Differences Between European Snus and Other Similar Products

Today, we’re going to be talking about tobacco. Lots and lots of tobacco. I personally am a massive Swedish Snus enthusiast. I’ve been using it since 2009, writing about it, filming it, podcasting it, social media’ing it, and more. But, there are a lot of ways you can put tobacco in your mouth that don’t involve smoking. I’ve assembled a list of some that I find interesting, or that are popular, but there are even more beyond this list! We’re going to be checking out products from the US, the EU, India, in a variety of formats. If you’ve found yourself wondering about the world outside of Swedish Snus, get ready, because we have a whole wide world of alternatives to check out today!

American Dipping Tobacco, also known as “dip” or “moist snuff”

I wanted to start with the first form of smokeless tobacco I ever encountered, dip. This is also called dipping tobacco, or moist snuff, depending who you ask. American dip came about when Swedish immigrants brought snus to the US. Yes, it’s true, dipping tobacco evolved out of Swedish Snus. Well, I wouldn’t say evolved, because I considered snus to be better, but it did form out of snus into it’s own type of product. American dip is fermented, or fire cured, while Swedish Snus is pasteurized. This means that your saliva is not safe to swallow when using dip, which is where the image of the spitting cowboy comes in. While it’s not something I use much of, I do find myself using a can here and there for the smoky tobacco taste. Some popular brands you may have heard of include Copenhagen and Skoal, which are rooted in European heritage! American dipping tobacco is used in the lower lip, unlike snus, which goes in the upper lip.

American “Snus”

My first taste of snus came in 2009 when I discovered Camel “Snus”. If you know me, you know I put the quotation marks around “snus” when discussing American “snus” for one reason: I don’t consider it to be quality, authentic Swedish Snus. In fact, with Camel, they went so far as to say they “perfected Swedish Snus”. Yes, you read that correctly. American “snus” is a pouched tobacco product, but it is loaded down with sweeter and has an overwhelmingly sweet taste. The flavors are masked, and the tobacco base has a cheap taste to it. While it is a better alternative to smoking, it isn’t quite as good as Swedish Snus. But, it exists, and is an option for people who are looking for alternatives outside of smoking.

Chaini, or Filter Tabak

Chaini is a pouched tobacco product that comes from India. I’ve heard a lot about it over the years, and I’ve had a few products here and there. I’ve never been able to find a uniform production method for it, but I’ve heard it’s produced in a lot of places in India and there’s no real standard for it. I’ve heard it’s highly carcinogenic, as well. It usually has menthol, as well as Indian herbs and spices, so it does have an interesting flavor to it. While not something I’d suggest using all the time, it’s fun to try out if you can ever get ahold of it. Chaini is used in the upper lip, much like snus.

Chew Bags, or Nordic Chew

Chew bags are a really interesting product. As you may be aware, snus has been banned in the EU since the 90’s. Well, with the exception of Sweden, something they required when they joined the EU. In 2014, an inventive company in Denmark called V2 Tobacco realized that chewing tobacco was legal in the EU. From that, they created a new category, “chew bags”, also called “Nordic Chew”. These products are very similar to snus. They are a pasteurized, pouched tobacco product that you use in the upper lip. The main difference is that the tobacco is cut instead of ground, and the pouch is a little thicker so you can technically chew them. Though most just put them in their upper lip and use them as you would with Swedish Snus. Of all the snus alternatives out there, these are the closest to Swedish Snus.

American Chewing Tobacco

Chewing tobacco is another form of loose tobacco consumed in the US. It is cured, cut, fermented, then process and packaged. It is usually mixed with sugar or molasses and comes in the “plug” or “twist” format. Plug comes in a brick format and is usually cut or bit off and put into the cheek. The twist format comes in long strands. Much like American dip, this type of tobacco requires spitting, as the fermentation process doesn’t make your saliva safe to swallow.

Chimo

Chimo is another interesting form of tobacco. This one comes out of South America. Chimo is a rather primitive forms of tobacco. It’s made of tobacco, sugar, tree ashes, and flavoring. You place a small amount of it in your lip, and spitting is required. It’s been a while since I’ve had it, but I remember it being almost a liquid-ish type of black paste. It was interesting, that’s for sure. From what I remember it’s most popular in Venezuela.

Makla, or Silverback Dip

I heard about Makla when I first started using snus. It was a few years before I had it for the first time, and I’ve also recently encountered it being sold in the US domestically as “Silverback Dip”. Makla originates out of Belgium, and is a mix of tobacco leaves and texture agent. You’ll find it look like a rough paste, and usually you use small amounts of it because of how strong it is. It has a pungent smell to it, but I didn’t find the flavor to be too bad. But it’s an interesting product and fun to try if you ever encounter it.

Tobacco Bits

There’s another type of chewing tobacco sold in the EU, but it’s different from US chewing tobacco. If you’ve ever seen Oliver Twist, it’s a type of chewing tobacco that comes in tiny little pieces. When they make it, the tobacco is cured, cut, and flavored. The flavoring is called “sauce”, and is a closely guarded secret in the Oliver Twist factory. The rolled up tobacco bits can be used a number of ways. For me, I like to chew on them a bit to release the flavor and moisture, then park them in my upper lip. There are 30 bits in a tin, weighing just 0.23g each. But while they are small, they pack a lot of flavor! If you’ve never had them before, they’re worth checking out. Interesting enough, though Oliver Twist is produced in Europe, they only use American tobacco!

Honorable Mention: Tobacco-Free Alternatives

While this article primarily focuses on tobacco, we also talked about a lot of oral pouched products. I’m going to close out with some honorable mentions, or products that come in a pouch and are used much like with snus. This includes nicotine pouches, energy pouches, and tobacco/nicotine free pouches. Nicotine Pouches are products that contain plant fiber instead of tobacco, but also contain nicotine. These are growing in popularity, and there are more nicotine pouch products on the market now than snus products. Energy pouches are tobacco and nicotine free, but usually have some form of caffeine or vitamins to them and provide a little energy kick. Tobacco/Nicotine-Free products are pouches that have no tobacco, and no nicotine, but allow the consumer to have the sensation of a pouch in your lip. These are for people who may be interested in quitting using tobacco or nicotine but still want to feel the sensation of a pouch under their upper lip without all the other stuff.

The Bottom Line

Wow, there are a lot of different ways to enjoy and consume tobacco. Aside from smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, you can see here there are many ways to enjoy oral tobacco without smoking. For me, I tend to stick to Swedish Snus. But outside of that, I find myself more partial to Chew Bags or Nicotine Pouches. You can see the influence tobacco has all over the world. I just discussed some products I knew more commonly, but you can find a variety of others all over the world. Many product alternatives you can find here on SnusExpress including nicotine pouches, energy pouches, and more!