Thunder X (Original Portion) - Review (Discontinued). 7 December 2016.

NOTE:  This product has been discontinued and is no longer for sale.

When I started using snus back in 2009 - there weren't a lot of strong snus products. There was General Extra Strong (14mg/g nicotine), Nick and Johnny Strong (14mg/g), Thunder Frosted (16mg/g) - but that was about it.  Somewhere towards the end of 2009 began companies focusing on making stronger and stronger snus.  But the competition has been fierce between two companies in particular:  V2 Tobacco of Denmark and GN Tobacco of Sweden.  For a long time, Thunder Extra Strong (16mg/g) was king of the mountain.  Then GN Tobacco released Oden's Extreme (22mg/g) in early 2011. V2 countered with Thunder Ultra Strong (22mg/g) in late 2011. GN Tobacco decided to go much higher and released Siberia (43mg/g) in 2015. V2 countered in 2016 and released Offroad Arctic (45mg/g) in November 2016 and now Thunder X (45mg/g) in December 2016.  The competition has been fierce!  As a snus reviewer who doesn't use a lot of strong snus, I'm hoping it doesn't go much farther than this.  This stuff is becoming much too strong for me, and it's hard to review!  Usually when I do a review I like to use an entire can of the stuff before I write my review, but with stuff this strong I'm lucky to get through a half a can.

Now, let's talk more about the nicotine.  I made this chart that compares the "on paper" aspects of the "world's strongest snus" products.  I wanted to compare them in two ways - total nicotine and nicotine per portion.  If you rank by total nicotine, on paper the new Thunder X products are the strongest in the world.  If you rank by nicotine per portion, Siberia Brown still has the crown and Thunder X falls in behind it.  As I've mentioned before, "on paper" nicotine levels aren't the only things to consider.  You have to look at types of tobacco used, free nicotine levels (the amount of nicotine actually usable) and pH, which affects the nicotine absorption, as well.  So one snus may be stronger than another on paper, but the weaker snus may "feel" stronger due to various factors.  That's where things get interesting.

When it comes to Thunder X (Original Portion), the product description says, "Thunder X Original Portion Snus takes natural nicotine to a new extreme (or Xtreme). Tobacco with mint/menthol flavors combine with the high powered nicotine infusion to give you a snus experience just like gloriously walking naked in the Scandinavian winter...without the frostbite!"

When I timed these products for my review, I wanted to see how quick I felt the nicotine, and when I had to take the portion out. For my first portion, I felt the nicotine at 2 minutes, 15 seconds. I had to take the snus out at 8 minutes, 18 seconds. I've maxed out at being able to keep the snus in at 10 minutes, but I really can't keep it in any longer than that, the nicotine is too much for me. When you open the can, the aroma reminds me a lot of Thunder Cool Mint, but it’s much more sharp and focused. The aroma is a clear, crisp peppermint smell. There is also a strong cooling sensation and burning feeling that you’ll feel simultaneously in the lip. The flavor is a sharp peppermint taste, a little menthol, a mild tobacco taste and a faint hint of chocolate. I think that may come from the type of tobacco they used. There’s a little pepper, as well as a little salt in the taste. The sharpness of the peppermint eventually dies down and becomes a more smooth and mellow taste of peppermint.

As far as the nicotine goes, I can say that, in terms of feel, this is the strongest snus in the world.  I found that with Siberia my average was being able to keep it in for 15 to 20 minutes.  With these I can keep them in for up to 10 minutes, but that's it!  V2 has always been good about their free nicotine levels and it shows in this product.  The nicotine hit is fast and hard and it doesn't let up.  If you're looking for a strong product to kick you in the face, this is it.