General (Kardus) - Review. 12 January 2020.

Today, I'm excited to review something extremely special: General Kardus! Don't get this confused with other General Kardus limited edition releases - this is a different release. The is a product sold exclusively at the Snus and Match Museum's Museum Shop in Stockholm, and also at the Swedish Match store in Stockholm. A good friend of mine actually sent me all five varieties sold: General, Grov, Ettan, Prima Fint, and Roda Lacket.  Needless to say, I couldn't be more excited to review this product.

Kardus isn't a brand, and it isn't long cut tobacco.  Kardus actually refers to how snus used to be packaged. To explain what "Kardus" is all about, I'll quote from the Snus and Match museum's website: "The “kardus paper” used to make the boxes is a simple, coarse type of wrapping paper that was used for a variety of products as long ago as the 1600s. It was used to package not only snus but gunpowder, shot, matches, etc. The Swedish word, “kardus” comes from the French word, “cartouche”, and has been used since Napoleonic times, and refers to the ancient Egyptian seals discovered at that time in North Africa. The “kardus boxes” were often closed with a seal. The 250g weight of our contemporary boxes refers back to the old weight – a half pound – which was commonly used when buying snus. This style of packaging disappeared as cardboard portion cans became increasingly popular, and these unique, hand-packed “kardus boxes” are nowadays only made at the Snus and Match Museum. The packaging is a beautiful, retro-style one, inspired by the Art Nouveau movement of almost 100 years ago."

This is the freshest snus I've probably ever had. The label says the snus was packed 11/28. My friend picked it up, mailed it to me, and I received it 12/5.  The label is also signed by the person who packed it, making each Kardus package truly special, and unique.

As this is the same product as General Lös, I'll share that flavor description:  "A spicy tobacco taste with notes of bergamot and hints of tea, hay and leather."  Each package contains 250g of tobacco (about a half a pound), and this one has a nicotine content of 7.5mg/g (0.75%).  The same as the regular General Lös!

The aroma of this one is a robust, spicy tobacco smell with a hint of tart bergamot. The snus itself is the same as regular General loose snus, and like other Swedish Match loose products is incredibly easy to bake and work with! The flavor is a rich, earthy tobacco taste with a clear hint of bergamot, a peppery spice to it, and a light smokiness. The nicotine feels to be about the regular strength level. I find the snus itself stays well packed in the lip, and I can enjoy the flavor for up to about 45 minutes! If you like the regular loose counterpart and find yourself in Stockholm, this is certainly something special and unique to check out!

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