Hi from Alberta Canada

[Snarfblat]

Just wanted to say hi and thanks for all the good info on this forum. I have been smoking for close to 20 years with a few breaks here and there. I'm getting really tired of going outside for a smoke break, and not smoking in certain situations/areas. I sure do like my nicotine, but I don't really enjoy smoke. I found skoal/copenhagen to be too harsh and spitting can be a problem.

I was introduced to snus by the recent 60-Minutes news piece, and my interpretation of it was that it was quite positive. I've done quite a bit of reading about snus on the internet since seeing that piece.

The very next day I went out and bought some duMaurier "regular" and "fresh mint" snus. As far as I know, that's the only snus available in Alberta, it sells for about $10 for 20 small portions. I'm not sure what to make of it yet. With 2 of them in my mouth at once it has curbed my urge to smoke at work somewhat, and the flavour seems OK to me after a while.

After reading many posts on this forum I learned that Swedish snus is quite a different product, with a bigger kick and better flavour. Without hesitation I ordered about 15 different varieties including normal, stark, and extra-stark from both Northerner.com and Buysnus.com.

It's been about a week now, and I hope to get my packages some time next week. If the customs charges double the price, I will pay it. I would love to have some kind of option to buy locally.

I'm looking forward to giving it a try. I think I will like it, and if so then I expect to wean myself off the smokes and move to a healthi(er) alternative for nicotine.

Thanks

[lxskllr]

Welcome to SnusOn!

Yea, from what I've gathered, duMaurier is similar to American Camel. Which is to say it's probably sweet, tastes good, but expensive without much nicotine. Swedish snus may be a bit of a shock due to the lack of sweetness, and the salt. It should grow on you quickly though, and most prefer the Swedish made after a week or so of adjustment.

Good luck getting through customs :^)

[Psilocybin]

Hopefully you don't get nailed with duty

[Ozark]

Hello Snarfblat,

I tried snus about 3 years ago while traveling. I thought it was good but didn't know how to store it. It dried up and was unusable. "Then" I had high hopes and waited for Camel Snus to arrive in my area! Camel Snus was like dried out cotton candy in a tea bag. Two months ago I started using real snus again. This time I had a better understanding of real snus and a understanding what to expect, thanks to this site.

I smoked 25 - 45 cigarettes a day for the last 30 years. I didn't use snus to stop smoking, it just sorta happened.

Everyone is different, some folks need to start with wintergreen or mint and many stay with it... good for them! My second experience with real snus was with General wintergreen. Something in my mind clicked and said, "this might work"! I did my first newbie mistake, bought a roll of General Mint and Wintergreen. Then I learned I wanted a "slightly bigger kick" and more natural flavor from my snus. Well, to make a long story short, here is my favorite snus to date:

Nick and Johnny (strong)
General Onyx
Ettan
Grovsnus Black

YMMV

[sagedil]

Snarfblat, welcome to Snuson. And yes, I am sorry to say, as wonderful as Canada is, unfortunately, it does kinda suck a tiny bit if you want to use snus.

Just want to prepare you for what to expect when you try the 'real" thing. Will taste salty at first, VERY salty. Don't let that throw you, will last between a week to two as your body acclimates to the salt. By two weeks, you will hardly taste the salt any more and will begin to taste the snus as it really is. So just be a bit patient at first.

And don't stress the "quitting" smoking part. In fact, just don't think about it at all. Use the snus, smoke if you feel like it, do whatever feels right at that moment. The snus WILL win. It always does. Your body will come to prefer the better nicotine delivery of snus. It is a process, just let the process happen. It took me over 4 months to completely make that transition. But eventually, I just stopped buying cigarettes.

The best part about using snus??? Now, you CAN smoke if that is what you really want. Even 3+ years after I moved completely to snus, I STILL have a cigarette every month or two, especially when I am hanging with another smoker. I always say now, my favorite thing about snus is I can smoke when I want, never again have to smoke because I need.

BTW, your first order sounds perfect, and especially liked you used both Northerner and Buysnus, will give you a better idea what works best for you in Canada

[MojoQuestor]

Hello, Snarfblat!

Boy, I'm glad you showed up, just so I could say Snarfblat!

[Psilocybin]

keep us posted i have 10 cans coming from northerner in sweden...dont know if it will get through duty and tax free..

let me know how your cans do

[Snarfblat]

Thank you everyone for your kind welcome and helpful advice. I was happy to find 2 packages in my mailbox today, one each from Northerner (4 cans) and Buysnus (6 cans).

Each was properly marked with customs declaration, one read "Swedish Snus", the other just "Snus" (typewritten). Apparently they cleared customs with no duty to be paid, there are no markings on the package or notices to go to the post office or whatever. I have more packages on the way, so maybe I will get nailed on some of those.

Both packages shipped on April 12, and were received April 21. I don't know if my other packages may be delayed by the volcano. All the cans have expiry dates that are months away.

Northerner accidentally shipped me a can of Odens Lakrits rather than Kanel. I quite like cinnamon, but not so sure about licorice. I'll try it anyway, I think that I'll probably try most or all of the varieties eventually. They had a delay in shipping the Thunder Frosted, but that is also on it's way now.

I opened a can of Skruf Xtra Stark and was a little surprised to see the portions all stuck together and not as moist as I expected. I don't know if that is normal or not, just not quite what I expected. I waited until after dinner and popped one in under the upper lip. There was a mild burning sensation and the nicotine hit about 5 minutes in. The juice was very peppery at first, but I didn't get any nausea or feel sick, I did drink quite a bit of water though. The bergamot flavour becomes very strong the longer I keep it in my mouth, and by about 45 minutes the taste is quite bitter. I like Earl Grey tea, but usually with sugar. The snus did completely curb my urge to light up a cigarrette though.

I'm tempted to try one of each kind that I already have, but I'm a little concerned about having too many cans open at once. Do you think it would be OK to carry a can around all day, and then put the unused portions into the fridge/freezer and grab another can? I'm not totally sure about the storage aspect.

Thanks everyone, I will keep you updated on the shipping details to Canada.

[Roo]

Welcome snarfblat! Don't worry about storage too much. Everyone who comes to snus hears that there are certain ways it should be properly stored, and to a degree that is true. As the years go by though you will find yourself not caring nearly as much, and the snus not suffering. Cans for later should definitely go in the freezer or at least the fridge, but open cans can be put virtually anywhere and be fine for quite a long time. I keep my los in the fridge because I like it better that way, but portions are more resiliant than you might think at first. Anyway, all that blathering is to say don't worry if your snus doesn't make it back to a fridge at night, and happy snusing.

[Psilocybin]

how did u ship buysnus?
usps? thats quick for coming from sweden

[Snusdog]

Hello, Snarfblat!

Boy, I'm glad you showed up, just so I could say Snarfblat!

+1

Welcome :lol:

.

[deebocools]

as far as keeping open cans, I only refridgerate to store a can. After a can is open, it stays in my pocket or on the desk. A good can will keep portions fresh, los usually stays fresh, and if they do dry out they can be rehydrated(not that your mouth won't rehydrate them anyhow)

[Snarfblat]

I got nailed on my next package. I couldn't believe the amount due, so I paid it, with expectations that I would fill out the necessary forms and get a partial refund.

I looked up the Alberta Tax Act and found this:

http://www.canlii.org/en/ab/laws/sta...000-c-t-4.html

Computation of tax payable

3(1) Every consumer who purchases tobacco in Alberta shall at the time of purchase of the tobacco pay to the Crown a tax computed at the following rates:

(a) on every cigarette or tobacco stick purchased by that consumer, $0.20;

(b) on every cigar purchased by that consumer, 103% of the taxable price of the cigar, with the tax payable on each cigar being not less than $0.20 per cigar nor more than $6.27 per cigar;

(c) on every gram or part of a gram of any tobacco, other than cigarettes, tobacco sticks or cigars, purchased by that consumer, $0.30.



So that's $5 provincial tobacco tax on a pack of smokes (25), and $7.20 on a can of snus. Holy crap, I really should have known that going in.

I got 5 cans in this package, and the breakdown on the attached form is like this:

Classification 2403991010 Snuff
Res DNP over ex >100<
Value for duty $CAN $19.11
Duty Rate 5%
Duty Amount $9.64
Excise tax $0
GST/HST $1.44
PST-TVP (Includes Provincial tobacco and/or alcohol taxes) $36.00
Handling Fee $5

Total Payable $52.08 (!)

The cans cost me roughly $20US (Approx $20CAN) plus $4.50 shipping. That's about $76 for 5 cans of snus or about $15/each. (A pack of smokes is about $11).

I sure hope that no more packages get hung up in customs.

Can anyone translate this part?
"Res DNP over ex > 100 <"

thanks

[Psilocybin]

Who did you buy it from?
What was on the customs decleration?
I shipped a huge box of snus over the border and got away with it from Sweden

the top 10 snus box is the large box I shipped

[Snarfblat]

This package was from BuySnus and was labelled "Swedish Snus" on the declaration.

Did your box contain 10 cans? Do you know what the tax is in your province? I'm just wondering if it varies across Canada.