the ground floor! Experienced Snustopians can’t go wrong with a can or two as a mid level Nicotine snus as well!

For Nick & Johnny East, Snustopians looking for a snus that has a bit of sweetness with a little spice flavor will really like Nick & Johnny East! On the other hand, Snustopians that are fans of higher Nicotine snus varieties or the Extra Sterk/Extra Strong/Extra Stark snus types, will find Nick & Johnny East a bit too weak.
In any event, if you have never tried Nick & Johnny East or West, I recommend you try, at least one can of each before it becomes discontinued! Prices for Both Nick & Johnny East and West average between $3.00 USD and $4.00 USD depending on which shop you buy it from but, if you click on The Northerner banner at the top of the page, and it’s your first order,  you’ll get 10% off the entire order!

Well Snustopians, I hope you found this review of Nick & Johnny East and West helpful and informative! I look forward to reading, and answering, any questions or comments you may have. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment or, have a question you don’t want to leave in the comment section, just click “Ask That Snus Guy”! I’ll do my best to answer them all!

So, until our next review,

Happy Snussing!

That Snus Guy