Camel SNUS versus Swedish Snus. A comparison review of completely different snus tastes!

Greetings fellow snus lovers!

This week, I thought I would do something a little different in the way of snus reviews. Instead of just reviewing one kind of Swedish snus, I thought we would do a review that shows the taste differences between American snus, specifically Camel SNUS, and Swedish snus in general.

There have been a ton of questions about the taste differences between the two lately that; I feel this is necessary to further your journey into the wonderful world of Swedish snus! One warning though, this review will not contain scientific data regarding TSNA levels, amounts of nicotine and guest speakers from the medical factions or anything like that.

We are going to review both types as we always do and compare the tastes, portion materials, mouth feel and their differences. My great friend and colleague Larry Waters, Swedish Snus Ambassador to the United States,  has lots of articles here on SnusCENTRAL that will give you all the data above….plus his no-so-unbiased review of taste, materials, and mouth feel.  We’re just concerned with a stoic look at the tastes, materials and feel! So, with that out of the way, let’s begin our journey!

It seems like just yesterday when I began my journey into snus. As you all remember from the introduction article, I began with Camel SNUS and within a few weeks, became a huge fan and supporter of true Swedish snus. Between then and now, I’ve reviewed a lot of different Swedish snus varieties but, never did compare them to American versions. Why you may ask? Simple, Camel SNUS was the only one I could find locally back then!

Another thing that’s happened since the beginning is that Camel SNUS has gained more popularity in the US recently. Because of this, people need to know what the differences in tastes are before deciding which is best.

When I began with Camel SNUS, the first thing that hit me was the taste. Camel SNUS Spice had the taste of sweet pumpkin spices, which I like, but it was sweet! The other flavors in the Camel family (Frost and Original) were sweet as well.

Most Swedish snus on the other hand is not sweet. It’s just the opposite, salty. Not heavy salt taste like liking a salt block just, salty. “But Snus Guy, wouldn’t sweet taste better than salty?” It depends actually. You have to understand the difference each makes in the way things taste before you can answer that question. I’ll try to explain a bit.

In my opinion, adding a bit of salt to any food will bring the flavors of the food out. Consequentially, adding sugar or sweeteners to foods will tend to mask the flavor of them. The same theory works when applied to snus. Sweet snus, like Camel SNUS, tastes good initially but, all you really taste is the sweetness. Once it’s gone, so is the flavor. Salty snus, like Swedish snus, tastes a little salty initially but, after a few minutes you begin to taste the underlying flavors that the snus was intended to be. For example let’s take Röda Lacket portions.

Initially, Röda Lacket has a salty flavor but after a few minutes, you get the taste of berries, Anise and tobacco which lasts quite a long time! (Can you guess what the next review will be? ;>) ) Camel Frost on the other hand, starts off sweet and Wintergreen tasting but, after 30 minutes, becomes tasteless. The other taste difference is tobacco. In Swedish snus, the tobacco plays a major part in flavor to some degree. These degrees vary dependent on what the manufacturer’s taste intentions are but, can be tasted. With Camel SNUS, in my opinion, the tobacco flavor seems to have been lost in the flavorings.

So, to recap taste, Camel SNUS is sweet and flavorful but, the flavor only lasts for about 30 minutes at the most and can taste a little synthetic. Swedish snus, or as Larry likes to call it:  REAL Snus,  is mildly salty for the first 10 minutes or so. After that, the intended flavors come out and can last for over an hour! Swedish flavors are natural tasting because natural food grade flavorings are used.

Another major difference between the two is this. Swedish snus production is overseen by the Swedish version of the FDA. Since it is used orally, Swedish snus must comply with the same food safety standards as a cheeseburger would in Sweden. Unfortunately Camel SNUS is not.

The portion materials are very different as well. Actually, there are many differences in the portions themselves. Let’s look at the material first. Since Camel SNUS’ portions are small and white, we’ll compare them to Swedish White portions. The two are somewhat similar in appearance. The similarities being the color of the portions and both types use a tea bag like material but, that’s where the similarities end!

Camel SNUS pouches tend to be tube shaped (long and round) while Swedish snus portions are pillow shaped, meaning they are more rectangular and shorter. You may think that shape doesn’t really make a difference but, when it’s in your upper lip, it really does! And that brings us to mouth feel.

Mouth feel is important because you can’t enjoy the flavors if you’re not comfortable with the portion in your lip! I said before that both Swedish snus and Camel SNUS both use a tea bag like material but, in my opinion, the materials feel different.

Camel SNUS uses a material that tends to be a little hard on the gums. This is for two reasons. One, the material feels rougher in and out of the lip, wet or dry. Two, is the shape of the pouch. Since it’s longer, it sits farther back than Swedish snus pouches and will rub when it moves.

Swedish snus, particularly White portions, are easier on the gums. In part because the material just has a softer feel in and out of the mouth and, wet or dry as well. Even though the portions are pillow shaped, meaning they are shorter and wider, they sit more comfortably in the lip.

While it may seem that Camel SNUS is the only snus that has a sweet taste, General has two snus flavors that have been developed for, and only available in, the US, General Mini Mint and General Wintergreen. I’ll be putting up reviews on them soon but, General Mini Mint is extremely close in taste to Camel Frost but with a hint of tobacco flavor!

Well fellow snus lovers, I hope this sheds a little light on the taste differences between true Swedish snus and Camel SNUS. As a homework assignment, I encourage you all to read Larry Waters and Mr. UNZ’s Camel SNUS articles for other important facts!

You can also visit our Member Reviews Section and Snus Reviews by Larry Waters and Friends for more reviews. SnusCENTRAL.org Members are encouraged to write their own snus reviews!

Happy Snusing!

That Snus Guy – visiting snus reviewer