Snus Shake-up at Swedish Match!

Swedish Snus giant Swedish Match is making some major changes to it’s snus line-up for 2015. There will be new snus products starting this week and some current snuses will be delisted. Here’s what we know so far…..

New Snus for September 2015

The Return of Goteborgs Rapé Original Portion!

Goteborgs Rapé (French for “coarse grind”) was introduced as a loose snus in 1919. The snus is distinguished by a mellow tobacco flavor and a pronounced touch of juniper berry.

Goteborgs Rapé was later produced produced in the Original Large portion format. With the launch of the White Portion version of Goteborgs Rapé in 1997, the Original Portion variation was phased out by 2000.

The demand for Goteborgs Rapé in Original Large has been consistent over the years and now Swedish Match is re-launching Goteborgs Rapé Original Large portion as the newest (and oldest) portion version of Goteborgs Rapé.

Goteborgs Rapé Original Large Portion will be available as early as this week. You can check the New Arrivals tab at the SnusCentral.com Snus Store: when you see it there, it will be in stock and available.

New Snus: The Lab 22 and The Lab 24 Slim White Portion Snus

The most revolutionary facts about both The Lab 22 and The Lab 24 are not the flavor profiles or the portion design but ingredients to strengthen your teeth!

Swedish snus has long been known as a benefit to dental health because of it’s high pH levels. The high pH creates a hostile environment for many bacteria responsible for bad breath and gum disease.

The LAB 24 and LAB 24 take dental protection to a new level by using Xylitol as a sweetener and adding sodium fluoride.

Xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol found in most plant material, including many fruits and vegetables. It is extracted from birch wood to make medicine.

Xylitol is widely used as a sugar substitute and in “sugar-free” chewing gums, mints, and other candies. Xylitol is more expensive than the more common sorbitol but has health benefits.

As a medicine, xylitol is used to prevent middle ear infections (otitis media) in young children, and as a sugar substitute for people with diabetes. Since children will not be using snus, I included that trivia tidbit as informational. As a diabetic, I certainly appreciate the value of xylitol since it tastes better than sorbitol and is sugar-free.

Xylitol is added to some chewing gums and other oral care products to prevent tooth decay and dry mouth.

As the proud human of 4 dogs, dog owners should know that xylitol can be toxic to dogs, even when the relatively small amounts from candies are eaten. If your dog eats a product that contains xylitol, it is important to take the dog to a veterinarian immediately. Be careful where you dispose of your used portions.

Using The LAB 22 and LAB 24 does not replace brushing or flossing your teeth, but if this was 1965, you would see commercials stating “8 out of 10 Dentists that snus use The LAB snuses with Xylitol. It should be noted that this is not Swedish Match’s statement and they will not be selling LAB 22 or LAB 22 in the toothpaste isle of Swedish pharmacies.

Still, it’s a great argument to keep in the back of your mind when justifying snus use to your spouse or friends…on top of the fact that snus is 99% less harmful overall to your health than smoking cigarettes.

I want to give a quick shout-out to WebMD for a quick education on Zylitol….especially about the canine toxicity aspects.

For those snusers who regularly wear vintage tin or new aluminum foil hats, it should also be noted that The LAB 22 and LAB 24 contain fluoride. Fluoride was added to US drinking water in the 1950’s to strengthen teeth.

At the time, conspiracy theorists contended that fluoride was a communist plot to control the minds of Americans. While the Soviet Union is dead and we’re not, flouride suspicions still exist. After visiting many countries which do not add fluoride to their water, I’ve concluded our teeth are better off than without it.

As our dear friend That Snus Guy used to say, OK, enough about the chemistry; what do these snuses taste like?

According to Swedish Match, The LAB 22 comes in a dry, long and narrow-sized Slim White-pouch. It has a mellow tobacco taste with distinct notes of peppermint, along with hints of vanilla.

The Lab 24 is a Slim White snus too, with a mellow tobacco taste and distinct notes of anise and eucalyptus, along with hints of peppermint and licorice.

Nicotine levels on both are 1.1% making these regular strength snuses

Both new The Lab snuses will be released in September 2015; perhaps sooner than you think. Again, you can check the New Arrivals tab at the SnusCentral.com Snus Shop for immediate availability or under the listings for available The LAB brand snuses.

Nick & Johnny Green Ice

Swedish Match likes using the name “Green” with Nick & Johnny snus products but (spoiler) not Desert Green which will be delisted this month.

According to Swedish Match, Nick & Johnny Green Ice has a mellow tobacco taste, with distinct notes of spearmint and peppermint.

For the first time, Nick & Johnny is available as a Slim White pouch – which is a long, narrow and full sized pouch, featuring a dry surface with a moist content for a lasting release of flavor.

Factoring in the nicotine content of 1.4% with the amount of snus per portion and pH levels, Green Ice will be a regular strength snus.

As with the rest, Nick & Johnny Green Ice will be released in September 2015; perhaps sooner than you think. As always, you can check the New Arrivals tab at the SnusCentral.com Snus Shop for immediate availability or under the listings for available Nick & Johnny snuses.

Mustang Snus

Unofficially, Swedish Match will be releasing a new brand of snus late September/early October: Mustang Snus.

According to internet sources, Mustang Snus will be a value brand initially coming in Portion, White Portion, and Loose Portion versions. The leaked flavor description describes Mustang snus as a dark, nice and spicy flavor with hints out dried fruit and citrus and a bit of licorice and plums. It is also slightly stronger with 12 mg / g nicotine.

I’ll have more information when Swedish Match pulls away the curtain on Mustang Snus later this month.

Snus History: Say goodbye to these snuses

The following snuses have been delisted this month. If any were your favorites, we’re sorry for your loss.

The Catch Collection: The Catch Collection of snuses were mini portion varieties which rotated every 3-4 months each year. The final Catch Collection snus was Violet Licorice. This flavor in my opinion put the final nail in the Catch Collection coffin.

One Catch Collection snus in particular was very popular: Catch Collection Lafayette Street. Swedish Match renamed it Catch Spearmint White Mini Portion Snus so this very good snus recipe lives on.

The General Variation Series: The concept for these two snuses was novel but sometimes the old adage “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” is wise to follow.

General Variation Smoky Oak Portion and Rustic Blend White Portion were created under the theoretical what if back in 1866, Johan A Bomans had decided to change his final General Snus recipe?

While I enjoyed both of these General Snus alternate reality snuses; particularly the Rustic Blend, history proves Bomans made the right decision giving us the General Snus which remains the best selling snus brand in the world.

The LAB Fresh series: There are very, very few snus which take a flavor and then add a mint background that I like. The LAB Fresh Slim White Lemon, Mint, and Cool Mint Strong portion snuses were not any of them. They will not be missed by me; my sympathies if you were a fan.

Nick & Johnny Desert Green: Despite a re-branding, this snus died a slow death of unpopularity.

Catch Spearmint Long Slim Portion: This is an example that you can only have so many mint snuses in your brand portfolios before they start cannibalizing your own sales.

This snus will be missed by many fans; there just weren’t enough of you who bought it as your primary Swedish Match brand mint snus. The mini portion version will remain so if you really miss it, you can stick 2 mini portions in your mouth and continue the experience.

Old Snus – Snus buyer beware

Just because these snuses are no longer made, that does not mean you will not see them for sale. Many will still be fresh but as time progresses, you would be wise to check the expiration dates before purchasing. If you see any of them in 2016, run away.

More new snus from many different snus manufacturers will be coming out later this year. I’ll be back with the details as they emerge.

Best Regards/Bästa hälsningar/Med venlig hilsen,