Snus is a form of smokeless tobacco which has been created through the air-drying of a mixture of many different tobaccos from around the world, or occasionally from a single country. Snus is enjoyed in many countries around the world and whilst some debate it, there are many who swear by its health properties and the many benefits that it can offer such as relaxation and help with anxiety, many of the health benefits have in fact been conformed by a number of European committees.
Generally speaking the snus is placed underneath the top lip and then the nicotine absorbs into the body, before discarding of the loose snus. There are in fact a number of different types of snus which we are going to look into today.
Swedish Variety
Swedish snus is by far one of the most commonly used and purchased around the world and in Sweden it is a very heavily used product, they actually consume more than any other nation. This is a moist snus which is placed under the lip and unlike some others there is no requirement for spitting to get the snus out once it has absorbed. The snus here usually has flavorings added to it sushi as citrus, bergamot and juniper berries which give it a distinctive smell and flavor.
American Snus
Snus has been made in the USA since around 1990 and it very much takes its inspiration from the Scandinavian form. Usually you can expect the snus which is made in the United States of America to be less moist than the Swedish variety, thus meaning that there is less absorption. Unlike the Scandinavian variety the snus from the USA is usually flavored with spearmint, vanilla or red fruits which give it depth of flavor.
Confusion
There exists some confusion between the snus that we are discussing here and another variety of tobaccos which is named snuff. This confusion is easy to understand because the translation in Swedish for snuff is snus, yet the two products are in fact different from one another. Snuff usually refers to the smokeless tobacco products which are ingested through the nose, rather than through the mouth. Chewing tobacco is often referred to colloquially as snuff as well, yet of course that is a very different product altogether.
Types
Snus generally comes in powdered form but it is far more popular these days to have a portion of snus which comes pre-packaged. This will feature a tin of snus which has many portions inside it which are placed inside a sachet which is akin to a teabag, which then dissolves once placed in the mouth. This is a far cleaner and far more popular way to take snus and it far outsells the powdered form.
If you find yourself in Sweden or the USA, this is a great product to try out for the first time whilst you are enjoying a cold beer or a coffee.