Ettan Portion Vs. Ettan Los - Taste

[giancarlo]

I bought 5 cans of Ettan Los and 5 cans of the portion.

I really like the feel of the LOS and would love to continue using it but I have a real big problem with the flavor.

When I put an Ettan portion in I can immediately taste the flavor. Just popping it on my tongue before positioning it gives off a nice rich flavor.

LOS, on the other hand, gives no flavor at all. Even if I touch my tongue on it after positioning it - I don't get the same rich flavor I get from a portion. Sometimes I taste a little salt. Sometimes I taste a tobacco flavor but no flavor in the way a portion does.

Also, after about two weeks of using LOS I'd figure I'd get SOME juice. But no. It just stays in the place I put it - dries that area out - doesn't get wet at all and even an hour or so later I still get no flavor.

Can someone give me their opinion on all this?

Honestly, it's a little frustrating.

[lxskllr]

Ettan lös isn't the best start for a newer snuser. It takes a good while before you can really discern, and appreciate the flavor. When I first tried it, it was about as close to nothing in my mouth as I could find. Now it has a huge flavor to my taste. Not like Thunder Frost huge, but full of subtle flavor and body. I'd keep revisiting it, but I wouldn't expect you to fully appreciate the flavor for a couple months or more.

[giancarlo]

Ettan lös isn't the best start for a newer snuser. It takes a good while before you can really discern, and appreciate the flavor. When I first tried it, it was about as close to nothing in my mouth as I could find. Now it has a huge flavor to my taste. Not like Thunder Frost huge, but full of subtle flavor and body. I'd keep revisiting it, but I wouldn't expect you to fully appreciate the flavor for a couple months or more.

I guess that is what's bothering me. After cycling through a large variety of snus - I have narrowed my taste down to Ettan and Grov.

I love the flavors of both IN THE PORTION.

I can't seem to get the same flavor (or any for that matter) from the LOS.

It would seem that if I put my tongue on the pris i SHOULD get the same flavor - no?

[justinp]

I mean... I think a few months might be a bit rich...

Try the pinch-and-toss method instead of handbaking; my guess is that you're baking your prillas too tight.

Step 1: Grab chunk of snus

Step 2: Mold snus against corner of can

Step 3: Whack it up into your lip. Being shy here is a recipe for disaster. Shove it up in there, clean up strays with your tongue, and enjoy the ride.

[lxskllr]

It would seem that if I put my tongue on the pris i SHOULD get the same flavor - no?

Not necessarily. I'm not sure what changes, but something does indeed change, and you're able to get more flavor from lös. I've been using snus for going on 3 years, and it was just very recently I started getting a prune flavor from Röda lös. I considered Röda a finely ground Ettan, but now I'm pulling out flavors that didn't exist for me before. If you like the lös experience, I'd keep at it. It might take awhile to fully appreciate it, but imo it's worth the extra time and effort.

[giancarlo]

I mean... I think a few months might be a bit rich...

Try the pinch-and-toss method instead of handbaking; my guess is that you're baking your prillas too tight.

Step 1: Grab chunk of snus

Step 2: Mold snus against corner of can

Step 3: Whack it up into your lip. Being shy here is a recipe for disaster. Shove it up in there, clean up strays with your tongue, and enjoy the ride.

I've done that. I definitely get juice when I do that but the flavor doesn't seem to be there for me. I've done the pinch method with Ettan, Grov and General and the juice tastes the same for all of them when I pinch and keep the pris loose. However, when I do a portion I can taste the unique flavors of each.

Also, when I toss I end up getting snus about half way down my teeth and even after a week or two of doing it that way I haven't gotten control enough to prevent it from being a mess on my teeth. Does that change with time?

[Snusdog]

First, portions and los of the same brand are notorious for having vastly different flavor. If brand X was my favorite portion it does not mean I will like brand X los- so there is no surprise in what you are saying

Second, I think both Just and lxskllr are spot on in their advice. I would take the can of Ettan los that you have open and use the pinch and toss method (the looser grind will mean that more saliva penetrates the tobacco and thus more flavor is released). While this should help a great deal, my guess is that Ettan will still seem mild to you. Which brings us to lxskllr’s point. You are going to need a bit of time

Thus I would take the other 4 cans of Ettan los and put them in the freezer. Plan to revisit a can every 2 months are so.

For now grab a can of Knox, Granit, Gotlands los and learn with these. Each is easy to manage and has a full flavor that you will not miss.

Come back to things like Grov, Roda, and Ettan at a later point.

Also, I would recommend that you approach los as if each type was a completely different product. In other words, rather than basing your los purchases on your portion experience, come at it like each brand of los was made by a completely different company. In other words, start a fresh with a clean slate and try a variety.

You might also want to visit the Dipper’s Guide to snus. It’s a thread all about los. There is a lot of good info there that a lot of folks have contributed. In fact, everything I posted above is discussed in much greater detail on the Guide. You might find it helpful. You will at the least see that your experiences with Ettan are not uncommon or permanent.

You can find the Guide here:

http://www.snuson.com/viewtopic.php?t=4014


Hope thus helps

dog 8)

[giancarlo]

Snusdog

I have read your dippers guide and found it very useful. I try to read everything I can on this board to find things that might help me during my transition.

Thanks to you and all the other great posters here it's been a lot easier than it would have been without the guidance.

[Snusify]

I have the opposite experience, loose ettan has way more flavour than the portions.

If you bake your prillas really tight they will take a while to release the flavour. try a hillbilly pinch or a lightly baked prilla.

[Snusify]

I have the opposite experience, loose ettan has way more flavour than the portions.

If you bake your prillas really tight they will take a while to release the flavour. try a hillbilly pinch or a lightly baked prilla.

[Snusdog]

I have the opposite experience

Not only that, but it appears he's had it twice :lol:

.

[Snusify]

I have the opposite experience

Not only that, but it appears he's had it twice :lol:

.

dont know how that happened, i am always repeating myself.


dont know how that happened, i am always repeating myself.

[f. bandersnatch]

its worth repeating though. I have different notions about los and portion ettan every time I use them. All of them good, of course. I don't really see how something so simple can produce such alternative reactions not only amongst different people, but within my own mouth. Weirdo ettan. Delicious though...

[chainsnuser]

I think there's nothing to worry.

Though Swedish Match states otherwise, I have no doubts that different tobacco and/or different flavorings are used for lös and portions.

It's already clear with Ettan, but it gets even more clear with Röda Lacket, which has a bubblegum-taste as a portion and is almost pure tobacco as lös.

Cheers!

[chadizzy1]

In my experience, most all los has more flavor than portions, and that's in any brand. It seems like you get a more pure taste that way.