Thunder Chew Bags: Wintergreen (Ultra Strong) - Reviews. 25 May 2018.

It's been a while since I've done a chew bag review, so I figured I would grab one out of the freezer that I haven't done a review of yet. Today, we are talking about Thunder Wintergreen (Ultra Strong) Chew Bags. Wintergreen is a flavor I'm not too fond of, but I know people enjoy it so I review it anyway. The flavor description for this product says, "Thunder Ultra Winter G Chew has a rich long-lasting taste of american wintergreen." This product comes in a 17.6 gram can with 24 portions for 0.73 grams each. It has a total nicotine content of 22mg/g (2.2%), which breaks down to 16.06mg/portion.

I won't go too much into the "chew vs snus" topic, but if you're interested you can check out my video on it that explains more in depth differences. Basically, this is how V2 describes them: "The tobacco leaves are heated and moistened with steam so they can be cut into smaller pieces. The tobacco for Thunder Chewing Bags are pieces cut with a length of between 5 - 50 mm and a width of 0.6-0.8 mm. The bags used are specially designed to be chewed to release flavor and nicotine. It is made from a paper with a special weave which is thicker and much stronger than the type of bag that snus is packed in. Thunder Chewing Bags are also fundamentally different from the other chewing tobacco products on the market by being cut tobacco in small bags while others are made from spun tobacco." What's interesting about these is that they're the original portion version, whereas most chew bags are the white portion version. You can see that they don't look too much different from regular snus. The tobacco inside, however, is the main difference you can see in the picture, as the chew bag tobacco is cut and the snus tobacco is ground. And though it's said that you can chew these bags, I never do.

If you've ever had Thunder Wintergreen Snus (Original Portion) before, this product reminds me a lot of that one. The aroma is a straight up, very present smell of American wintergreen; it smells much like an American wintergreen dip product. The chew bags feel much like regular snus in the lip. I don't chew on them, I just use them like regular snus. The taste is much like the smell, a very present taste of wintergreen. It's much like the flavor you'd expect from an American dip product. It has a light touch of sweetness, but not too much. The nicotine on this one is quite strong. Though it's only 16.06mg/portion, it feels to be a touch stronger than an extra strong snus. The flavor lasts around an hour, which is a pretty good amount of time for an original portion.

If you're into wintergreen and can't get snus but can get chew bags, this is worth trying out.  It's not for me, because I don't like wintergreen, but you may enjoy it. 

General Gastronomy 2018 (Original Portion) - Preview. 25 May 2018.

If you recall, last year Swedish Match released General Kardus 2017: Hernö Gin in May 2017, a limited edition release. Shortly thereafter, they released General (Blended by Hernö Gin) in November 2017. I was told this was the "leftovers" of General Kardus 2017, but I don't have confirmation of that. This year, in March of 2018, Swedish Match released General Kardus 2018 (Gastronomy Series). It looks like they are following the pattern established last year and releasing a canned/portion version of the General Kardus 2018 released last month. The flavor is described basically the same was as General Kardus 2018: "dark and spicy. The herbal compliments are clear; rosemary and thyme are noticed, together with citrus, dark berries, and a hint of spruce." It comes in a 20 gram can with 20 portions for 1 gram portions. The nicotine content is 16mg/g (1.6%), which breaks down to 16mg/portion! The old los version had a nicotine content of 14mg/g, so this is a bit stronger.

The flavor profile of this snus was created in collaboration with Karl Ljung. This is what Swedish Match had to say about this snus: "Karl Ljung is a passionate barkeeper and snuser. We at Swedish Match have together with him developed a snus line called the General Gastronomy Series, inspired by the gastronomic world. This is the first release of the series. "We worked hard to make it as close as possible to a sneak peek experience"says Karl Ljung. General Gastronomy Series Summer 2018 has been developed in collaboration between Karl Ljung and Swedish Match master blender Lars Öberg and has a clear taste direction. "The taste of the snus is inspired by Swedish herbs, which raise the dark tobacco character," says Karl Ljung.

This snus is currently available at the Swedish Match webstore.  As usual, I doubt this will be available to us in the US.  It seems more and more than special releases are being kept from us in the US, which is very unfortunate.  Hopefully someday this changes, because there have been a lot of great releases lately I wish US snusers could try!

Lundgren's Marstrand (2018 Limited Edition) - Review. 23 May 2018.

Fiedler and Lundgren are kicking off the summer by releasing another limited edition product - Marstrand (2018). This isn't their first limited edition in the Lundgrens line. In 2016, they released Lundgren's Infusion, which had a taste of ginger and lavender. In 2017, they released Lundgren's Infusion: Lavender and Lemongrass, which was a SnusBolaget exclusive. Now, they have released Lundgren's Marstrand, which appears to only be for sale at SnusBolaget, as well. A special thank you to Snubie friend Michael in Sweden who is always helpful with tracking down these products for review that I can't get ahold of in the US.  Now, let's talk about the product!

This product comes in a really neat box.  The box has a maritime theme to it, and looks really cool.  Inside the box you'll find the can of snus, and a booklet that tells you a little about the snus, as well.  Those flags on the side of the can are actually International Maritime Signal Flags, and they spell out "Lundgrens". There were only 5000 of these made, and this is number 3808/5000.  The box is really neat if you're a snus collector like me, and the aluminum can is a neat addition.  It has a really sleek look to it.

The name, Marstrand, comes from the town of Marstrand. Their tourism website says Marstrand is one of the most famous towns in Sweden and is located on the Bohuslän coast. The town is famous for its “intense boating culture”, which makes sense as to why this is a nautical themed/inspired snus. The website says sailing has become a public sport there, and apparently the “only natural sailing arena in the world” is located there. The website says Marstrand is the Swedish sailing capital. They also say it is the yearly location for the Marstrand Regatta, Match Cup Sweden and other major sailing championships.

This is what the book that comes with this snus says. This is the best I could do with an English translation, so forgive me if it isn't the best!

Marstrand Limited Edition 2018 
3808/5000

"The search for the optimum snus experience has always been our great driving force, a proud legacy from Fredrik Lundgren who gave us our name. Today, Lundgrens snus is inspired by the huge palette of flavors and aromas found in the Swedish flora. Every product from Lundgrens is a tribute to a region in Sweden, with flavors that arouse associations to popular Swedish places. Lundgrens takes you on a taste trip.

In the summer of 2018 we released Marstrand. Lundgren's Marstrand 2018 is a Fiedler and Lundgren interpretation of Marstrand and is inspired by warm, salt washed rocks, a smell of tarred rowboats, and wild growing rose hips and heather shrubs you can find on the road to the sea. Lundgren's exploration of the Swedish flora has just begun."

Rose Hip 

"Pleasant reverberation of fine citrus and wild rose from the west coast of Norway adds to the good aftertaste of the mind from the influx of Swedish-grown organic tobacco."

Heather 

"Earthy and old-fashioned background tones from vast heather hedges contribute character and stability that can only come from so hardy plants."

This snus comes in a beautiful metal can. The can weight is 21.6 grams and the can has 24 portions, which means 0.9 gram portions. The total nicotine content is 9mg/g (0.9%), which breaks down to 8.1mg/portion of nicotine.  The can itself feels to be aluminum, but is something that you could definitely reuse.  It's very classy, sleek, elegant, but also simple.  This is something you could put other snus in when you're finished with it, especially for a night on the town.

This snus was not cheap for me to get, but it was well worth every penny. I really enjoyed this one. The aroma and taste of this snus is very much sea-inspired. The aroma reminds of the sweet, salty sea breeze. There is a present smell of rose, which reminds me of Skruf products. There is also a small herbal presence, and a little pepper. The portions are the perforated white type, which means they have a quick release of flavor, but also a long lasting flavor. Also, don’t worry about the fact that the portion is perforated; I’ve never had any tobacco come through the little holes. They also feel very comfortable in the lip. The flavor of rose is quite present in the taste, but it comes through in a gentle and lightly sweet way. There’s also an herbal presence, which is hard to describe. It’s mild, but it seems to be more dark/rich in capacity than I’ve experienced with other snus products. That may be due to the heather, but I’ve never had heather so I can’t say. There is a nice taste of pepper and spices in the background. Also, this snus seems to have more of a salt presence than most other snuses, but I don’t mind that as I feel it contributes to the sea-like quality of the snus. The nicotine feels to be about regular strength, and I’ve found the flavor to last about an hour.

I really enjoyed this snus.  If it were a regular addition to the Lundgren's line, I would definitely buy more!

Göteborg's Rapé (Limited Edition 2018) - Preview. 16 May 2018.

Swedish Match has announced a new limited edition GR product, this one with the flavor of blueberry! I'm excited to see the blueberry flavor finally catching on. Epok makes one, and so does the WOW! brand.  Now, Swedish Match looks to be trying out this flavor profile.      

The product description says, "Göteborgs Rapé Limited Edition 2018 has its foundation in Rapé's classical character, but with a touch of Swedish berries and with a higher nicotine strength. Only sold in limited edition during the summer of 2018. The snus has a light and spicy tobacco character with elements of blueberry and lavender, as well as some vanilla and citrus." This product comes in a 21.6 gram can with 24 portions for 0.9 grams each. The nicotine content is 12mg/g (1.2%) or 10.8mg/portion.

Lundgren's Marstrand 2018 (Limited Edition) - Preview.

Fiedler and Lundgren are launching a new limited edition product, Lundgren's Marstrand (2018). SnusBolaget.se says only 4,000 of these were made. The price point is 150kr, or almost $18.00 USD for one can of snus. It comes in a pretty neat box, so if you're a snus collector like myself I suppose the cost is justified. Marstrand is a seaside locality in Sweden which is popular for sailing. The flavor description seems to go along with that: "Lundgren's Marstrand 2018 is a Fiedler and Lundgren interpretation of Marstrand and is inspired by warm, salt washed rocks, a smell of tarred rowboats, and wild growing rose hips and heather shrubs you can find on the road to the sea." The can weighs 21.6 grams and has a nicotine content of 9mg/g. SnusBolaget says this is a white portion, so I'm assuming it will be the perforated type, like their last limited edition - Lundgren's Infusion 2016 and Lundgren's Lavender and Lemongrass 2017.  I don't see this being sold to the US, so I'll try to track some down to do a review of it.  I'm someone who loves the water, so this flavor sounds delicious to me!

More Photos:

G4 Cryo (All White) Super Strong - Review. 13 May 2018.

The "all white" category has been becoming more and more popular the past few years. Swedish Match has been getting into this category with their new G4 line. In May of 2017 they launched their first "white tobacco" product - G4 Blue Mint. In October of 2017 they followed that one up with a stronger version, G4 Blizzard. In February of 2018, they launched G4 Apple/Mint. Now, they have launched G4 Cryo, which has a similar taste to Blue Mint and Blizzard, but with more nicotine! The flavor description of this one says, "G.4 CRYO has a pronounced peppermint character with cooling sensation that spreads throughout the mouth and provides an extra, almost burning, bite to the high nicotine strength. In the background there is green mint, hints of vanilla, and some sweetness.” This one comes in a 19.2 gram can with 24 portions for 0.8 gram portions. The nicotine content is 22mg/g (2.2%), which breaks down to 17.6mg/portion."

This is a comparison between Epok Snus and General G.4. This is the Blue Mint product, but it's the same stuff inside as what is in the Cryo product. You can see the portions look very much the same, as does the tobacco inside. The Epok tobacco is a little more white, and the G4 tobacco is a little more fine. Swedish Match said they’re using white tobacco which is added along with natural fibers. They say the product is white before, during, and after use.

When you open the can, the aroma that greets you is a gentle, smooth smell of peppermint. It's a little sweet, but not too sweet. The portions are soft and comfortable in the lip and come with a mild burn, and then a gentle cooling presence. The taste is much like Blue Mint and Blizzard, if you've had those. It's a mild taste of peppermint and a light touch of sweetness. The peppermint is very gentle, and comes across in a smooth, pleasant way. The nicotine kick is strong, and it comes in quick! This definitely feels stronger than your regular extra strong snus. The flavor lasts a good amount of time; I've found I can enjoy these for up to an hour!  If you're into the "all white" or "white tobacco" category but want something really strong, this is worth a try.  As of right now, this is currently the strongest "white tobacco" product on the market!

Skruf Fresh: Super White (#2 Original and #3 Strong) - Reviews. 12 May 2018.

The "all white"/"white tobacco" snus category has become moved from fad to full on craze. People are really digging this stuff. Now, it appears as though Skruf is looking to make a name for themselves in this category, but doing so in a different way. They recently launched these two products - Skruf Super White, which comes in an original strength (#2) and a strong (#3). This category has been growing for quite some time now. Epok Snus, which is a white tobacco product, is widely praised. Swedish Match also has their new General G4 product, which is another white tobacco product, and their Zyn NT product line, which is a dryer product containing nicotine salt and no tobacco. In the past, Swedish Match also made General Omni, which was a dryer product, and contained cellulose fibers and a small amount of tobacco. But these new products from Skruf are slightly different from those.

These products are moist, and feel like snus. Inside the pouch you'll find what looks like white tobacco, but isn't actually tobacco.  This product contains plant fibers and nicotine.  It feels like tobacco, looks like tobacco (other than being white), and feels like a snus portion in the lip, but isn't actually tobacco.  This is an interesting product, because there are a lot of people who want to quit smoking, and many of them want to quit tobacco all together, but don't want to give up nicotine.  That's where products like this, and Zyn for example, become important.

Skruf Super White #2 (Original) Fresh

The flavor description for this product says "Skruf Super White Slim Fresh No.3 (Strong) portion snus comes in full white portions. They remain completely white before, during and after use. This is a Strong nicotine snus and the taste is reminiscent of the mint flavor of other products in Skruf's "Fresh" line."  This product comes in a 17.3 gram can with 24 portions for 0.72 grams each. The nicotine content is listed as a 2/3, which I'm assuming is the equivalent 8mg/g.

When you open the can, the aroma that greets you is a sharp, fresh smell of peppermint. The portions are soft and comfortable in the lip and feel no different from a slim original portion snus. Being a mint product, you'll encounter a little tingle and a cooling presence in the lip, as well. The taste is a mild, gentle, lightly sweet taste of peppermint. The bottom of the can mentions salmiak in the recipe, but I don't notice a heavy salt character. The nicotine delivery feels to be the same as regular snus, and feels comfortable to a regular strength Swedish snus product. The flavor lasts a pretty good amount of time; I can usually keep these in for about 45 minutes on average.

Skruf Super White #3 (Strong) Fresh

The flavor description for this product says "Skruf Super White Slim Fresh No.3 (Strong) portion snus comes in full white portions. They remain completely white before, during and after use. This is a Strong nicotine snus and the taste is reminiscent of the mint flavor of other products in Skruf's "Fresh" line."  This product comes in a 17.3 gram can with 24 portions for 0.72 grams each. The nicotine content is listed as a 3/4, which I'm assuming is the equivalent 12-14mg/g.

This one is basically the exact same as the last one, except more nicotine.  The aroma is a sharp, straightforward smell of peppermint.  The portions are soft and comfortable in the lip, and come with a nice cooling presence, as well.  The taste, much like the last one, is a lightly sweet, gentle taste of peppermint.  The nicotine feels to be equivalent to a Swedish snus strong portion, and has a nice little kick to it.  The flavor also lasts around 45 minutes on average.

Both of these products were pretty good.  They're not something I would personally use, but I can suggest them to people who enjoy nicotine, but want to quit tobacco.  While these products aren't for me, I can see why they exist and they certainly do have a place on the market amongst other nicotine alternatives.