REVIEW: Skruf (No. 19) Tranbär

I (kinda) formally reviewed this one in 2013.  A bit of an injustice considering it's been a regular in my rotation, something I buy by the roll, since the very first time I tried it.  Moreso considering it's one of only a handful of snus offerings I would call a 10.  So, let's remedy that shit. 

Appearance: 10/10

In my estimation, Skruf sets the bar for appearance.  Tranbär is no exception.  Grey matte metallic label, embossed glossy cranberry print, super minimalist, so classy.  I look at it and immediately think, "this is a whole different level of smokeless tobacco".

Aroma: 10/10

Once the ammonia clears, tart, natural cranberry and robust tobacco are what hits my nose.  I want to emphasize "natural" here... with Thanksgiving a recent memory and real cranberries available for comparison, this is the embodiment of the real thing.

Mouth Feel: 10/10

So impressed with how far Skruf (and the industry at large) has come with their portion material.  Gone are the days of dry, irritating white portions... now they're soft, sleek, and oh so comfy.

Flavor: 10/10

The taste delivers all the promise found in the aroma.  Robust tobacco and tart fresh cranberries.  The two flavors compliment one another perfectly.  There's a strong salt note, bitter/sour robust tobacco and that natural cranberry.  I'm making it point to honor the "natural"  character, because I'm so averse to artificial flavor (think grape, strawberry or blueberry candy)... that shit is intolerable for me.

Nic Hit: 10/10

Regular strength, perhaps the high side of regular (at 12mg), but this portion doesn't have me tweaking.  Lasts upwards of an hour... smooth/steady delivery.

Drip: 10/10

It's white, if well positioned/maintained completely drip resistant for the first 20-30 min.  Perfect for instances where tobacco isn't socially acceptable.

Overall: 10/10

Yeah, I'm gushing on this product.  I really love everything about it.  If you've followed my content over the years, you know I'm not a fan of sour (specifically bergamot) mint (mouthwash) or most flavored (kool aid tasting) shit... but this one doesn't offend my palette at all.  It's flavored snus done right. Natural, tasteful and complements the tobacco.  My only gripe is that I can't get it in lös.

TASTE: Snus and Absinthe

I really wanted to wait til my order of General Classic Licorice landed before writing this... but alas, my inventory is too large to justify the purchase (damn those sales, and their appeal to my thrifty--read: miserly--side *grins*)... and I'm just too impatient to wait.  Also, I figure a break is need from hearing about my DIYS project.  Anyway, this pairing feature is another for the booze hounds... where my favorite European tasty beverage meets my favorite European tobacco product.  That's right, we're going to give our snus some "green fairy wings" in this post.  For anyone unfamiliar with absinthe, it is a legendary anise (black licorice) and herbal spirit praised by artists such as Hemingway and Van Gogh... only to be later stigmatized and banned for nearly a century (longer in some places) due to driving people "mad".  Contrary to popular myth, absinthe does NOT make one hallucinate (or incite murderous rampages)... that said, the effects are quite different from any other alcohol I've tried.... in that, it does have some stimulant properties.  When drank responsibly, I find it tends to make colors (primarily red and green) a bit more vibrant... AND makes me a bit more social, but unlike common alcohol... it's an articulate, refined sort of social (vs. the typical obnoxious, "what happened to my pants" kind of social).  Take care when consuming en mass quantities... I'm a fairly big guy, who handles alcohol well... and I've blacked out (and conducted all manner of foolishness) on more than one occasion. Read: proceed with caution, and don't say I didn't warn ya.   To keep it simple, I'm going to recommend two brands of the green fairy: Delaware Phoenix Meadow of Love (MoL), and Kubler.  MoL being quite possibly the finest available for human consumption, and Kubler being hands down the best value (quality vs. price).  You won't go wrong with either of these.  If you're lucky, you might find Kubler in your local specialty liquor store ... but chances are you'll need to buy online.  Regardless of which you choose, the preparation is an art.  You'll need ice water, and (optional) sugar cubes/absinthe spoon.  DO NOT attempt to drink it neat (i.e. shots), it's HIGHLY concentrated shit... and you'll have an 80-90% chance of vomiting if you disregard this warning.   I suggest a 4:1 water to spirit ratio to start... maybe even 5:1 if you want to be conservative.... as the night progresses, I often stiffen them to 3:1... any stronger, and you're asking for trouble.  On to the art... start with a "dose" in your glass... a dose being an ounce of absinthe (2/3 of a shot), and SLOWLY, slowly, slowly trickle your cold water into it.  You'll see a beautiful louche (whitening/clouding) effect.  If you rush this process, the essential oils of the concoction don't open up properly, and you won't get the desired taste... it should take a minimum of 1 min to pour your water in.   If you want to go the traditional "ritual" route, place an absinthe spoon and sugar cube on your glass prior to adding water.  I find adding sugar unnecessary ... but it's fun to watch the cube slowly melt as your water drips, and likely should be tried at least once... for nostalgia's sake.  Once completed, you'll be met with a velvety-smooth, fresh/herbal/predominantly licorice beverage of pure yumminess... that drinks exceptionally well.  Given the anise/fennel notes, I'm going to start by recommending licorice snus to pair it with--my favorite being Roda Lacket... I know, I know... RL barely (if at all) tastes like licorice BUT absinthe does bring it out... licorice snus is far from your only option... herbal snuses line up well too--such as Lab Series and Tre Ankre.  Of course, "pure tobacco" snus (Grov, Ettan, GB Prima Fint) do very well with absinthe too.  In other words, there are a lot of delicious flavor pairings to be made with the green fairy.... and I can't encourage you enough to try some (assuming alcohol is your thing).  Regardless of your choice, you're in for a fine night of imbibing I guarantee... just be careful *grins*   Til next time, happy snusing!!!

TASTE: Sake and Skruf

I did promise to get around to alcoholic beverage/snus pairings... this is a favorite.  Perfect for Samurai movie nights... If you don't have those at your house... epic fail my friend.  Few things compare to the awesome of a Japanese dinner (sushi takeout, miso soup) copious amounts of fine Sake and a yummy Skruf finisher. *grins*  Toss in pissy martial arts masters gut-checking one another with 3 foot long, fancy pig-stickers... (sorry, I might have gotten a little aroused there *winks*... er... not to mention off track). As with all things... I'm gong to choose to pair with the absolute best.  In terms of sake, that means a ginjo or daiginjo grade sake.  If you have a Japanese grocery in your area, I'd start there... otherwise you'll need to look online.  Now, I chose Skruf due to the floral notes of sake.  If you've never picked these notes out, it's likely you're not drinking the sake properly.  To start with, I recommend you drink it chilled.  Next, is the art of getting it into your belly.  Namely, timing your breath... the nuances of sake come to life only when this is done correctly.  The process is as follows; exhale completely, pound it back like a shot, then inhale through your mouth. A fine sake will pop like a firecracker when executed properly. Fresh, floral, and ever so tasty.  Then add in the rose oil notes of Skruf... and they (the flowery tastes) line up exceptionally well.  You may even want to swish the sake around and moisten your portion... since both the sake and snus are exceedingly mild, you're at no risk for gut-rot in the morning (I've got a VERY sensitive stomach, I would know).   Well that's the first installment of boozing with snus... If for any reason sake isn't your drink... don't you worry, there are many more to follow.  Til next time, happy snusing!!!

TASTE: Dark Chocolate and Snus pairing

Eating and tobacco use don't typically go hand-in-hand.  In fact, under most circumstances I would urge you to avoid it (especially with los).  But, I've found an exception in small squares of pure dark chocolate... specifically FINE dark chocolate with a low melt point... the kind that melts in your mouth.  In fact, I'm only going to recommend two brands to attempt this with.  First is Godiva (the wide thin bars)... these can be found nationally at just about any drug store (Walgreens/CVS for sure)... calling this fine chocolate might be a bit of a stretch, but it's readily available... and is at the very least, worthy of the title "good".  Next, is Scharffen Berger (again the wide thin bars), definitely the best commercial chocolate on the market.  If you can get something better (i.e. you're in Europe, or have a true gourmet market like Fox and Obel near by), by all means go for it.  Whatever the case, aim for something in the neighborhood of 70% cocoa/cacao.  I'm not going to give you a laundry list of which snus will go well with it (*cough* my favorites *cough*), just avoid the overly sweetened/flavored stuff.  In fact, I'm not even going to try to do justice to the party in your mouth which results...  All I'm going to say is... try this:  Pop a snus in (ideally a portion), and then break off a small piece (enough to cover half your tongue) place it in your mouth.  Don't suck or chew... just apply a little pressure, and agitate it slightly between our tongue and the roof of your mouth... until the chocolate melts/disperses.... swallow, smile, say "Mmmm"...  rinse/repeat. *grins* If you don't enjoy this... you have no business reading my blog *shakes fist*   Happy Snusing!!!

TASTE: Snus and hot drink pairings

My last post made mention of drink paring, and I think it warrants further exploration. There is something special about enjoying your snus with a beverage... and hot/caffeinated beverages are by far my favorite. Which should be no surprise, caffeine and nicotine are an amazing combination. Don't worry, I'll get around to cold drinks and alcoholic beverages later... So let's start with tea, anything that isn't overly flavored (see my favorites list) will go amazingly well with green tea... the polyphenols in green tea are known to be extremely effective at combating bad breath, and also serve as an excellent palate cleanser... The astringent qualities help to "waken" or "open" taste buds in my opinion the heat aids in the flavor release of snus. Combine all this with the cancer fighting/antioxidant properties of green tea, and I simply cannot think of a better tasting/healthier, calorie free way to accentuate your favorite snus. That said, you may want to steer clear of Japanese green tea varieties... as they tend to be VERY green, and a bit spinachy--which can overpower your snus. A Chinese style (lightly oxidized) green is much milder... recently I've been working on loose leaf Gunpowder Green. A few other great alternatives would be white tea, or spring bud oolong (a favorite with Lab Series). Jasmine green tea is exceptional with anything that has slightly sweet or floral notes (Roda Lacket, Scruf). Darker teas such as Assam Black, Black Pearl, Ceylon pair well with Ettan, Grov and General (and if you enjoy bergamont, I bet Earl Grey would go well with these too). I think that's enough about tea... now let's talk coffee. I highly recommend beans with an acid character... Kenya AA, Ethiopian Sidamo or Yirgacheffe would be my top picks. These really pop with the citrus and pepper notes of any snus... and I couldn't imagine the day my coworkers would be in for if I missed my morning pairing *grins*. Now if you're not a coffee/tea snob... you're probably thinking, err... where do I find this stuff? Sadly, I buy both locally. Tea I get from asian groceries... I think it's worthy of mention that I avoid Chinese and middle eastern origin in favor of Japan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, or Thailand (for quality/contamination/parasite reasons)... I know this may sound contradictory based on my green tea recommendation, but it's not... I was referring to style, not origin. I realize the coffee comes from regions that could be of concern too, but the roasting acts as an acceptable kill step in my eyes. If you look hard enough, there will be a specialty coffee shop in every major city... look for one that carries quality/fair trade/single origin beans (hint Starbucks and grocery chains aren't going to have what you're looking for).... hope this is helpful! Happy Snusing!

TASTE: A matter of preference

Before I start talking about or reviewing snus, I think it's only fair to mention my bias when it comes to these products. I'm not a fan of overly sweetened, or artificially flavored anything. I like my tobacco to taste like tobacco, not candy, or mouthwash, or kool-aid. I drink my coffee black, I drink my tea plain... that said, I only buy the best coffee (single origin fresh roasted beans), tea, and tobacco. I enjoy the nuances and subtle flavors in their most unadulterated states... in a sense, I'm a purist. So you won't find a lot of mint, or fad flavor reviews here... I will get the odd can to mix things up, but as a rule they're just not my can of snus.