Ettan snus, reviewing an old snus family tradition in Sweden!

Welcome back snus lovers!

I recently took advantage of the beautiful weather and decided to take a walk in my favorite gardens to figure out which snus we should discuss next. While I was taking my constitutional, a colleague of mine had asked why I hadn’t reviewed a loose snus lately. As I reflected on the question, I realized not only haven’t we discussed a loose snus brand in a couple of months, we also haven’t discussed a brand family either!

So I asked myself, which family should I review? Since it had been quite some time since we’ve done a family review, I wanted a snus that not only had all three varieties, loose (lös), white and original portion, I wanted it to be a snus that not a lot of Swedish Snus users had heard of or tried and one that had a bit of history behind it. That’s when I thought of the Ettan family of snus.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Snus Guy! All Swedish snus has some history behind it! After all, snus was invented in Sweden over 200 years ago. What makes Ettan so special?” I’m glad you asked. Let’s get into the review and you’ll see what makes the Ettan family of snus so special!

Ettan snus is another snus brand made by the fine folks at Swedish Match and comes in 3 varieties, Loose (lös), Original portion and White portion. The first thing that makes Ettan so special is the fact that the Ettan brand is one of the oldest brand names in Sweden! Ettan loose has been around since 1822 so it’s also one of the oldest snus brands as well. Ettan Original portion was introduced to the snus world in 1990 and the White portion variety was launched in 2006.

The Loose variety has about 8 mg of Nicotine per gram and there is 45 grams of snus in each can. The loose version’s can is the typical laminated paper type with a plastic lid that’s embossed with the brand’s coat of arms.  In the portion varieties, both versions also have approximately 8 mg of Nicotine per portion and each have 24 portions per can. These cans are made of plastic with the label covering the seam between the top and bottom of the can.

The lids also have the used portion compartment that’s embossed with the brand’s coat of arms. “Snus Guy, your can obsession is showing again! Get on with the review already!”  I know I do go on when it comes to the cans so; let’s go to mouth feel and on to the other reason why Ettan is so special, the taste!

Ettan loose is a coarse grind snus that is similar in grind and texture to most of Swedish Match’s loose snus. This means that the texture and moisture level in Ettan loose makes it a great beginner’s loose snus. I’ve actually used Ettan to better hone my Hand Baking skills since the moisture level is perfect to be able to mold a pris and it holds up pretty well once it’s in the lip. Although I did get better in making a handmade pris, I still recommend a tool for maximum durability of it.

I’ve had a “tool made” pris last for well over 2 hours with little mudslide. A hand baked pris only lasted about 1 hour but, like I said, I still have some work to do in this department! The texture of the grind was also pretty comfortable for the 2 hours but I recommend using a lighter compression in a tool. If it’s compressed too much, the pris can be a bit hard and uncomfortable so, just use a bit less pressure and you’ll be fine!

The portion varieties both use the standard material that Swedish Match uses in all their portion snus which is pretty soft to the touch and really comfortable in the lip. The original portions go thru the extra step of adding moisture which lets the flavors come out pretty quickly but adds no discomfort to the portion. I had an original portion in for over 2 hours with no discomfort but your lip can get a bit wrinkly. No discomfort but it can be a bit weird feeling for new Snus users.

The White portions have the same feel and comfort level but last a bit longer. Since they do not go thru the additional wetting step, the flavor seems to last a bit longer but can take a little longer for it to start coming out. For comfort, I recommend a 2 hour max! “Ok Rob, we want to hear about the other thing that makes Ettan so special!” Alright then, let’s discuss the flavor! That’s the other special thing about Ettan.

“But why does the flavor of Ettan make it so special Snus Guy? Isn’t all Swedish snus special when it comes to flavor?” Well, you’re right in the sense that all Swedish snus flavors are special, especially to Americans and others that cannot get Swedish snus in their local store. But Ettan’s flavor is special within Swedish snus flavors because of its ingredients. The ingredients in Ettan are simple: Tobacco, water and salt. They have been this way since 1822 which means that Ettan’s flavor has remained the same since then! There are not too many other snus brands that can say this and this is why Ettan is so special. But, how does it taste?

One would think that simple flavors and simple ingredients would normally taste…. well…..simple! But that’s not the case with Ettan. There is a difference in taste between the loose and portion varieties but the difference is minimal. In the loose variety, pure tobacco and salt are pretty much predominant. There is a smoky element in the loose but it seems to play in the background and is barely noticeable. In the portions, there really is no smoky taste but the portions do have a saltier taste. In the Original portions, the saltiness is much more predominant and in the White portions it not as strong but both do have the same pure tobacco taste.

Here I would like to explain a bit on what a “pure tobacco flavor” means when it comes to Swedish snus. When American tobacco companies describe a tobacco product as having a “Pure tobacco flavor”, as in say Copenhagen or Red Man smokeless tobacco and Camel SNUS Mellow, we taste a generally earthy, herbal and sweet flavor.

In some cases, like Camel SNUS Mellow’s overly sweet taste, this is due to the sweetener that is used in the processing of most American smokeless tobacco and SNUS.  In Swedish snus, the sweetener is omitted from the process leaving just the earthy, herbal tobacco flavor.

I say this for two reasons. When I was just beginning to use Swedish snus, I would get confused and sometimes disappointed when a snus that was said to have a “pure tobacco flavor” didn’t have the sweetness I was accustomed to with the American tobacco and two, I felt that new Snus users shouldn’t have to go thru the same thing I did in the beginning. So to recap, Swedish snus that’s described as having a “pure tobacco flavor” means just that. No sweetener, since Swedish snus manufacturers do not use sweeteners in their recipes, just true tobacco flavor! Ok, back to the snus.

Ettan’s flavors also last a good bit of time as well. They do, however, vary between the types. Ettan loose lasted the longest with a maximum time of about 2 ½ hours and this was due to the pris beginning to fall apart. Ettan Original portions seemed to last the shortest amount of time with about a 1 ½ hour max. Ettan White gave me about 2 ½ hours when the portion’s flavor just seemed to die out.

The max time recommendations I give Ettan is as follows; for the loose type, I recommend a 2 hour max when the portion is made with a Prismaster or an Icetool. With a hand baked pris, I recommend the same amount of time if you’re good at making them. If not, I’d recommend a 1 ½ hour max. With the portions, I’d recommend a 1 to 1 ½ hour max and with the White I’d go with about 2 hours. Now, what to drink!

I was thinking that since Ettan has a very simplistic flavor, I would forgo my usual drinks of Diet Coke and Monster Energy Drinks. “Snus Guy! Are you sick? You’ve never reviewed Swedish snus without trying Diet Coke and Monster with it! What’s the deal?”

Calm down, I’m not sick or anything. Since I’ve reviewed so many different snus brands, I’ve learned that with tobacco flavored snus Diet Coke and Monster energy drinks are way too powerful in flavor. They tend to drown out the snus’ flavor leaving just a salty flavored drink. So this time I started out with iced Earl Grey tea.

Since Earl Grey tea has a light citrus flavor, bergamot actually, and Ettan does not, the two were made for each other! Bergamot has an uncanny way of bringing out more of the tobacco flavor while mixing really well with the saltiness of Ettan. I really recommend trying iced Earl Grey with Ettan. Another great pair was Lemonade! Again, the citrus did bring out more of the tobacco flavor while mixing well with the higher salt content.

For those snus lovers that like an alcoholic drink with their snus, I found a relatively new Vodka flavor out there I thought would go great with Ettan. Sweet Tea flavored Vodka called Sweet Carolina mixed with lemonade to make an alcoholic version of an “Arnold Palmer”. I had a member of the Ministry of Information try Ettan with it and she commented that it’s the best of both worlds! The Vodka naturally brings out the flavor of tobacco but with the Sweet tea flavoring, it mellowed it out and actually made it less salty. Since I can’t drink, I’d love to hear from other Snus users on this combination! Now, let’s go to the overall recommendations.

My overall recommendations for the Ettan family of snus, snus lovers, are this: Ettan’s flavor is a very unique one since it has been relatively unchanged since 1822. Even though the portion version didn’t make its debut until 1990, Swedish Match left Ettan’s flavor unchanged. Snus lovers that are looking for a true “Original” flavored snus can’t go wrong with Ettan. Snus lovers that want to experience what snus was like back in the 1800’s will like Ettan loose as well. New snus users that want to try out hand baking will do well with Ettan because it’s pretty easy to mold and has a relatively mild taste. They will also do well with either portion version for the same reason.

Snus lovers that are fans of the strong snus brands will find that Ettan’s 8 mg of Nicotine per portion, or gram in the loose version, a bit too weak but what Ettan lacks in Nicotine, it makes up for in flavor. I recommend that all snus lovers give Ettan a try but, I’ll leave the decision up to you. You can find Ettan loose,  Original portions and White portions at the only place for Swedish snus, The SnusCENTRAL Snus Shop!

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Well snus lovers, I hope you enjoyed our trip thru the Ettan family of snus, by Swedish Match, and found it fun and informative. Remember, I love hearing and answering any questions or comments you may have and will try to answer them as soon as I can!

So, until our next review, as always,

Happy Snusing!

That Snus Guy