A Brief History of Ettan Snus

Ettan ("The One" or "Number One") is one of the oldest brands of Swedish snus. Ettan, a smokeless tobacco product, was originally made by the tobacco businessman Jacob Ljunglöf in 1822. Since then Ettan has been dominating as a popular brand on the Swedish and Norwegian snus market.

Ettan Snus producer Jacob Fredrik Ljunglöf brought two things to the burgeoning Swedish snus industry of the early nineteenth century – a modern business vision and a relentless dedication to product quality. He developed a unique recipe for his snus that became one of the most long-lived brands in Swedish tobacco trade and widely used quality standard, “Number One”, as his trademark, his snus became known as Ljunglöfs Ettan (Ljunglöfs Number One). Even today, Ettan is one of the most popular Swedish smokeless tobacco brands in Sweden and shares over 50% of the snuff market.

Ettan snus profiles very simple origins. During the 1800’s, several tobacco business people in Sweden initiated a new process of grinding tobacco and mixing this with water, flavourings and salt. This was the origin of Swedish snus. Similar technique is used even today in snus production in Sweden.

After preparing the tobacco, cardboard boxes were packed with the loose tobacco for sale or sold by weight from bulk bags. This form of smokeless tobacco was preferred by workers and farmers since it kept their hands free for work and it cost less to buy. Over time, different varieties of Swedish snus appeared on the market based on regional preferences and recipes. The regional offerings of Swedish snus varied in the tobacco selected, how coarse or fine the tobacco was ground and how the tobacco was flavoured for use.

Two formats of Ettan Snus- portion and loose

Ettan snus is available in two formats – loose and portion packed. The portion snus is pre packaged powder in small bags made from the same material as teabags. It comes in smaller quantities than the loose powder but is considered easier to handle than the loose powder. The portion pack version of Ettan snus has been updated. New version with different taste in an elegant Packet named Ettan White Portion has been very popular among Swedish snoozer.

The packaging and look of Ettan snus loose has improved a little over the years but major remains true to its traditional roots. The loose snus known as original snus or lössnus is a loose, moist powder which can be portioned and rolled into a spherical shape with the fingertips. The end result is often referred to as a pris (pinch) or prilla or prell (slang for pris).

Both Ettan Loose and Ettan Portion are made with medium-coarse ground tobacco, dark brown in colour that maintains the heritage of the brand. The aroma profile of Ettan snus is pure and simple with a rich and true tobacco aroma complemented by some subtle smoke and peat notes. The flavour characteristic remains true to its origin with traces of sea salt and smoky wood flavours.

All Ettan snus products and formats meet the GothiaTek manufacturing standard established by Swedish Match to ensure consistent and optimal quality. All of the products are pasteurized in a proprietary heat treatment process during manufacturing.