Snus Shopping News

This is an interesting time for Swedish snus users around the world.  I’m not talking the EU Tobacco Products Directive, the crazy American FDA, or other political stuff about tobacco.  I find all that very confusing and leave it Larry to write about.  As Manager of my favorite Snus eStore, I like to talk about snus!

Right now there is both good and sad news to inform you of.

General Onyx, Green Harvest, and Grovsnus Black not available for now

The very popular General Green Harvest White Portion snus is the world’s only snus that is grown by certified tobacco farmers without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.  The reason more snus is not grown this way is because it is very hard to find certified organic tobacco farmers.  This was identified in January as a serious problem.

One of the tobaccos used in the Green Harvest blend comes from Brazil.  Unfortunately, these greedy farmers have chosen to return to using pesticides and chemicals which means no more tobacco from Brazil can be in General Green Harvest snus.  Swedish Match tobacco buyers are searching for new sources of pesticide/chemical free tobacco which meet the flavoring needs of Green Harvest.

Another major source of the tobacco used in Green Harvest is from Amish farmers in Pennsylvania.  The popularity of General Green Harvest has well exceeded both Swedish Match’s expectations and the Amish tobacco crop.  As we speak (even though we are not really speaking but reading) The Amish are replanting their tobacco fields and Swedish Match has significantly increased the size of their tobacco order.

Last I heard, there is enough organically grown tobacco in Swedish Match’s Kunglav Tobacco Warehouse to keep producing General Green Harvest for a few more weeks.  Then it will go on vacation until large quantities of certified tobacco is available.  I have no idea how long this vacation will last but hopefully not for long.  If you enjoy Green Havest snus, I would advise you to stock up while you can.

General Onyx and Grovsnus Black portion snus are a different story.  Black portions were suddenly banned in the US until FDA could determine if they liked the dye used to make the portions black.

The irony here is that earlier this year, Swedish Match made the unpopular decision to produce General Onyx in white portions.  The ugly outcry from Onyx snus lovers convinced Swedish Match to return to using black portions.  If they had not, General Onyx white portion snus would still be available for sale to the US.  With the change back to traditional black portions, those Americans who love General Onyx have unintentionally made it not legal to buy.  Your stupid FDA should pay more attention to cigarettes and leave our snus alone!

Word from Swedish Match is that they are working on a black pouch solution for the US and hopefully the ban on General Onyx and Grovsnus Black will go away very soon.