LD Snus

LD Snus

JTI Sweden’s Foray Into The Value Market

A product of Japan Tobacco International (JTI)’s Swedish subsidiary, LD snus is one of three brands currently produced by JTI Sweden (the others being Camel and Gustavus). Sharing its name with a brand of discount cigarettes released by JTI 1999, the LD name originates from Russia’s Liggett­Ducat factory where the brand of cigarettes was first produced. As a value brand, LD is targeted at an increasingly large segment of consumers who are searching for lower priced alternatives to premium brands in response to increasing tobacco taxes and a desire to reign in non­essential spending. The LD line of snus is currently produced in JTI Sweden’s high­tech facility located near the city of Gothenburg in Sweden’s Vårgårda municipality. Acquired by JTI from the Gallaher Group in 2007, the factory is capable of producing both loose and portioned varieties of snus and is staffed by a team of experts in the field of traditional Swedish Snus production.

LD Original

Designed to appeal to consumers who prefer traditionally flavored snus brands, LD line currently offers two distinct flavor profiles, the first of which is known simply as LD. Basing itself on the ever popular combination of tobacco and bergamot flavors, LD has a predominant taste of herbal tobacco and only a slight hint of bergamot which serves to add a touch of citrus flavor to an otherwise all tobacco brand. LD is available in several styles including Original Portion (which has twenty 0.9g portions of average strength snus), White Portion (again twenty portions of average strength), Loose (40g of regular strength snus, about 8mg of nicotine per gram), and Original Mini (20 portions each containing 0.5g of snus and 4mg of nicotine).

LD Salmiak

The second variant of LD is known as LD Salmiak (salmiak is Swedish for licorice). Beginning with the same herbal tobacco taste of LD Original, Salmiak substitutes bergamot for a natural taste of black licorice. The addition of licorice imparts a salty (and slightly bitter) flavor to the herbal tobacco, and in my experience this creates a flavor combination which is much tastier than the original. Similar to its original counterpart, each can of LD Salmiak contains twenty portions of snus (0.9g of snus and approx. 7­mg of nicotine per portion) for a total of 18g per can.

Mild Taste, Great Value

Although the LD lineup may not offer the best tasting or most interesting snus flavors, the brand has successfully established itself as a popular value snus brand which focuses on producing mild brands with as consistent of a taste as possible, making it a great mild snus for those on a budget. On the other hand, LD Salmiak’s natural licorice flavor pairs with the mild tobacco to create an offering which rivals a number of higher priced licorice brands, and is definitely a brand which all licorice fans should try at least once.

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