77 Nicotine Pouches: Peach & Mint - Review. 22 October 2020.

Today, we're talking about a nicotine pouch product from 77 Pouches, a new company out of Poland.  With nicotine pouch companies seemingly popping up over night, and no industry quality/safety standards at this time, I'm hesitant to review products from outside of Sweden/Denmark.  But, I recently filmed an interview with 77 for Snus Con 2020, and I got to know about their product/quality/safety standards, and I feel comfortable using them and recommending them to people.  I was pretty excited to try this one because there aren't many peach flavored products on the market!  The flavor description for this one says, "The taste is full of summer!  Bright and juicy fruits, whose pulp shimmering with all the shades of summer and the warm sunny days."  Each can weighs 10g and has 20 portions, for 0.5g portions.  The nicotine strength is 20mg/g (2.0%), or 10mg/portion.  These are their strongest products to date, so it's nice to see they aren't pushing the levels and keeping these products at or below 20mg/g.

When you open the can, a bright, fresh, natural aroma of peach greets you.  It has a fresh smell, but I don't smell a lot of mint, which I like.  The portions are slim, a little lighter in weight, but still comfortable under the lip.  There's also a nice cooling presence under the lip, as well.  The flavor of this one is delicious.  The peach taste is present, and natural.  It's lightly sweet, and very fresh tasting.  I don't taste a lot of mint with it, it's more of a freshness feeling in the flavor.  Which, in my opinion, is good, because I wanted a straight up peach flavor without any mint.  The nicotine strength feels to be a little above regular, hovering around the strong range.  The flavor tends to last around 40 to 50 minutes on average.

Rating

Packaging - 4/5 - A great looking, sleek design.

Aroma - 3.25/5 - A fresh, natural smell of peach.

Portion/Mouthfeel - 2.5/5 - A little light in weight, and moderately soft.

Flavor - 3.25/5 - A great taste of peach!

Nicotine - 3/5 - A little above my preferred strength, regular strength.

Longevity - 3.25/5 - Flavor lasts about 40-50 minutes, so not a bad average.

Average - 3.21/5 - A pretty solid product with a great peach flavor!

Final Thoughts

I definitely enjoyed the taste of this one.  Peach isn't a common flavor in snus or nicotine pouches; people really don't make them.  It was pretty cool to try one with that unique, fruity flavor of peach!  If you're interested in checking them out, our friends at Snussie.com stock them!  

CBD News: Swedish Match Goes CBD With G.4 Green Flow - 22 October 2020.

In a rather surprising move, today Swedish Match in Switzerland announced they are expanding into the CBD category and launching a new product: G.4 Green Flow (Slim All White).  It looks like this product is a hybrid, with 8mg of CBD and 8mg of nicotine.  The flavor is said to be "a combination of lemon and cucumber paired with a cooling effect".  The pricing is, according to a survey they have, 14.90 CHF or 16.42 USD per can.  It looks like as of right now, this product is only available in Switzerland, and launched as a limited edition in selected Valora stores.    This move is not surprising, as the CBD Pouch category has been growing over the past several years.  Market leader Cannadips CBD Pouches launched in 2016 and established the CBD pouch category.  Within the past year, we've observed this industry expanding.  We've seen Ice CBD Pouches from Iceland, Live Free Hemp Snuff from the USA, Kurwa CBD Pouches from Hungary, V&You &Chill CBD Pouches from the UK, and many more.  There have been rumblings of Swedish Match wanting to break into this category and it seems they have decided to go ahead and make that move.

As usual, we will work on getting ahold of some of this for review.  For full details on this product launch, their press release is below:

"G.4 Green Flow is a new and innovative all white snus, which is mixed with CBD. It contains 8mg of CBD and 8mg of nicotine per sachet. The flavor is a combination of lemon and cucumber paired with a cooling effect.

G.4 Green Flow is the first snus product in Switzerland to offer a combination of CBD and snus. It is offered as a limited edition in selected Valora stores. Get a free sample after completing the survey (valid until December 31, 2020, only takes 5 minutes).

CBD is the abbreviation for cannabidiol, a natural substance which is obtained from the hemp plant. The interest in CBD products is growing and more and more CBD products are coming onto the market. CBD is most commonly found in oils, foods, beverages, and tobacco products.

G.4 Green Flow does not contain THC. Both CBD and THC are obtained from the hemp plant, but unlike THC, CBD has no psychoactive effects. Swedish Match does not have a policy of using THC in any of its products.

G.4 Green Flow offers a new consumer experience by combining CBD and nicotine in an all white sachet, coupled with a fresh and calming taste experience."

Press Release via SwedishMatch.ch.

Pavo (Herbal Pouches) - Review. 21 October 2020.

And now for something quite different!  Today, I'm going to be talking about a new product from Dholakia Tobacco in India - Pavo Herbal Pouches.  These are products that are free from both tobacco, and nicotine.  These contain cellulose, as well as ashwaganda, Guarana, matcha, and green tea.  I know, most of my audience is snus people and you're asking why I'm reviewing this.  Well, I've been learning a lot lately about "biohacking" from my friend Leo Rex, who runs the Live Long Podcast/Leo and Longevity on YouTube.  When I heard about what all was in these pouches and the benefits of each component, I just had to give these a try.  Herbal snuff is quite popular in India, and Dholakia Tobacco is no stranger to this category, already producing a wide range of herbal snuffs.  When I saw these for sale on Snuffstore.de, I was stoked to give them a go!

These Pavo products actually contain a wide range of components with quite a lot of health benefits!  First, guarana, which is said to be "for weight loss, to enhance athletic performance, as a stimulant, to reduce mental and physical fatigue, to treat low blood pressure and chronic fatigue syndrome, and to prevent malaria and dysentery".  Also, green tea, which is said to "improve blood flow, lowers cholesterol, increases activity in working-memory areas of the brains, blocks the formation of plaques that are linked to Alzheimer's disease, helps keep blood sugar stable in people with diabetes".  Also, matcha, which is "high in antioxidants, may help protect the liver, boosts brain function, may help prevent cancer, may promote heart health, helps you lose weight".  Lastly, one that I've never heard of, ashwaganda.  Apparently, ashwaganda is known as the "Indian ginseng".  It is said to "help your body manage stress, boost brain function, lower blood sugar and cortisol levels, and help fight symptoms of anxiety and depression".  So, basically, this stuff will make you Superman.  

Pavo Melon

Product Description:  "Watermelon with a hint of salt and tea."

Review:  When you open the can, you're greeted by a fresh melon aroma, and a light menthol tone.  There's also a light herbal character in the background, as well.  The portions are comfortable under the lip, and come with a light cooling presence in the lip as well.  The flavor is a fresh, juicy watermelon taste with a light touch of salt.  The flavor lasts a good 40-50 minutes on average!

Pavo Sweet Mint

Product Description:  "Fresh sweet mint refined with tea aromas and a sweet and salty note."

Review:  When you open the can, a present, fresh, sweet smell of peppermint greets you.  The portions are slim, comfortable under the lip, and come with a nice, cooling sensation under the lip.  The flavor is predominantly mint, and comes through in a mild, sweet, but fresh way.  The flavor lasts a good amount of time, usually 45-55 minutes on average.

Pavo Lemon

Product Description:  "Tart lemon with a slightly salty note and a balanced tea aroma."

Review:  When you open the can, a fresh, tart smell of lemon greets you.  It has a light sweetness, and a menthol tone in the background.  The portions are slim, soft, and comfortable under the lip.  They also come with a fresh cooling presence, as well!  The flavor is a mild, natural taste of lemon.  It's lightly sweet, but also lightly tart, and comes with a mild tone of menthol in the background.  The flavor lasts about 40-45 minutes on average!

Pavo Natural

Product Description:  "Green and black tea with salt, fresh mint and Indian herbs."

Review:  When you open the can, a tea-like aroma greets you, along with tones of menthol and peppermint, and a light herbal character in the background.  The portions are slim, pretty comfortable, and come with a light cooling presence under the lip.  The flavor is earthy, with a tea-like quality to it, along with subtle hints of peppermint and menthol, and a light herbal type of character.  The flavor generally lasts about 45-50 minutes on average.

Ratings and Final Thoughts

I won't go too much into detail on this, because I reviewed 4 products.  But in terms of rankings, I had Melon at 3.5/5, followed by Natural at 3.3/5, and then Lemon and Sweet Mint tied at 3.2/5.  In my rankings, you'll see I didn't rate the effect.  These are nicotine free, and the components have a wide range of health benefits, so it would be pretty hard to rate them based on the effects therein.  Also, many of the effects are long-term effects, which I can't rate as I haven't used these long term.  However, I was impressed with the aromas and flavors, I found the portions to be pretty comfortable, and the flavors lasted a pretty decent amount of time.  All in all, I was pretty impressed.  I think these will be a good alternative for people who are wanting to go tobacco/nicotine free, or, as mentioned above, "biohackers".  So far, I haven't found these available online anywhere to the US, but SnuffStore.de seems to have them in stock for the German market.

Sälensnus: Hallon Snaps (Lös) - Review. 15 October 2020.

I recently discovered a new craft/small batch snus manufacturer in Sweden called Hantverk's Snus.  And you guys know me, I love small batch snus and craft snus.  It's a snus made with love in Sälen, Sweden.  Their website has a description about what goes into making their snus:  "Our snus is produced in Sälen according to a recipe from 1734 with natural farmed tobacco from its own farms in northern Mozambique.  Naturally grown tobacco (no fertilizer, no chemical pesticides), natural sea salt, spring water from the mountains and potash from birch wood fired at Lindvallens fäbod".  I don't know about you, but all natural tobacco sounds pretty good to me.  The flavor description for this snus says, "Raspberry schnapps from Fjällbränt Distillery".  Note, Fjällbränt Distillery is a distillery also in Sälen.  Each can weighs 42 grams, like other loose products on the market. The cans are also metal, and have a screw top to open them.  

When you open the can, a beautiful smell of tobacco greets you.  It's a dark, rich smell of tobacco with a slight smokiness to it and hints of raspberry.  The loose itself isn't the easiest to work with, but you can handbake it.  You just have to use a little pressure to pack it tightly.  The flavor is simply delicious.  The tobacco flavor is very well rounded, rich and earthy, with a slight smokiness.  I notice some subtle wood tones to it, along with gentle hints of raspberry.  I like that the tobacco is front and center in the aroma, and the raspberry seems to come through more as a complimentary note to the tobacco itself, and doesn't overpower it.  The nicotine strength feels to be around regular strength, and the flavor lasts about 40 to 50 minutes on average.

Rating

Packaging - 4/5 - I love the metal can, and the screw top is a nice touch.

Aroma - 3.5/5 - Beautiful tobacco aroma, and the raspberry is a nice compliment.  

Tobacco/Prilla - 3/5 - Not the easiest to handbake, but it can be done.

Taste - 3.5/5 - The taste is great, the tobacco flavor is fantastic, and the raspberry is a nice compliment.

Nicotine - 5/5 - Regular strength feeling, nothing better!

Longevity - 3/5 - A solid 40-50 minutes on average.

Average - 3.66/5 - All in all, a pretty great snus.

Final Thoughts

It seems like lately, most of what I review is mint flavored nicotine pouches.  So, it's nice to review an actual loose snus.  Not just that, but one that is a small batch/craft snus made with all natural, pesticide free tobacco.  This is an absolute must try.  Their website sells a six pack of their assorted flavors, or you can buy a bulk amount of it if you want.  

77 Nicotine Pouches: Raspberry - Review. 15 October 2020.

Today, we're talking about a nicotine pouch product from 77 Pouches, a new company out of Poland.  With nicotine pouch companies seemingly popping up over night, and no industry quality/safety standards at this time, I'm hesitant to review products from outside of Sweden/Denmark.  But, I recently filmed an interview with 77 for Snus Con 2020, and I got to know about their product/quality/safety standards, and I feel comfortable using them and recommending them to people.  I was pretty excited to try this one because there aren't many raspberry flavored products on the market!  The flavor description for this one says, "Juicy natural taste of homemade raspberries.  A bright raspberry flavor, the flavor of this garden berry tastes great, which changes from more sour to sweeter notes."  Each can weighs 10g and has 20 portions, for 0.5g portions.  The nicotine strength is 20mg/g (2.0%), or 10mg/portion.  These are their strongest products to date, so it's nice to see they aren't pushing the levels and keeping these products at or below 20mg/g.

When you open the can, a fruity, lightly sweet aroma of raspberry greets you.  It's not overly sweet, but just about the right amount of sweetness you'd want from a fruit flavored product.  The portions are slim, soft, and pretty comfortable in the lip.  They're a little lighter in weight, but don't feel too lacking in terms of plumpness.  The flavor is really enjoyable on this one.  The raspberry taste is bright, present, and lightly sweet.  It isn't too artificial tasting, either.  This one has a pretty natural raspberry flavor.  The nicotine content on this one feels to be a little above regular strength, and the flavor, on average, lasts around 30-40 minutes.  All in all, it was a pretty enjoyable, fruity tasting product! 

Rating

Packaging - 4/5 - A great looking, sleek design.

Aroma - 3.5/5 - A bright, present smell of raspberry.

Portion/Mouthfeel - 2.5/5 - A little light in weight, and moderately soft.

Flavor - 3.5/5 - The raspberry taste is delicious on this one!

Nicotine - 3/5 - A little above my preferred strength, regular strength.

Longevity - 3/5 - Flavor lasts about 30-40 minutes, so not a bad average.

Average - 3.25/5 - A pretty solid product with a great raspberry flavor!

Final Thoughts

I definitely enjoyed the taste of this one.  Raspberry isn't a common flavor in snus or nicotine pouches, so it was fun to try one with that unique, fruity flavor!  If you're interested in checking them out, our friends at Snussie.com stock them!  

Ice CBD Pouches - Review. 14 October 2020.

I've been doing a lot of CBD reviews lately.  So far, I've reviewed Kurwa CBD Pouches, V&You CBD Pouches, Live Free CBD Pouches, and my personal favorite, Cannadips CBD Pouches.  I don't usually review Kurwa, but I did recently because their product mixes nicotine and CBD.  This product is much the same, with one nicotine free, and one with nicotine.  This product contains E460 cellulose, and is completely tobacco free.  Their website shows that they are made in Iceland, and I found them for order on a new website I just noticed, Snussie.com.  If you aren't familiar with CBD, it's short for Cannabidiol, and is a substance derived from hemp or cannabis that comes with a wide range of health effects.  I use it for a lot of things - such as headache and back pains.  Mrs. Snubie uses it for anxiety, insomnia, back pains, and headaches.  Needless to say, it has a lot of great benefits.  These products made me curious because they also mix in nicotine, so I'm curious to see how the stimulating effect of nicotine interacts with the calming effect of CBD.

Ice CBD Pouches: Nicotine Free (+200 CBD)

Product Description:  "ICE CBD is a fresh pouch without nicotine and contains 10 mg of CBD."

Can Contents:  12 grams / 20 portions / 0.6g portions

Nicotine Content:  Nicotine-Free

CBD Content:  10mg/pouch

Ice CBD Pouches: Nicotine Free (+200 CBD)

When you open the can, there is a present menthol aroma along with a light touch of mint.  The portions are slim, and comfortable, but light in weight.  They also come with a mild cooling presence.  I don't advise fluffing them, as they tend to pop open at the seam when I fluff them.  The flavor is a fresh, but mild taste of mint with menthol tones.  In terms of effect, I don't feel much CBD from these, much less than I notice with Cannadips, which is also 10mg/pouch.  The flavor doesn't seem to last too long, usually these cap out at about 30 minutes of longevity.

Ice CBD Pouches: Icicle (+100mg CBD/8mg Nicotine)

Product Description:  "ICE Icicle is a fresh nicopod with a delicious apple and mint flavour. This variant contains 5 mg of CBD."

Can Contents:  12 grams / 20 portions / 0.6g portions

Nicotine Content:  8mg/g (0.8%) / 4.8mg/portion

CBD Content:  5mg/pouch

Ice CBD Pouches: Icicle (+100mg CBD/8mg Nicotine)

When you open the can, the aroma comes with nice, mild tones of fresh green apple and a light touch of mint.  The portions are pretty soft, light in weight, and have a gentle cooling presence in the lip.  Again, don't fluff them as they tend to pop open at the seam.  The flavor is nowhere near as apparent as the aroma, and is much milder.  It has a faint taste of green apple, along with a light, fresh touch of mint.  In terms of effect, I feel light levels of nicotine, like a mini portion snus.  However, I don't notice much effect from the CBD.  The flavor isn't very long lasting, usually only about 30 minutes on average.

Ice CBD Pouches: Frost (+200mg CBD/18mg Nicotine)

Product Description:  "ICE Frost is a fresh nicopod with the ice-cold taste of various mint flavours. This variant contains 10 mg of CBD."

Can Contents:  11g / 20 portions / 0.55g portions

Nicotine Content:  18mg/g (1.8%) / 9.9mg/portion

CBD Content:  10mg/pouch

Ice CBD Pouches: Frost (+200mg CBD/18mg Nicotine)

When you open the can, there's a present menthol aroma, along with a light touch of mint.  The portions are slim, comfortable, and soft under the lip.  They come with a fresh cooling presence, as well.  Like I said above, don't fluff them, as they do tend to pop open at the seam.  The flavor is a faint, mild taste of menthol with a light touch of mint.  In terms of effect, the nicotine delivery is pretty solid, about what I feel from regular snus.  However, I don't notice much effect from the CBD.  The flavor isn't too long lasting, usually only about 30 minutes at most.

In terms of ratings, I'm not going to go line by line, so I'll just post them here.  The Nicotine Free one received a 2.16/5, Frost received a 2.29/5, and Icicle received 2.41/5.  These weren't bad products, but nothing I'd probably use again.  In terms of the nicotine and CBD interacting, I tended to notice more effect from the nicotine and not much from the CBD.  For CBD, I usually use Cannadips, because I think it's a better product.  But these were certainly better than the Kurwa CBD Pouches I reviewed earlier!

Kurwa CBD Pouches - Review. 14 October 2020.

Yes, I know you're saying, "Wait, Snubie said he wouldn't be reviewing Kurwa or these high nicotine products!" - and yes, that is true.  However, I'm making an exception for this one because it's a CBD pouch product, and I've recently begun reviewing CBD products here.  I've had a lot of requests for this one from our CBD audience, so I figured I'd take a stab at it.  Also, it contains CBD and nicotine, which I've been curious to check out, because I wanted to see how these two effects would interact with each other coming from one pouch.  And one thing I can't knock Kurwa on is their can design.  I'm a farmer and primarily raise chickens, so I had to get a shot with my favorite rooster.  

So, what is Kurwa?  Kurwa is a product, according to their website, made in the EU.  Their website lists a contact in Hungary, so I'm not sure if that's where it's made or not.  Kurwa, as a brand, is notorious for insanely high nicotine products, many clocking in at 50mg/g.  As mentioned, I generally don't review products with these high levels of nicotine because I don't feel anyone needs that much nicotine to be able to quit smoking.  I, a former pack a day smoker, quit smoking with 4mg/g snus.  I've also seen some of the heaviest smokers quit smoking with 17-18mg/g snus.  So, I've never been of the belief that people need products this strong.  

Now, let's talk about what's in this can.  I ordered this from Snussie.com, and their description says, "When you think of CBD, you think of cannabis. That's exactly what you get along with a very strong nicotine kick."  Each can weighs 16.7g and has 23 portions, which would put them around 0.72g each.  In this product, you get nicotine, at 50mg/g (5.0%), or 36mg/portion.  I was told that each pouch contains 4mg of CBD, as well.  This is also a nicotine pouch product, meaning it doesn't contain tobacco, but does contain E460 Filler, which is a type of cellulose, similar to what nicotine pouch products use.  If you aren't familiar with CBD, it's short for Cannabidiol, and is a substance derived from hemp or cannabis that comes with a wide range of health effects.  I use it for a lot of things - such as headache and back pains.  Mrs. Snubie uses it for anxiety, insomnia, back pains, and headaches.  Needless to say, it has a lot of great benefits.  These products made me curious because they also mix in nicotine, so I'm curious to see how the stimulating effect of nicotine interacts with the calming effect of CBD.

Now, let's review this stuff.  When you open the can, the aroma is very faint.  It’s not sweet, it’s not minty, it’s not fruity, there’s really not much aroma.  I can pull out some pepper tones, and a light herbal character, but that’s about it.  The portions are very interesting looking.  They’re moderately soft, and come with a slight burn when you put them under the lip.  There’s not much flavor to it; I find it to be pretty bland in that department.  I can pull out a light peppery tone, and some earthy elements, but that’s about it.  In terms of the effect, I feel the nicotine quickly; within about 5 minutes it’s got a heck of a kick, well above the extra strong level.  I don’t feel much effect from the CBD, but due to the high nicotine strength I can’t keep these in too long, usually only up to about 15 minutes on average.

Rating

Can Design - 5 - Come on, I mean, I'm a farmer who raises chickens.  I had to give this can a high rating.

Portions - 2.75 - The portions are interesting looking, moderately soft, and come with a burn in the lip.

Aroma -  1 - It's pretty bland, and I can't pick up much from the aroma at all.

Flavor - 1 - Like the aroma, there really isn't much flavor to this one at all.

Effect - 2 - Much too strong to keep in long enough to feel the CBD effect.

Longevity - 1 - I can't keep these in too long due to the insanely high nicotine strength.

Average - 2.12/5 - The saving grace of this product was the can design, which I love because I raise chickens.

Final Thoughts

Going into this, I was curious how nicotine and CBD would interact.  This one has way too much nicotine to keep it in long enough to enjoy the calming effects of the CBD.  The aroma and flavor were quite bland, and I couldn't keep it in very long, either.  Fair to say, I'm not a fan.  However, if you're a Snussie customer and want to check out CBD products, my go to is Cannadips CBD Pouches, which are a much better product.  I've reviewed them here, and you can check that out!