Snus & Drink Pairings. 23 September 2014.

One thing not many of you may know about me is that I went to Culinary School after high school, and worked as Chef at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas about 10 years ago. One of the most important and interesting things I learned in those days that I still use today is how to pair beverages with food. When I began using snus, I noticed the ability to pair snus with various beverages, and found lots of unique and interesting combinations that I enjoy. One of the most important things about snus and drink pairing is flavor. Picking out the unique flavors of a snus and pairing it with the unique flavors of a beverage that you enjoy.  In this article, I'll be going over some that I enjoy.  There will be alcohol related beverages mentioned, so if you aren't of legal age to drink in your state/country, I do not encourage or endorse you to drink underage.  I'm not a big drinker myself, but every now and then I'll have a drink with a meal or something, so I'll be throwing in some of those pairings as well.


Oden's Extreme Vanilla and Coca Cola Vanilla


Snuses:  There are a few vanilla flavored snuses from GN Tobacco that you can do this with - Oden's Vanilla, Oden's Vanilla White Dry, Oden's Extreme Vanilla and Oden's Extreme Vanilla White Dry.

Beverages:  Coca Cola Vanilla, or any cola with a vanilla taste to it.

Why it works:  The vanilla flavor in the snus pairs perfectly with the vanilla flavor in the soda.

General Snus and Samuel Adams Summer Ale

Snuses:  Obviously, any General would work with this, but the ones I use mostly are General Long Portion and General Tailored White, though sometimes I'll throw in a can of the US General Classic Blend as well.

Beverages:  I prefer Samuel Adams Summer Ale, though many other companies make a Summer Ale that has similar taste qualities.

Why it works:  The citrus flavor in the snus pairs very well with the citrus flavor in the beer.


Perrier Citron and Goteborg's Rape Lime

Snus:  Though GN Tobacco makes a lime snus as well, Goteborg's Rape Lime is one of my favorite summertime snuses!

Beverage:  Perrier Citron Lemon Lime.

Why it works:  This is a great blend of citrus flavors for the summertime.  The refreshing lemon lime taste of the Perrier pairs perfectly with the lime flavor of  Goteborg's Rape Lime.

General Licorice and Negra Modelo

Snuses:  Though there are MANY licorice snuses available, I suggest General Licorice to get the most out of this pairing.

Beverage:  Negra Modelo.

Why it works:  This is one I discovered recently.  I discovered Negra Modelo to have a faint hint of licorice in the flavor with a slightly smokey taste profile.  This pairs very well with the licorice flavors and slightly smoky taste of General Licorice.


Thunder Cola and Pepsi Throwback

Snuses: I originally enjoyed this one most with Thunder Cola, though lately I've been using a lot of Offroad Cola.

Beverages:  I suggest Pepsi Throwback, or another natural flavored cola with real sugar, not HFCS like most cola products contain.  I quit caffeine a year ago so I mostly pair it with caffeine free colas now - but it pairs best with Pepsi Throwback, in my opinion.  It's one drink I miss the most!

Why it works:  Obviously, both products have a cola flavor, and it mixes very well!
Gotland's Julesnus and Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Snuses:  I alternate between Gotlands Julesnus and Offroad Julesnus, both pair very well with Winter Lager.

Beverages:  I am a big fan of Sam Adams Winter Lager, though there are several other alternatives released during the holidays if you aren't into Sam Adams that would pair well with this.

Why it works:  Sam Adams Winter Lager has interesting tastes of ginger, cinnamon and gingerbread in the background as well as various spices which pair very well with the notes of cinnamon and holiday spices that are present in the Julesnus.
Skruf Cranberry and Cranberry Grape Juice

Snus:  Skruf Tranbar (Cranberry) White is the only cranberry snus still in production, so of course this is the one I enjoy pairing with Cran-Grape.

Beverage:  Though I drink cranberry juice on occasion, I enjoy Cran-Grape the most.

Why it works:  The cranberry flavor in the snus pairs great with the fruity cranberry taste in the cranberry juice beverage.

General Tailored and Fuze

Snuses: Obviously, any General would work with this, but the ones I use mostly are General Long Portion and General Tailored White, though sometimes I'll throw in a can of the US General Classic Blend as well.

Beverage:  There are many companies that make an Arnold Palmer (Half tea, half lemonade), but the one I enjoy the most is Fuze.

Why it works:  This one is very refreshing and one of my daily favorites.  The lemon flavor in the Fuze pairs great with the citrus flavor in the General Snus.

Islay Whisky Snus and Lancaster Estate 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Snus: Islay Whisky Snus, of course!

Beverages:  Though Lancaster Estate 2007 is one of my favorite Cabernets, I've paired it with many others and had similar results.

Why it works:  Though most would be quick to jump to pairing it with a Whisky, I enjoy pairing it with a Cabernet Sauvignon, because it's my favorite type of wine. Cabernets have a slightly smoky and earthy flavor, and many of which have hints of oak. The natural, earthy and smoky flavors of Islay Whisky Snus pair great with the flavors of the wine.

Roda Lacket and Stella Artois Cidre

Snus:  Definitely Roda Lacket.

Beverage:  Cidre by Stella Artois.

Why it works:  This one may sound strange - due to the fact that Cidre is an apple based flavor, and Roda Lacket is a dried fruit flavor but commonly associated with berries.  You have to get down to the notes of each.  Roda Lacket has a discrete fruit taste which has a little tart to it, and this pairs very well with the Cidre's tart Apple flavor.  Both products have an overall "fruity" taste, and even though they each taste like separate fruits, they come together and compliment each other very well with the flavors playing off each other. The Cidre can be slightly dry in flavor, which I enjoy, and it pairs very well with the dried fruit flavor of the Roda Lacket.

Gotlandssnus Hostsnus and Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Snus:  Gotland's Hostsnus.

Beverage:  Samuel Adams Octoberfest - this beer is absolutely fantastic.

Why it works:  Hostsnus has a classic taste of fall/autumn - hints of apple, pear, berries.  The beer has a light flavor of toffee and pear and a light fruitiness to it.  These flavors compliment each other well and play off each other to provide a very fall-centric sensory experience.  It's definitely my favorite snus and drink pairing.

General Long Portion and Fresca

Snuses:  Obviously, any General would work with this, but the ones I use mostly are General Long Portion and General Tailored White, though sometimes I'll throw in a can of the US General Classic Blend as well.

Beverage: Fresca Original Citrus

Why it works:   The slightly sour citrus flavor of Fresca is pretty close to a grapefruit flavor. When it comes to General, the flavor of bergamot has a slight resemblance to a grapefruit crossed with an orange - so the sour citrus flavors pair very well together.

Comments

  1. Camel Frost Large with Gatorade, usually orange.

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