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!!!

NEWS: Not news

just a mysterious blogger experiment...  Ooooo!

NEWS: Upgraded look and functionality

So I googled up (read: pirated... arg!) a slick back drop... did some reformatting... added labels and links.  The result (I hope) is a more aesthetically pleasing, easier to browse/navigate Snus Tastings.  For the moment, adding photos to my posts eludes me (read: user error, or more concisely user laziness)... but I will remedy it in due course.  If you see any improvements... let me know, and I'll certainly consider and or accommodate them.   Disclaimer... the bit about "pirating" is a joke, admittedly in poor (read: my) taste, if you happen to be the owner of this fine piece of art (or any others appearing here) and are offended by it's use... just let me know, and I'll happily take it down.  Same goes for the links.

IMHO: Snusgirl.com

Just as an aside/follow up to my previous post (about more resources). I wanted to make special mention of snusgirl.com. I recently stumbled on them when researching products for my girlfriend (yep she snuses too). Anyway I was very impressed... and they have since played an important part in conceiving the misadventure that is Snustastings... yeah, I probably could have phrased that a little better, but what I mean is that their reviews and niche concept were a great inspiration for my brainchild (again, phrasing). *evil grins* All joking (and failed attempts at misogyny) aside, tons of really accurate reviews to be had there... Josie (one of their writers) has been especially friendly, helpful, and just all around cool as I got this project off the ground. Also, very refreshing to have a woman's perspective on snus.  As a way of saying "thanks", they get the top seat in my links section.  Anyway... lots of fun/cool/exciting stuff going on there, and I can't encourage you enough to check their site out, those ladies really are doing something special. Happy Snusing!!! P.S. I will get some pictures up on here soon Josie :)

SNUS 101: Where to find more reviews/news etc

In the event you're not a snob/purist like me, don't appreciate my taste preferences, or just don't like the way I write (read: you simpleton)... joking... I've compiled a list of other sites that I frequent for reviews/previews/news etc. Considering this is a fledgling blog, and I have an aversion to a significant portion of the products on the market (many flavored/sweetened snuses), these should be especially helpful. Of course, google will land you most of these... which I encourage, but I know these are good starting places: snubie.com, snuscentral.org, snusgirl.com.  Links on the right side of the page.  They will probably lead you to even more great snus resources. Happy Snusing!!!