Yeah, I popped for a bucket of SnusX and some flavorings, which arrived late last week. Seemed like a very economical way to stock up. Plus, I like dabbling in the kitchen, and have invented a few new recipes along the way which I'm a little proud of. So it wasn't a big stretch to consider getting creative with some new snus flavors.

I bought coffee, cherry, cola and spearmint SnusX flavors. I already had vanilla extract, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil and clove oil. Picked up some pure orange, lemon and almond extracts at the grocery. All pure extracts, no imitation or artificial stuff. For water, I just bought a 20 oz. bottle of Aquafina. It's "purified", not distilled, but I figure there can't be all that much difference. If there's a couple of molecules of chlorine or fluorides still floating around in there, it can't be enough to affect the flavor. And Aquafina is a lot easier to find than distilled water.

I started two cans on Saturday. I didn't want to get too complex with the flavorings just yet, so one is orange, and the other is cherry cola. I used about 9 ml of water and 15 drops of flavoring for each can. They're in the fridge, and I've been shaking each can vigorously at least twice a day to make sure the moisture and flavor gets evenly distributed. They'll be ready when I get home from work tomorrow, and I'll post a report on the results then.

In other news, I've only had one cig today -- and I've been noticing they're starting to taste bad to me now. I'll probably go on having one or two per day for another week or two, but soon I think my desire for cigs will disappear completely. I've also noticed that my pipe smoking habits are changing, too. I'm smoking half what I used to -- down to about two pipes a day, but because I don't need to get nicotine from them anymore, I'm able to slow down my puffing cadence and really savor a good pipe, the way it's supposed to be enjoyed. No more absent-minded puffing like a freight train because I'm nicotine-starved.

Another first impression...

Knox White Portion

People say this is a bargain version of Skruf, and that comparison has merit. But "bargain" doesn't necessarily mean inferior. Knox has a milder flavor, but that means you can also taste the tobacco more. And sometimes mild is good. I don't always want an explosion of flavor and nicotine. Sometimes just something easy and relaxing hits the spot. Knox is a pretty good choice for those times. Not to mention the can design is elegant and masculine. It wouldn't appear out of place in the pocket of an Armani suit. (Not that I'd ever wear Armani, even if I could afford it. Too high-falutin' for the likes of me. )