If you’re new to snusexpress I first want to extend a welcome to the exciting world of Swedish Snus! As someone who was once new to this type of product myself, there’s a lot of questions I once found myself asking that you may be asking yourself, too! “What is the little lid on top of the can for?”
“Why are some pouches moist and some dry?”
“What is the difference in nicotine strengths?”
Well, don’t worry! Today, we’re going to do a crash course in Swedish Snus! But first, a little history!
The history of tobacco, in general, goes back almost 13,000 years. But, we won’t go that far back. We’ll start in the 16th century. History tells us that Jean Nicot, working for the French court, gave Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France, a type of ground “snuff” tobacco that was inhaled in the nose. She used this to treat her migraines, and in time this became more and more popular amongst the upper crust. Around the 19th century, the Swedes began to take this pulverized tobacco and make a moist variant which went in the upper lip, and they called it snus.
Today, Swedish Snus is very much the same as it was in the early days: a moist, ground tobacco product that is typically used under the upper lip. This, compared to the lower lip usage of American dipping tobacco, is what makes snus “spit-free”. Snus comes in a variety of formats, including the loose / lös format, as well as a variety of pouched/portion formats. Let’s check out some of the different ways you can enjoy Swedish Snus!
Here, you’ll see (from left to right), the general formats you’ll see snus in: loose/lös, original portion, white portion, and white dry portion. The portion formats vary, and there are often slim size and mini size versions of these formats, but these are the main formats. I’ll do a brief description.
Lös / Loose - This is the original way to enjoy Swedish Snus! This is a moist, ground tobacco that you can use in a few ways. Some prefer to take a “Farmer’s Pinch” and throw it straight into the lip. Others, like myself, like to roll it into a little ball (known as “baking” or “handbaking”) and put it into the upper lip. You can enjoy loose snus for up to an hour!
Original Portion - These portions are the most moist portions of Swedish Snus. These have moist contents, and receive an extra moistening at the end of the production cycle. These have a quicker release of flavor, but the flavor doesn’t last as long as a white or a white dry portion. Original portions, on average, last about 45-50 minutes in the lip.
White Portion - These are basically portions that don’t get the extra moisture at the end of production. Meaning, the flavor is a little more mild and doesn’t come on as quick as an original portion, but it lasts longer. Some consider this longer lasting flavor a benefit of the white portion format. White portions last about an hour under the lip!
White Dry Portion - These are like white portions, but even less moist. They often have very dry contents. These have a slower release of flavor than white portions, but an even longer lasting flavor! These can last anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours under the upper lip!
The next area I want to touch on is nicotine strengths. There are a lot of terms used here, so I’ll try to break it down and simplify it. Regular Strength - This is the baseline level. Usually, you’ll find this to be around 8mg/g. Strong / Stark / Sterk - This is the next step up, and ranges between 12-14mg/g. Extra Strong / Extra Stark / Ekstra Sterk - This is the next step up from strong, and usually hovers between 16-20mg/g. Extreme Strong / Ultra Strong / Super Strong - This is a strength level that usually ranges from 22mg/g to 26mg/g. Mega Strong - This category doesn’t really have a “common” name, but usually anything over 26mg/g is lumped in together. This is usually the Siberia product ranges area, kicking in at around 43mg/g.
You’ll find quite a few terms in the world of Swedish Snus, so I wanted to break down some of the more common ones you’ll hear. Catch Lid - This is the extra little lid on top of the can. This is commonly used to discard of used portions if you aren’t near a trash receptacle. Some companies put their catch lid on the bottom. Portion / Pouch - The term “pouch” is more often used with nicotine pouches, and snus more commonly uses the term “portion”. This is the term to describe the little bag of tobacco you pull out of the can. Prilla - This is a term used to describe a portion of lös snus.
We hope this little guide gave you some more info on Swedish Snus! As you explore this new world you’ll find which types of portions, formats, and nicotine strengths will become your favorite, as well as exploring an exciting world of flavors. In Swedish Snus, there is a flavor for almost everybody, whether you like the taste of tobacco or something more unique! Here on SnusExpress.com you’ll find a huge selection of Swedish Snus products, so no matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find it here. Welcome to the world of Swedish Snus!