New to snus

[aya207]

Hey I'm new to snus and was just had a few questions. I had recently tried the camel brands that have finally popped up around this area and liked the convenience. I have been a smoker for about 5 years now and have grown tired of the coughing, the need to go outside, and the overall recent lack of enjoyment I find myself getting from needing a cigarette and then feeling like I've only received a fix with no nicotine buzz anymore. Of course now that I've tried american snus I want to try the real stuff. I was hopeing to find out which brand would be good to start with, if it needs to be refrigerated after opening or only before opening, and which site is the most secure to order from. Any advice would be awesome. Thanks.

[mercvrivs]

Welcome to the forum!

I too quit smoking with snus, and I started the same way as you.

The sites most of us at this forum use are buysnus.com, swedish-snus.com, and getsnus.com (the last one is a distributor based in Pennsylvania). All are reliable and have excellent customer service.

Snus needs to be refrigerated before it's opened. After it's opened it can last a while (probably at least as long as it would take you to go through a can), but a lot of us just keep it in the fridge when we're not using it. Refrigeration prevents the growth of bacteria and keeps the snus fresher.

For beginning snuses, it's important to consider what type of snus you want to try. First, do you want to try portion, loose, or both? It's a matter of personal preference, and both have their benefits. If you decide to try portion snus, there are three main types of portions: minis, regulars, and strong portions. Minis have 4-6mg/g of nicotine, regulars have about 8mg nicotine, and extra strongs have anywhere from 12-18mg (depending on the brand). When you snus, you absorb about 10-20 percent of this amount within the first 30 minutes. Generally, for someone who's a smoker, I recommend either using loose, or if you decide to go with portions, make sure to get a few extra strong varieties for any particularly rough cravings you might have. There are also white portions, which are drier than regular portions. This means that the juices will run less, but the flavor might last longer.

If you decide to try some loose snus, you can bake (form) the pris by hand, which allows you to tailor the snus experience to your unique needs. Or, you can order a handy tool known as a prismaster which makes the pris for you. Icetools (icetool.com) are a nice accessory that many loose users enjoy.

As far as brands/flavors, I tried a bunch of different kinds. There are sampler packs offered at swedish-snus.com and buysnus.com that many people find helpful, or you can just pick out your own. Reading reviews on the forum helps too, but everyone's tastes are unique.

General is the best-selling snus in Sweden, so it's a good one to try so that you can compare others to it. I don't know what your tastes are. If you like licorice, there are a few good brands, same thing for mint or even more plainly tobacco flavored snus. One thing you will probably notice with Swedish snus is that it is somewhat salty. You tend to get used to this so that you can pick up on the subtleties of flavor more.

Hope this helps, and welcome again to snuson.

[aya207]

Thanks Mercvurivus. Definatly some great information.
From browsing around the forums and different product sights I have a few ideas in mind. With smoking I've always been more into a regular flavored cigaratte and was thinking I might go the same way with snus. General portions in the regular or strong might be a good start for me.

I sit at a desk throughout most of my day and the break line for cigarettes seems to be getting longer each time. The other day I put my name on the board at 2:30 and didn't get out there until nearly 3:45. Seeing as I'm not sure if I'll get in trouble for snusing at work yet I was going to stick to portions for work use in order to keep it under wraps. Though I'm sure I'll get a few questions when people notice I'm not smoking.

As for the loose I'm thinking I may have to get a can for at home use to practice with just for more flavor. I was also curious about a couple different brands I noticed online. Is the Lucky Strike flavor as tasty as the cigarette and I also notice Romeo y Julietta had a brand. How do these cigarette and cigar company flavors compare to the actual Sweedish brands?
Thanks for the input.

[mercvrivs]

To me it seems that the Lucky Strike and R y J are more brand names than faithful flavor crossovers. I've only tried the Lucky Strike (I think they won't ship R y J to America because it has Cuban tobacco in it). It is pretty salty and plainly flavored; some people love it. For comparison, the flavor profile of General is tobacco, slight citrus, pepper, and salt. Ettan is another one that's more plain flavored, and Grov and Granit are two other popular options. Skruf stark is a good one to try (comes in regular and white portions). A lot of people don't like Phantom portions, but Phantom loose is my favorite snus (has a traditional "general snus" flavor profile, in my opinion).

Roda Lacket is one of the easiest loose snuses to learn to hand bake with, fyi. It tastes like tobacco, salt, and slight fruit undertones.

If you like licorice, LD Black and Offroad Licorice are both pretty faithful renditions. Gotland's anise is an herbal take on the flavor.

One thing I love about snus is not having to take smoke breaks!

Bear in mind that your tastes might change over time too. That seems to happen for a lot of snusers.

[TBD]

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to ask questions. We were all new once.

[GenuineSpirit]

Re: New to snus

Hey I'm new to snus and was just had a few questions. I had recently tried the camel brands that have finally popped up around this area and liked the convenience. I have been a smoker for about 5 years now and have grown tired of the coughing, the need to go outside, and the overall recent lack of enjoyment I find myself getting from needing a cigarette and then feeling like I've only received a fix with no nicotine buzz anymore. Of course now that I've tried american snus I want to try the real stuff. I was hopeing to find out which brand would be good to start with, if it needs to be refrigerated after opening or only before opening, and which site is the most secure to order from. Any advice would be awesome. Thanks.

Welcome to the board and snus in general. You are in for a journey.

I have stopped the urge to smoke using snus, and my recommendation is to definitely get a few extra stark versions for when the urge is real strong. I used Skruf stark, but recommend reading posts and buying a few different kinds to find the flavor profile that you like. As far as purchasing, Northerner.com and Buysnus.com are 2 that I have used with minimum problems.

Good luck and have fun,
Phil

[Ainkor]

Welcome aboard! I don't think I have too much to add to the great advice already given other than to say welcome!

-Ainkor

[aya207]

Thanks for the advice. I'm wicked excited for this friday when I can order some snuss online. ( I'd do it now but I'm not sure if an overdraft fee is worth waiting less time for.) I'm thinking a couple extra strong cans will get me through for first thing in the morning. I remember the last time I quit it was amazing to breath again. I feel this attempt will be more effective since I'm not quiting tobacco altogether and if I end up having a smoke it won't be a regretful failure slide like with most of my former attempts.

Do the costs of shipping get added on to once it crosses through customs? I read on one of the websites that this may add to your cost in the end but is not something the company could calculate, which makes sense.

[aya207]

Funny how if you actually browse the forums you'll find the answer to your question. So I've decided I will use regular post as opposed to ups. Thanks for the advice that's already on this website. I've already found more than enough useful information and can't wait to find more.

[rickcharles606]

Welcome to the board and congratulations on making the decision to stop smoking. The fact that you've found Swedish snus will make it easier for you to rid yourself of that nasty habit. I know it's nasty cuz I smoked for over twenty years, and quit about 21 days ago. I tried every known way to stop smoking and still think the hypnosis has me screwed up..lol

You've already gotten the same advice I would give you myself. These guys gave me the same advice 20 days ago...listen to them..lol

My only advice is this, read the reviews and ask about flavors before you place your first order, it will make it easier to choose. I do agree that having a few different flavors in a strong (sterk) portion or los snus will stop cravings in their tracks! The day after I started snusing, I was able to go outside with my employees while they smoked, and it didn't even bother me. That's what sold me on snus, it's ability to deliver nicotine to my body, and do it discreetly and not kill my lungs in the process.

So have fun, try lots of flavors and types. You just added years to your life!

[hoss]

Hi & welcome!

Looks like all the other folks have given great advice. Like they've said, try as many as you can. My wife makes fun of my growing collection because each order I find new favorites. Enjoy!

[themetal223]

Welcome to the forum!

I too quit smoking with snus, and I started the same way as you.

The sites most of us at this forum use are buysnus.com, swedish-snus.com, and getsnus.com (the last one is a distributor based in Pennsylvania). All are reliable and have excellent customer service.

Snus needs to be refrigerated before it's opened. After it's opened it can last a while (probably at least as long as it would take you to go through a can), but a lot of us just keep it in the fridge when we're not using it. Refrigeration prevents the growth of bacteria and keeps the snus fresher.

For beginning snuses, it's important to consider what type of snus you want to try. First, do you want to try portion, loose, or both? It's a matter of personal preference, and both have their benefits. If you decide to try portion snus, there are three main types of portions: minis, regulars, and strong portions. Minis have 4-6mg/g of nicotine, regulars have about 8mg nicotine, and extra strongs have anywhere from 12-18mg (depending on the brand). When you snus, you absorb about 10-20 percent of this amount within the first 30 minutes. Generally, for someone who's a smoker, I recommend either using loose, or if you decide to go with portions, make sure to get a few extra strong varieties for any particularly rough cravings you might have. There are also white portions, which are drier than regular portions. This means that the juices will run less, but the flavor might last longer.

If you decide to try some loose snus, you can bake (form) the pris by hand, which allows you to tailor the snus experience to your unique needs. Or, you can order a handy tool known as a prismaster which makes the pris for you. Icetools (icetool.com) are a nice accessory that many loose users enjoy.

As far as brands/flavors, I tried a bunch of different kinds. There are sampler packs offered at swedish-snus.com and buysnus.com that many people find helpful, or you can just pick out your own. Reading reviews on the forum helps too, but everyone's tastes are unique.

General is the best-selling snus in Sweden, so it's a good one to try so that you can compare others to it. I don't know what your tastes are. If you like licorice, there are a few good brands, same thing for mint or even more plainly tobacco flavored snus. One thing you will probably notice with Swedish snus is that it is somewhat salty. You tend to get used to this so that you can pick up on the subtleties of flavor more.

Hope this helps, and welcome again to snuson.

good advice