Small Batch 8 (Gin & Pepper) - Preview. 16 February 2019.

The first Small Batch product of 2019 is here, meet Small Batch #8: Gin and Pepper. The last release came in November of 2018, and I was curious if this line would continue in 2019, but here we are again! Last year saw seven Small Batch products. Small Batch 1, released in January 2018, had a taste of champagne.  Small Batch 2, released in February 2018, had a taste of blood orange.  Small Batch 3, released in May 2018, had a taste of apple and mint.  Small Batch 4, released in July 2018, had a taste of raspberry and licorice.  Small Batch 5, released in September 2018, had a taste of coffee.  Small Batch 6, released in October 2018, had an odd taste of mushroom.  Small Batch 7, release in November of 2018, had a taste of Orange and Chocolate.

The flavor description for Small Batch 8 says it "has a light and spicy tobacco character with hints of juniper, lime, herbs and pepper. The ingredients have been formulated to give a taste similar to gin."

It's available now on the Swedish Match e-store.  As usual, this product isn't available to the US.

Thunder Frosted (Ultra Strong) White Dry - Review. 16 February 2019.

I actually did a review of this back in 2014. I reviewed it with Thunder Frosted Extra Strong White Dry and put both of them in one article. That product was recently discontinued, and I planned on just splitting the reviews into separate articles. But, I noticed this product has a new design, and I actually never did a video review of it, so I just threw a can on my recent SnusCENTRAL order so I could review it again. The flavor description for this snus says, "Thunder Frosted has a very smooth long lasting spearmint taste." It comes in an 11.7g can with 18 portions for 0.65g portions. The nicotine content is 42mg/g (4.2%) which sounds intimidating, but with lighter portions it’s a little lighter, at 27.3mg/portion.

When you open the can the aroma that greets you is a present, mildly sweet spearmint smell. I was impressed with how present the smell was; usually white dry products don’t have a strong aroma. The portion is dry, but softer to the touch than most white dry products. Keep in mind, it’s only 0.65g each so they don’t fluff up as much. When you put a portion in the lip you’ll encounter a mild cooling presence, as well. The flavor tastes a lot like regular Thunder Frosted, but more mild. It’s a gentle, lightly sweet spearmint flavor with a hint of tobacco in the background. As far as the nicotine goes, I felt it kick at 8 minutes, and I took the portion out at 19 minutes. I don’t use a lot of really strong stuff, so I can’t keep it in too long. However, most white dry products seem to last an hour to an hour and a half.

If you like really strong snus, check this one out.  It's not something I would personally use again, as it's too strong for me.  But it has a good flavor, so those of you with high nicotine cravings may love it!

Nordic Spirit (Åre Edition 2019) - Review. 13 February 2019.

Nordic Snus has released a limited edition of their Nordic Spirit (True White) all white snus product with a neat ski theme! These limited edition designs of their Nordic Spirit line were created for the 2019 FIS World Cup, taking place February 4th through 17th in Åre Sweden. It was a very limited edition run, and is only available in Åre, or online. I've only seem them for sale on Snusbolaget.  As a skier, I really dig these limited edition designs.  If you're a collector of limited edition cans like myself, make sure and grab some of these.  If you missed my reviews of these all white products, you can check them out - here.

Epok Ice Cool Strong (Chew Bags) - Review. 11 February 2019.

Winnington/BAT, makers of Epok Snus and Lyft, have joined the growing Nordic Chew/"Chew Bag" category by releasing chew bag/chewing tobacco (or "tyggetobak", as the can says) versions of the Epok line. These products were recently released in Denmark, so a special thank to Jakob who hooked me up with these for review. They initially launched three products - Mint, Ice Cool Mint, and Berry Frost. I don't have much more as far as information goes; there's a website on the bottom of the can, Epok.dk, but as of today it still says "coming soon".

I've only seen this for sale on one online shop, but they don't have a flavor description listed.  I'm going to assume it's the same as regular Ice Cool snus - "Epok Ice Cool Mint Slim has a refreshing mint flavor."  It comes in a 16.8 gram can with 24 portions for 0.7 gram portions.  I'm going to assume the nicotine content is the same as the Ice Cool Snus at 14mg/g (1.4%) for 9.8mg/portion. 

I won't go too in depth on the differences between snus and chew bags, but I did an in depth video on it if you want to learn more. Basically, these are products made the same was as snus, but called chew bags/chewing tobacco so they become legal for sale in the EU.  Looking at this comparison between Epok Snus and Epok Chew Bags, they don't look that much different.  The Epok Chew Bags are a little more white, and the portion material is a little thicker/more dry, but that's really the only differences I notice.  The white tobacco itself inside the pouch looks about the same.

The aroma is a sharp, fresh mint smell.  It reminds me a little of peppermint, but also seems to have a little spearmint, too.  The portions themselves are slim, moderately soft to the touch, and pretty comfortable under the lip.  When you put a portion under your lip you'll encounter a burning sensation, and then a nice cooling presence, as well.  If you've ever had Epok Ice Cool Snus, this tastes pretty close to that one.  The taste is a present mint flavor, which tastes most like peppermint.  It's not too sweet, but does taste rather fresh.  This stuff has a strong kick to it, and feels firmly at the extra strong level.  The flavor, on average, lasts up to an hour.

I found this to be pretty close to regular Epok Ice Cool Mint Strong Snus.  If you have access to this and can't get the snus version, give it a try!  As far as where to get it, as of the date of this article I've only seen one webshop that sells it - kioskenrodbyhavn.dk.  You can grab some from there!

Thunder Lit Blizzard Chew Bags (Preview) - 9 February 2019.

It feels like ages since V2 Tobacco has released a new product. I went back through my reviews and the most recent V2 product I've reviewed was General Cut Chew Bags back in April of 2018. So, it's been a while! Now, finally, a new release from V2! This is a new chew bag product    called Thunder Lit Blizzard Slim White Dry Chewing Bags; it has quite the long name!  I'm not sure if this is "lit" as the kids say, or something else.  It's supposed to be "ultra strong with a cool mint taste".  I don't have much more info on it beyond that, but here's some pics of the can.

Beyond that, that's about all I know.  But here's a shot of the can from a different angle.  Once it comes out I'll work on getting some for review!

Lyft & Epok - Clarifications. 8 February 2019.

Not too long ago, I reported that Lyft was not replacing Epok. This was due to what I was told by BAT (British American Tobacco), makers of Epok and Lyft, back in October of 2018. It seems to be a bit more complicated than that.  First - the basics.  For those unfamiliar - Epok is a white tobacco product made by Winnington/BAT.  Lyft is a nicotine pouch product made by Winnington/BAT.  They're virtually identical except for the name and what's in the pouch.  To further complicate it, there are now Epok Chew Bags sold in Denmark, which is another white tobacco product.  I won't go too much into all that, but I did a video on it if you want to know more.  Now, some clarifications.

Today, I was handed some different information from BAT (British American Tobacco).

1.  Epok will still be available, but only in Denmark and Switzerland.  As of now, I'm not sure if this is Epok Snus or Epok Chew Bags, as I know Epok Chew Bags are now available in Denmark.  But this is the only place I was told the Epok brand name will live on.

2.  For everyone else, it's Lyft.  If you live outside of Denmark or Switzerland, you will no longer have access to Epok and will need to switch to Lyft.  All the flavors you like in Epok are available in the Lyft line, except they don't contain tobacco.  Everything else is the same except the name.

This has all been quite confusing, but I'm glad I received a little more clarification from BAT!

Epok Berry Frost (Chew Bags) - Review. 7 February 2019.

Winnington/BAT, makers of Epok Snus and Lyft, have joined the growing Nordic Chew/"Chew Bag" category by releasing chew bag/chewing tobacco (or "tyggetobak", as the can says) versions of the Epok line. These products were recently released in Denmark, so a special thank to Jakob who hooked me up with these for review. They initially launched three products - Mint, Ice Cool Mint, and Berry Frost. I don't have much more as far as information goes; there's a website on the bottom of the can, Epok.dk, but as of today it still says "coming soon".  A few interesting things about this product.  First, the the strength.  Most regular strength Epok or Lyft products are 2/4, which is 8.5mg/g of nicotine.  This product is 1/4 strength, and it says "Mellow" on the can.  This is something new.  Second, the flavor.  Berry Frost is completely new, as this flavor doesn't exist in the Epok Snus or Lyft Nicotine Pouches line.

I don't see this for sale online anywhere, so I don't know what the flavor description is.  I know it comes in a 16.8 gram can with 24 portions for 0.7 gram portions.  Regular 2/4 strength Epok Snus is 8.5mg/g, and this 1/4.  This means it's going to be less strong than regular strength.

I won't go too in depth on the differences between snus and chew bags, but I did an in depth video on it if you want to learn more. Basically, these are products made the same was as snus, but called chew bags/chewing tobacco so they become legal for sale in the EU.  Looking at this comparison between Epok Snus and Epok Chew Bags, they don't look that much different.  The Epok Chew Bags are a little more white, and the portion material is a little thicker/more dry, but that's really the only differences I notice.  The white tobacco itself inside the pouch looks about the same.

This one has been a hard one to review. The aroma and flavor is very unique, and it's taken me some time to pen this review. I expected it to be a clone of Epok Blueberry, but it wasn't that.  The aroma most closely reminds me of a blend of blueberry and tropical fruit.  With "frost" in the name I expected a minty presence, but I didn't really notice one.  The portions themselves are slim, moderately soft to the touch, and pretty comfortable under the lip.  The flavor is pretty unique; I can taste a little blueberry, and then that tropical fruit flavor.  It reminds me of a blend of mango and guava.  I don't know if that's what it is, but to me that's what it tastes like.  The flavor lasts a pretty long time; I've been able to keep them in for up to an hour!  As far as the nicotine strength goes, it isn't lacking by any means.  It honestly feels similar to regular strength snus.

I enjoyed the flavor of this one, and found it to be pretty comparable to regular Epok Snus.  If you have access to this and can't get snus, give it a try!  As far as where to get it, as of the date of this article I've only seen one webshop that sells it - kioskenrodbyhavn.dk.  You can grab some from there!