Sore throat with Camel (+ introduction)

[fo0bar]

Hello all,

After smoking for about 10 years, I had been "mostly" quit for about 3 years, until this year's Burning Man. I just can't not smoke during Burning Man, but had been able to quit afterward... until this year. So I had been smoking until about 3 weeks ago when I got The Trendy And Hip (and Devastating) Flu Which Shall Not Be Named. I've never been able to smoke while sick, so I started on the gum, but it just wasn't doing it for me.

I had been seeing Camel Snus in 7-11 lately (apparently they just came to Nevada), and gave it a shot. It was a relatively cheap promo price at $2 for 12. (I had a handful of "$2 off" coupons from packs of Camel cigarettes, but the clerk said they couldn't be used for the 12-pack promo packs, and they don't yet sell non-promo packs.)

I really liked the taste and feel of Camel Frost, despite people saying they felt it was too dry and sweet. What I didn't like was what it did to my throat. It got INCREDIBLY sore, to the point that I got some antiseptic spray to deal with it.

On Friday I found on General's web site that there was a local cigar shop that carried General Snus. I went there and got a free sample portion pack, 3 each of Original, Dry Mint Mini, White and White Wintergreen. Well I just finished off the sample pack, and overall I like them. Original is a little too rough for me. Dry Mint Mini is very good (and very similar to Camel Frost). White is a slightly mellower version of Original, and I really like the spiciness, and subtle kick of citrus (mango?) at random times. I wasn't thrilled with White Wintergreen, it seems to lose most of its flavor very quickly.

And above all, very little sore throat! There's still a tiny bit, but it's very manageable, and of course still very preferable to the effects of smoking. I think I'm going to go with Dry Mint Mini and White. Anyone have other non-General suggestions, based on my experiences? I'd like to limit it to GetSnus brands for the time being (I know they don't have a wide selection, but the prices seem to be the lowest). Maybe later I'll expand to imports from one of the other retailers.

This will also be very useful for my cross-country flight next week (I'm not too thrilled with flying these days).

Anyway, back to Camel... Has anyone else experienced sore throat with them? I don't plan on going back to it, but I was curious if it was because of the Camels specifically, or if it was just from starting snus (unlikely, since the dropoff seemed to happen pretty quickly once I switched from Camel to General).

[Karanya]

Welcome to SnusOn!

My experience has been that lower pH products (such as Camel) cause more of a sore throat than higher pH products. This is because more of the nicotine winds up being swallowed instead of absorbed through the oral mucosa.

--K

[fo0bar]

Ahh. Come to think of it, I was salivating a lot with the Camels. I didn't think anything of it because it was similar to what I'd see with nicotine gum. Both would slightly upset an empty stomach (presumably due to the nicotine going to the stomach), but I didn't get the sore throat with the gum.

Either way, at the very least I have General locally to buy, so goodbye Camel!

[sagedil]

Welcome to Snuson fo0bar

First, just be aware there is a breaking in period with Swedish snus. You body takes about one to two weeks to get acclimated to the salt. So just be a bit patient, and keep using it. You really won't experience the full taste for another few weeks.

Also, I highly recommend you try a variety of what is out there. IMHO, General is not the best, not even close. My standard advice is to get the Top 10 Box from Northerner, but any try out box from any of the various sites will work. Just explore a bit what snus has to offer.

And welcome again to Snuson.

EDIT...Getsnus really does have a limited selection. Honestly, they carry almost nothing I use. LD White is far, far better than General White but Getsnus refuses to bother to carry it, despite being asked many, many times. But....if you insist on just Getsnus, then Ettan, Grov, and 01 and 02 would be my recommendations. Still, you really should explore beyond them.

[Veganpunk]

Welcome to SnusOn, and I second Sage. There are a lot of brands to try that only overseas shops carry. Getsnus is a great starter place though, and it will take a few weeks to get used to snus, but once you do, it will be worth it. That sucks about the sickness that cannot be named.

[MojoQuestor]

Good morning, fo0bar, hello and welcome.

I personally like General quite a bit. The flavor you are noticing is probably the bergamot.

As far as things that Getsnus carries, you might give Ettan, Grov, and Röda Lacket a whirl. Those are all traditional in character and may be easier on the throat.

Glad you seem to be getting over the Flying Pig Flu (since it can't be named, I just call it that).

[Christi]

Welcome! Nice to see a new fellow snus'er on board.

I got the sore throat from the Camel Snus the first week I was using them, it eventually went away. I notice now that I don't have the moister that I had when I first started snus'ing. It has taken me almost a year to perfect the placement and really understand the tastes vs the nicotine. For me it is about the flavor now, when I first started it was about the kick.

Like everyone has said, try all the flavors that are out there. Don't be closed minded to just the mint (I did the same thing, searched for a Camel Snus Frost replacement) try out things you would think you would never like and you might be surprised. I know I was.

And again, welcome [/code]

[vorb]

Re: Sore throat with Camel (+ introduction)

Are there any sore throat remedies that you might consider recommending? Particularly ones that don't involve pharma.

[lxskllr]

Re: Sore throat with Camel (+ introduction)

Are there any sore throat remedies that you might consider recommending? Particularly ones that don't involve pharma.

Drink hot tea with eucalyptus and licorice. I like Celestial Seasonings Cold Care tea. Also, Ricola(original) is my cough drop choice for sore throat colds. I prefer Fisherman's Friend for congested colds.

Welcome to SnusOn :^)

[Snusmun]

Hi Fo0bar! Looks like we're in the same boat being snus noobs and fresh x-smokers. I can confirm that the camels also give me a dry sore throat. Don't have enough experience yet to know if that is solely due to the camels though....Could be that I abuse the heck out of the portion and suck it dry...time will tell. Welcome, and I hope you feel better soon.

[GENERAL BILLY]

Re: Sore throat with Camel (+ introduction)

I really like the spiciness, and subtle kick of citrus (mango?)

It is Bergamot, a type of citrus fruit used to flavor many types of snus and also Earl Grey Tea.

[justintempler]

Welcome to SnusOn!

My experience has been that lower pH products (such as Camel) cause more of a sore throat than higher pH products. This is because more of the nicotine winds up being swallowed instead of absorbed through the oral mucosa.

--K

Here's a hypothesis of mine.
Camel is probably like Hotess Twinkies, it's designed to have a long shelf life.
It starts out dry to begin with.
They want to keep what little moisture there is in the product so they load it up with propylene glycol.
What are the effects of a lot of propylene gycol........

http://www.electroniccigarettesale.n...ic-cigarettes/

...
What Are the Known Side Effects of Propylene Glycol?
Some of the side effects experienced by people that use Propylene Glycol are muscle pain, sore throat, and a stronger smelling urine. These symptoms can all result from using e-cigs that have Propylene Glycol-based e liquid in their cartridge. Since PG is considered a humectant (it collects moisture), your throat can become dry after use and potentially sore. It can also result in an increase of lactic acid production by your body causing muscle aches that occur more often than normal. In order to counter-act these symptoms, it is recommended that you increase your fluid intake in order to flush the lactic acid from your body more quickly. This will also help with alleviating your sore throat more quickly which normally disappears after a few days. If you find yourself beginning to suffer from bowel movements, a rash, or having night sweats you may be allergic to propylene glycol. If this occurs, you will need to seek out an electronic cigarette solution that is vegetable glycerine (VG) based instead.

So just maybe :?: it's not the low pH but the propylene glycol that is casuing the sore throat. :?:

[Snusify]

I would lay of the hard stuff camel snus and use something like general extra sterk instead :-)

[Snusmun]

So just maybe :?: it's not the low pH but the propylene glycol that is casuing the sore throat. :?:

Sounds pretty plausible to me! Most Swedish Match products use it as well, as a humectant....E1520 Dunno about the levels though.