Does Anyone Have a Julesnus Recipe?

[Pasteurized]

Does anyone have a recipe for Julesnus for those who make our own snus? From what I understand (correct me if I'm wrong), the spices are the same as those found in Grog or Gluhwein recipes. If there is no Julesnus recipe to be found, would making Grog or Gluhwein in a crockpot, then lightly spraying finished snus with Grog or Gluhwein create a Julesnus? I guess my question is, how is Julesnus actually made and where is a recipe or what are my options to create a Julesnus?

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I don't know but I'm staying tuned, I love seeing new smokeless recipes.

 

[Copenhagen Forever]

I got nothing. The only word I recon is Grog. Is't that a pineapple rum drink?

 

[squeezyjohn]

Grog is an old British Navy term for a drink of watered down rum and has been extrapolated to mean any strong drink. However I can see where the confusion lies. Julesnus is supposed to taste like the Swedish Christmas drink called "Glögg" - and glögg is very similar to mulled wine, red wine heated up with whole spices and citrus peels, sometimes fortified with extra brandy or aquavit.

I did have some correspondance with the guy in charge of the recipes at Gotlandssnus, the people who make Jakobsson's and the original Julesnus. While he didn't give any secret recipes away, he said that the key to his success with flavours was to produce the snus from the tobacco and then add just the right blend of very high quality natural flavouring extracts. However if trying to make it at home I would probably not use extracts or oils as they're very hard to get the right dose for a small batch.

To replicate the flavour at home might require a bit of experimentation. My suggestion would be to try and produce a fairly light tasting snus from tobaccos that are not too dark and rich, replace some of the water in the recipe with red wine, then add ground spices AFTER THE COOK (my experience of adding aromatic ground spices is that the aroma tends to evaporate off if added before cooking)

The traditional spices in Glögg are: Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger and orange peel. I would personally take the cooked snus after it has cooled down, add the finely ground spices carefully a little at a time and mix in well before tasting. Taste it bearing in mind that the snus has not aged at all. From smelling my can of Julesnus, I reckon the main spices are cinnamon, cardamom and clove (in that order) ... a few weeks of ageing will help the spices go right through the blend.

 

[deluxestogie]

Squeezyjohn's description of Julesnus (which I had never heard of) is suggestive of quite a number of "Christmas" blends of coffee, pipe tobacco, punch, desserts, etc. I agree with the caution about essential oils.

I would probably not use extracts or oils as they're very hard to get the right dose for a small batch.

One approach to using these in small batches is to recall that, unlike oil in water, oil dissolves well in alcohol. You can create subtle dilutions of essential oils by adding 1 drop of oil to an ounce or two of vodka (basically unflavored ethanol and water). For perspective, a single drop of anise oil is noticeable when added to 4 ounces of Canadian whiskey, which is then misted lightly onto shredded pipe tobacco.

Bob

 

[squeezyjohn]

The diluting in vodka/polish spirit/everclear works well for most oils (but not all of them dissolve well in alcohol). It's a great way of diluting to get an amount smaller than a drop in to a snus mixture - and it also aids with dispersing it through the whole batch.

Another danger of essential oils is that although they are all very concentrated, some oils are much more potent as a flavouring than others. A 100g batch of snus can take 10-15 drops of a citrus essential oil and still be nicely flavoured ... but add 1 drop of ginger/cinnamon/clove oil and it can wreck the whole batch as it's too strong!

PS - although glögg≠grog - rum is a also fantastic flavouring for snus ... it particularly complements richer darker blends.

 

[Pasteurized]

My suggestion would be to try and produce a fairly light tasting snus from tobaccos that are not too dark and rich,

Wholeleaftobacco's air-cured burley is definitely this.

replace some of the water in the recipe with red wine,

OK.

then add ground spices AFTER THE COOK

My only concern with this is how it would effect the snus. Pasteurization results in sterilization, right? Will adding spices afterward alter sterilization?

(my experience of adding aromatic ground spices is that the aroma tends to evaporate off if added before cooking)

Which means the only option is adding after the cook.

I reckon the main spices are cinnamon, cardamom and clove (in that order) ... a few weeks of ageing will help the spices go right through the blend.

I did this on a small amount after my first batch. I added cinnamon & clove in a ratio of 2 parts cinnamon to one part clove. It's' pleasant, but it's not Julesnus. In the Glogg recipes I've found online, it seems the ratio is 6 parts cinnamon to one part clove. The cardamom would be in parts somewhere between 1 & 6, I guess.

 

[squeezyjohn]

I don't know about the pasteurisation thing. I have added ground spices after the cook with no ill effects ... however when I tried juicing root ginger and adding that then it did cause earlier mould development. The TSNAs are caused by unpasturised tobacco, not unpasteurised other organic matter, by definition they are tobacco specific. I will age in cool conditions for up to 2 months ... after which time I consider the snus has a very short shelf life unless it's frozen.

I would try a mixture of a lighter leaf with your whole leaf burley which I would still consider quite a dark leaf for snus purposes.

Other than that ... this is just me thinking out loud ... I have never tried to make a julesnus clone, this is just how I would approach it. Experimentation and informed tasting is your friend.

 

[Pasteurized]

My last batch of snus was finished and refrigerated on 6/27/17. This batch was 25% Kentucky, 25% Tennessee & 50% Maryland. I just measured out 80 grams, enough for two cans, and hit it with 12 sprays of Watkins orange extract, then mixed it & placed it back in the fridge. I will check the flavor in 3 days. I don't believe it should taste like orange juice. I am looking for enough of an orange base flavor prior to adding the cardamom, cinnamon and clove. I will report here on the results. If all goes well, I hope to have Christmas in July.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Another thought on the rum theme would be to use your favorite spiced rum as a top flavor.

 

[Pasteurized]

Will I get run out of here if I admit I don't drink? I prefer something a bit more uh, aromatic shall we say, to relax.

I just mixed 6 parts of cinnamon, 3 parts of cardamom and one part of clove, using 1/8 tsp as a measure for each part. If this blend of spices tastes anything like it smells, this snus should be like ambrosia.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I make an orange flavored dip. I use LorAnn Oils Emulsion. Their emulsions are water soluble and are perfect for dip/snus. Essential oils tend to burn the skin in the mouth but not so with the water soluble emulsions.

 

[Pasteurized]

Another thought on the rum theme would be to use your favorite spiced rum as a top flavor.

This comment sent my mind off in some new directions. I used to drink the spiced rums, being really into the flavors. And wasn't Probe the Swedish brand flavored with whiskey? Additionally, I am not particularly pleased with the mint snus I made with the Watkins mint extract. It's ok, but not phenomenal. So that got me thinking about peppermint schnapps for flavoring. I'll have to visit the liquor store to see what I can find in the two ounce bottles, if they still sell them.

 

[Pasteurized]

Not enough citrus with 12 sprays of the Watkins orange extract. Added 6 more sprays. Will check it again tomorrow evening.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

You are just wasting your time with that stuff.

 

[Pasteurized]

Why? Or I guess my question is, is there a better way for small quantities of snus? I dare not use essential oils if flavoring only one or two cans. The anis extract worked perfectly for single cans. The mint worked also, except for the difference in the flavor. I suspect my idea of 'mint' includes either spearmint or peppermint in addition to mint.

 

[Pasteurized]

The end result created a snus which is awfully close to Julesnus. For 80 grams of tobacco, 24 sprays of the Watkins orange extract, along with 1/8 tsp of the following spice recipe:

6 parts cinnamon
3 parts cardamom
1 part clove

I plan to play with this recipe a bit more, to see if I can get a closer match to Julesnus.