GRINGO Lös review

[Jan]

I recently obtained two cans of this snus through a contact in Sweden.

It must be noted that GRINGO Loose, to the best of my knowledge is the ONLY brand of loose snus that STILL COMES IN FULL 50 GRAM CANS which makes it very appealing to a cost conscious user.

GRINGOSNUS is a small independent company located in Uppland region north of Stockholm. Production was launched approximately 2 years ago and there is only one brand being produced at the moment. GRINGO snus is not widely available yet in stores across Sweden but the producer is working on expanding their retail network and we will hopefully see the stylish white cans in Sweden's snus fridges soon.

The design of the can is what will catch attention immediately when the snus lands in fridges across Sweden. The can is simple and yet stylish. The brand name is designed as graffiti and that makes it difficult to read at first. However, this is how it is supposed to be. Gringo snus will appeal to young and style conscious, modern and urban. If you are one of these you will definitely want to carry a can of GRINGO in your pocket.

However nice the looks may be, it is the product itself that matters the most and this is where GRINGO does not have many rivals.

When I first opened a can of Gringo and smelled the snus, I immediately noticed how similar the smell is to Gotlands Gul which I loved (and which has been discontinued). The tobacco itself has a nice earthiness with hints of herbs, slightly watery and overall a very attractive kind of flavor. I can smell marzipan in it, I can smell the cellar of our old house and of course I can smell tobacco.

GRINGO snus has quite a unique taste profile. A clean tobacco taste along with tasty marzipan notes give it complexity. There is no sweetness though. The taste has just the right salt balance to it. Give it 30 to 40 minutes under the lip and it will mature into Ettan like flavor, the one you will want to enjoy again and again.

GRINGO is a snus of extremely high quality. I can compare it to Gotlands and Skruf, a rather exclusive kind of snus. I look forward to being able to buy rolls of it in stores in Sweden.

At 51 kronor per can online retail price it is not a budget brand. Quality has its price but given the full 50 gram cans, outstanding flavor and taste, I would rate GRINGO Lös as BEST BUY SNUS 2012.

Give it a try, you will not be disappointed!

[lxskllr]

It must be noted that GRINGO Loose, to the best of my knowledge is the ONLY brand of loose snus that STILL COMES IN FULL 50 GRAM CANS which makes it very appealing to a cost conscious user.

Pioneer still comes in 50g tins. That's noted, and appreciated :^)

The Gringo sounds really good. If you had to compare it to a different company's style, what would say it's closest to?

[Jan]

The Gringo sounds really good. If you had to compare it to a different company's style, what would say it's closest to?

Definitely Gotland's loose.

[lxskllr]

Definitely Gotland's loose.

Wow! I'm gonna have to try to dig some up :^)

[kevs]

Thanks to Jan, who I was honoured to meet for the first time in Riga last night, I have a can of this snus too.

First of all if you open the can I can smell roasted hazelnuts and almonds maybe, which I quite like. When I try some new lös for the first time I tend to handbake it instead of using the Icetool (thanks Jimmy!) and I have to say it bakes easy, even too easy- sticks together nicely and fingers are clean afterwards. The taste in my opinion is something between Grov and Ettan, would be intresting to know what they use as a base tobacco, but I can tell you it's a pure tobacco taste with just a pinch of smokey nuts.

Definitely worth a try, I think noone who tries it can't be dissapointed.

[Jan]

Thanks to Jan, who I was honoured to meet for the first time in Riga last night, I have a can of this snus too.

First of all if you open the can I can smell roasted hazelnuts and almonds maybe, which I quite like. When I try some new lös for the first time I tend to handbake it instead of using the Icetool (thanks Jimmy!) and I have to say it bakes easy, even too easy- sticks together nicely and fingers are clean afterwards. The taste in my opinion is something between Grov and Ettan, would be intresting to know what they use as a base tobacco, but I can tell you it's a pure tobacco taste with just a pinch of smokey nuts.

Definitely worth a try, I think noone who tries it can't be dissapointed.

The honour is mine Kevin... we shared some tasty snus and we had some exceptional American ales on tap here in Riga.

[muddyfunkstar]

I could get on board with the 50g tin, but Gringo is a really bizarre name for a snus. The tag style logo is pretty cool, I suppose. At my age, it's kind of retro.

Still think it's odd to name a snus after a mild spanish racial slur against white people.

[Roo]

The honour is mine Kevin... we shared some tasty snus and we had some exceptional American ales on tap here in Riga.

Out of curiosity Jan, do you remember what kinds of beers were on tap? I'm trying to think of Latvian products that are sold in America. All I can recall ever buying is a tin of sprats. Nice review of the Gringo.

[crullers]

The Gringo didn't really agree with me first time I tried it. I even put the tin away and came back to it awhile later and still didn't like it. Maybe I got a bad can. I might have to put one in my next order for a second try.

[GoVegan]

Awesome review Jan!

[Jan]

Out of curiosity Jan, do you remember what kinds of beers were on tap? I'm trying to think of Latvian products that are sold in America. All I can recall ever buying is a tin of sprats. Nice review of the Gringo.

Hi Roo,

we went to an American craft beer restaurant which is the only establishment of its kind here in Riga. The selection of beers was quite impressive - around 70 ales from bottle, mostly genuine US brands and 10 on tap (even though they only had 2 ales on tap left that night). My favorites are Smuttynose IPA, Liberty Ale San Francisco and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Of course you know these!
I will come back to this pub later in the week to pick up a small selection of bottled brands to try at home.

Speaking of Latvian products, there are not many. Apart from tins of sprats, you may have seen original rye bread on sale somewhere but it is popular with Baltic immigrants mostly.

[lxskllr]

I got a chance to try this snus, and I'm fairly impressed. On first taste, I thought it tasted like Granit without bergamot, mixed with Odens Extreme. I was also concerned about the smoke flavor because it can give me indigestion, with Granit being especially bad. Subsequent uses have less of a Granit taste, and I don't think the smoke is too bad. I also revise the flavor profile to add Pioneer in there, with a bit less Extreme. There /may/ be a hint of bergamot, but I'm reluctant to go on the record with that. Pioneer has it too as was pointed out to me, and I taste it, but it doesn't taste like bergamot to me. There's little of the citrusy tang, and it's only hinted at, complementing, and blending with the tobacco flavor. It has a medium salt level.

It has a soft mouth feel similar to Pioneer, but doesn't clump up quite as much. It also seems to have a bi-grind, where there's some larger bits that fall out of the fines, kind of similar to Lucky Strike lös. The flavor lasts a good while, and mellows out to a dark chocolate taste.

The tin? I like it better than I thought I would, The printing looks kind of cheap, and I'm not into urban culture, but there's something appealing about it's simplicity. It's also 50g which is a rarity anymore.

This is a must try for anyone who liked Pioneer, which I believe is it's closet match. The taste, and the 50g tin make it a great value. I wish I knew more about the company, and how it's made. The website is very sparse, and doesn't have much to say.

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

I got a can of Gringo Loose in my last order. I haven't had Pioneer in quite a while, but this totally reminds me of it. It's good stuff! I only see it listed on Northerner though...