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.

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.