Snus - Types

Types

Many types of snus are on the market:

• Loose snus is a moist powder which can be portioned and packed into a cylindrical or spherical shape with the fingertips or a purpose-made cylindrical device. The end result is often referred to as a pris (pinch), buga, prilla, or prell (slang). As well, some users (usually long time users) simply pinch the tobacco and place it in their upper lips (farmer's pinch or læmpert).
• Portion snus is prepackaged moist powder in small teabag-like sachets. It comes in smaller quantities than the loose powder, but is considered more convenient and discreet than loose snus. The two variants of portion snus are:
  • Original portion, introduced in 1977, is the traditional form. The sachet material is moisturized during the manufacturing process, resulting in a brown, moist pouch.
  • White portion is a milder-tasting and slightly slower release form. The sachet material is not moisturized during the manufacturing process, resulting in a white, dry pouch. The tobacco within the portion material has the same moisture content as original portion snus, but the nicotine and flavor are somewhat slower in delivery due to the drier sachet. "White portion" refers to the style, not the color, as many white portion snus use a black material instead of white, yet are "white portion". Examples include General Onyx and Grovsnus Svart (black).

Portioned snus is available in three different sizes: mini, normal/large (most common) and maxi. The weights may vary, but most snus labels share their weight. Mini portions typically weigh close to 0.5 g, normal (large) portions weigh around 1 g, and Maxi portions weigh up to 1.7 g, depending on brand. Some brands also offer the choice of "regular" and "long" versions of the normal size sachet, which are similar in content weight. These long portions differ from traditional sachets by being slimmer but longer, to fit against the gums more comfortably.

The nicotine content of snus varies between brands, with the most common strength being 8 mg of nicotine per gram of tobacco. In recent years, snus manufacturers have released stark (strong or sterk) and extra stark (extra strong or extra sterk) varieties with greater nicotine content. Stark varieties contain, on average, 11 mg of nicotine per gram of tobacco, while extra stark varieties may contain up to 22 mg of nicotine per gram of tobacco.