SWAVE - Review

Swave was launched in 2020 by Gotlandssnus AB, who also make the renowned and revered Jakobssons line of traditional snus. Jakobssons is known for it's sweet, rather than salty snus flavours which has made it extremely popular -both within and outside of Sweden. Gotlandssnus have a wealth of experience in creating snus and producing smash hit flavours. They take their products very seriously indeed. Rest assured that these nicotine pouches have been developed with extreme care and attention to detail.

As of September 2020, there are 2 Swave products -Daiquiri and Tropic Spritz both are loosely based on cocktails you might drink whilst on holiday somewhere hot which must make a welcome change to the Swedish winters. I am struck by the fact that there is no mint flavour. This must be the absolute first time a manufacturer hasn't included a mint flavour as a first release. If you know differently then please leave a comment below! Both flavours have an "on can" nicotine strength rating of 3 out of 4 which translates as 13 mg/g (1.3%) or 10.6 mg per portion. We rate these as "strong". They won't blow your head off but they are a good everyday pouch for the general user. They have a fairly short shelf life of around 5 months -which isn't a long time but seems to be a hallmark of quality pouches. 

Swave - Daiquiri is described as having a "clear taste of melon with a slight hint of pear". When you first open the can, the aroma is overwhelmingly of pear drops without much melon at all. It's pretty strong and present. When under the lip the pear drop fades into the background as the watermelon (rather than an orange or green melon) clearly comes through. It's a big change from the smell alone and works well. I could only detect the merest hint of the filler material but watermelon is such a delicate flavour and difficult to get right. There aren't many watermelon flavoured pouches on the market but I think this must be the closest to the real thing. Flavour lasts for a long time (around 45 mins) but becomes slightly less like watermelon as time goes on. There is no saltiness to this product -just a slight sweetness. The pouches are pure white. Very soft and very comfortable under the lip. Product link here.

Swave - Tropic Spritz is described as having a "Clear taste of pineapple spiced with the sun's rays." which I can get with -but it tastes almost exactly like the Fruit Salad chews made by Barratt (do they still make those?) -with perhaps a hint of pear drop. It's a candy pineapple rather than a fresh, citrussy pineapple. When you open the can, the aroma really is fantastic. Heady with sweet pineapple and pear drops, it is a powerful and seductive smell. When under the lip -there is zero burn or sting but the flavours come through immediately and really very well. There is no other background flavours of the nicotine or the filler material at all -just sweet tropical flavours. The taste last for a decent amount of time. After about 20 to 30 minutes, the taste changes and develops into a sweet caramel type flavour with no saltiness. I found myself keeping these in long after the nicotine had gone! These pouches are very slightly off white compared to the pure white of Daiquiri. They are super soft and comfortable under the lip. Product link here.

All in all, some solid first releases from a renowned producer. This is certainly a premium product. I really hope that these get the recognition they deserve and that we get to try out some more flavours and strengths very soon!

Listed contents (both): Water, fillers (E460), plant fiber, humectants (E422), flavorings, acidity regulators (E500, E509), salt, nicotine, emulsifiers (E471), sweeteners (E954).

SWAVE Daiquiri & Tropic Spritz at a glance: