Very recently released on the market by GN Tobacco, Oden’s Extreme 79 Portion is an extra strong snus, and each can has 18 grams of tobacco. I was excited to try 79 because it is billed as having a flavor of ginger and lime. Aside from Goteborg Rape Lime I haven’t had any other lime flavored brands, and I haven’t had a single ginger flavored snus. It is interesting to note that the Oden’s line of snus is fire cured rather than steam cured (but has a similar TSNA count to steam cured snus).

The aroma of Extreme 79 was definitely pretty interesting, and I was able to detect the smoky aroma of tobacco similar to regular Extreme which was quite present. I also noticed a strong aroma produced by the ginger, and just a tad of lime. After having several portions to get a feel for the taste, I began to notice that 79 begins with a tart ginger flavor with just a hint of lime detectable (unlike Oden’s Extreme Lime). I found this combination to blend well with the unique tobacco taste I’ve come to love from Oden’s. Slowly the ginger flavor began to subside and I was left with a slightly salty tobacco taste.

The portions were very moist, but not to the point of excess. I found that due to the high moisture and nicotine content of 79, the nicotine hit came on within a minute, and even for someone experienced with extra strong snus, it produced quite a buzz (which I attribute to 79’s elevated moisture level). Unfortunately, the high moisture levels meant that I began to experience quite a bit of drip around the thirty minute mark. This didn’t bother me too much however, because I don’t usually leave portions this strong in for over twenty minutes.

I recommend Oden’s 79 to those who are looking for a real nicotine buzz from their snus. Just be careful because it can be very strong if you’re not accustomed to high nicotine levels!

Oden’s Extreme Lime Loose is yet another recently released flavor in the growing Oden’s snus portfolio. It really piqued my interest since it is billed as a lime flavored snus and nothing else. As someone who often likes putting lime juice into my club soda ( as opposed to lemon juice), I was interested in seeing how natural the lime flavor would be. Each can of Extreme Lime comes with 42 grams of extra strength snus.

After getting my can opened, the first thing that hit me was the lime aroma, and I found that Extreme Lime smelled quite a lot like concentrated lime juice. One thing I found to be pretty interesting is that unlike the rest of the Oden’s lineup, Extreme Lime didn’t really have much of a smokey tobacco aroma that I’ve come to associate with the brand. Using my handy Icetool, I made a small sized portion (this snus is quite strong!) and popped it into my mouth. Soon afterwards I began to taste a lime taste, and it was tart and a little sour. The lime taste was quite natural, and I feel that GN focused on replicating a natural lime taste rather than trying to sweeten it with artificial flavors. There wasn’t too much tobacco taste in the beginning, but after the lime flavor subsided I did find myself tasting a mild tobacco flavor. 

The grind of the snus was quite fine, and the fairly high moisture level of Extreme Lime meant that it was easy to form. In addition, the moisture made the nicotine release quicker which translates into a faster onset time for a buzz. Within two minutes I noticed a strong nicotine buzz which only started to level off after ten minutes and lasted for about half an hour.

Overall, I enjoyed Oden’s Extreme Lime Loose. Unlike other brands that contain lime, Extreme Lime puts the lime taste on the center stage and provides a tart yet tasty flavor. I give GN Tobacco a thumbs up on this one, and will definitely be adding it to my summer snus rotation soon! I find that it pairs really well with club soda (with a few drops of lime juice), as well as cocktails which contain lime.

Manufactured by Fiedler & Lundgren, Granit Arctic Burst is a relatively new mint flavored snus with an extra strong twist. Each can of Arctic burst comes with 21.6 grams of white portion snus.

Upon opening my can of Arctic Mint, I soon noticed a strong minty aroma and it reminded me of fresh mint. Upon placing a portion in my mouth, I immediately noticed a strong fresh minty taste. The mint taste was quite strong and I initially couldn’t taste any tobacco flavor. Unlike a number of other mint brands on the market today, I didn’t find Arctic Mint to be overly sweet, instead I tasted only fresh mint for the first twenty minutes. Rather than taste salty or like tobacco over time, I noticed that the mint flavor simply subsided gradually as time went on. The flavor was also fairly long lasting, and even after the forty five minute mark I didn’t find that the portions became too salty or overly strong tasting.

The portions fit quite comfortably in my mouth, and they were similar to the material used in the rest of the Granit lineup. They were also pretty soft which I liked. Since Arctic Burst is a white snus, it took a few minutes before I began to feel a nicotine buzz, but the extra strength of Arctic gave me a very pleasant and long lasting buzz. I also experience very little drip and only began to notice a little bit after the one hour mark.

Overall, I enjoyed Arctic Burst quite a bit which came as a surprise to me since I’m not generally a fan of mint flavored snus brands. However, Arctic’s lack of sweet taste combined with the fresh mint flavor actually tasted really good, and I can definitely see myself adding it to my daily rotation to spice things up every now and then. I also enjoyed the strong nicotine kick I got from Arctic, and being a white portion snus I didn’t find that the nicotine kick came on too fast. I recommend Granit Arctic Mint to lovers of mint flavored snus, and it goes quite well with a minty drink such as mojitos.

Developed by Scandinavian Premium Tobacco AB, Byron Anis is part of SPT’s newly rebranded line of Cuban snus and is one of the replacements for the old Romeo y Julieta line of snus which was discontinued earlier this month. Byron Anis is named after the famous poet Lord Byron. I like to enjoy Cuban cigars from time to time, so naturally having Cuban tobacco in Byron was an exciting prospect.

After opening up my can, I took in the aromas and immediately noticed a strong tobacco aroma, and I could tell that the tobacco had undertones of spices, perhaps pepper. There was also the characteristic odor of anis present, and the two definitely made for a great aroma. After finishing my can, I have to say that the taste of Byron Anis definitely ranks in my top 5 favorite snus brands of all time. The Cuban tobacco used to make Byron is rich and full-bodied, and I find that it develops subtly over time, producing a slightly spicy and satisfying taste. This delicious tobacco flavor is also complimented by a mild anis taste, and the two flavors combine to produce a very tasting and satisfying snus. I usually ended up removing my portions after about fifty minutes, as the flavor began to become increasingly bitter afterwards.

The portions were comfortable, but weren’t anything special. They were quite moist, and as a result I began to notice a nicotine buzz develop after just a few minutes. I began to experience drip after about forty minutes, so Byron Anis didn’t last as some of the other brands out there (but the flavor definitely made up for it).

Overall, Byron Anis is a terrific tobacco dominant snus brand with just enough anis to create a very refined taste on the palate. The Cuban tobacco is delicious, and Byron Anis is already in my daily rotation as one of my go-to brands. One thing that I do miss however is the old metallic cans that SPT used for the Romeo y Julieta line. The cans had a really nice and quality feel to them, and they also looked super classy. I suspect the move to the new plastic cans may have been done in order to cut costs, and in that case I don’t mind if allows Byron Anis to remain at the same price.

 

Having been reviewing a lot of portioned snus lately, I decided to throw a loose variant into the mix for those who prefer using loose snus. Developed by Swedish Match, the Goteborg brand of snus is one of the most popular (and oldest) types on the market today. Prima Fint is billed by Swedish Match as being a premium snus with a natural unflavored tobacco taste. Each can of Prima Fint loose contains 42 grams of average strength snus.

After opening my can of Prima Fint, I soon noticed an aroma of tobacco with nutty undertones and it reminded me a bit of Ettan. After forming a medium sized portion, I placed it in my mouth and soon began to taste a fairly strong tobacco flavor with not much else. The tobacco was well-rounded, and there was only a slight amount of salt taste present. I found that the flavor of the loose variant to be quite strong (since there’s no portion material between your lip and the tobacco) which was very nice. I gradually began to lose flavor as time progressed, and after the forty minute mark I could hardly taste the tobacco anymore.

Prima Fint was finely ground, and it was easy to form portions using my Icetool. I didn’t experience very much drip with a prilla in, and I only began to experience “mudslides” a little while after the fourty minute mark. My portions held together well in my mouth without disintegrating, and I managed to get a fairly nice buzz after about five minutes of having Prima Fint in. The buzz lasted for about twenty minutes and then began to subside.

Overall, I enjoyed Goteborg’s Prima Fint quite a bit. I love tobacco dominant snus brands, and Prima Fint’s natural tobacco flavor certainly makes for a great taste. I find that Prima Fint goes well with strong coffee or black tea. I also liked the stronger taste of loose, as well as the fact that you get more snus per can in comparison to portioned snus.