Cold Enough?

[Snusophile]

Hello everyone, I'm a paranoid newbie snusare with a question for all of you:

Which spot in the refrigerator is best for keeping snus cold?

At the current time, I've got 7 cans of snus in my fridge, all kept in a compartment of the refrigerator door. However, I've been wondering if that spot is actually cold enough for the snus to stay fresh in. I noticed that when I open a can up, the portions inside don't feel very cold to the touch, or maybe I'm just imagining it. The snus still tastes as good as it did when it arrived, but as I mentioned I'm pretty paranoid so your suggestions would be a great help.

Also, I've been wondering about TSNA growth. Somewhere I heard that the TSNA level will rise if snus is not kept refrigerated. Even to the point that it reaches the level of TSNA's American snuff contains within a week if not kept refrigerated. Is this true? If so, are we getting a much more dangerous product after 4-6 days in the mail? What are your thoughts?

[Kerprodo]

I keep mine in the garage beer/beverage fridge in the bottom veg/meat drawer. Generally the lower part of a refrigerator is the coldest, some newer models allow you to adjust temp in one of the drawers to just above freezing. I would say the top compartment of the door would be at least a few degrees warmer, but it may be subjective.
This method seems to work well for me, have not noticed any change in moisture of duplicate cans even opened a month or more apart. Plus, since they aren't frozen I can pore over the selection, grab one and have instant gratification.

[KarlvB]

I'd agree with the bottom veg drawer. It may be perception but they do feel colder if kept there.

With respect to the questions about TSNAs it has been covered in some detail in various posts. I'd suggest doing a search on the forum.

For quick reference have a look at this post.

http://snuson.com/viewtopic.php?t=1719

and this article in particular....

http://www.tobacco.org/News/010622BostonRe.html

In the discussion section they note

"The TSNA levels in the two leading U.S. snuff brands, accounting for 69 % of the 1999 U.S. market (14), were found to increase during 6 months storage at room temperature between 30 and 130 %, while the TSNA concentration in the Swedish brand increased inconsequentially."

So I don't think you need to worry too much about the time it spends in transit.

You could also avoid ordering in summer and stock up the fridge during the colder months

[chainsnuser]

Snusophile, if you consume your snus in time, then even a cold cellar will do. I've tested it. From my experience it is much more crucial to store the snus air-tight to prevent it from drying-out.

Like aj01 once said ( http://www.snuson.com/viewtopic.php?p=11595#11595 ) the whole refrigerator-thing is more a marketing-trick than a necessity.
Since snus was invented a hundred years before refrigerators existed, this only seems logical.

I also keep my snus in the refrigerator, but I never mind to find the coolest place inside the refrigerator. It's really not worth the hassle, I guess.

Also, I think that the whole TSNA-issue is not idiotic but maybe hopelessly exaggerated. I'm no expert and I maybe would think otherwise, if the Swedish food-administration would check the TSNA-contents in snus more often, but the latest list, that I know, is from 2005.

Well, just my 2 eurocents.

Cheers!

[Latina]

I always had the impression (but I might be wrong) that the best place of the fridge for the snus is not the one that is colder but the one that is more humid. Maybe there, their drying process is slower. The high humidity storage is usually the drawer especially design for vegetables. But it is messy to keep them there in the middle of the fruits and vegs, anyway.

[eli]

From what I understand the average home refrigerator is MUCH colder than the "Snus" refrigerators used to sell the product in stores in sweden. I keep mine in the door of my fridge and that keeps it plenty cold enough, i also don't refrigerate it at work at all, it sits on my desk for 8-10 hours a day and I've noticed no decrease in quality.

[reshumate]

So essentially, if you keep your snus in the fridge it should be good to go up to its expiration date, opened or not?

[jackdaniels]

I store mine in a 50 bottle wine cellar/fridge and am finding that they keep perfectly alongside my white wine.