Swedish Match White Portion Snus Throw-down: Click Snus vs Tre Ankare

First off I have to apologize for the long absence from this column. Being an internationally famous author and magazine publishing magnet has been consuming more of my time than I originally intended. The fan mail responses, fancy dinners with important people in the world of smokeless tobacco, hobnobbing with the beautiful people and trying to keep the mail room clerks out of the Executive Washroom is beginning to feel like a part time job. I may have to hire an assistant to keep my Icetools and pipes loaded, just to save time.

As one of the seemingly few fans of Tre Ankare snus when I read the early reports of Click snus as having a similar herbal flavor I was immediately intrigued.  Unfortunately in my circle of acquaintances, none of them with access to Click used Tre Ankare, or had used it recently enough to offer a comparison.   Fortunately, Snus Lord Larry Waters kindly supplied me with two cans of each to do my own research.

Click Snus versus Tre Ankare – Can this new Swedish snus unseat the old champ?

I was one of the early detractors of the Click snus can design. The first pictures of Click looked very much like a pink and black label. I laughed aloud. What is this for girls? Was this a spin off of the rainbow Roda Lacket cans? What is Swedish Match thinking? Are they considering that tough American cowboy types are never going to willingly show off a pink can?

Sure, I had read that some Swedish cousin of The Snus Lord said it wasn’t pink, but even though I’m not from Missouri, I’m still a “show me!” kind of guy. Well, after seeing a can up close I can say it is NOT pink. Sorta. It’s a wimpy red. The darker the room the more red it seems. I will say it’s not nearly as bad as the first pictures made it look.

I am a huge fan of Tre Ankare. I even wasted a few weeks trying to convince Swedish Match to release a lös version. Tre is, for most, a meh! snus:  not real high on the favorites list but quite usable when in the fridge.

Tre Ankare is a muted, subtle white portion with a wonderful herbal note and good base tobacco. If Tre Ankare is ever taken off the market I will cry, then get an airplane ticket to Sweden and kick someone’s butt. No one wants to see me cry or ticked off. Those that have… pray it doesn’t happen again.

Comparing Click to my much loved Tre Ankare brought out some similarities and some differences that I was having trouble putting my finger on.

Julls in his Click Snus video review stated that the description was a dark tobacco with herbal flavor. Until I heard that I was having a hard time deciding what the background flavor was. I still can’t say with any certainty what the herbs are, but it has a spicy tobacco under the herbs.

I believe the flavors of the two snus are very close, with two big differences. One is that Click Snus is not subdued or subtle at all. It has a more in your face; notice me, initial burst of herbal flavor, followed by a spicy, almost peppery note in the background.

I now believe that spiciness is the base tobacco. It reminds me of a dark maduro wrapped Dominican cigar, with the spice mixed with earthy lighter tobacco middle, or the kick the, verboten in the US, tobacco imparts to Montecristo snus. I’m not saying Click tastes like a cigar or Montecristo or even a Montecristo cigar , but it’s the best way I can explain it.

The peppery taste in most General snus is a bit much for me. Click Snus has just enough to be noticed but not enough to annoy me.

So how does Click stack up to Tre Ankare ? My taste buds tell me that they may use the same flavoring with a different base tobacco. I don’t have any proof of that other than my limited sense of taste. Click is a up front flavor, meaning the flavor hits early and stays for a while, Tre Ankare is more… wait a few minutes and search for the flavor. When I’m getting burned out on my regular snus Tre is what I reach for to cleanse my palette and refresh my taste buds, simply because it is so mild and subdued.

Click Snus is a worthy addition to the Swedish Match line up. I like it. Will it replace Tre in my rotation or my heart? No. Close, but no cigar.

BUT will I happily buy a couple rolls of Click White Portion on my next order and allow it a place of honor in my freezer right beside Tre Ankare? Yes. They are now my two favorite 8mg of nicotine white portions. Both will be in my next snus order. Now if I can only convince the Powers That Be at Swedish Match to make Click in lös form…I might have a new favorite Swedish lös snus.

Peace,

MICK HELLWIG

Snuff Takers Ephemeris Magazine
WHAT I THINK at SnusCENTRAL.org