Tried snus today - thoughts

[blackhhawk]

Today I tried my first real snus. I've tried camel snus before and never ever tried it again. After doing some reading here and some research on my own, I decided to try some Swedish snus. I found a store that's within walking distance from my home that sells General. I picked up a pack of white and mint. Both were surprisingly pleasant.

I chew, so this stuff is quite different. The amount of tobacco in my mouth is significantly less, but it didn't bother me. I switched from dip to chew because the larger portions were more satisfying. I was never a fan of dip flavors - I always sought out the natural blends and I love the smoky natural flavor I get from my chew, but the snus flavors aren't too bad. I'm curious if they have any natural flavors though. What also surprised me was how comfortable it was in my upper lip. I remember camel being quite uncomfortable up there.

I might buy more. Being that the health risk from this stuff is far less than fire cured tobacco like dip and chew, I might start substituting this stuff. Hopefully I can find a flavor I enjoy. Loose snus is on my bucket list too. I don't really understand the whole portion/white portion thing, so if anyone could explain that I would appreciate it. I will probably make an order from northerner soon to test some other flavors out, so if any members could post some recommendations I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Hirsute]

There's some info about portions in the Snus thread in the Gentleman's Essentials sticky, if you haven't checked that out yet. I don't snus, so that's all the help I can provide. I'm sure others will be along to answer your question.

 

[Luke49783]

White portions would be better called "dry portions". Original portions are moistened in the can with a mix of tobacco juice and water while white portions aren't, giving them the relatively dry feel on the outside. White portions have less "drip" than regular/original portions. White portions take longer to get going in terms of feel and flavor while original portions are faster due to the increased moisture.

Even the "non-flavored" (i.e. not mint or wintergreen) Generals have bergmot, which is a signature of the General brand. If you like the taste of the white portion more than the mint, I suggest trying General Original portions. They come in a black can with black and silver labeling. From what I've read, other brands such as Ettan have more of a straight tobacco flavor. Might be worth looking into if you place an order.

Check out snuscentral.com and buysnus.com when you order as well. Snuscentral.com gives 10% off to all first time orderers and both have mix packs that will give you a deal on a number of different types so you can try a bunch.

Lastly, if you go to generalsnus.com and join their "General's club" they'll send you a booklet of coupons with a bunch of $1 can coupons as well as some others. They'll also send you a $5 Visa gift card for taking their short survey.

 

[Luke49783]

I just picked up a can of General Original after not having had it in probably a month. I definitely prefer it to the White portions. According to General they have the same nicotine content, but I definitely feel it more with Original.

 

[Always_Up]

My advice would be to locate some General snus (or any other snus that might be sold in your area) through the store locator on their site just to see if you like regular portion or white portion more. Then once you've figured that out, place an order online. I prefer SnusCentral.com. All of the sites charge a ton of money to ship to the US but the price isn't too bad if you order enough tins. I just pack them up and store them in the freezer until I want to open them. SnusCentral has never taken more than 3 days to show up at my door.

Personally, I hate regular portion. I only use white and loose snus. I tried 5 or 6 regular portion snus' but I just couldn't get into it. I just don't like the texture that much, and the regular portions don't stay fresh as long as white portions do. The only regular portions that I might buy again are from Jakobsson's. They make good melon, mint, and wintergreen flavors.

 

[Luke49783]

Personally, I hate regular portion. I only use white and loose snus. I tried 5 or 6 regular portion snus' but I just couldn't get into it. I just don't like the texture that much, and the regular portions don't stay fresh as long as white portions do. The only regular portions that I might buy again are from Jakobsson's. They make good melon, mint, and wintergreen flavors.

I find I have a hard time keeping a regular portion in one place, seems to constantly want to slide down next to my teeth. Whites and loose don't do that. I like that I get more flavor out of regular portions though.

 

[Always_Up]

I find I have a hard time keeping a regular portion in one place, seems to constantly want to slide down next to my teeth. Whites and loose don't do that. I like that I get more flavor out of regular portions though.

I've never had that problem, but I usually snus in my lower lip. Sometimes up top, but mostly on the bottom. White and loose last longer for me as well. Regular portion starts to feel a little too slimy after it's been in for awhile too.

 

[cursethis]

I eventually need to find some white portions that have more of nicotine kick than General. Love the taste, but there's just not much oomph behind it.

 

[bmwgsa]

I've been a snus user for just over 3 years. My personal preference in portions is Ettan original, if I'm using lose then it's Skruf or Prima Fint.
If you're looking for a bigger kick, then General Extra Sterk would probably do you fine (1 get a few cans when I order my other stuff).
I can also vouch for buysnus - I get from them all the time and get my package in 4 or 5 days to the west coast.

 

[Always_Up]

I eventually need to find some white portions that have more of nicotine kick than General. Love the taste, but there's just not much oomph behind it.

If you like General Mint but want something stronger, try Nick and Johnny Crushed Ice White. Really good mint flavor.

Jakobsson's mint, wintergreen, and melon are good too.

Thunder makes a bunch of strong/extra strong portions but I haven't really liked any of the ones that I tried.

 

[cursethis]

If you like General Mint but want something stronger, try Nick and Johnny Crushed Ice White. Really good mint flavor.

Jakobsson's mint, wintergreen, and melon are good too.

Thunder makes a bunch of strong/extra strong portions but I haven't really liked any of the ones that I tried.

Not a huge mint fan, kind of makes me feel sick with prolonged use. I prefer the natural tobacco flavoring, or like in the case of General White, a hint of citrus goodness.

 

[Always_Up]

Not a huge mint fan, kind of makes me feel sick with prolonged use. I prefer the natural tobacco flavoring, or like in the case of General White, a hint of citrus goodness.

Gotcha. You would probably really like General Onyx Strong then. I don't think it's available in the US market but it can definitely be ordered online.

 

[cursethis]

Gotcha. You would probably really like General Onyx Strong then. I don't think it's available in the US market but it can definitely be ordered online.

Sounds like it would be right up my ally. I'm actually going to Sweden on a business trip in January, so I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[GladiusGSF]

Grov or Ettan would probably be the most "natural" flavors for you to try...tobacco, water and salt. That's the ingredients list of Ettan. Grov is the same but they add a little smoke flavoring to it as well. The salt and sodium bicarbonate in snus is used to change the PH to aid the body in nicotine uptake. They don't affect the flavors but it makes a huge difference in how you process the nicotine.

 

[Shave_Rat]

The salt and sodium bicarbonate in snus is used to change the PH to aid the body in nicotine uptake. They don't affect the flavors but it makes a huge difference in how you process the nicotine.

This is why the white and regular portions have the same nicotine content, but one absorbs faster so it feels like it kicks more. The regular merely has a PH to hit faster.

 

[blackhhawk]

Been supplementing my chew with general mint white portions and general white. I actually am not a fan so far of the non flavored white portions. Mint is my preference of the two. I do have to say that these last a good amount of time. I like them.

I'm going to do some shopping around and hopefully I can find more. I might order some Grov as suggested above as I am a fan of the smokey flavoring.

Fun stuff. Glad I found this. Thanks guys.

 

[Always_Up]

Been supplementing my chew with general mint white portions and general white. I actually am not a fan so far of the non flavored white portions. Mint is my preference of the two. I do have to say that these last a good amount of time. I like them.

I'm going to do some shopping around and hopefully I can find more. I might order some Grov as suggested above as I am a fan of the smokey flavoring.

Fun stuff. Glad I found this. Thanks guys.

I initially had a beef with paying the hefty shipping rate that online snus retailers charge, but I now find that its worth it to have access to products that I cant find at a B&M shop. It wasn't really the money that mattered, more out of principal. If you order enough, the shipping cost seems justified.

I only have experience with one online store, snuscentral.com, and I've been happy with it so far. Northerner.com used to be the most popular site, but I've read that they have been having some issues as of late. Lots of people with messed up orders and long waits. Shipping cost from Snuscentral is $27, but it always shows up in like 3 days, so I guess I can deal with it. Other sites that I've looked at have similar shipping costs, not sure about speed of delivery though.

I just order in bulk, then double bag it in some freezer bags. Will pretty much stay good indefinitely.

 

[GladiusGSF]

+1 on www.snuscentral.com I have been ordering from there 2009. Great company and fast shipping. They also have a great forum site that has tobacco news and what not with reviews, just put org in place of com on the web address.