Swedish Snus
Swedish snus from the 18th century to today
The history of Swedish snus stretches back to the end of of the 15th century. The journey begins with tobacco leaves in the West Indies that travels via the French court and finally to Sweden. It is in Sweden that the use of tobacco leaf develops and results in the invention of Swedish snus. Swedish snus has looked different and product development continues. Here we tell you everything about Swedish snus that is worth knowing.
You could almost say that Swedish snus is sacred in Sweden, at least that's how many people feel. Basically, it's about a feeling of well-being and a nicotine kick, but it has evolved into to be much more than that. Using Swedish snus is called "snusa" and the activity says something about you as a person, being a snus user is part of your identity. It matters which brand you snusand whether you use loose snus or portion snus. And if you go out without your can in your pocket, you feel naked.
The history of Swedish snus
To understand what Swedish snus has looked like through the ages, we need to go back in history. It was in 1492 that Europeans first came into contact with tobacco, when Columbus and his crew were received with gifts. Among other things, they were given dried leaves that the locals considered very valuable. Sailors later brought the tobacco plant to Europe, and in the 16th century, the herb began to be used for medicinal purposes. Tobacco leaves were then used as nasal snuff, where the tobacco leaf was crumbled and drawn up the nose.
After Queen Catherine de Medici was advised in Paris to cure her chronic headaches by by inhaling ground tobacco, her headaches miraculously disappeared. This was the breakthrough of tobacco in the French court and it quickly spread to other courts, and then to the rest of Europe. The man who recommended this miracle cure to the Queen was the French ambassador Jean Nicot, whose name Carl von Linné used to give the tobacco plant its Latin name Nicotiana tabacum.
Swedish snus gets its breakthrough in the 18th century
A customs document from 1637 mentions that snus was sent from Finland to Sweden, and as far as this is the first time snus is mentioned in Sweden. In the 17th century, the tobacco industry gets it's breakthrough in Sweden, and nasal snuff becomes a must among the men and women of the aristocracy. In the end of the 17th century, tobacco is grown in around 70 Swedish towns.
Today it is not dried leaves pulled up through the nose that we think of when we hear the word snus. Swedish snus was invented when the Swedes started mixing tobacco with salt and water to squeeze into a so-called "prilla" and put under the upper lip. This snus product is similar to the one we use today but the product has evolved a lot over the the last 200 years to make it more convenient to use, more efficient to produce, and to reduce the risks for tobacco users. It was around the turn of the century between the 17th and 18th centuries that Swedes started to move away from nasal snuff to putting a "prilla" under the lip, and the Swedish snus was invented.
The oldest brand on the market
When you put a prilla under your lip, the nicotine contained in the tobacco is secreted and absorbed by the body. This is perceived as calming and many people are stimulated by the nicotine kick that occurs. There are several companies that have produced Swedish snus and contributed to its popularity. The oldest snus on the market today is Ettan Snus, which was originally produced by Lundgren-Anderssonska tobacco factory which was founded around 1695. Jacob Fredrik Ljunglöf became director of the factory in 1821 and shortly afterwards he enlisted the help of a chemist and created the recipe that later became Ettan Snus.
Jacob Fredrik Ljunglöf thought that the manufacturing process of the time was too slow. At that time, Swedish snus was made by fermenting it for up to six months. Together with a chemist, Ljunglöf figured out how to pasteurise Swedish snuff instead, and produce an entire batch in just one week. All that was needed was tobacco and salt, water and potassium carbonate, known as potash. This new method also improved the shelf life of Swedish snuff, so it stayed fresh longer. At this time, Swedish snus was sold in cardboard cones instead of in boxes as today.
An important launch in history
Another brand that should be mentioned when it comes to the history of Swedish snus is General Snus. The man behind this recipe is Johan Adolf Boman. In 1861 he takes over a tobacco factory in Gothenburg, founded in 1847, and renames the company J.A. Boman & Co. Boman worked to develop the perfect snus and travelled the world to find the right ingredients. The result was General Snus, which contains 22 different types of tobacco leaf and a few drops of bergamot oil that give General Snus its characteristic taste.
General Snus was launched in 1866 and became one of the most popular varieties in Swedish snus. Today it is produced from the same recipe by the company Swedish Match, which is one of the major players in the Swedish snus market. To describe what General snus taste like is basically a spicy taste with some pepperiness, and notes of tea, hay, and and leather.
Swedish snus instead of tobacco smoking
Swedish Match is the only company ever to receive approval from the FDA in the United States to market a tobacco product as a risk-reducing alternative to cigarettes. This approval is for General Snus. Since it became known that cigarettes contain substances that are harmful to humans, and increase the risk of cancer. Swedish snus has been marketed as a good alternative to improve public health.
Since smoking has been shown to increase the risk of pancreatic and oesophageal cancer, the researchers wanted to find a harm-reducing alternative to cigarettes. Tobacco-specific nitrosamines are one of the substances that can be harmful in cigarettes, and are only present in one very small amount in Swedish snus. Swedish snus is a smokeless tobacco product and has been appreciated by many people who want to quit smoking but at the same time have a nicotine intake. By placing a portion of Swedish snus under the lip, nicotine is secreted as absorbed by your body, while avoiding the harmful smoke.
Developed into nicotine pouches
In the 1970s, Swedish snus began to be packaged in small portion bags that fit perfectly under the lip. Now you didn't have to go through the process of baking a prilla every time you wanted snus, which meant that Swedish snus reached a wider audience. Over the last 20 years a range of new products have been launched in Swedish snus. It started with portions in white pouches which were considered cleaner than those coloured brown by the tobacco. After that, products were launched where the tobacco itself underwent a water-based process to be washed white, this created a completely all white portions with the tobacco still in the product.
The product that had the greatest impact and whose use in Sweden is still increasing are tobacco-free nicotine pouches. Here it has taken a step further with extracted nicotine from tobacco leaves and then added to a mixture of plant fibres. This content is packaged in pouches and becomes a completely tobacco free product. Both snus and nicotine pouches are used in the same way and provide the user an intake of nicotine. Today, Swedish snus and nicotine pouches are available in a variety of flavours have been added to the range, and the pouches are available in different sizes for you to find the product that suits you best.