Swedish Match pushes into the US market this summer...two new varieties

[rictorblackbus]

Well whatever gets swedish snus available at 7-11 works for me.

My sentiments exactly. I've been buying General cans at tobacco shops already, so I think this is a good thing. Like what Nirvana and Green Day did in the 90's: bring it to the masses. Yes, we'll still have our "old school" ways, but I also believe that this is going to make it a lot easier for us Americans to readily purchase Snus in WAY more places.

[Jwalker]

I'm sure swedish match wants people to switch to snus completely, they don't sell cigarettes in the U.S. for one thing so it's no loss to them.

[sharesnusinfo!]

7mg is a guess. SMNA really wouldn't confirm or deny the nicotine level. I would guess it's between 7 and 8mg. Being a dry, relatively, portion and .9 gram, the nic would be lower per portion.

My question about refrigeration is if V2 and Gotlands does not need to be chilled, for whatever reason, why do they put them in fridges in Sweden? Because SM does is not an acceptable answer.

the main reason that snus is in fridge in Sweden is that SWM set that rule for 15-20 years ago, all to own the coolers and to stop others to have their products in the fridge! (Gustavus went to court with SWM for this and got right "Market dominance is not allowed in Sweden in this way") Snus may only be advertised on the fridge today by law in Sweden. Previously, snuff sold without refrigeration in Sweden "before SWM had a plan to own the right of publicity, small companies have no option to buy refrigerators to 17,000 retailers! Does snus need to be stored in a fridge ... My answer is NO! However, there are different views on this, we want to keep the moisture content the same, and pH levels and bacterial content continuing, be <2.0 LOG (zero bacterial content). what happens to Jakobsson snus products in 25 degrees during shelflife time? moisture content retained! bacterial load is <2.0 log ! TSNA levels are unchanged! PH level is, however, it has reduced slightly when compared to cold storage! So Why SWM wants snus to be stored in the refrigerator in the U.S. is simple. SWM for Market Dominance in the USA! Once customers start to think about that snus should be kept in fridge, the SWM have placed coolers in shops and then "owns" them, in principle, the shopkeeper and no other Snus products may enter the SWM fridge! (Small companys)

[Mawdryn]

the main reason that snus is in fridge in Sweden is that SWM set that rule for 15-20 years ago, all to own the coolers and to stop others to have their products in the fridge! (Gustavus went to court with SWM for this and got right "Market dominance is not allowed in Sweden in this way") Snus may only be advertised on the fridge today by law in Sweden. Previously, snuff sold without refrigeration in Sweden "before SWM had a plan to own the right of publicity, small companies have no option to buy refrigerators to 17,000 retailers! Does snus need to be stored in a fridge ... My answer is NO! However, there are different views on this, we want to keep the moisture content the same, and pH levels and bacterial content continuing, be <2.0 LOG (zero bacterial content). what happens to Jakobsson snus products in 25 degrees during shelflife time? moisture content retained! bacterial load is <2.0 log ! TSNA levels are unchanged! PH level is, however, it has reduced slightly when compared to cold storage! So Why SWM wants snus to be stored in the refrigerator in the U.S. is simple. SWM for Market Dominance in the USA! Once customers start to think about that snus should be kept in fridge, the SWM have placed coolers in shops and then "owns" them, in principle, the shopkeeper and no other Snus products may enter the SWM fridge! (Small companys)

That makes a whole lot of sense!

I still keep my snus in the fridge, though...(especially those wonderful Gotlands Samples ;^)

[rickcharles606]

the main reason that snus is in fridge in Sweden is that SWM set that rule for 15-20 years ago, all to own the coolers and to stop others to have their products in the fridge! (Gustavus went to court with SWM for this and got right "Market dominance is not allowed in Sweden in this way") Snus may only be advertised on the fridge today by law in Sweden. Previously, snuff sold without refrigeration in Sweden "before SWM had a plan to own the right of publicity, small companies have no option to buy refrigerators to 17,000 retailers! Does snus need to be stored in a fridge ... My answer is NO! However, there are different views on this, we want to keep the moisture content the same, and pH levels and bacterial content continuing, be <2.0 LOG (zero bacterial content). what happens to Jakobsson snus products in 25 degrees during shelflife time? moisture content retained! bacterial load is <2.0 log ! TSNA levels are unchanged! PH level is, however, it has reduced slightly when compared to cold storage! So Why SWM wants snus to be stored in the refrigerator in the U.S. is simple. SWM for Market Dominance in the USA! Once customers start to think about that snus should be kept in fridge, the SWM have placed coolers in shops and then "owns" them, in principle, the shopkeeper and no other Snus products may enter the SWM fridge! (Small companys)

Thank you Jimmy...they think I make this shit up, LMAO. When you say 25 degrees, is that Fahrenheit or Celcius?

[lxskllr]

Kelvin

[sharesnusinfo!]

Thank you Jimmy...they think I make this shit up, LMAO. When you say 25 degrees, is that Fahrenheit or Celcius?

Celsius in Sweden always!
I have no idea how to calculate in fahrenheit or in pound or cups or feet, fot or any other body parts

[rickcharles606]

Celsius in Sweden always!
I have no idea how to calculate in fahrenheit or in pound or cups or feet, fot or any other body parts

I figured, but thought I'd ask before someone else did ;-) Now where's PP when you need him, he's our resident body parts expert.

It's 77 Fahrenheit btw ;-)

[truthwolf1]

Glad to hear the Ettan sales have been climbing. Hopefully that market will be expanded.

Pretty much all Big Tobacco has to do is create a similar harm reduction strategy as the Swedes did with SNUS and they will corner the market. IF about the worst thing in the new harm reduced Cope and Skoal dip, bandits, etc is sometype of sugar then people are going to end up switching to those products instead of some overpriced Swedish stuff. Americans still like American even if it is inferior.

Real SNUS has a opportunity to move quickly right now or end up forever being a b/m shop novelty product. Anybodys guess of the best startegy but SM has made start.

Just from social experience, every dipper out there I have ever talked to state's SNUS is too weak in the nicotine department for them to make the switch.

It's a toss up between smokers who I have given a camel/regular white portion. Most dont get enough nicotine to actually kill the craving to smoke.

That's why in my unscientific study I could see a 9mg/11mg.. doing much better for current smokers and even higher for current dippers.

[tom502]

These new Generals seem to be marketed towards the Camel crowd, as something to use when one can't smoke, not an alternative to smoking.
And an Ettan Long Cut might break into the dipper world, who usually arn't smokers too(though some do).

[chadizzy1]

If anyone wants to try these and not in the test market, they're for sale on BuySnus starting today.
http://www.buysnus.com/snusbrand/Gen...t_Portion.aspx
http://www.buysnus.com/snusbrand/Gen...d_Portion.aspx

Currently Northerner isn't selling them but Frank says that may change.

[truthwolf1]

If anyone wants to try these and not in the test market, they're for sale on BuySnus starting today.
http://www.buysnus.com/snusbrand/Gen...t_Portion.aspx
http://www.buysnus.com/snusbrand/Gen...d_Portion.aspx

Currently Northerner isn't selling them but Frank says that may change.

WOW, that Nordic Mint can design reminds of the WTC towers being hit by a remote controlled planes.

[spirit72]

It doesn't matter if it changes the taste or not, it dilutes the brand name, and creates confusion.They aren't selling better than Camel because they aren't competing. Lxssnus isn't selling as well as Camel either; Wonder why. If you're gonna compete with the big boys, you need to compete. I've NEVER seen a can of General anywhere. No flyers in WaWa, no displays, no nothing. If it weren't for SnusOn, I wouldn't have even known they sold snus in the USA

Yuppers, right there.

The entire General line has been available here at Speedway stations in Columbus for about 8 months now, and from what I can see, Match has done basically zilch to market or promote it. All I see at Speedway are a small sign in the door, or in one of the storefront windows, and a small General-branded fridge in a less-than-visible spot, in a corner behind the counter, lower than the counter in some cases, and off to one side of the other smokeless products.

And, as you might expect, it is not selling. The cashiers at the Speedway I frequent have all told me that I am the only one, since last November, that ever buys any of it. Of course, I can tell that's the case myself......because nearly every can of General I've bought there, of all varieties, has been expired or days from being so. In fact, I have a can of General Wintergreen right here in front of me that was bought yesterday morning with a date of 6/2 on it. Whoops! Guess it's a good thing the stuff was on sale for $3.19 a can.

And I stil don't get why they only launched General. I never thought that the original General would sell here in the States, and probably never will. Most Americans would be put off by the flavor...and I think I noted that to Joakim and Markus here at SnusOn way, way back. I also noted that they should launch Ettan and Grov as well, both portions and loose, and that these two WOULD be popular with dippers--especially the Copenhagen/Skoal Straight crowd. And, of course, Mint and Wintergreen. But, no. So, whatever.

They can keep the Nordic Ice, but I'll probably try the other just for the hell of it. I suspect I'll be sticking with Ettan and Pioneer.

[chadizzy1]

I did a big writeup/review on my blog this morning, thought I'd post it here and share my thoughts.

--
Part 1


A few days ago I began writing and updating my article on the new General Snus products: General Nordic Mint and General Classic Blend. Swedish Match is set for an all out snus invasion in America and the new tagline "Not All Snus is Created Equal" has balls. The Swedish Match marketing machine in the past hasn't done much to captivate the US market, but with the growth of Camel "SNUS" and in certain places Marlboro "snus" and Skoal "SNUS", this phrase could grab some attention. And it couldn't be more true. As I've said in the past in numerous articles such as my comparison of Swedish Snus vs American "snus" and one about the Camel "SNUS" advertisements we saw in the past - American "snus" is NOT REAL Snus. Real Snus has always come from Sweden. Fact. That being said, I'm really excited to be writing this review. For many of us bloggers/website writers, we started with Camel "SNUS" then went online and read other articles to find the real stuff and many of us began writing ourselves to help educate people. One thing RJ Reynolds did right with Camel "SNUS" is market the hell out of it and make the word snus, though often times mispronounced as "snuhs", a common word. (It's actually pronounced snus, like moose or goose). On average 9 out of 10 tobacco consumers are aware of the word "snus". I consider the release of the new General products to be the next phase in snus in America. For some of you - this may be the first article you ever read about snus in your quest for knowledge about this new tobacco product you just found at a 7-11, and to you I say, "Welcome to a brand new world."


I wanted to compare the cans for two crowds - current Swedish Snus users and current American "snus" users. I compared the cans with a Camel "SNUS" can (older design) and a can of the former Nick & Johnny snus Swedish Match had on the market a few years ago. You can see the new General tin is actually a tad smaller than the Camel tin and kinda close in size to the N&J tin but a little slimmer. I've been getting emails with mixed opinions from people about these tins. It's interesting to note that current Swedish Snus users (not all, but some) consider it a departure from tradition. American "snus" users find it in line with what they know and more approachable. Like it or not, Americans associate snus with the tins that Camel comes in. Camel is the market leader, so people are going to go with what they know. It's probably why the "round can snus" hasn't taken off here - because people associate it with dip, or moist snuff. As we know, snus is much different from moist snuff or dip in that it's pasteurized instead of fermented and not proven to cause any sort of oral cancer (Swedish Snus, not American "snus" - we still don't know how that stuff is made.)


One thing being brought over from the traditional Swedish Snus can is the "catch lid". For those of you new to snus - this has been in almost ever snus can made and sold in Sweden so that when you aren't near a trash can you can discard your used portions. The American "snus"makers have yet to pick up on/implement this, but it's a great thing. I'm quite glad to see this in the new tins sold in America.


For current Camel/Marlboro/Skoal/American "snus" users and current Swedish Snus users, here's a little size comparison. The new General products are about the same size as the smaller Camel "SNUS" portions but packed with more tobacco. A little smaller than regular Swedish Snus portions. They kinda remind me of the slim portions but have more tobacco and aren't as long. They're right in the middle. One thing Swedish Match made sure of is that the complaints of dry tobacco in American "snus" isn't something that will be heard of in their new product for the US market. The tobacco is rich, moist, and of the quality we've come to expect from REAL Swedish Snus.

[chadizzy1]

Part 2 - reviews.


Now, on to the reviews. As is common in the US snus market, mint snus. Like it, love it, or hate it - Americans like mint so it's common sense that a mint snus be released to the American market. This mint snus has an American taste but with Swedish quality. It's almost like all the complaints Swedish Snus users made about Camel "SNUS" were fixed for this particular snus to be released to Americans. The smell is sweet and minty, but not like "holy shit sweet" like Camel "SNUS" is. The portions are moist and comfortable, not too big - but just right in the lip. The taste is also quite good. A sweet mint taste that I think will appeal quite well to American folks - but not as sweet as the American products. It's the way a mint snus should taste and it's quite good. I've found I can keep this snus in for up to an hour or more, which is a complaint I always had about Camel "SNUS", the taste can turn gross after about 45 minutes. So, thumbs up on this one.


Classic Blend is an interesting one. I was curious to see how Swedish Match would release their "alternative to mint" flavor. One thing that turned me off about snus in the beginning was the smell of traditional/"classic" snus, so I was anxious to see what this stuff would smell like. To my surprise there isn't the smell that is common of Swedish Snus present with this one. I immediately detected the carmel aroma when I opened the can, it was very present along with a little citrus aroma. The taste is very interesting. It's a standard tobacco taste with a little hint of citrus in the background along with a rich carmel taste (this is interesting, because I read it in the description and thought it might be BS but nope! It's there) and a little almost herbal quality in the background. It all blends together to create a taste that is both classic Swedish tweaked to an American taste palate. Not like the Marlboro Rich/classic style flavors that are dumped in with a gallon of sugar, this is really good stuff. Finally Americans will be able to access real snus made for the American market with a great taste.

The nicotine hit in both of these is moderate - definitely stronger than the American "snus" products. That's one of the things I always complained about with American "snus" - especially with RJR and their "stop smoking with snus" ad campaigns, as American "snus" doesn't have enough nicotine to help people quit smoking it's just a bunch of BS. However Swedish Snus has been proven to help people quit smoking.

So in the end, what do I think? I think Swedish Match is going in the right direction. As snus is now a commonly used word these new products could (if pushed hard enough) catch on in America. Americans have been exposed to REAL Snus through the blogs/websites of those of us who write about it and even a story on 60 Minutes that talked about REAL Snus and the American "snus" as well. I think as smoking bans increase and smokeless sales go up along with people trying to quit smoking with harm reduced alternatives like snus, sales of snus can only increase and the addition of a quality Swedish Snus to the American market is a great, great day for those of us who have been advocating snus for so long now. For Americans to be able to access real snus is fabulous.

If you're new to snus, welcome to a brand new world. This may be a stepping stone, some of you may want to try out some of the stuff sold in Sweden - so check out the webstores and try some others if you like, you can have Swedish Snus shipped directly to your door from Sweden.