Mocca Lakrits Review

Yet another snus produced by Fiedler & Lundgren, Mocca Lakrits is a licorice flavored mini portion snus with 9 grams of snus per tin. I’m a fan of licorice flavored snus brands (and have tried a number of them in the past), so I was excited to see how Mocca Lakrits would stack up to other brands out there.

As soon as I opened my can of Mocca Lakrits, I soon noticed a strong smell of black licorice. The aroma was very natural, and it was probably the most natural smelling licorice snus that I’ve tried to date. Upon placing a portion in my mouth, I immediately began to notice a black licorice taste similar to Jakobsson’s Licorice, but it had a much more natural taste, as if I was chewing organic black licorice. The taste was a little hard to detect due to the small portion sizes, and I feel like the flavor would be even better if there was a full sized counterpart. Initially I could taste only the black licorice, but after about twenty minutes a rounded tobacco taste began to develop and it complimented the licorice quite well. I began to lose the taste of black licorice after about thirty minutes, and I could only detect a slight tobacco flavor after the one hour mark.

The portions were of average quality, and they were quite small so they fit discreetly into my lip. I experienced little drip with Mocca Lakrits, and unlike some other licorice brands, the taste didn’t get overly bitter as time went on. The nicotine buzz was slight and underwhelming, which is to be expected for a mini portion snus.

Overall, I really enjoyed Mocca Lakrits. In my opinion, the natural licorice taste is one of the best on the market today. I just wish that F&L would release a stronger full sized version, as I found the flavor and nicotine hit could have been stronger.

Wow! Wintermint Review

A newly released brand of snus by SpTobacco, Wow! Wintermint is (as the name implies) a mint flavored snus brand. Every can of Wow! Wintermint contains 15 grams of average strength snus.

When I opened my can of Wintermint, I soon noticed an aroma of mint and wintergreen and it smelled very sweet, almost like mint candy. Soon after placing a portion in my lip, I began to detect a strong mint flavor which was very sweet. This minty flavor was complimented by a wintergreen taste, and the mixing of the mints made for an interesting flavor. I can definitely say that the mint taste was pretty strong, and unlike General Wintergreen I never noticed any tobacco taste while I had portions in. Instead the flavor would transition to an increasingly sweet one which began to lose flavor after forty minutes.

The Wow! portion material is quite soft, and portions felt comfortable in my lip. The portions are dry, and as a result it takes about eight minutes to start feeling a moderate nicotine kick. I was able to leave portions in for about an hour and fifteen minutes before starting to experience any drip.

Overall, Wow! Wintermint was pretty tasty for a mint flavored snus, and I loved using it to mix things up a bit despite not normally enjoying mint flavored brands. The lack of drip and comfortable portions was also a nice touch. I also found that Wow! Wintermint tended to freshen up my breath a little bit while I used it. I recommend Wintermint to fans of mint flavored snuses with hardly any tobacco taste present.

Kaliber Original Extra Tobakssmak

A newly released brand of snus from Swedish Match, Kaliber Original Extra Tobakssmak is an original portion snus with a rich tobacco flavor. Each can of Kaliber Extra Tobakssmak comes with 19 grams of snus with .9 grams of regular strength snus per portion. As someone who enjoyed Kaliber Original I was curious to see what the “Extra Tobakssmak” flavor would be like.

The first time I opened my can of Kaliber Extra Tobakssmak, I noticed a strong tobacco aroma with hints of bergamot and tea. As a lover of tobacco dominant snus blends, I found the aroma to be very nice and it reminded me like a stronger version of General Original. Upon placing a portion in my mouth, I noticed an interesting combination of bergamot and tobacco. The tobacco was the dominant flavor, but early on the bergamot worked to smooth out the tobacco taste, getting progressively milder as the taste transitioned to a stronger tobacco flavor. I also noticed slight woody undertones, and they were very nice. The taste was a little reminiscent of the original Kaliber, but it had a more pronounced tobacco taste. After about the one hour mark all I could taste was a mellow tobacco flavor, but I preferred it to the salty taste some tobacco dominant brands develop into.

The portion material is comfortable, and the portions are slightly moist. I began to notice a nicotine kick begin after about five minutes, and it became stronger at the ten minute mark. The buzz was pretty strong for a regular strength snus, and I could feel it for nearly a half-hour when I had my morning snus. I didn’t have any problems with drip, and I was able to leave my portions in for quite some time.

Overall, Kaliber Original Extra Tobakssmak is a very tasty new arrival on the snus scene. The mix of tobacco and bergamot was a great combination, and the undertones of other flavors help create a unique tobacco dominant experience. I can definitely see myself adding Tobakssmak to my daily rotation!

Nick & Johnny Green Spyke Review

After mentioning the soon to arrive Nick & Johnny Gren Spyke Xtra Strong in an earlier blog post here, I’ve finally be able to get my hands on a can so that I can see what its like! N&J Green Spyke is billed by manufacturer Swedish Match as being a cactus flavored snus, a flavor that is quite unique. Every can of N&J Green Spyke comes with 22 grams of snus with 1.1 gram extra strength (16mg nicotine per portion) snus portions.

Upon opening my can of Green Spyke, I was greeted with a unique aroma consisting of cactus, tobacco, and herbal undertones. The cactus smelled a bit like a freshly cut open cactus plant, and it was definitely interesting. Upon placing a portion in my mouth, I was greeted with a distinct taste which I found a bit hard to place as I’ve never eaten cactus before. The flavor definitely had a sweet taste to it though. There was also notes of herbs and spices, which served to round out the main sweet flavor. The herbs were floral tasting and almost grassy. After about twenty minutes, an herbal tobacco taste began to develop and it was quite pleasant. I began to lose the cactus flavor after fifteen minutes, and then the tobacco flavor became increasingly salty by about the thirty five minute mark.

The portions were made with average material, and are similar to the rest of the Nick & Johnny line. They contain quite a bit of snus (1.1 grams), and were fairly moist. Within about 5 minutes, I immediately noticed a strong headrush and it lasted for about thirty minutes. I began to experience drip after the forty-five minute mark, and after fifty-five minutes the drip became too salty for me to enjoy.

Overall, Nick & Johnny Green Spyke is an interesting snus brand which I find hard to place. I wouldn’t say that it tasted delicious, but it also wasn’t bad either; instead somewhere in between. I suggest trying Green Spyke out for yourself to see what you think of the unique flavor!

Skruf Slim Stark White Review

Another member of the expanding Skruf Slim line of snus, Skruf Slim Stark White is a strong portion snus with 20.5 grams of snus per can. Stark White has a taste similar to that of Slim Xtra Stark and Slim Original, and has a nicotine content which places it between the two in terms of strength.

Upon opening my can of Slim Stark White, I was greeted with an aroma of tobacco, bergamot, and a bit of rose oil, and it reminded me quite a bit was reminiscent of the full size original Skruf. Upon putting a portion in my mouth, I noticed the classic Skruf tobacco taste, and experienced a very slight tingling sensation from the rose oil (which I really enjoy). There was also hints of bergamot, but it was very weak in comparison to the tobacco and rose oil, and it became undetectable after ten to fifteen minutes. The taste of classic Skruf was present, but I found it to be milder than the original Skruf (possibly because there is less surface area with the slimmer portions?).

The portions are where Slim Stark White really excelled. They are long and thin and remind me quite a bit of the lab series portions. In addition, being a white portion snus it was fairly dry, and I didn’t start getting drip until around the one hour mark. I noticed a fairly pleasant nicotine buzz begging around the five minute mark, and it remained constant for about 30 minutes before starting to get weaker.

Overall, Skruf Slim Stark White is a tasty, long lasting, and discreet snus that provides a nice buzz for fans of strong (but not extra strong) snus. Although the taste wasn’t as strong as its full-sized counterpart, it still provided me with a nice compromise between the larger portions and the classic Skruf taste. I enjoy using Stark White when I need to be discreet about my snus usage, and it works well for this purpose. If you enjoy the original Skruf but are looking for a slimmer portion design, I highly recommend ordering a can and giving it a try!

Kronan Vit Portion Review

Initially released in 2005 by Swedish Match, Kronan Vit Portion is a value priced snus designed to deliver a great taste for those on a budget. Each can of Kronan comes with 19.2 grams of average strength snus with .8 grams of snus per portion.

Upon opening my can of Kronan, I noticed a strong aroma of spicy tobacco, with hints of bergamot and floral undertones. Once I placed a portion of Kronan Vit in my mouth, I immediately noticed a spicy tobacco taste, and I found it to be quite pleasant. There was also a slight taste of bergamot and herbs, which I felt helped to compliment the tobacco taste without overpowering it. After about fifteen minutes, the bergamot and floral flavors began to subside, and I was left with the taste of spicy tobacco, which stayed strong until about the forty-five minute mark before it began to become increasingly salty (I took my portion out at the one hour and fifteen minute mark due to the saltiness).

The portions were of average quality, nothing special but they did the job well. Being a white portion snus, Kronan Vit was quite dry and didn’t drip very much. After using several portions, I only began to experience the start of drip around the one hour mark. The nicotine hit came on after about five minutes, and I began to notice a slight nicotine buzz which lasted for about forty mintues.

Overall, Kronan Vit is a tasty tobacco dominant snus, and the spicy flavor combined with hints of bergamot and herbs was very pleasant. I highly recommend Kronan Vit to lovers of tobacco flavored snus brands, as well as those who are on a budget but still want to enjoy high quality snus. Kronan Vit pairs well with coffee and stronger tasting liquors such as scotch. As a fan of tobacco flavored snus brands, I plan to add Kronan Vit to my daily rotation in order to mix things up a little bit.

 

General Wintergreen

Produced by Swedish Snus giant Swedish Match, General Wintergreen is part of the General lineup and has a refreshing wintergreen taste. Although I’m not a big fan of mint, I do enjoy wintergreen the most so naturally General Wintergreen piqued my interest. Each can of General Wintergreen comes with a full 24 grams of average strength snus per can.

Once I opened my can, I noticed a strong aroma of wintergreen and pink wintergreen mints. The wintergreen was natural smelling (and wasn’t overly sweet), and reminded me more of wintergreen leaves rather than wintergreen gum. Upon placing a portion in my mouth, I soon began to taste the wintergreen flavor, and I surprisingly enjoyed it for someone who isn’t big on mint snuses. The Wintergreen produced both a cool and refreshing sensation, and most importantly wasn’t overly sweet (like some minty brands tend to be). At the thirty-five minute mark the wintergreen flavor faded into the background and a tobacco taste became present. The tobacco flavor wasn’t bitter, but it didn’t have the same tasty appeal that the wintergreen did.
The portions came arranged in a star formation, which is a manufacturing step that wedges each portion and arranges them in a star formation, ensuring you get a similiarly formed portion every time. The portion material is soft and portions fit quite comfortably in my mouth. After about five minutes, I began to feel a pleasant nicotine buzz which wasn’t overly strong (especially if you like strong snuses) but still provided me with a decent lasting buzz. Drip wasn’t too big of an issue, and I had no problem keeping portions in for an hour.

Overall, General Wintergreen surprised me. The clear wintergreen taste combined with hints of tobacco produced a pleasant taste which was also slightly refreshing. I can picture adding Wintergreen to my daily rotation in order to mix things up a bit when I get tired of my usual tobacco flavors. Like the other members of the General Family, Wintergreen is a high quality product which has a great taste.