How is snus made?

Snus first emerged in Sweden in the late 1800s. Since then, the product has constantly evolved through flavor and format changes, creating new and exciting experiences. But what about the ingredients and the production process? This article aims to answer that question by highlighting key ingredients, brand flavors, and production processes, giving you all the information you need on how this smokeless tobacco product is made.

What is snus?

Snus is one of many smokeless tobacco products and is used by placing it under your upper lip against your gum. It comes in many different formats, portioned or loose, dry or moist, large or mini, flavored or not, allowing the user to create their own tailored experience. Every snus characteristic affects the production process and the ratio of different ingredients used. Some more popular brands include General Snus and Skruf Snus, which you may have heard of. Both are produced similarly but may have different ratios of basic ingredients depending on the product characteristics.

What are the snus ingredients?

Snus ingredients and their ratios can vary depending on the flavor, moisture content, and portion size. Below is a list of the main ingredients used in snus, enabling you to see what is inside these tobacco pouches.

• Ground Tobacco
• Water
• Salt
• Sodium Carbonate
• Moisture-preserving agents (humectants, including glycerol and propylene glycol)
• Taste Enhancers (Sodium Chloride)
• Flavors

If you use snus produced by Swedish Match and want specific details of what is in your product of choice, then follow the link to see the ingredients included. Another important note is that each brand uses different tobacco blends, mentioned below, giving each brand its unique taste and flavor.

Are there different types of tobacco plants?

Tobacco, Nicotiana, is a genus of plant and shrubs indigenous to the Americas, Australia, Southwestern Africa, and the South Pacific. Within this genus or family of plants, you have the common tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum, and 78 other species. Therefore, different manufacturers have 79 different plants to choose from and combine to create their tobacco blends, some of which are detailed further down the article.

What does Sodium Carbonate do in snus?

One of those ingredients that may take you by surprise is Sodium carbonate. You may be thinking about what it is and what its use is. Sodium carbonate is a pH adjuster.

pH adjusters control the pH of the contents of the snus.

But what has pH got to do with snus? Nicotine needs a slightly alkaline pH to travel from the snus into your system. Sodium carbonate is an alkaline substance, allowing for the effective transfer of nicotine.

The different snus tobacco blends and their distinct flavors

Each brand has a recognizable flavor that comes from the brand's tobacco blends and other additives. Below, these are described for some of the biggest brands on the market, giving an overview of the different brands' tasting profiles.

General Snus

General Snus is one of the biggest brands. Launched in 1866 by JA Boman and Co., the brand has never looked back as it continues to prosper. Its success comes down to its unique tobacco blend, using only the finest parts of the leaf.

General uses a tobacco blend of 22 types of tobacco plants, accompanied by the addition of bergamot, creating a spicy tobacco taste.

Skruf Snus

Skruf Snus was created in 2002, and in comparison to General, it is a fairly modern brand, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from its complex flavor profile.

Skruf uses tobacco grown in Africa, the US, and Southeast Asia. Tobacco from different regions has different flavors. Skruf combines these characteristics with rose oil to make its signature tasting experience.

Göteborgs Rapé

Göteborgs Rapé is a traditional brand that began in the port of Gothenburg in Sweden, where sailors would rip and tear the tobacco. Since then, its production has moved to Stockholm, and the manufacturing process doesn’t involve tearing by hand. However, it still has the same fantastic taste.

Göteborgs Rapé has a light tobacco character, accompanied by notes of juniper, providing a more delicate tasting experience.

Preparing the tobacco plant

Manufacturers and brands need to use only the best tobacco plants, and the GOTHIATEK Standard helps that for Swedish Match products as it permits no pesticides or undesirable chemicals to be used on the plants, ensuring a pure and clean product - including no genetically modified plants. Before the tobacco is shipped, it is picked.

• Each plant is air and sun-dried.
• Each plant is examined and hand-selected to meet a certain standard (The GOTHIATEK Standard, for example).
• The desirable leaves are collected.

These bundles of leaves are then packaged into boxes and shipped to different snus manufacturers across the world, like Swedish Match and Skruf Snus.

The Swedish snus production process

Snus production doesn’t differ hugely between brands, meaning the process described below is fairly universal. The process detailed below is how Swedish Match produces its snus, meaning steps may change or differ slightly from other manufacturers.

1. Grinding - Tobacco is broken and ground using a grinder.
2. Tobacco mixed- Ground tobacco is placed in a blender along with salt and water.
3. Pasteurization - The mixture is heated, which is computer-regulated using probes.
4. Ingredients added - The tobacco mixture is cooled, and other necessary ingredients, like flavorings and humectants, are added.
5. Packaging - The snus is placed into cans where machinery seals and labels them.
6. Storage - Each product is put into cold storage for a few days before being shipped, allowing the tobacco to mature and gain its characteristic aroma.

How are different snus packaged?

The packaging step can change and have an extra process depending on the type of snus you use. Regarding portioned and loose snus:

• Loose snus - requires no extra steps. This product is harvested after the pasteurization and the addition of ingredients, being packaged straight away.
• Portioned snus - requires an additional step after the ingredients are added and before being packaged. The loose snus is inserted into cellulose fiber tubes, which are weighed, sealed, and cut apart, forming the individual portions. These pouches are then packaged.

What materials are the snus cans made from?

If you were to ask this question in the late 1800s, you’d probably get an answer of either a metal tin or a cardboard box, the latter preserving the snus not as well. Now, it is a little different!

• Loose Snus is usually packaged in paraffin-coated cardboard cans made with two different types of cardboard, one for the frame and the other for the base. The lid is plastic (polypropylene).
• Portioned snus needs more protection, so a more durable material - plastic (polypropylene). Also, it is more prone to drying out, so an air-tight can is required, with plastic being better suited for this job than cardboard.

Quality control: The importance of the GOTHIATEK Standard

Quality control is important as it shows that a product meets certain standards, which is good for the buyer and the seller. An example of this control is the Swedish Match GOTHIATEK Standard mentioned earlier, which regulates the number of undesired compounds within the product. Some of these include lead and aflatoxin, which are poisonous substances, highlighting the importance of this regulation. This quality control occurs throughout the production process, and if met, the product is safe to be sold and added to your rotation.