Camel: Doing Snus The Right Way?

[snusgetter]

CAMEL SNUS WINTERCHILL

First impressions:

• not as sweet as I thought it would be
• but the flavor is still overpowered by the sweetness (of sucralose?)
• size isn't too bad -- kinda like a maxi long but not uncomfortable
• tobacco flavor non-existent -- well hidden by the sweetness
• cloying syrupy taste clinging to the lips
• okay from time-to-time but definitely not a regular until the
  sweetness is toned down and the flavor boosted

Because of the lack of flavor and the super sweetness,
30-45 minutes is max right now.

[Snussles]

I used to care for camel because they were the first initially, but since other companies have joined in in Tue us, you can easily get a better flavor, so I do not rally care for them. Last I tried was their spearmint flavor and it seemed like a step in the right direction, but still I might as well just get a foil pack of Marlboro Snus, cheaper and better tasting.

[truthwolf1]

I had the robust recently and my thoughts were that it tasted like it was dipped in some sort of cleaning fluid. ALthough I do get something similar from Granit also.

[Snussles]

I had the robust recently and my thoughts were that it tasted like it was dipped in some sort of cleaning fluid.

Haha, lovely. Lucky me(sarcasm), Camel was my first try at snus or even dip for that matter...Definitely a "welcoming" experience....Anything else after it was "Oh, so that is what snus actually is suppose to taste like"

[SnusNoob]

"Unbound" nicotine is that that is free to be absorbed by the user. It usually varies with the Ph of the tobacco mixture and is adjusted with materials such as sodium carbonate which raises the Ph and therefore raises the amount of nicotine absorbable. Consequently 2 snuses with the same absolute levels of nicotine can exhibit very different levels of absorption by the user. The amounts listed as "unbound" or available to the user are consistent with Swedish snus levels generally but all we really have is their word on this which is highly suspect since almost all Camel users report much less nicotine effect than noticed in the typical Swedish product. In no way shape or form does Camel Robust deliver nicotine at levels similar to General Sterk, Skruf Stark, Nick & Johnny Strong, or Thunder Long, to cite just a few examples. In short, they're lying.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892835/

According to this study which was done by the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, Camel Snus rivals General Snus in free nicotine. Check out table 1: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...2835/table/T1/
The free nicotine of camel snus original, spice, and frost is is 6.09, 9.16, and 6.40 mg/g, respectively, whereas the free nicotine for general snus is 7.69 mg/g. The pH for Camel ranges from 7.46 to 7.75, whereas the pH for General is 7.69. It does not indicate which General Snus it is referring to.

The table indicates that Marlboro snus is embarassingly low: 0.350 to 1.13 mg/g.

[snusjus]

^ It is very likely the General snus they tested was not stored correctly; it needs to be refrigerated. Otherwise, the pH will decline. www.general.se indicates the vast majority of General snus varieties have a pH in the range of 8.3 to 8.8.

[SnusNoob]

^ It is very likely the General snus they tested was not stored correctly; it needs to be refrigerated. Otherwise, the pH will decline. www.general.se indicates the vast majority of General snus varieties have a pH in the range of 8.3 to 8.8.

The study mentioned that they ordered the General from Sweden and had it shipped to America. If what you say is correct, this still affects Americans like myself who must have it shipped overseas.

[Kaplan]

When I tried the Camel when i was trying to quit smoking, I found them too dry and and to deliver about the same nicotine as a General mini. Since they taste terrible, they aren't an option should I not be able to acquire Swedish brands.

[Bigblue1]

I still say this guy is an RJR shill.

[SnusNoob]

I still say this guy is an RJR shill.

???

I am a life-long Marlboro smoker.

[Bigblue1]

???

I am a life-long Marlboro smoker.

OK whatever. It just makes no sense why you would come here and basically say American snus is equivalent to Swedish snu and then when people who are far more well versed in the subject as Darwin is you still have to "try" and beat that down. Like I said in my first post enjoy your Camel if that's what you like. What are you trying to Prove here?

[SnusNoob]

Like I said in my first post in the thread you are referring to, I have smoked a pack a day for 5 years and needed to reduce for two weeks. My purpose is to determine why I had such an easy time taking Camel snus if it delivers no nicotine. I found those two studies, one regarding the free nicotine levels and the other regarding the bunk Marlboro, and decided to go with Camel rather than my brand, Marlboro. I had not a single symptom of withdrawl during the two week period. I read this thread and noted Darwin's comment about free nicotine, and it reminded me of the study I ran across.

I am not at all trying to say that American snus is equivalent. I am not at all trying to "beat down" what another person says. I am not at all trying to prove anything. I have no idea what you are talking about. I am having a conversation and trying to acquire information. I think Darwin said that what is important is free nicotine. The study that I linked to said that Camel delivers free nicotine in the range from 6-9mg per gram. I would like his opinion on this discrepancy. I am not accusing him of falsifying information. Maybe there are other variables that relegate Camel to bunk-status. I do not know. That is why I signed up for this forum, to learn.

As my screen name makes apparent, I am completely new to snus and have no idea what I am talking about. My goal is not to offend senior members. It is only to learn from them and other members about Snus.

I have only tried Camel until four days ago. Now I have tried general and gottensburg. While I admit that at the present moment I "like Camel better," I am trying to learn from those who came before me, all of which say that I will like Swedish snus better after I give it a longer shot. I am not going to stick with Camel because it was the first thing I stumbled accross, especially when the majority of Snuson.com among other internet sites claim that Camel is shit in comparison.

Edit:

[snusjus]

The study mentioned that they ordered the General from Sweden and had it shipped to America. If what you say is correct, this still affects Americans like myself who must have it shipped overseas.

The pH level of snus takes around ten weeks to decline by 0.6 when stored at room temperature (that is, a reduction from 8.6 to 8.0). I am of the opinion the General snus they stored for research was exposed to room temperature for quite some time or General Silver was tested, which has a starting pH below 8.0.

The link below contains a graph that illustrates the natural decline of a snus's pH when stored at room temperature over time:

http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1186/1477-7517-8-11

[lxskllr]

Nicotine is irrelevant. I found Camel to be good enough in that regard. My problem is the flavor. It's loaded with artificial flavor and sweetener, and there's no art to the production. Camel is to snus like DeKuyper peppermint schnaaps is to scotch.

[Darwin]

Lsxkllr is precisely correct. The real situation is that every single one of us perceives taste differently so it's hardly surprising that some will prefer Camel over most Swedish varieties. Additionally everyone of us perceives the amount of nicotine in a snus differently as well. This second perception may be even more widely variable than the first based on the fact that a given snus may affect a given person differently on different days, weeks, months or even at different times on the same day. It's all very fluid and unpredictable which tends to make measurements, such as those cited in the university study, essentially worthless as predictors of, well, pretty much anything.

The nature of this forum has resulted in a self-selecting process whereby most of its active denizens have come to much prefer the Scandinavian product but nevertheless personal tastes are not particularly amenable to majoritarian imperatives. We like what we like. However even if one thinks that Camel, or any other particular snus for that matter, is right up our personal alleys most here think that exploring the full spectrum of the snus experience is a highly enjoyable enterprise that simply should not be missed.