Okay, it usually goes this way DIP -> SNUS, but thanks to a fellow board member I can now give my impressions going from SNUS -> DIP (not going permanently mind you!).
I recently received at wide selection of some of the typical and - judging from various places on the web – most popular US brands. I’ve tried most of them by now and here is my ‘judgement’ so far:
The first one I opened was Skoal Original Fine Cut, and the first impression was a very powerful smell of something that reminded me of some sort of toilet cleaner (!). I must admit that I was kind of put off by it, but I wouldn’t let it stop me … so I took a solid pinch and flung it straight to my bottom lip thinking ‘hey, I’ve seen a couple of vids on youtube – this is how it’s done’. Of course it instantly created a mess worse than any mudslide I’ve ever experienced with snus. It was simply all over my mouth. I spat it out, flushed good and tried again, this time with a more careful (and prolly somewhat goofy looking) approach. It went well! Now, I never use snus in my bottom lip which of course means that it is not nearly as hardened as my upper one, and that became very, very obvious after a couple of minutes. What a burn! Damn, tears almost came to my eyes! Next thing I noticed was the nicotine which struck me like a hammer. Being used to stuff like N&J and Skruf Stark it didn’t tip me over, but there’s no doubt that this stuff is packing some! The taste wasn’t really me and it still isn’t.
The next one was Copenhagen Snuff. Now, the smell of it struck me as being really nice. Leathery and sort of smoked, almost like some of the rolling tobaccos I used back in the cig-days. I still had some problems with the texture, more specifically it being so damn dry and fluffy compared to snus. But by now I’d already learned to deal with the bottom lip-thing, the mess only began when I tried to move the snuff around. Again the burn was there – maybe even more than with the Skoal – but for some reason it found it more enjoyable with Cope. The taste was/is good, still very dark in the leathery/smoked way, and the nic-hit really awesome! Not for kids, that’s for sure.
After the Cope I did Grizzly snuff which was in the same neighbourhood both taste/texture/nicotine wise. I’m not sure which one I like the most … maybe the latter. It felt somewhat smoother.
Next up was Copenhagen Whiskey Blend Long Cut. First of all, the smell was really, really nice and not at all overpowered like I had feared. Compared to Probe snus this actually does smell like whiskey and not some saucy aroma! And second, the texture was much easier to handle due to the coarser cut. I liked this one a lot actually – more than I ever cared for Probe. It’s surprisingly subtle and smooth. Easily my favourite among the ones I’ve tried so far.
That’s what I’ve tried so far. I’ve got the following tins left, Skoal Cherry Long Cut, Skoal Vanilla Blend Long Cut and Skoal Mint Bandits. When I’ve tasted them I’ll post my impressions in this thread …
Oh yes, included in this package was also the three types of Camel snus. I’ve tried them all and even though I really like the flavour of Spice my verdict is that it’s waaay too sweet! Yuck! But hey, it’s nice to finally know what you US guys are talking about when you write about them.
The tins are nice, though … and that’s one thing I’d like to mention: I simply love the metal lids on stuff like Copenhagen and Grizzly! I wish the snus cans where as cool as these … (but let’s see how the Jakobsson’s will turn out).
I still find snus to be far superior to dip, that’s for sure, but I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to actually compare it to something else than just cigarettes.
... BTW, I simply HATE the spitting factor! How annoying is that!?!?
I recently received at wide selection of some of the typical and - judging from various places on the web – most popular US brands. I’ve tried most of them by now and here is my ‘judgement’ so far:
The first one I opened was Skoal Original Fine Cut, and the first impression was a very powerful smell of something that reminded me of some sort of toilet cleaner (!). I must admit that I was kind of put off by it, but I wouldn’t let it stop me … so I took a solid pinch and flung it straight to my bottom lip thinking ‘hey, I’ve seen a couple of vids on youtube – this is how it’s done’. Of course it instantly created a mess worse than any mudslide I’ve ever experienced with snus. It was simply all over my mouth. I spat it out, flushed good and tried again, this time with a more careful (and prolly somewhat goofy looking) approach. It went well! Now, I never use snus in my bottom lip which of course means that it is not nearly as hardened as my upper one, and that became very, very obvious after a couple of minutes. What a burn! Damn, tears almost came to my eyes! Next thing I noticed was the nicotine which struck me like a hammer. Being used to stuff like N&J and Skruf Stark it didn’t tip me over, but there’s no doubt that this stuff is packing some! The taste wasn’t really me and it still isn’t.
The next one was Copenhagen Snuff. Now, the smell of it struck me as being really nice. Leathery and sort of smoked, almost like some of the rolling tobaccos I used back in the cig-days. I still had some problems with the texture, more specifically it being so damn dry and fluffy compared to snus. But by now I’d already learned to deal with the bottom lip-thing, the mess only began when I tried to move the snuff around. Again the burn was there – maybe even more than with the Skoal – but for some reason it found it more enjoyable with Cope. The taste was/is good, still very dark in the leathery/smoked way, and the nic-hit really awesome! Not for kids, that’s for sure.
After the Cope I did Grizzly snuff which was in the same neighbourhood both taste/texture/nicotine wise. I’m not sure which one I like the most … maybe the latter. It felt somewhat smoother.
Next up was Copenhagen Whiskey Blend Long Cut. First of all, the smell was really, really nice and not at all overpowered like I had feared. Compared to Probe snus this actually does smell like whiskey and not some saucy aroma! And second, the texture was much easier to handle due to the coarser cut. I liked this one a lot actually – more than I ever cared for Probe. It’s surprisingly subtle and smooth. Easily my favourite among the ones I’ve tried so far.
That’s what I’ve tried so far. I’ve got the following tins left, Skoal Cherry Long Cut, Skoal Vanilla Blend Long Cut and Skoal Mint Bandits. When I’ve tasted them I’ll post my impressions in this thread …
Oh yes, included in this package was also the three types of Camel snus. I’ve tried them all and even though I really like the flavour of Spice my verdict is that it’s waaay too sweet! Yuck! But hey, it’s nice to finally know what you US guys are talking about when you write about them.
The tins are nice, though … and that’s one thing I’d like to mention: I simply love the metal lids on stuff like Copenhagen and Grizzly! I wish the snus cans where as cool as these … (but let’s see how the Jakobsson’s will turn out).
I still find snus to be far superior to dip, that’s for sure, but I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to actually compare it to something else than just cigarettes.
... BTW, I simply HATE the spitting factor! How annoying is that!?!?
. I've actually read somewhere that it is the barrel-leftovers from the Kodiak production (at least I think it was Kodiak). Funny, didn't feel cheap to me at all.
Comment