Thunder Long Cut Wintergreen Review. 8 May 2012.

The things I do for you guys! If you've been reading my blog long, you know I'm not a fan of Wintergreen, or dip. I did my first dip in June of 2011, if some of you remember this video. To date, the only Wintergreen snus that I've reordered has been Oden's Extreme Wintergreen. Coincidentally, people said they can't taste the Wintergreen in it, so maybe that's why I like it. V2 has released another long cut snus, this time in Wintergreen format. Some of you old schoolers may remember their old Wintergreen Long Cut back in the day that got discontinued. Since then, they've been doing a few random long cut snuses here and there - Offroad Longcut: Red Blend, Offroad Longcut: Apple, Offroad Longcut: Orange and recently Thunder Longcut.

I gotta give props to V2, though. There's a big demand in the snus community from ex-dippers asking for a long cut snus. I think it's important for this to exist, because it helps dippers cross over to a much safer alternative, while making snus more approachable to those who aren't quite ready to learn how to hand bake lossnus. To make it official, I lower lipped this snus, though I didn't need to spit because snus isn't hard on the stomach like dip is. I found it very easy to pinch, more on that later. The aroma of this can is straight up Wintergreen, it reminds me very much of Thunder Wintergreen Portion, but it doesn't seem to smell as strong. The taste is classic, straight up Wintergreen. It reminds me a lot of Grizzly Wintergreen and has that "OMFGWintergreen" taste. So if you're a fan of Wintergreen and a lover of long cut, this would definitely be one for you to check out.

A friend of mine who is a dipper and interested in this snus asked me to take a pic of the "pinch ability" of this snus. As you can see it's pretty easy to pinch. All in all, this snus isn't for me, as I don't like Wintergreen. But if you're into dip and want to try snus, this might be a good one for you to start with. But, be warned, it's a limited edition and once it's gone it's gone. But you never know - V2 was convinced by a very persuasive blogger to bring back his favorite lossnus, Brandy Alexander, so who knows - we may see it again someday!

Granit Stark White. Review. 7 May 2012.

I reviewed the Granit Stark in February of 2011, and to date I haven't had much Granit to speak of. I have some of the Granit Los that I hope to review soon. I saw that Northerner.com was now carrying a new Granit Stark White so I had to pick it up to check it out. Plus I really love white cans. Being an Apple fanboy, I love anything in white. It just looks classy. The nicotine content is listed on Northerner.com as "High Level", so I don't know what the content is, but if I had to guess I'd say around 17 mg/g, that's what it feels like. The aroma of this one is a mix of tobacco/citrus, and the portions are quite full looking, much more plump than I've been seeing lately from a lot of other companies. The can is listed as 21.6 grams, and one thing I found really interesting is that the ingredients listed "Lakrits" and "Salmiak" as being in this snus. Two flavors popular in snus, but not something I'm used to seeing in one snus, rather it's usually in two.

So, the snus has a pretty interesting taste. It's a very mellow citrus taste with almost a slight hint of licorice to it. It's almost like Granit Special White, but the licorice is VERY faint and hardly noticeable unless you're looking for it, which I was after reading it on the can. The snus has a mellow salt balance, and lasts quite some time, being a white portion. The citrus taste is very fresh and clean, and has almost a tea like quality to it. So all together it's a pretty interesting flavor. Not something I feel that I'd use on a regular basis or re-order, but if you're a fan of Granit it's worth a look into.

General Long White Extra Strong Review. 7 May 2012.

It's really cool seeing all these new Long Portion releases lately. I'm glad companies are investing in making more products in the long format. As I've always said, it is truly the best way to enjoy snus. The fit in the lip is comfortable as can be, and even more discrete than the popular portion format. I was driving home from work tonight and was thinking about how lossnus purists must have felt when portions came around, and then portions grew and grew in popularity. I can imagine some day long portions will reign supreme and the original/white portion regular size format will be a thing of the past, or less produced than long portions. Just my theory. I've really been digging General Extra Strong Long lately, that and 06 have become staples in my rotation. I love the General taste, when I think bergamot it's always General that I reach for. Not to sound like a fanboy, but it's just that good. There's a reason it's #1 in Sweden. Just sayin'. Most long portions, though, have been in the original portion format. The white portion format hasn't been very well represented in long portions. That's been changing lately with more releases as White/Long, so those of you who are White Portion purists can get your fix in long portion format now.

As I mentioned in my review of Catch White Black Currant Long, the size reminds me a lot of the American General releases, Classic Blend & Nordic Mint. They're longer than traditional white portions, but a tad thicker. The nicotine content of this one is slightly less strong than General Long ES, it only comes in at 18 mg/g whereas the General Long ES is at a killer 20 mg/g. But one thing I've always noticed about white portions is the stronger ones seem to hit me quicker than original portions. This one has a very mellow citrus aroma when you open the can, and the flavor is much the same. As a white portion, it takes longer for the flavor to develop, and it's much like General White Portion, a mellow citrus taste with hints of pepper and salt. The nicotine kick is pretty strong as well and the flavor lasts quite some time once it develops. So, if you're a fan of the General taste and enjoy White Portions, this would be something you would definitely enjoy!

Catch Collection//Spring Street (Apple Cinnamon) Review. 7 May 2012.

In February, I reviewed the new Catch Collection//Layfayette Street (Spearmint), which was the first of the 2012 Catch Collection. This year, Swedish Match has decided to name their releases after streets in New York. Every year, the Catch Collection brings some of Swedish Match's most unique and interesting flavors in a limited edition format. For some reason, they keep coming as mini portions, but SM swears that's what people want. Though I've tried lobbying to get a regular size Catch Collection, my efforts haven't paid off yet. But I'm still hopeful. In the past we've seen Mint Vanilla, Violet Licorice, Cardamom Cinnamon, Rhubarb, Elder Lime, Ginger Orange, and Raspberry Pepper. Truly a diverse bunch of flavors. Mint Vanilla actually was re-released due to popular demand - to date it's still my favorite of the releases.



So now, we're on to Apple Cinnamon. The cans for Spring Street is one of the new Swedish Match mini cans, small and discrete and featuring the graphics of the 2012 Catch Collection which seems to be representing some kind of night life or city life. When you open the can the aroma is delicious, a smell of rich apple with hints of cinnamon in the background. I absolutely could not wait to get this one into my lip. I have to double barrel these, as they're mini portions and I need a little more oomph when I use them. About half way through this can I finally realized what this stuff reminds me of. Quaker Instant Oatmeal: Apples With Cinnamon. My daughter loves that stuff for breakfast, and I can always recall the smell of opening the packet and this seems to be exactly reminiscent of that flavor. A really rich apple taste with hints of mellow cinnamon. It's a really simple taste but so, so, so good. This isn't a snus I could use all the time, I see myself burning out on the flavor after a few cans, but like Mint Vanilla - it's one I will put into the freezer stock for when I get that craving for a dessert type snus.

Catch White Black Currant Long. Review. 7 May 2012.

This is one I've been looking forward to since I heard about it a few months ago. Swedish Match has been getting pretty ballsy lately with new flavors, we had Goteborg's Rape Lime recently, now Black Currant, and one I'll be reviewing later tonight - Apple Cinnamon. It's cool that they're moving into new territory and experimenting more with unique flavors. Like Black Currant. You're probably saying the same thing I did when I read this product description, "What the hell's a Black Currant?" The product description for this new snus from BuySnus says it's, "Catch snus in the popular long portion formati , with a milde tobacco taste with a clear flavor of black currant and mint and just a hint of violet and herbs." I had to do some research, because I don't know what Black Currant is, so I checked around the interwebz to see just what this new flavor was all about. Wikipedia says it's "...a species of Ribes berry native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia, and is a perennial." That tells me absolutely nothing so I had to check around for more information. The best description I've found so far is a dried fruit that tastes like raisins. Works for me. The smell is really interesting and hard to explain. It's a slightly fruity and floral aroma with an almost herbal like quality to it.
 

The portions are rather interesting. This is the first long white portion that isn't a "slim/medium fit" like the Catch Pure Mint. These portions remind me a lot of the US General releases - Classic Blend and Nordic Mint, a little longer than usual snus portions, but a little thicker as well. These are extremely comfortable in the lip as well. The taste is so unique, it's unlike anything I've ever had before. The taste almost hearkens to grape, but with a lighter flavor and a floral/herbal blend in the background and a cooling/airy feeling to the snus the longer you have it in your lip. It's really interesting and hard to explain but that's the best I can do. This is one you'll have to try for yourself, it's quite unique. I don't get the mint, though the violet does come through a little longer into the snus and is a very mellow experience. This snus is very chill, it reminds me a lot of Drank, which is a drink designed to "Slow Your Roll". I give it a thumbs up, it's a unique snus and I'd suggest you guys try it if you're looking for something to shake things up a bit.

Snubie.com's 3 Year Anniversary! 5 May 2012.

Three years ago today, I wrote my first snus review, a review of General Mini Mint. I was just coming into snus, and started this blog to write what I was going through and offer any helpful advice to those who were interested in switching from Camel "SNUS" to the real stuff, Swedish Snus. As the blog grew, I launched Snubie.com and then QuitSmokingWithSnus.com to continue to help people quit smoking/dipping by switching to snus. Shortly after that we launched a YouTube channel, as well. The websites and blog continued to grow and attract more and more readers each month, and as the emails poured in from people I realized that what I was doing was helping people, and I have been glad to be a part of it. Last year, my friend Christopher Nash and I launched GoSmokeless.org, a snus/tobacco discussion forum. If you've been with Snubie since the beginning you may have joined my first forum (which totally sucked) and know how much I've wanted to do that for a while. This year, I've expanded Snubie to cover nasal snuff and launched a new website, SnusRevolution.com. It's been great to be a part of all this growth, and I just wanted to say thank you - to all of you who have been a part of it. Thanks for viewing and spreading the word! I did a video yesterday about a contest/giveaway I'm going to be doing:


 

If Snubie.com, this blog or our YouTube channel has helped you quit smoking/dipping by switching to snus, send an email to Snubie.com@GMail.com and share your story. We'll do a drawing a pick a winner, and publish your letter on the website at the end of the month when we pick a winner. Again, thank you all for being a part of this and I look forward to many more years to come!

Göteborgs Rapé Large White Lime Portion. Review. 24 April 2012.

Folks, it's here and I couldn't be more excited. I've been looking forward to seeing more Lime flavored snuses since Catch Colletion Glow (Ginger Lime) was out a few years ago, and the day is upon us! In fact, it's such a big deal that Swedish Match didn't just add a new SKU, they added it to their Göteborgs Rapé line, which is very popular and traditional in Sweden. This isn't just a limited release, it's a full time brand ready to kick ass and take names. I know, I probably sound excited about it, because I am. Göteborgs Rapé has been around since 1919, and in the amount of time it's been around, Lingon was the only flavor added (No2) in 2006, so it's very rare that Swedish Match will drop a new product in this line. In the past, I've heard from various snus manufacturers around the world that lime was a hard flavor to master and sustain in snus so nobody has really experimented with it much until now, so I was a little nervous going into this one. Would it deliver? Would the flavor last? Will it be any good? The flavor description on BuySnus lists as, "Medium bodied tobacco character with clear hints of lime and mint, and a touch of lavender and green grass." So, does it deliver?

Since getting this snus in the mail yesterday, I've already almost killed a whole can and used nothing but Lime. Usually I have a pretty big rotation that I mix it up with but since getting this I've just been loving this flavor. When you open the can the aroma is very nice - a strong aroma of lime. The portions are in the traditional Star Formation that is common to all of Swedish Match's White Portion snus. The taste is simply magnificent. I was talking with a friend last night from our forum - GoSmokeless.org and mentioned that Swedish Match wouldn't add a new product that was non limited, much less to a popular line like Göteborgs Rapé if they didn't believe it was going to sell, and this snus doesn't disappoint. The flavor is great, it tastes almost like lime Jello with an herbal like quality in the background and a mellow salt balance. The lime flavor lasts for quite sometime, I've noticed it lasting well into the 45 minutes to an hour mark. There is a little fresh/cooling sensation tied in which could be from the mint/lavender combination - though I don't pick those up in taste, but rather as a sensation/feel with the snus. I really like this snus, and it's one of few that I would pick up a roll of sight unseen because I knew it was going to be good. A definite re-order and a definite addition to my daily use lineup. If you haven't ordered any yet, check it out - pick some up from your favorite webstore!