new snus-er, question loose vs portion

[Lustmord]

so im new to snus, and i must say, i love it. i have totally quit smoking and have been off of cigs for the past week using snus.
my question: people say they "graduate" to loose snus. i started using general portion snus that i found at a local wine shop in beverly hills (i live in hollywood, not beverly) and i decided to try it. the first trip i bought four cans of general reg portion. loved it. today i returned to re up my stash and bought 2 reg portions and one loose general. im doing really well baking , and have no problem with mudmouth, but i must say that the portion snus is a bit stronger in my opinion. i get more flavor out of portion than loose, and with loose i hardly every taste the snus. with portion i constantly taste it and enjoy it much more. am i doing something wrong? why do people claim they "graduate" to something that is lessfulfilling?

i must be doing something wrong!

[sagedil]

First of all, welcome to the forum Lustmord,

I don't think you are doing anything wrong, you just have your preferances. I have been using snus for 17 months now, so I guess I am somewhat of an old hand at it. I tried, I really did, to get into los. I wanted to be like all the other cool kids. :lol:

But guess what, I really didn't enjoy it. I get more flavor from portions, especially as I can play with them, and basically just didn't care for a wad of tobacco in my mouth. I gave it a good try. Went through three different cans of loose. But the more I did, the more convinced I was that it just isn't my thing. I have said this many, many times before but each little portion I think of as my new best friend. They give me so much joy. I didn't get much joy from los.

I have a 9 month old can of Ettan los buried in the freezer, and I suppose I will drag it out one day just to give it another try. But go with what YOU like. Snus, in all of it's glory, is one of the most individual things out there. Just look at the top 5 thread to see the variance in everyone's tastes.

BTW, I was born in Hollywood and grew up in Beverly Hills. It's nit all that bad.

[Lustmord]

i wasnt bashing Beverly Hills, i just hate driving all the way there to get my snus!

do u still live in LA? if so, where do u get your snus, or do u order it online?

[sagedil]

LOL, no I left LA to go to Berkeley 26 years ago and never looked back. I'm in North Carolina now, have been for 13 years. My ex-wife transferred from NC State to Berkeley, and 5 years after we met, right before we married, I convinced her to move back here. My Dad still lives in Westwood, so I go back every few years.

I order online from Buysnus. And occasionally from Northerner. Much cheaper that way, as I don't have to pay any tobacco tax. More than makes up for the cost of shipping and takes four days usually to get my package from Sweden.

[Lustmord]

oh cool. i ordered from buysnus before i found the wine shop in beverly - they only have general. i like general, but the loose didnt do shit for me, and actually i felt it was weaker than the portion. the portion burn a lil, and has instant flavor, and i actually feel i get more nicotine. i could be crazy, but loose just feels like i have something in my lip, and portions feel like im actually using a tobacco product.

four days, thats good. i hope mine come that quick.

[lxskllr]

Lös is just a different experience, neither better or worse than portion. Most snus I prefer the lös, but there's some I like the portions better. I like the mouth feel of lös, and I feel the flavor lasts longer at a constant lower state than portions. Portions start off strong, then fall off, whereas lös starts mellow, but holds that level much longer than portions. It's all personal preference. I'd try the lös from different brands to see how they differ, but if you prefer portions, there's nothing wrong with them :^)

[Lustmord]

its growing on me a little.. i generally acquire tastes for things rather quickly. im on my fourth los, and i think its just a different understanding than portions. im starting to enjoy it, but still not as much as portions.
i think i know what all of this is stemming from..... if any of you have "dipped" american tobacco, do u recall when skaol first came out with bandits? it was like the wussy version of dip, and it was in a pouch. snus is altogether different.
i myself was never a dipper, but i remember friends bashing it and saying how horrible it was.

[sagedil]

Snus is different. Just do what comes natural for you, For me, portions are just WAY more enjoyable. Like I said, I will return to Los eventually. He**, my snus tastes have changed so much over and over again these past 17 months, maybe I'll love it next time. But I chain snus from the first moment I get up until I'm about to fall asleep, and portions just work so much better for me.

[Starcadia]

I use loose at home and portions in public. Loose is just a more intimate experience, more authentic, and more of a challenge, in my opinion. It gives me something to do, I guess, to compensate for all the gesture involved with smoking. I LOVE opening a new can of loose and seeing that sea of wet, stinky tobacco that has centuries of history, digging into it with my fingers, and forming a mess into a small, personalized sculpture that I can put in my mouth to quench my craving and make me happy. Portions are great and all, but their inherent ease and practicality is no match for the customized loose experience. Taste is not a problem after you've mastered your technique - everybody has their own, both taste and technique.

I'm hooked on Skruf Stark loose myself. You may want to give it a try. I use all sorts of portions, but that particular snus is all I need, loose-wise.

Stalker is a cool album, by the way.

[Lustmord]

my only issue with loose at the moment is taste. i never taste it. the only time i do taste it is if it falls apart and starts sliding down my teeth, and that has only happened once after learning how to properly hand bake. maybe its just general loose, not sure. all i know for sure is that the general loose i have is not expired, is fresh, and has zero taste. just a small burn, and it barely satisfies my nicotine hunger. the portions have tons of flavor and seem to cure my desire for any other type of nicotine. maybe its just me 8)

[lxskllr]

Some snus' are definitely subtle. My first lös was Ettan, and I didn't see the point. Like you I could hardly taste it. What I tasted was ok, but... Gotland lös has a huge flavor, as does LD Red. More importantly the flavor is different, sometimes extremely different between lös and portions. If you're not opposed to lös, I would try different kinds on occasion. You should then be able to better judge the flavor differences between them. There's nothing wrong with portions though.

[Sacrilicious]

I'd buy a tin of Skruf Stark loose, give that a chance.. The others posters are right, a portion is pretty immediate satisfaction, loose is a more delayed reaction. I gave a pris of loose to a friend of mine who'd only ever had portions. His reaction: "it's like sex without a condom!"

I use both, mainly sticking to portions for convenience and less mess. But I just bought my first black 3mm icetool, so I'll be using more loose in the future. Congratulations on making the switch, snus is definitely the way to go!

[ponysoprano]

Just curious if Lustmord, is in fact the prolific actual musician who goes by "Lustmord"? Pretty sure he lives in/around LA. I dig his stuff.

[Lustmord]

as in Lustmord who recorded with the Melvins? Nope. i wish. i just like the name, and love the melvins/lustmord album. i am pleasantly surprised that anyone picked that up =P i know there is another musician with the last name lustmord, but his stuff aint my cup o tea.

btw , its been one day of trying out the los, and i have to admit, ill be using it while im at home for sure. i dig it now. my hand baking skills have improved , and i can roll a great pris everytime, just the right size. i think i was going too big, and that was messing up my experience. i found that if i roll one that fits well between gum and lip, i do get flavor and though it takes longer, i seem to not have to use nearly as much. with portions i can burn through a few in a couple of hours. ive had this pris in now for about 2, and its still got some kick. i now get it! thanks for the advice. i just ordered some skruf stark los... all i can buy in la is general. hopefully this stuff has even more flavor.

snus rocks.

[Starcadia]

Lustmord recorded with The Melvins? Shocking! I thought he made dark ambient stuff. Interesting combo, though, no doubt.

Enjoy the Skruf! One more word of advice: Snus is like girls. The ones you really fall in love with are the ones that sneak up on you.