New Skoal snus and new Marb snus has appeared at my gas station!

[chadizzy1]

I had an interesting comment on my review this morning on my blog.

" As an American Kodiak and Redman Wintergreen dipper I have to say that these actually hit their target mark very well. I enjoy Swedish snus very much but find it easier and ultimately more pleasurable using and dipping American tobacco. Habits are hard to change and I think many American dippers probably feel the same way. They are a different animal entirely from an accustomed too, full time snusser. If this was any smaller I (and probley many other American dippers) would find these a waste of time and money having to use three of them to come close to the size of a normal dip. To me they still are a little small but I will learn to live with it. The flavoring is different and tastes strong and fresh while using but does leave an after taste of having licked a dozen or so stamps. The strength is slightly (just slightly) weaker then regular dip and takes longer before you start to feel it. No quick rush of nicotine like I get from Redman or regular even Skoal Mint. I have to write that I am impressed with Skoal and would have sworn off their product entirely if they screwed this up. They didn't. I give the new Skoal Snus (both mint and Smooth Mint) a 7 out of 10. It is going to take some getting used to and mild adjustment switching from regular dip, but ultimately snus is safer and healthier. It doesn't tear your gums or stain your teeth up like regular dip, and best of all you dont have to walk around spitting which even I have admit is just goddamn gross."

[LSX]

I've enjoyed many other Skoal products, so I expected the Skoal Snus to be at least worth a shot.
The Skoal pouches of Apple Blend, Peach and Citrus Blend are nice escapes some times. I don't mind them at all, and in fact love the instant nic hit. When I opened my can of Skoal Mint Snus, I was surprised to see basically the same pouches, just much dryer than the dip pouches. Since I've not made any orders of my regular GS or GES lately, I've been buying General Original locally. While it was a hard switch to General Original from Sterk and ES, I went all day at work yesterday, and didn't have a problem with what I figured would be a lack of nicotine. There actually is nicotine, as has already been pointed out, I think it's on par with a General Original as far as strength.

I personally can't do mint all day normally, which is why I would love a straight flavor, or even if Skoal would bring an their Apple Blend to their Snus line. First we need straight, but I really enjoy the candy like Apple Blend dip, I just hate having to spit, and if I'm at work covertly spit or be forced to swallow dip, not that it bothers me, but I'm sure it can't be all that good for you. Regardless, I don't think I could regularly use that either as it's more a treat than anything else. But I'd be more than happy to have the option. Hope Skoal keeps working on it, its a decent start.

[precious007]

Skoal is great, so far I enjoy the Skoal Peach and Skoal Long Cut the most.

Looking to try the Skoal Mint.....

[Crow]

I managed to find some Skoal 'Smooth Mint' snus today.

I was surprised by the portion size. They're very large. They dwarf the standard white portion size in comparison. It smells like peppermint and spearmint. It's moist (not dry like the old Marlboro snus and Camel snus). The portions look very appealing.

It tastes sweet like peppermint/spearmint candy. There's no salty taste, just sweet. Some would say its overly sweet. I would say it is pretty sweet, but it's not sickly sweet.

The portions feel soft in the mouth, and there's a good nicotine hit with a gentle burn. I haven't tried the new Marlboro snus, but I know the old Marlboro snus doesn't come close in terms of nicotine delivery. This stuff even blows Camel out of the water.

It's not perfect, but they're definitely on the right track to making a good American snus. All they need to do is dial down the sweetness a bit, and expand the lineup (an apple flavored Skoal snus sounds good).

I'm looking to try the 'Mint' next. I'll be sure to buy more Skoal snus in the future. They've earned my support for more snus in America.

[rickcharles606]

**** Skoal snus....these bitches are just trying to jump on the bandwagon, and offer up some representation for the category...ask me later, and I'll tell you how I really feel, lol

[Crow]

The way I see it, if it sells well, then US Smokeless Tobacco will be encouraged to expand snus (more flavors, perhaps a Copenhagen snus).

This will entice other tobacco producers to make their own snus to compete, and it will entice Swedish Match and the other Swedish companies to expand their coverage and lineup.

[JustFolly]

The way I see it, if it sells well, then US Smokeless Tobacco will be encouraged to expand snus (more flavors, perhaps a Copenhagen snus).

This will entice other tobacco producers to make their own snus to compete, and it will entice Swedish Match and the other Swedish companies to expand their coverage and lineup.

Yeah, definitely. Compare this new snus to the first American attempts (i.e. Marlboro "snus" in a foil pouch)... even if it's frustratingly slow and they occasionally miss the point, American manufacturers are making some attempt to improve the product and figure out what works in the snus market. Even if it's not quite as good as my favorite brands, this new can of Skoal that I bought could potentially pass for Swedish-made snus. Especially given the fact that many retailers are reluctant to stock Swedish snus, I think it's important to at least somewhat support the products that are closer to what most snus users are after. Put our money where our mouth is and show them that snus can sell in America, and to real base rather than smokers seeking a quick indoor nic fix. Just my $.02.

[WickedKitchen]

That means the prices will continue to rise. I just re-read the 'making snus at home' thread.

[Jwalker]

I'm looking forward to copenhagen snus, I haven't tried skoal and don't intend to since I already know Jakobson's>Skoal, but I like copenhagen a lot and would definitely buy it. My other issue is what is up with 15 portions is their some magic behind that number is 15 what the average person uses in a day or something why don't they do 20 which to me actually seems the most normal, although I certainly don't mind an extra 4, 5 or 7 portions. Random side note 02 almost always has 25.6g of snus. and general los almost always has more than 45g of snus but they use 45 because some cans will have that general portions have 24g almsot exactly or else they get thrown out.

[lxskllr]

Yeah, definitely. Compare this new snus to the first American attempts (i.e. Marlboro "snus" in a foil pouch)... even if it's frustratingly slow and they occasionally miss the point, American manufacturers are making some attempt to improve the product and figure out what works in the snus market. Even if it's not quite as good as my favorite brands, this new can of Skoal that I bought could potentially pass for Swedish-made snus. Especially given the fact that many retailers are reluctant to stock Swedish snus, I think it's important to at least somewhat support the products that are closer to what most snus users are after. Put our money where our mouth is and show them that snus can sell in America, and to real base rather than smokers seeking a quick indoor nic fix. Just my $.02.

The more I think about it, the LESS likely I am to support American makers. Screw these guys. Saying it's getting better works for me if I'm trying to hack something together in the kitchen. The tobacco companies are supposed to be professionals. There's no reason a usable snus couldn't have been made on the first attempt. Any support given these jokers is affirmation they're doing something right. "I can leave it in for 30 minutes instead 5 minutes as before" isn't an improvement. I'm sure some dogshit tastes better than others, but I'm not gonna sample them all to find the breed I prefer; it's still just dogshit.

The American companies have gotten me for ~$25. They OWE me, and if they can't ship me a decent snus gratis, I can't give them more of my money for the same crap over and over again.

[snusgetter]

... I'm sure some dogshit tastes better than others, but I'm not gonna sample them all to find the breed I prefer; it's still just dogshit. ...

Yep, it's still just dogshit...

The same could be said fer sum o' da Swedish ones...

Ya got yer generic, yer regular, and yer premium.

Somebody's gotta do the taste-testing...

Better someone who can differentiate between the different grades.

Where's Chad when we need him!?!

[Snus Boost]

I saw on a few reviews "it isn't terrible" Yes it is. I can't believe I let curiosity get the better of me and tried Skoal smooth mint. Skoal Snus taste profile= Grind up candycanes add 15 packs of Splenda 3 cups of sugar and 1 piece of Nicorette. Wrap that in sand paper tie the ends up with zip ties cram the enormous portion in your mouth and gag. That is the Skoal experience. How anyone calls this garbage passable is beyond me and honestly I am irritated that anyone who does "reviews" has the nerve to say otherwise. What are you afraid that if you tell the truth you will stop getting free snus from the online stores?

[Langdell]

I was in a local supermarket last night that had all four products, so I bought a can of each to sample them. My bottom line: Personally, I'm not too keen on these particular offerings, but I'm encouraged by the direction the American companies are going.

I do not take mint snus on a regular basis--I'll take a mint portion very occasionally, and I buy a can of General Mint maybe once every three months. But I prefer straight flavors. So I am disappointed that Skoal's offerings run the gamut of flavors from A to B, with two variations of mint. Both mint flavors are fine as mint flavors, though I find them both somewhat overpowering and without much, if any, tobacco flavor mixed in. The tingle/burn I sense seems to me to come more from the mint oils rather than the nicotine or anything else in the tobacco per se. The portion material and feel is very comfortable, but I agree with others that they are WAY too big. Moisture content feels good to me. This is certainly a HUGE improvement over Skoal's original "snus" contender, Skoal Dry, and probably better than the original version of Skoal Snus. (Do they still make that?!?!) Verdict: If I liked mint snuses more, I could see myself using this on a somewhat regular basis, and it might be something I could live with for a while if I ever have a snus emergency and it was the only thing available. I'd like to see Skoal try a more straight flavor, or at least cinnamon, which is a flavor I prefer over mint in general.

The Marlboro pouches are still too big but more reasonably sized than Skoal's. But I don't like the way they feel--they are too waxy and stiff, and feel too much like smooth paper in the mouth. I noticed this more on the Original than the Mint. Re Original, I agree with others who say it's similar to Camel Robust but a little less sweet. It is still too sweet for my current tastes, but I like the flavor slightly better than Camel Robust because of the slightly reduced sweetness. But if I had to choose between a Camel Robust and a Marlboro Original portion, I'd probably pick the Camel because the mouth feel of the Marlboro portion is bad to me and a distraction. With the Marlboro Mint, again, for some reason, the pouch felt a little better to me than the Original one. I like the flavor slightly better than the Skoal mints because it was a little less intense. Again, if I was a big mint fan, I could see myself using this sometimes, but I'm not.

Anyway, I think the American companies still have a long ways to go, but these products are steps in the right direction. Aside from the improvement in the products (again, I'm talking relative to the original American offerings), the increased marketing, availability, and consumer awareness of "snus" in all its forms is a positive for the American snuser. I'd much rather have American Big Tobacco working to increase the overall market-penetration of snus as a general product category than having them fighting to have Swedish snus banned from import into America, which is probably what they wouldbe doing if they didn't have their own snus-like products to push.

[Darwin]

They do not want US people. That is they do not want veteran snus users custom because the products are aimed at American smokers who've likely never even heard of snus let alone Swedish snus. They've no doubt focus grouped the living daylights out of these offerings and they are almost certainly the top choices of the sundry groups. A major upside is that these new products may well send as many folks to our little corner of the interwebs as the original Camel did. We may not be able to create a revolution but we can maintain a persistent insurgency of "real" snus advocates.

[JustFolly]

The tobacco companies are supposed to be professionals. There's no reason a usable snus couldn't have been made on the first attempt.

I agree with you in principle, but you really need to look at this situation from a manufacturer's standpoint. 5 years ago, snus was almost entirely unavailable in America, and completely unknown outside of the odd Swede living in America. In America, oral tobacco means dip, for the most part, and dip users are one of the biggest and ripest markets for snus in America. Have you ever given a Grovsnus portion to a dipper and watched their reactions? I live in the Midwest, I have more dipper friends than smokers, and I have. They'll crinkle their nose, comment "Oh, yeah, it's kinda good", and remove it as quickly as they can without seeming rude. Distribution of tobacco is ultimately a business, and we need to be aware of the fact that die-hard Swedish snus users are statistically nothing more than a blip on the radar in the US. I've used snus for a year and a half now, while remaining relatively detached from any snus communities, and I come here and see a lot of stubborn digging in of heels. The point is that clearly, there is a developing trend by US companies to develop a viable snus product, even if there are missteps. It's possible that American snus will always be fundamentally different from Swedish snus, and I'm not sure if that's an inherently bad thing. If people here have a local store that carries General, or if you can afford $5+/can online, wonderful. Frankly, I envy you somewhat. But it bothers me when people demonize a product, and claim it's just as bad as the likes of the old Marlboro snus, just because it isn't exactly what they want. Like I said before, snus is very much still in a testing stage in America, and I think it's prudent to help demonstrate that it's a viable product. For the sake of both American-made snus, and also to convince retailers uncertain about the prospect of importing.