Does Anyone Stick with One or Two Snus Only?

[Asquar]

One thing that's surprised me since discovering this forum is this:

I don't know any cigarette smokers who say, "I like to have a Camel straight with coffee in the morning, a midday Winston Light, and alternate between Kool and Salem menthols after a meal..."

... people who smoke usually have one brand and stick to it. But in this snus world, variety seems to highly valued, with a different brand or flavor for every occasion. Is this traditional? I notice that many of the snus being sold have only appeared during the last few years. Since I'm not terribly interested in non-tobacco flavors, I've more or less settled- so far- on Skruf loose, Nick & Johnny portions, and am still searching for an ultimate go-to mini portion. Then I'd have my three snus: A great lös, a great portion (for convenience,) and a great mini (for discretion.) I could just leave it at that.

But then I read people raving about Gotland Yellow, Rapé, Grov, Ettan etc., and I wonder, am I missing the essential snus experience by merely keeping with basic strong, tobacco flavored snus?

I can't decide whether to continue exploring, or just settle on what I know I like. I wish there was a snus shop I could just walk to, or a snus lounge where we could share samples.

[lxskllr]

I like using lots of different snus'. When I smoked a lot I would occasionally get something different(either an ultra premium, or menthol), but I was always happy to get back to my regular tobacco. I think it's because cigarettes are generally all the same. There's subtle differences, but you tend to stay with the regular because anything else is just a imposter of your old friend(close by all accounts, but not quite right).

Snus' are so wildly different it makes sense to have a different snus for different moods, or food items. I think traditionally, snus users stuck with 1 or 2 brands, but modern aficionados I think tend to use more. I personally have about 12 different kinds that I like to always have on hand, and that isn't counting the various individuals I get with every order.

[Dead Rabbit]

Re: Does Anyone Stick with One or Two Snus Only?

One thing that's surprised me since discovering this forum is this:

I don't know any cigarette smokers who say, "I like to have a Camel straight with coffee in the morning, a midday Winston Light, and alternate between Kool and Salem menthols after a meal..."

... people who smoke usually have one brand and stick to it. But in this snus world, variety seems to highly valued, with a different brand or flavor for every occasion. Is this traditional? I notice that many of the snus being sold have only appeared during the last few years. Since I'm not terribly interested in non-tobacco flavors, I've more or less settled- so far- on Skruf loose, Nick & Johnny portions, and am still searching for an ultimate go-to mini portion. Then I'd have my three snus: A great lös, a great portion (for convenience,) and a great mini (for discretion.) I could just leave it at that.

But then I read people raving about Gotland Yellow, Rapé, Grov, Ettan etc., and I wonder, am I missing the essential snus experience by merely keeping with basic strong, tobacco flavored snus?

I can't decide whether to continue exploring, or just settle on what I know I like. I wish there was a snus shop I could just walk to, or a snus lounge where we could share samples.

Well, although we all come from different backgrounds, we probably share a common demographic: those willing to try things. Snus is a foreign product for most of us here, and the very fact that we all have gone on a limb and tried it probably ensures that we are also more willing to try other flavors within the world of snus.

Secondly, while cigarette smokers are famously brand loyal, I’m not sure the same can be said of cigar smokers. Perhaps snus falls into more of a cigar category of tobacco use. In other words, it’s more then a nicotine device, but a vast..uh..nicotine canvass in which many nuances of the great tobacco plant are explored.

I’m really not the nerd I appear to be in this forum. I swear…

[Sacrilicious]

At first it was all about trying as many brands as I could so I could find out what I liked. I found like I liked many different types of snus, and for different reasons. I agree it's different than cigarettes.. I never had five or six half-empty packs of cigarettes lying around.. But I did jump around a bit - the last few months I smoked American Spirits, before that Camels, before that rolled my own.. I'd spend a couple extra bucks for a pack of Nat Shermans or English Ovals..

I'd like to get down to maybe five or six open cans at a time: a strong loose, a light loose, a strong portion, a white portion, something fruity or minty for occasions. But I've placed eight orders from buysnus and haven't ordered a roll yet. I also think part of it is wanting to have an encyclopedic, first-hand knowledge of all the snus varieties. I'll probably even order Level one of these times, just so I can come on here and agree about how rotten it is with you guys..

I think with time I'm narrowing the field and discovering which snus I dig the most..

It's also nice to have a variety on hand in case anyone is interested in snus and wants to try it..

(Sorry that post is so disjointed.. Just had a lot of things to say about it.. ops: )

[TropicalBob]

Cigarettes are about the only form of tobacco use where consumers settle on one favored brand and stick with it. The cigar analogy was a good one, but pipes are even more apt. A person could devote the rest of his/her life to testing pipe tobaccos and still not try them all. But it's the trip, not the destination, that is enjoyable. Exploration is more fun than discovery.

It's the same for nasal snuffs. Users have favorites but love to try new snuff or flavors. These users are far more into flavorings and creating their own products than snus users. That's not a slur, by the way, just a fact.

I'm still trying to find my perfect snus product for each stage of the day, from waking up to finishing supper. They won't be the same product, for me.

[Craig de Tering]

I guess it's because cigarettes are the lowest common denominator for quick and easy "injection" of nicotine?
I mean really, the difference between the most horrible cigarette you ever had and the best you ever lit up is maybe how the packaging looked and whether it gave you a dry enough hacking cough or went in smooth as *cough* silk.

The closest I've come to a "boutique" cigarette is the clove cig.
I thought those were extremely yummy.
One day I came across some guy's website where he had pictures of HUNDREDS of different brands of clove cigs. But still, they'd all taste about the same wouldn't you think?

The point I'm trying to make is this: do you want a nic fix so bad you'd light up a half-butt off the pavement? Because that's what cigs do to people. You don't f*n CARE how it tastes, you just want the shakes gone now!

With snus and snuff (and pipe maybe??) the balance tilts in favor of TASTE and taking time for enjoying it.
Compare it to ripping open a package of military rations and sitting down in a fancy restaurant with plenty ambiance for a four course meal.

[Xobeloot]

Very good points Craig. Though I have been smoking the occasional rolled smoke these days, I still highly enjoy enjoying a nice pris of my favorite loose. Prior to stopping full-time smoking (i wont use the term quitting anymore... stopping is a more reasonable term), I used to wake up and start searching. If I didnt have any smokes, I'd grab the longest clip I could find in the ashtray. If I couldnt fond a worthy clip, i'd empty the remnants from all the filters into a rolling paper. I didnt care what it tasted like. Just as you said, I just wanted to get my head "straight".

Snus is by far the Aston Martin to get you there in style, where cigarettes are the Pinto that burns oil while getting you there.

[Stargazer]

in scandinavia is normal to stick to a brand or two.
i normaly go for grov loose and skruf sterk or normal portion.

sometimes I use something else, but it either becouse I coun't get
my fav brands or becouse I whant to get a different taste.

[Craig de Tering]

To answer the topic starter's question: I've now been sticking to Offroad original loose and occasionally throw in a roll of General or Knox (only loose) for variety.

On a similar note, you guys should get a load of the resurgent movement to old-fashioned shaving pleasure.
Imagine that! When was the last time YOU looked forward to your next shave?
I've been lurking at this place --> http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/index.php for a while and it boggles the mind just how many fine razors, boutique creams, soaps, tonics and lotions are out there. The standard names like Gilette, Schick, Wilkinson Sword are nowhere to be found.
It amazes me that we men have put up with more than 30 years of sub-standard shaving CRAP since the invention of the modern razors.
My current can of spray cream and pack of disposables will be my last. As soon as those are finished, I'm investing in a new "old-tech" adjustable double edge razor, soap, cup and badger-hair brush.
I'm sure after you check this vid out you'll agree --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjhIy9rgWQU
The rest of this guy's videos rock too ;-)

[Slydel]

How long does it take to settle in to only one or two types of snus? I have had a great time trying out new flavors of snus. How many flavors of smokes are there anyway? Is there a cranberry, a cola, an elderberry flavored smoke? Nah. I agree, most smokes taste the same but they don't last the same amount of time. You ever smoke Monarchs? Three puffs and they were gone. I digress though. I think, just like many of these other guys, that there is such a great variety that there is a point and an interest in trying all these different flavors, textures, and intensities. Does one eat the same food everyday? Only if the same food is the only thing available everyday...much like the cigarettes out there. I think for most people they will continue to try different types of snus. There is not a reason not too unless they are a pizza everyday sort of person!

[TropicalBob]

Craig: What a hoot! Thanks for the link. Reminds me of a surf this week where I learned that the coffee I've been drinking is CRAP and if I really want to experience caffeine ecstasy, then I'll need some stuff grown on an Asian mountainside or somewhere, with a tobacco aftertaste that makes itself known 30 minutes after I finish the coffee. Really. And I thought Starbucks was pretty good. Ignorant me.

But this shaving resurgence is worth a try. Believe it or not, I still have my dad's Old Spice shaving mug, brush and double-sided razor. Gonna pulll 'em out and try the J-hook.

[snoosiphant]

I can easily see myself settling in to only one or tow brands most of the time, after I have had some time to experiment with new brands. When I was smoking, I had a regular brand and I think I smoked it because it tasted ok, took little thought to make the decicion, and was available just about everywhere, sort of the same way I feel about a cup of regular old black cofffee, just a regular part of my daily routine.

[nickyspaghetti]

Hello to a fellow shaver! I'm not very active on B&B but I am on straightrazorplace. Maybe I'll meet you there sometime!

[sagedil]

Interesting question. I have been using snus for almost a year now, and I have traveled through many stages. For a while, I was only using a few at a time. When I first started buying, I would get a roll, and throw in 3 or 4 extra cans for Variety. Then, for many months, I would not buy a roll, since I just wanted to get as many different snus as possible with each order. Then, I settled into a habit of always having a flavored and straight tobacco snus with me at all times, and alternate between the two. I still do that today.

Then I figured I could at least settle on one type of traditional snus, so I could buy a roll again. But even that was hard, although I finally setteld largely on N&J or Skruff stark. Then, the stark stared to get to me. I have discovered that Skruff Cranberry is about as good of a flavored snus there is.

So this last order, I ordered a roll of N&J, a roll of Elixyr Power Energy portion (for other reasons..see my comments on that thread) and 4 Skruff Cranberry. But I still ordered 10 other individual snus for some variety.

For a while, I was pairing my snus off and using them in a particular order, but that died off. For a while, i was even trying to be vigilant about having too many cans open, but always, inevitably, I will just have to have a particular snus and I end up with a frige full of open cans. Eventually, I just make it a point to finish what I have open before I will let myself open a fresh can.


So after a year, to answer your question, yes, you might settle
on a few "favorites", but I bet you will find yourself going outside those favorites rather often. As you really learn each snus, you will find that each one seems particularly right at a particular moment. And those moments will then trigger a desire for THAT snus. When that happens to me now, I don't fight it. What is one more open can of snus in the fridge gonna do anyways. LOL