"New to Snus" [Reviews]

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  • velinn
    Member
    • Jun 2008
    • 39

    "New to Snus" [Reviews]

    Hello snusers!

    I hate to create another thread about being new, but what the hell.. I'm a 31 year old male and I've been smoking Camel unfiltered cigarettes since I was 15 years old. Needless to say, this has damaged my health considerably. I was weezing, and puffing, and horking up all sorts of nasty stuff every day.. and then I got something in the mail from Camel telling me about this weird stuff called snus. I had two coupons for free snus and since it said snus was spit free I figured what the hell, I'll give it a shot. This stuff tasted really good to me, and I enjoyed it a lot. In fact, from the very first tin I found my desire for a cigarette almost gone! I'd still have one after a big meal or if I found myself stressed, but otherwise I really felt no need to smoke.

    I was amazed! I never intended to quit, but it just.. sorta happened. After doing some research I realized that swedish snus and US snus are vastly different. I took the plunge and ordered a mixed box of Swedish Match white portion snus from BuySnus.com -- only $34.36 with shipping!

    I've only tasted three so far and this is what I think:

    General White portion: I've heard Camel described as "candy" but that didn't make sense to me until I popped my first portion of swedish snus in, what I've read is the standard.. General. Wow. I was not expecting the how strong this stuff is. The unrelenting taste of pure tobacco melted my face right off! I did not like this at first at all being used to Camel Frost.

    I stuck with it though remembering that cigarettes tasted bad at first too, but I grew to love those with time.. and giving it a chance, I find that once you grow accustomed to the tobacco taste, you can start to pick out other flavors too. Swedish snus is much more subtle and complex than the "in your face" flavor of Camel snus. I've also discovered that the taste of General is perfect with a beer. I can't believe how well the two tastes compliment each other. So General, while not my favorite, has earned it's place as my beer snus.

    Goteborgs Rape: Excuse the lack of accent marks there, I don't know how to make them without copy/paste. :P I liked this better than General because it was not nearly as strong. I read that it's supposed to have a certain sweetness to it, but I didn't detect this at all at first. Again, it seems that you really have to use a certain type for awhile to be able to grow accustomed to it and pick out the flavors beyond the tabacco backdrop. I enjoyed this snus more than General because it seemed a bit milder but as far as sweetness I can only detect the slightest bit. I wouldn't call it sweet at all really, but it does have a more balanced and easy tobacco flavor. Every so often I would get the impression of berries on the tip of my tongue. That was pretty neat.

    Roda Lacket: I love this. The sweetness is still subtle, but much more defined than in Goteborgs Rape. This seems to come on very slowly, with the sweetness first, getting stronger until eventually the tabacco taste overpowers it. Fantastic. This is what I think I was looking for. Very much the unique taste of snus with a nice flavor but isn't "in your face" either. This is my second favorite for "every day snusing", with Grov being first, and General being great but only as a compliment to a beer (which is pretty often, I'm loath to admit )

    Grov: This is really good stuff right here. I was a little worried about how I would like a "pure" tobacco snus since I was still reeling a bit from General (which I've absolutely grown to love now) but my fears were unfounded. This is probably my favorite snus yet. What's it taste like? Well, it tastes like.. wait for it.. snus! Tobacco and Salt. It's wonderful. It doesn't try to "be" anything other than just a good snus. I really like this basic flavor and I think that if I were to have used this snus first before any of the others I would have been much more prepared for them and their differences in character. I find myself just quietly enjoying this snus without thinking about what it tastes like, or anything else.. it's just good.

    Catch Eucalyptus: This starts out great. It's cold against my gums, the mint refreshes my mouth nicely and I'm thinking this is going to be a great snus. And then the tobacco flavor kicks in. Ugh. These two tastes do not go together well at all, imo. If you're going to make something minty you need to either make it so slight that it's just noticeable, or go all out like Camel Frost and have no tobacco flavor at all. I had to spit this one out.. I might try again sometime in the future, or if I run out and really need some snus while I wait for my next order.

    Tre Ankre: This is a decent snus. It seems to have a bit of a "darker" tobacco flavor than Grov, but I didn't detect any of the "foresty" stuff others have mentioned. I like it, and I'll have no trouble finishing the can, but unless my taste buds acclimate differently to it over time I just don't taste enough here for it to really stand out against some of the others that I really like.


    I have a bunch more in my "tasters kit" that I can't wait to try out. I think my next can will be Ettan. I've read that it's a full tobacco taste like General but a bit milder. We'll see.

    I've really enjoyed my little trip into Snus Land and I'm loving experimenting with different brands. Oh, and I've been cigarette free for over a month now, and I never even intended to quit! I owe snus a debt of gratitude for that fact alone. And thanks for such a great forum, this place has been invaluable to me as a means to research brands and snus in general.
  • sagedil
    Member
    • Nov 2007
    • 7077

    #2
    Welcome to the forum velinn.

    Your story echos what most of us on this forum seem to have experienced. We didn't really intend to quit, we just started liking the snus more and more and suddenly, just didn't want to smoke any more.

    I am interested in your experience going from Camel to Swedish. There are two generations on this board, those who came to snus before Camel existed, and only tried the Camel after we were already used to Swedish snus, and more and more, folks like you who were brought to snus by Camel and only then branched out.

    I had wondered what it would be like for folks like you when Camel first came out. It must be hard going from the overwhelming sweetness of Camel to the much more subdued, or even no sweetness of Swedish snus. A couple to try on your next order if you are looking for more sweetness. LD Black, a strong licorice snus. All you will taste is the licorice, Probe Whiskey... one of the sweetest Swedish snus. And Mocca Pomegranate, not as overwhelmingly sweet as Camel, but still very sweet. And they are mini white portions, so they look just like the Camel.

    btw, I really like Camel Spice. I usually have a tin of it around, it is like a desert snus for me. But very yummy.

    Comment

    • velinn
      Member
      • Jun 2008
      • 39

      #3
      Originally posted by sagedil
      I am interested in your experience going from Camel to Swedish. There are two generations on this board, those who came to snus before Camel existed, and only tried the Camel after we were already used to Swedish snus, and more and more, folks like you who were brought to snus by Camel and only then branched out.

      I had wondered what it would be like for folks like you when Camel first came out. It must be hard going from the overwhelming sweetness of Camel to the much more subdued, or even no sweetness of Swedish snus.
      Well, it was different that's for sure. With Camel you know what you're getting. Frost smells like mint and tastes like a huge tic-tac. There is no doubt about the flavor you're experiencing. With Swedish snus the tabacco hits you like a brick, especially if you're used to sweet snus. But if you give it a chance, it's well worth it.

      One thing that concerned me is that one of the claims to fame with the Swedish stuff is how natural it is.. water, tobacco, salt, and mild but natural flavors. There is no way Camel can get the taste they do without loading that stuff up with sugar which has got to be terrible for your teeth.

      Originally posted by sagedil
      A couple to try on your next order if you are looking for more sweetness. LD Black, a strong licorice snus. All you will taste is the licorice, Probe Whiskey... one of the sweetest Swedish snus. And Mocca Pomegranate, not as overwhelmingly sweet as Camel, but still very sweet. And they are mini white portions, so they look just like the Camel.

      btw, I really like Camel Spice. I usually have a tin of it around, it is like a desert snus for me. But very yummy.
      You know what? I don't know that I'm really looking for more sweetness, truth be told. The above post was my impression going from Camel to Swedish.. honestly I'm enjoying the complexity of Swedish snus. If I want sweetness I can go to the gas station and grab a can of Frost, though really, I think that if I want a mint I'd be better served by just getting an actual mint. I never did like the Spice flavor. It tastes like Big Red gum to me, complete with that bad after taste.

      What is Probe Whiskey like? Just sweet? I'm a bit of a whiskey fan in general and I was curious about that one for sure. If it tasted like the bottom of an oak barrel that would be amazing. lol But a sweet whiskey flavor might be good as well.

      And when I say that General is a good beer snus, I'm not joking. I guess the beer mixes with the flavor and kinda cancels out the tobacco leaving just this lemony after taste that I couldn't really detect before. It's really very good if any of you are beer lovers.

      Comment

      • sagedil
        Member
        • Nov 2007
        • 7077

        #4
        I think Camel uses the fake sugar stuff.

        You certainly seem to have come to Swedish snus right, having done your homework, and been open to new experiences. Snus flavors are so complex sometimes, that really is a big part of the joy. So I am so glad you are having so much fun with it.

        Still try some of the Swedish sweet stuff. It is a nice break and they usually do sweet so much better. My normal snus usage for the past year is I always carry two snus with me, a traditional type and a sweet type. I alternate every other snus between the two. I find it helps keep my palate appreciative of whatever snus is next. And I have fun matching up snus to use.

        The probe Whiskey is hard to describe, but yeah, sweet whiskey comes closest. A few don't care for it but many really do think it is yummy. Myself included.

        Comment

        • Janus2059
          Member
          • Jun 2008
          • 57

          #5
          what swedish brands are sweet?

          Comment

          • velinn
            Member
            • Jun 2008
            • 39

            #6
            Hey, quick question for you vetrans..

            I mentioned above that General tastes really good with beer, and that the tobacco taste was some what over powering.. also that Roda Lacket was very mild with only a hint of fruity sweetness. What I'm noticing is that when mixing flavors of snus and a beverage (beer and coffee so far) the tastes other than tobacco become very apparent. The citrus in General I couldn't taste at all until I had beer with it, and the fruity taste of Roda Lacket became much more apparent to me while drinking coffee (awesome mix of flavors!).

            Could it be that this is due to being white portion? It occurred to me that white is dryer than normal portion and that drinking something with it is moistening the portions right away rather than the slow build up it usually has. Like, I could just barely detect that fruity taste in Roda Lacket, but from the first sip of coffee (which wet the portion) the fruit was very pronounced.

            Comment

            • Xobeloot
              Member
              • Jan 2008
              • 2542

              #7
              I think that is definately playing a role in the flavors. I have only tried a few white portions. I never got into them due to the slow come-on of flavor.


              I think it is also that different tastes compliment one another. Try some Grov with a coffee. MMMM. Makes me want to go brew a pot just thinking about it. :lol:

              Comment

              • Steel Blue 91
                Member
                • May 2008
                • 163

                #8
                Originally posted by Xobeloot
                I think it is also that different tastes compliment one another. Try some Grov with a coffee. MMMM. Makes me want to go brew a pot just thinking about it. :lol:
                I agree. For me every morning starts with coffee and either Grov or Ettan.

                Comment

                • velinn
                  Member
                  • Jun 2008
                  • 39

                  #9
                  Added Grov, Catch Eucalyptus, and Tre Ankre to my list. Just figured if anyone else was new they might want to know what to expect from someone that doesn't have a lot of experience with snus overall.

                  Comment

                  • Xobeloot
                    Member
                    • Jan 2008
                    • 2542

                    #10
                    Your review of Grov is spot-on! It just is what it is... and what it is, is great... Nothing fancy, it wont blow your mind, but the flavor is just incredible.

                    Grov is my dark beer snus for sure.

                    Comment

                    • The Viking
                      New Member
                      • Jul 2008
                      • 2

                      #11
                      Lol, catch is girl snus. Lacket is more for beginners. Grov is ok but you want to throw it after half a box, the best thing, and most sold is general loose.

                      Comment

                      • velinn
                        Member
                        • Jun 2008
                        • 39

                        #12
                        I dunno about girl snus. I hate the way it tastes once the tobacco flavor mixes with the mint. I can't see girls liking it either. Roda Lacket is nice. I'm about half way through it and it hasn't lost it's charm as Goteborgs Rape' has. I got sick of Rape' pretty quick, honestly. And I really have to disagree with what you said about Grov. I'm almost done with both Grov and Ettan and I love them both. Probably the two I'm using the most right now. (will review Ettan later).

                        As for General, I don't see what the big deal is. Yeah, it's got a nice taste, but for every day snusing I just don't see it. When I'm drinking beer though I must have General with it. It's fantastic.

                        Comment

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