NOTE: This is the old review when these products were made by Swedish Match. They are now made by V2 Tobacco/Swedish Match North Europe. Check out the new review, here.
Due to the EU snus ban, it is hard for people to get harm reduced alternatives in certain parts of Europe. The EU has ignored tobacco harm reduction and embraced the "quit or die" mentality, instead. However, many snus manufacturers have found ways to get safer tobacco products into the hands of consumers. Instead of selling "snus" to the EU, they sell "chewing tobacco" or "chew bags". These products are made in the same way that snus is and carry the same harm reduced benefits, but are legal to be sold within the EU. Don't bother trying to figure that out, it doesn't make any sense and will just give you a headache when you realize the ignorance of the EU. In the past I've reviewed
Thunder Chewing Tobacco & Chew Bags by V2 Tobacco,
Ink Chewing Bags by AG Snus,
Cruiser Chew by Gotlandssnus and
General Chew Bags, a product made by Swedish Match for sale on the Swiss market. Now, Swedish Match is doing it again and they have released General Cut onto the Czech Republic market and the Danish market. I discovered these products for sale at
Mirage-Distribution.cz. Thanks to one of our readers, I was able to get ahold of some of these for review!
As usual with these type of products, I wanted to compare the pouches and do a cut test. Looking at the portions, you can see that they don't look much different in terms of moisture amount or size. The portion material feels the same to the touch in both the General Cut products and the General Snus products.
The main difference I notice is when you open the pouches and look at the product inside. (
If you click on the photo to your left and enlarge it you can get a better look at it). The General Cut tobacco is much more moist, and seems to be cut instead of ground like I see with the General Snus. The General Snus is more ground and well packed than the General Cut tobacco is. That's the main difference I notice when comparing General Cut to General Snus.
General Cut Ice (White Portion)
When it comes to General Cut Ice (White Portion), the
product description says, “
General chewing tobacco, cut into slices and packaged into portions, with ripe flavors of mint tobacco."
This can has a total weight of 18 grams and contains 18 portions, meaning 1 gram portions. The nicotine content is 14mg/g or 1.4%. Since they are 1 gram portions, that's 14mg/portion or 1.8%/portion.
When you open the can, the aroma that comes through is a mellow peppermint smell. It's not very sharp, and it's not overly sweet. The aroma is close to
General G3 Mint and
The Lab 12, but the peppermint smell isn't as sharp. The portions are soft, but the tobacco in the pouch is quite firm/compact. I suggest fluffing the tobacco inside the pouch before putting it under your lip. You'll notice a mild cooling sensation in your lip whenever you put in a portion of General Ice. The flavor also reminds me of General G3 Mint or The Lab 12, but it's not as sharp. The peppermint flavor is much more mild, and I can also taste more tobacco in this one. The tobacco taste isn't bold or overbearing, but the longer you have a pouch in the more you'll notice it in the background. The nicotine strength of this one is 14mg/g, so it feels a little stronger than a regular strength snus, but it won't knock you out or anything.
General Ice Extra Strong (White Portion)
When it comes to General Ice Extra Strong (White Portion), the
product description says, “
General chewing tobacco, cut into slices and packaged into servings, powerful, with ripe flavors of mint tobacco."
This can also has a weight of 18 grams and contains 18 portions. These are also 1 gram portions. The nicotine content is 20mg/g or 2.0%. With 1 gram portions, that's 20mg/portion and 2.0%/portion.
Much like the regular strength counterpart, the aroma you'll experience when opening this can is a gentle, mild peppermint smell. It also reminds me of General G3 Mint or The Lab 12, but the peppermint smell is more dialed back and not as sharp or focused. I also suggest fluffing these pouches before you put them under your lip. The portion material is soft, but the tobacco in the pouch is firm and compact, so breaking it up and fluffing it makes the portion more comfortable in the lip. When you put a portion in the lip you'll notice a mild cooling sensation. The flavor is very much similar to the regular strength version. It's close to The Lab 12 or General G3 Mint in that it is a peppermint flavored product. But, the peppermint taste is more dialed back and mellowed. You'll also notice a taste of tobacco the longer you have the portion in your lip! The nicotine content is 20mg/g and you'll certainly feel a nice kick from this one!
These are both great products. If you like mint flavored snus and are in the Czech Republic or Denmark, these General Cut products are certainly worth trying out!
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