Review: Kapten Original Stark Portion
The Kapten line has been around for quite a while now, almost a decade! It was originally produced by a company called AG Snus in Denmark. However, AG Snus was acquired by Phillip Morris International in May of 2021. It’s interesting to note that PMI also acquired Swedish Match in late 2022 which makes Kapten and General Snus cousins at this point, as they’re all under the PMI umbrella! Also, since Kapten was acquired by PMI, the bottom of the can labels it as Swedish Match and notes the GothiaTek standard. Recently, the Kapten brand has been coming in the Star Formation for their white portions, much like Swedish Match’s premium offerings General, Grov, and others. This one, the original portion version, is said to have a new portion format. Swedish Match says “New recipe - New portion material for more comfort under the lip”. It’s been about a year or so since I’ve had the old Kapten Original Stark so it’ll be interesting to try this new format.
The flavor description for this one says, “Kapten Original Stark Portion is a strong portion snus with a taste of bergamot and tobacco”. The can weighs 18 grams and has 20 portions, for 0.9 grams each. The nicotine content is 13.4mg/g, which breaks down to 12mg per pouch.
As noted above, the Kapten portions have definitely changed. I went back to a photo I took in 2022 and compared it to the can I opened this morning and wow, it is a difference. The new portions look more moist than the old ones, and they feel better by comparison. At least, from what I can remember. But, a major improvement in portion quality. These remind me a lot of the Grov Stark portions, which I like a lot.
I can say that the flavor hasn’t changed from last time I had this one, so that is quite refreshing. Opening the can, the aroma that comes through is that unmistakable Kapten Snus smell. It’s a present aroma of bergamot, along with a nice earthy base tobacco. There’s a subtle floral sweetness to it along with hints of pepper. The portions, as I mentioned above, are much nicer than I remember. This new feel is pretty impressive. They’re quite moist, and soft, and feel great under the lip. They also have a pretty quick release of flavor, which I like. The taste is the familiar taste of Kapten: bergamot, tobacco, floral notes, pepper. It’s mostly bergamot, but the floral sweetness really adds to it and rounds it out. The pepper isn’t too overdone, and serves as a nice compliment to the bergamot, and the earthy tobacco base! In the nicotine strength, this one is a stark, so it does feel to deliver a little above the regular strength mark. It has a little extra kick to it, but it’s not too overdone by any means. In the flavor longevity, I find it to last about the usual original portion lifespan, 40-45 minutes.
The Bottom Line
I’ve always been a big fan of the Kapten line. Alex, the guy who ran AG Snus before, came to a conference I threw in North America back in 2018, and I got to hear a lot about AG Snus and Kapten, and they also had a passion for Swedish Snus. Being a part of the Swedish Match family, it’s been good to see the quality increase to Swedish Match levels but still retaining that traditional Kapten flavor profile. If you like traditional bergamot snus and want to try something new, you definitely should check out Kapten!
Try the strong version of the classic Kapten Original here at SnusExpress!
