What is snus - Guide
Here you can read what swedish snus is:
In Scandinavia snus is a widespread form of mouth tobacco or oral tobacco. Snus is a semi-moist tobacco which is grinded into powder form. The most common form of snus in Scandinavia is loose snus or portion snus. Several types that are called snus exist. One is the kind of snus that one sniff through the nose, also known as nasal snus. Furthermore, American variants go under the name snus. Snus produced in Europe is made from completely different standards than the American and contains less of the deleterious substances like nitrosamines.
Loose snus has existed long before Columbus discovered and brought the tobacco to Europe. Loose snus is finely-ground tobacco added 50-60% moist and taste. One uses it by moulding a ball of the sticky snus and then placing the ball under the lip where the nicotine is absorbed through the mucous membranes. The ball of snus lasts for about 30 minutes, but it has the disadvantage that it easily crumbles in the mouth and is almost impossible to take out of the mouth without having snus in the entire mouth.
Portion snus was introduced in 1974 in order to offer the
consumers a product that does not give dirty fingers and which is easier to get
rid of after use. Traditional portion snus, as it was introduced in 1974,
consists of dried tobacco powder packed in a fiber bag – size 18x33 mm. The bag
is subsequently humidified until the portion reaches 55% moisture. The result is
a portion bag on 1 gram with the looks of a used tea bag. This product is known
as a standard portion. The portion snus has developed since the introduction.
Today, two smaller portion bags on 0,4 gram and 0,6 gram exist. These are
especially targeted at women and beginners. The small portion bags is available
as traditional portion snus where the bag is humidified on the outside and as a
“Dry” variant where the product has a completely white look.
Since spring 2004 the producers has launched XL snus portions from 1,5 gram to 2
gram, all traditionally humidified. The products have been introduced to
accommodate the many large-scale consumers who are used to using 2-4 pieces of
standard portion snus at a time.
Snus is typically placed under the upper lip in the mouth. The snus releases a
small, closely weighed out amount of nicotine which is absorbed through the
mucous membranes.
Snus is particularly well-regarded in Sweden and Norway where restrictive bans
on smoking in public is very strict.