Epok Melon

Epok Snus! A new type of snus on the market, produced with white...yes you heard that right white tobacco. This tobacco starts as brown tobacco and is then gently chemically cleansed to reduce even more TSNAs and other impurities typically found in brown tobacco. This snus is still pasteurized like many other snus products and is said to have the same flavor and nicotine delivery qualities as traditional brown tobacco snus. The benefit is no brown stains on your teeth as with brown tobacco products. The product I will be reviewing today is the Epok Melon. Melon flavors are becoming quite popular in the snus world but this is the first white tobacco melon snus.

 The can is a very sharp looking white can with a kind of pink red color to it. It has a decent sized catch lid that has two spots to open it from unlike some other cans. The can itself is clear which allows you to see the snus inside. A very classy eye catching can.

When you open the can you see the nice plump white portions inside. The aroma coming from the can is a faint melon smell with just a slight chemical smell from the extra cleansing the tobacco goes through. The smell is not off putting at all just a very clean melon smell. Each can has 24 portions inside and each portion contains roughly 0.7 grams of tobacco. Nicotine content is .85% so almost 9mg per gram but due to the 0.7 weight it probably equals 8mg so it is standard strength.

 Epok Melon is a slim white portion filled with white tobacco. The portion sits very comfortably in the lip and is very discreet. I barely notice it is there when I put it in. It has a very soft portion material with soft edges and causes no discomfort even after chain snusing. Most white portions tend to cause slight discomfort after repeated use due to the dryer material but that's not the case with these. The portions are pretty moist for a white portion I am unsure of the exact moisture content but its up there compared to other white portions.

 As you see in the pictures above this is a standard brown tobacco portion vs. the white tobacco portion. Both have the same consistency as far as the grind and moisture but one is brown and one is white.

 Above is a standard Ettan portion.

Above is an Epok White tobacco portion.

Ok lets get into the review itself. The taste is a very mild melon flavor nothing compared to Jakobssons melon or mini melon but you can tell its melon. There is no tobacco taste just a slightly salty very slight chemical taste but like I said earlier nothing off putting. These things last a while I can get a good hour and a half to two hours out of it before it starts to get a slight bitter taste at which point I toss it. Being a white portion it does take about 15 minuets for the flavor to start to develop but once developed its there and it is good. So far I have only tried the Epok Melon and the Epok Blabar or Blueberry both of which I have been using daily, mostly at work when I don't want to risk having brown stained teeth. I will put a review up of the blueberry later on. Well what can I say if you want a snus that wont stain your teeth or pillow if you sleep with a snus in like I do this series could be for you. It offers a good long lasting flavor at a pretty fair price. Priced around 3. 80 USD  it wont break the bank. The Epok Line is currently offered in Melon, Mint, Mint Strong, Licorice, Blueberry, Juniper and Lime and there was a coffee flavor that was discontinued earlier in 2015. I look forward to trying the entire series and seeing what this innovative brand has to offer. Leave a comment telling me what you think of this line or how you think it could be improved all questions and comments are always appreciated.

Offroad Frosted White Dry

 

 Offroad Frosted White Dry portion from V2 tobacco is a twist on the classic Offroad frosted and Offroad frosted white portion. The little brother to Thunder Frosted. This portion is completely dry with no added moisture what so ever. This leads to an extremely long lasting portion with minimal drip. at 8mg/gram it is a standard strength portion with a sharp fresh spearmint flavor quite like the original and white portion. Coming in at .65 of a gram portion weight they aren't quite as full as the original or white.

 Classic style V2 can black with the new large catch lid vs. the smaller catch lid of the older Offroad line. White and blue design with ice cubes in the back ground gives a "cold" look to the can.

Offroad frosted white dry comes with 15 portions per can at roughly .65 grams per portions gives you a total weight of 9.75 grams of snus vs. 24 grams with Swedish match products such as General white mint. Upon opening the can you get a sharp smell of mint specifically spearmint with no hint of tobacco smell. No fluffing is required with this due the dry tobacco inside there isn't much to stick together. Once in the lip it provides a nice "burn" due to the mint flavor. Being a white dry portion these can get slightly irritating of used frequently due to the lack of moisture and the dry portion material, but they are still comfortable in the lip. Now on to the taste... what can I say nothing spectacular quality wise as this is a budget snus much like thunder, but the flavor is not bad or artificial. It gives a very clean flavor which after about 30 minuets you can start to taste a hint of tobacco and salt. After about and hour the flavor is still going strong with no drip what so ever. Around the 2 hour mark is where I get rid of it not due to lack of flavor, just because I like to chain snus and usually replace it with a different flavor. All and all a decent quality "Budget Snus" for what its worth at around 3 USD a can and usually 20-25 USD a roll you cant complain to much. Its not an every day snus for me I have my Odens cold and Double mint for my every day mint snus but it does get me by if I'm low on my Odens. I keep a couple cans around for when I don't want to burn through my stock of Odens while chain snusing. To me its like a cheap beer its ok to drink when around friends and in mass quantities but when alone I want something more premium with a little more kick.

Ettan White Portion

Ok everyone, this is my first ever snus review it's going to be an original, a classic staple in the snus world... Ettan White portion!

Ettan, first introduced in 1822 as Sweden's number one snus and there's a reason for that, is a classic simple product with simple ingredients, tobacco, water and salt. It has a very simple taste profile, mild tobacco with a slight hint of salt and some unsweetened dark chocolate undertones. As a white portion the flavor is a little more subdued than with los or original portion(due to the skipped wetting process) but is still  a great flavor. With the los and original the flavor and nicotine come on a lot faster. With a white portion the flavor takes a backseat for the first few minutes until it gets moist. Once moist and ready to go Ettan White offers a top quality straight forward tobacco flavor with a hint of salt, not overly strong or in your face by any means but enough to let you know its there.

As with most Swedish Match products, it comes in the standard 24 portion can in the Star Formation with doesn't add or take from the taste but adds a bit of class to the product it self and shows how good the quality of the company is to take the time to make sure the snus not only taste good but is pleasing to the eye as well.

A little fluffing( rolling the portion between the fingers to evenly distribute the tobacco) is required due to the wedge shaped from the star formation. Once in the lip it is very comfortable. The portion material is soft like most other Swedish Match products with soft edges that don't irritate the gums or lip. The moisture content is pretty high if I had to guess somewhere between 45-50% moisture of the tobacco. Being a white portion the drip( juice run off) is very minimal and sets in about 40-45 minuets into it. The drip itself is very pleasant and easy to swallow with minimal throat irritation. Nicotine content is the standard 8mg per gram (these are 1 gram portions), nothing over the top but satisfying none the less. Ettan white is a long lasting portion that I can use for 1.5-2 hours at a time before I notice flavor loss and toss it.  This is a portion in my daily rotation that I use probably 3-4 times a day its a flavor I never get tired of. People making the transition from American dip to snus find this product as close to Copenhagen as snus can get which helps makes the transition for them a little easier. Ettan is a premium snus so the price tag is usually around 4-5 dollars depending on where you buy www.snuscentral.com usually has deals going that cut the cost especially if ordered by the roll sometimes 20-25% off per can sometimes buy 10 get 5 free. Hope you enjoyed the review. Please feel free to leave a comment below all feedback and questions welcomed!

Welcome

This blog is designed for new and seasoned users of Swedish snus. I will be posting reviews and helpful tips and tricks to help people looking to transition from other products to snus, and to review products on the market. Any and all questions are welcome I will do my best to answer to the best of my ability or to at least point everyone in the right direction. There is a lot to be learned on the journey of using Swedish snus as a reduced harm product and I am here to assist.