Kardus

[chadizzy1]

Mine should be here Monday.

The two days before it I will be working up to it with reviews of Kardus 2008 and 2009.

09 was awesome, I loved that rum taste. I'm glad I have a few tons left.

[ThatSnusGuy]

Great review Chad!!!

If you guys want the long winded review of Kardus, I've put one up on my SnusOn blog. Just click the link below!

http://www.snuson.com/forum/blog.php?b=428

[desirexe]

Kardus 2010 was 'meh' to me...it was too rum-flavored for me so I was hesitant before trying 2011's Carnivel. I do not have a discerning palate as many here seem to have but I know what I like and don't like. I love the aroma of Carnivel, it is a very rich, perhaps fermenting aroma of fruit, apples come to mind, the ammonia scent is actually pleasant as it burns my nostrils. I know that usually 'ammonia' is associated with cat pee but not in this case...it blends perfectly with the sweet aroma. The coffee and nuttiness aromas, I don't detect.

I never use a long cut snus, especially snus on the dry side such as Carnival so it was a challenge for my ice tool. I imagine this texture to be similar to American dip and I find it difficult to keep it together in my mouth, little strands keep escaping the mass. The flavor is very subtle, which is good as 2010's alcoholish flavor hit me immediately which I did not like. The salt is subtle too which is another good thing in my opinion. I am not sure which flavor I am detecting as it is so subtle, it is coming on very slowly. Finally a familiar flavor hits which reminds me of a very good, aged red wine, with the oak notes. As I move the mass around and suck out the flavor to speed up the tasting, the salt disperses and reveals a somewhat grassy flavor. This snus while isn't the best I have had is definitely unique and I look forward to using more to try and decipher what I am tasting. This is certainly a snus for patient people who enjoy attempting to pick out flavors, it will preoccupy your mind as you savor each flavor...which I think is only right with such a unique rich snus. It is expensive but this is comparable to wine..sure you can pick up a case of your favorite cheap wine for the price of a single bottle of an expensive complex wine..but if you are anything like me, you will enjoy that one bottle even more and slowly sip each glass to discover all of the flavors. This snus is that single bottle of wine.

[lxskllr]

I'm finally getting to a 2012 Kardus review. A VERY generous member sent me a whole container, as well as other items of interest. I haven't been able to review it due to a prolonged period of thoroughly trashing my mouth. It seemed like I burned it every other day, and then followed with crunchy food, so my mouth's been very angry with me :^D

Here's Swedish Match's description...

This year’s Kardus edition is a snus with a distinct luster and an oily, black color. The flavor features clear elements of licorice, dried fruit and rose hip. The sherry used to flavor Kardus Cincho is a Cuco Oloroso from Jerez, which has an elegant and nuanced nutty fragrance and flavor with elements of dried figs, sultanas, light syrup and licorice. The tobacco is cultivated on flat land at the foot of the massive Sierra de Gredos mountain range in sandy yet mineral-rich soil, where the plants have been dried in open boxes, protected from the sun and any rain. A gift from the sun, water and farmers of Cincho to the true connoisseur. Kardus Cincho (100 grams) is released in limited edition of 600 boxes on Swedish Father's Day.

I dunno about all of that. I suppose my taster isn't as good. The scent is light ammonia, with a mild fruitiness.The flavor of this is saltier than I remember of years past. First taste has a faint wine flavor that blends in well with the tobacco, and there's a kind of bready back taste that I've gotten from every Kardus I've tried. I guess that's what natural tobacco tastes like? The wine flavor is most pronounced when exhaling with my mouth open. I really don't get the licorice, but perhaps it's just well blended in. So many companies use such strong flavoring, I have hard time identifying natural tobacco, and additions thereof. The flavor mellows out to be similar to a mild Röda Lacket lös, where all of RL's flavors have been toned down.

I guess if anything is to be taken from this, is Kardus is a subtle snus. No single flavor really jumps out, but the whole is well put together. It's similar to the Kardus of years past, but with slight differences. I prefer this to the rum edition of 2009, but not as much as the scotch of 2008. I highly recommend this to anyone with a bit of discretionary income to spend. It's a little pricey if you don't have the money, but it isn't a bad deal when compared to going to a pub, or eating out at a decent restaurant. There's nothing else like it on the market, so it's worth it for something a little special.

Btw, this IS NOT an IceTool snus. It's far too coarse for that, and will make it feel like there's a rock under your lip. Either pinch and tuck, or just mush it together a little bit so it isn't too compressed. That'll give the most comfort and flavor.

Edit:
fixed quote

[GoVegan]

I am waiting for the Mad Dog, Night Train or Thunderbird version of Kardus. It will come in a fancy cardboard box and cost 99c.

[The Stig]

Great review lx! I too thought my taste buds were on the fritz when I tasted this year's Kardus. Tastes nothing like the description they provided. The sherry's flavor is extremely muted and I got the flavors of peat, salt, olives and peanut shells (not in a degrading way, it's the only flavor that matches what I taste.) The scent I first got from the can was of cut grass and peat but, after letting it settle to room temp for a few days, the ammonia scent came out. I really didn't get the sherry flavors or the dried fruits though. It's really different from the other Kardus flavors but still pretty good. The thing that got me was the strength of this one, about 16 mg of Nicotine per gram which makes it one of the strongest Kardus ever made. Gave me the headspins and I've been using ES snus for a long time!

[lxskllr]

The thing that got me was the strength of this one, about 16 mg of Nicotine per gram which makes it one of the strongest Kardus ever made.

Ya know, I thought it felt a bit strong, but I didn't pay close attention to the nicotine. On their page, they list the nicotine the same as all the others. I'm a bit dubious of their ingredient list though. They're all identical for every year, and list liquid smoke, which I can't taste. Any insight?

http://www.svensktsnus.se/en/Products/Kardus/