My first 3 weeks of Snusing

[Hegel]

Hey guys and gals,

I've been snusing for a few weeks now and I thought I'd share my experience. I saw the 60 minutes episode back in April and was intrigued with snus as a way to quit smoking. I don't smoke but I have a lot of friends and family who I'd like to see quit, so I started researching snus and stumbled on this site.

A few weeks later I was at the convenience store and saw Camel Frost and bought a can. I tried 'em out and really liked the added relaxation and focus while I was playing guitar. So I decided to place a GetSnus order to try out the real thing and hopefully get some people to quit smoking with snus.

My first order: Ettan White, General Wintergreen, Thunder Berry and Thunder Frosted

My first week I used the General Wintergreen and liked the nic kick, but the offputting initial odor and taste was a little tough to get used to. So I tried the Thunder Frosted one day after lunch and I definitely experienced some pronounced sweatiness and queasiness from all the nicotine. I liked the flavor of the Thunder Frosted better though and decided to revisit it after some more snusing.

Second week I took a trip to Florida to see family and ended up giving away my open cans of Thunder Frosted and General Wintergreen to my aunt who is a longtime chainsmoker. She said the Thunder definitely helped her go longer between smokes and she plans to order more. I'm skeptical she'll actually use it to quit but if it helps her smoke fewer cigs I'm all about it.

Third week I dug into the Ettan and didn't really like it at first. The bergamot flavor took some getting used to but it eventually grew on me. It won't be in my second order but I don't dislike it. I tried the Thunder Berry and didn't really like it at first because of the throat burn and bitterness. I find the portions really comfortable in my gums though. After about half the can, I still find the throat burn a little intense with the Thunder Berry so I usually have a diet Dr. Pepper with it and that seems to mitigate the burn a little.

Placed a second order today. Went with Northerner this time. Ordered:

Skruf Cranberry, Portion
Skruf Xtra Strong Portion
Thunder Frosted Extra Stark, Strong Portion
Jakobssons Icefruit, Portion
Grovsnus Black, Strong Portion
Catch Eucalyptus, White Portion
General Mint, White Portion
02 Original Strong Portion

With 8.31 shipping it turned out to be about 35 dollars.

I'm looking forward to trying these. I'll update as I try them. Based on what I like and don't like I plan to order about 10 cans and have them shipped to my Mom who only smokes about 8 or 10 ciggarettes a day. I definitely think she can make the switch if she'll give it a fair shot.

Advice to beginning Snusers:

1. Don't smell your snus.

2. Give every new snus at least 10 portions to form an opinion.

3. Don't worry about the nic kick, you get used to it quickly.

4. Try soda with your snus if the drip is tough.

Thanks for the great forum and Happy Snusing!

[lxskllr]

Welcome to SnusOn Hegel!

Looks like you got some good snus with your 2 orders; pretty heavy on the starks though. Personally, I'd try to find more in the standard strength range.

[Hegel]

Thanks for the advice! You're probably right. I was figuring that since the Thunder Berry wasn't really kickin' my butt I'd go with some sterks but it's probably overkill

Here' a pic I snapped right before giving away my Thunder Frosted. Don't worry though, I drink all kinds of good beer too

[Darwin]

I'm a bit confused Hegel. This is the first time I've noticed anyone referring to Ettan as having a bergamot flavor. I sure haven't noticed it. Anyone else?

[daruckis]

yeah. no bergamot in ettan, bud. bergamot snuses are like general, ld, gustavus, skruf, granit, 1847. is gotland gul bergamot? its so lemony. ettan is among the plain snus category, among grov, landstroms.

[Hegel]

Ha! I guess I just showed my n00biness. There's definitely some kind of flavor there, its hard to describe and I just assumed it was standard snus bergamot flavor that you hear so much about. Looking at Northerner's site though there's no mention of any added flavor so I guess what I'm tasting is just the tobaccos. Looks like my first bergamot experience will be with the Skruff ES

[Darwin]

Definitely give the "straight tobacco" snuses all the chances you can. You will be rewarded in time.

[daruckis]

so you werent a smoker before? im gonna agree with lxskllr and recommend getting more regular strength snus. i was also never a smoker, and started on my path of nicotine addiction with snus. i used camels and tourneys for a pretty long time before making an order, and my first starks were really unkind to me. even for a while after i started snusing more. i can probably handle them now but for the most part i still try not to use them. enough experimentation with them did nothing good for me, merely made me feel like shit sometimes, blurred the line between nic withdrawal and nic overdose, and heightened my tolerance, which really sucks. the highest i typically go is 11mg. i do like skruf stark los, and general maxi.

[Phager]

Definitely give the "straight tobacco" snuses all the chances you can. You will be rewarded in time.

I agree with this. When I started snussing, I liked the straight tobacco flavor OK but gravited more to the flavored ones. I'm now revisting things like Ettan and Grov and finding them to have a lot more complexity then I first noticed.

[Ninakae]

I was a 2pack a day smoker and quit smoking with the regular strength. I do use some strongs now 2 but mainly the regulars. I like more tobacco taste but do use some flavor snus. Nick & Johnny strong,Grovs op,Ettan op,claq qui,roda lacket,skruf tranbar ,General op are my favs rite now. Welcome and happy snusing

[Hegel]

I definitely plan to give Roda Lacket and General OP a try. Supposedly there's a cigar shop down in Franklin, TN that carries General products. I'll drop in there next time I'm down that way and maybe pick up some General.

Last night just after I made this thread I popped in an Ettan and noticed that the flavor was definitely not as strong as it was right after I opened the can. Could be my tastes adjusting or it could be leaving the can in my truck for a few days off and on. I actually like it better now that its 'mellowed' a little.

so you werent a smoker before?

Nope, I never had a habit. Smoked a little here and there while drinking but never any other time.

[MojoQuestor]

I definitely plan to give Roda Lacket and General OP a try. Supposedly there's a cigar shop down in Franklin, TN that carries General products. I'll drop in there next time I'm down that way and maybe pick up some General.

Last night just after I made this thread I popped in an Ettan and noticed that the flavor was definitely not as strong as it was right after I opened the can. Could be my tastes adjusting or it could be leaving the can in my truck for a few days off and on. I actually like it better now that its 'mellowed' a little.



Nope, I never had a habit. Smoked a little here and there while drinking but never any other time.

With the Ettan, it's probably some of both.

General OP (and loose & white) would be maybe *the* example of bergamot snus, but ironically it may not give you the best idea of the flavor of bergamot snus. That probably makes no sense :^P I mean that General is "bergamot snus", and also happens to be the Marlboro or Coke of snus. But other bergamot-flavored snus, LD and Granit come to mind, probably have a stronger bergamot flavor. For me, General's appeal is largely in the flavor of its tobacco, and in the balance of the interplay of flavors. As for Skruf, its bergamot is all mixed up with rose oil, which happens to not be a real win for me but a lot of people like it. It is quality snus, for sure.

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

I don't know, I think you should quit while you can. I don't like to preach, but are you sure you want to be an addict for the rest of your life? The fun wares off quick and the prices just keep going up. Also, go easy on the smokers you want to convert. They are not gonna want to hear it from you IMO.

[Hegel]

I don't like to preach, but are you sure you want to be an addict for the rest of your life?

Thanks for the words of wisdom Mr. Snuff. Without going into too much detail, I was a daily pot smoker for almost 10 years until about a year ago. Due to some life changes, I quit and haven't looked back. But I miss the connoisseurship of it, and although I've been in a few Scotch taster's clubs since I quit smoking I haven't really found something that stimulates my palate the same way as smoking. I figured I'd give snus a shot. So far, I'm not disappointed with the variety and stimulation.

As far as the addiction part, I know I'm playing with fire, but the fact that I actually have to order online and use a credit card will probably make quitting at whatever point I choose pretty easy. And I WILL NEVER BE A CIGARETTE SMOKER. It has no appeal for me. And it's a turn off for most ladies, which are my true addiction

My aunt was actually pretty open to trying it as a way to quit, but I didn't bring it up to my Mom because it was Mother's Day and I really didn't want her to feel like I was giving her a hard time about smoking. She's made big strides in cutting back but she still has the smoker's cough which hurts me every time I hear it

The rose oil in Skruff sounds interesting. Funny story, an old girlfriend from college once sent me a letter in the mail that she had sprinkled with rose oil. When it got to me it looked like someone had sprinkled acid all over it. It literally ate holes in the paper and envelope

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

Thanks for the words of wisdom Mr. Snuff. Without going into too much detail, I was a daily pot smoker for almost 10 years until about a year ago. Due to some life changes, I quit and haven't looked back. But I miss the connoisseurship of it, and although I've been in a few Scotch taster's clubs since I quit smoking I haven't really found something that stimulates my palate the same way as smoking. I figured I'd give snus a shot. So far, I'm not disappointed with the variety and stimulation.

As far as the addiction part, I know I'm playing with fire, but the fact that I actually have to order online and use a credit card will probably make quitting at whatever point I choose pretty easy. And I WILL NEVER BE A CIGARETTE SMOKER. It has no appeal for me. And it's a turn off for most ladies, which are my true addiction

My aunt was actually pretty open to trying it as a way to quit, but I didn't bring it up to my Mom because it was Mother's Day and I really didn't want her to feel like I was giving her a hard time about smoking. She's made big strides in cutting back but she still has the smoker's cough which hurts me every time I hear it

The rose oil in Skruff sounds interesting. Funny story, an old girlfriend from college once sent me a letter in the mail that she had sprinkled with rose oil. When it got to me it looked like someone had sprinkled acid all over it. It literally ate holes in the paper and envelope

It's a lot easier to quit pot than stop a nicotine additction by a long shot IMO. I'm not gonna grill you about it any more it's your choice. And if it's the ladies you want, start smoking a pipe

Welcome to SnusOn, I'm glad you're enjoying the ride!