dipper using snus, need help/directions

[bottledwater]

so i read the sticky, but it didnt really answer my specific questions. here is the thing: when you pack a lip, there is a lot of saliva floating around, so you actually know you're getting the nicotine.

i just bought a generals loose and made a pretty good pris (i think anyway, it was pretty durable and no cracks, etc, looked a lot like the one in the video by zero) and i put it in. now i have a question, do i get it wet? because if i do, it runs, and if i dont, i dont get any flavor from it, and probably no nicotine, so im really confused.

i tried getting the first few ones wet but they got REALLY runny, but with this one, i literally put it in, and completely ignored it afterwards, i did *nothing* to it so far (its been like 10 mins). i feel like its still really dry (well, compared to dip it is, but its probably about as wet as it was when it was in the tin), and that no saliva is getting to it.

also i have gotten no flavor from it, nothing at all. so my question is, how do you handle it once its inside? do you just let it sit, or do you help it out with moisture, or what? also i put it somewhat off center, the middle of the pris (its about 1.2 cm long, with a diameter of maybe .4-.6 cm, so its kinda small, about the size of a bean).

so now its in, what do i do with it? also, is it safe to just eat it after im done with it? cuz its really a hassle to spit it out, i'd rather just swallow it.

[lxskllr]

Hiya, welcome to Snuson :^)

Nicotine has better transfer through your gums than it does through saliva.

When you're new, it's better to mostly leave it alone until you get used to handling lös snus. After awhile you'll get better at controlling it, and it'll take a lot of manipulation. It isn't something you can give guidance with, you'll kind of have to feel your way through.

The flavor will be much more muted than you get with dip. It takes some "practice" to get used to the flavor profile of snus, and flavors will start to reveal themselves over time, maybe over a month or more.

You could maybe make your pris a bit bigger. Mine is about 1cm*2cm, and that's about the size of a regular portion. Many use larger than that. I can't really recommend swallowing snus, though you'll swallow bits as you use it. It won't do grievous harm, at least for now, but I imagine you'd be better off over the long term if you didn't make a habit of it.

[bottledwater]

thanks for the help! i dont think i could make a pris that big (well i *could*, but it'd be way too big for me) how long do you keep it in? im just starting to get some flavor (very little), but i know its because the pris has gotten a little wet and tiny bits and pieces have been floating in my mouth every now and then (not a lot, but there are probably 3-4 tiny pieces (the size of a grain of sand maybe) floating around in my mouth, and i know in another 10 or so minutes all hell is gonna break lös (ha!). its been about 35 mins since i put it in, and it took about 25 to get any flavor out of it. im also wondering, how is the nicotine in the back gonna get to the front and eventually absorbed if its kinda dry? is there some bit of science im missing on?

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

If you pack it really tight you won't get much flavor right away. Maybe a little flavor starting around the 20-30min mark. If you pack your pris looser you'll get flavor faster but you have to be more careful about it falling apart. There is also the "hillbilly method" where you don't really make a pris but just take a pinch from the can and throw it up there. That method will give you fast flavor and nic, but won't last as long.

No matter which way I suggest leaving it alone after you put it in for the first few minutes to let it "set up". Once it's "set up" it holds together better.

You said you read the stickies so I assume you read "The dippers Guide to snus". It's a very helpful guide.

Oh yeah, you're still getting the nicotine without the saliva. Put a bigger one in or a stronger type and you should notice the hit without the juice.

Welcome to SnuOn!

[bottledwater]

If you pack it really tight you won't get much flavor right away. Maybe a little flavor starting around the 20-30min mark. If you pack your pris looser you'll get flavor faster but you have to be more careful about it falling apart. There is also the "hillbilly method" where you don't really make a pris but just take a pinch from the can and throw it up there. That method will give you fast flavor and nic, but won't last as long.

No matter which way I suggest leaving it alone after you put it in for the first few minutes to let it "set up". Once it's "set up" it holds together better.

You said you read the stickies so I assume you read "The dippers Guide to snus". It's a very helpful guide.

Oh yeah, you're still getting the nicotine without the saliva. Put a bigger one in or a stronger type and you should notice the hit without the juice.

Welcome to SnuOn!

well the sticky says 2 hours, but that seems a bit unreasonable, then again my dip stays for 20 mins max. can you still get nicotine after 2 hours?

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

Sorry I didn't answer you question, we posted at the same time. I leave mine in for about and hour. Some people go less, some more. Most of the nic is absorbed in the first 30 minutes. I think your on track.

[bottledwater]

i also got the general portions, and they work a bit differently i think. as soon as i put them in, i start getting a lot of flavor, too much maybe, as it burns when it goes down and gives me hiccups for the first 2-3 mins. then the flow lessens and it doesnt burn much anymore. dip pouches and loose are pretty similar, but i take it portions and loose are very different?

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

Regular portions are sprayed with juice in the factory so they are wet and you get flavor and juice right away.

White portions are not sprayed so they take longer to kick in.

Loose is different, and can be used in different ways for different effects.

[lxskllr]

I keep my snus in for about 70 minutes average, and as long as 4 hours. Portions can give you more nicotine at first, especially depending on how you use them.

[Monkey]

I just switched back from dip to los and find the hit to be very different.

Snus I have learned, for me, is more of keeping the nicotine level consistent rather than fighting off a craving.

When I was dipping, I would wait until I needed a dip and then receive a quick nic hit to quell the craving, going up and down the nicotine rollercoaster.

Snus hits me much more gently and I find if I throw a pris in before I need one, I don't have a wait time for it to kick in.

Keep with it and, since only you know how you react to nicotine, try to time your pris before you need it.

Mike

[Snusdog]

Re: dipper using snus, need help/directions

so i read the sticky, but it didnt really answer my specific questions. here is the thing: when you pack a lip, there is a lot of saliva floating around, so you actually know you're getting the nicotine.

i just bought a generals loose and made a pretty good pris (i think anyway, it was pretty durable and no cracks, etc, looked a lot like the one in the video by zero) and i put it in. now i have a question, do i get it wet? because if i do, it runs, and if i dont, i dont get any flavor from it, and probably no nicotine, so im really confused.

i tried getting the first few ones wet but they got REALLY runny, but with this one, i literally put it in, and completely ignored it afterwards, i did *nothing* to it so far (its been like 10 mins). i feel like its still really dry (well, compared to dip it is, but its probably about as wet as it was when it was in the tin), and that no saliva is getting to it.

also i have gotten no flavor from it, nothing at all. so my question is, how do you handle it once its inside? do you just let it sit, or do you help it out with moisture, or what? also i put it somewhat off center, the middle of the pris (its about 1.2 cm long, with a diameter of maybe .4-.6 cm, so its kinda small, about the size of a bean).

so now its in, what do i do with it? also, is it safe to just eat it after im done with it? cuz its really a hassle to spit it out, i'd rather just swallow it.

BW,

Welcome to the forum mate. Glad to have you with us.

I second everything the others have said thus far. I also can relate to everything you have described. Moving from dip to snus requires a bit of adjustment. The payoff thought is well worth it. Give it time and be patient. Thus far your reference point for what tobacco is supposed to be like is dip. That will change over the next few weeks. In the meantime let me throw my 2 cents worth into the mix.

First, I remember putting my first few prises of snus in. It felt like I had a rock under my lip and except for a few stray pieces of snus, it tasted pretty much the same.

My advice is this:
1. Keep baking the pris as tight as you can (you can adjust your technique later for now tight is good). Try putting it a little further back in the mouth (not too much or you will have it slide on you- experiment around a bit). Now this is the important part. Leave it alone until it sets up. Just let it sit there like a big ol rock (or bean). Don’t worry about flavor at this point or the nic. You are getting one and the other will come.

2. Now by “let it set up” I mean the pris will begin to mold to your gum line. It will no longer feel like a block. This will take anywhere from 15-25 minutes depending on how well you can control your urge to fiddle (including pushing or pressing or adjusting your cheek from the outside of the mouth). Once it has settled, you can start touching it with your tongue. At this point you will begin to notice a little flavor.

3. Now let me stop here and kind of regroup. It’s important to realize that I am not trying to help you to taste the snus. That will happen more and more each day. What I am doing is trying to get your gum used to having snus in it. Once that happens everything else becomes much easier (and by that time you will taste more and more). Until then the pris will seem dry, awkward, and plastic. Your gum will also most likely try to push the impostor out (like your eye blinks when you get something in it). Put it in and let it alone. You will not start snusing for 15-25 minutes. You will however be getting nic.

4. Given your size restrictions for a pris you might want to try a little stronger snus (Skruf would be a great middle of the road option for you and is an excellent starter snus because it is easy to handel)

5. Now keep the pris in until it is done (I don’t always leave mine in that long but it will be good for you to know the range or life potential of snus). The pris is done when it starts getting bitter (or more bitter) kind of like reusing a tea bag one too many times- it just tastes flat and a bit like paper. Depending on the snus and how firm you are baking it one to one and a half hours is not uncommon (remember you just getting started 30 minutes in). Put it in, leave it alone and forget it. Then see how long it lasts.


Let me throw two more thought out there for you to consider. First, remember, you cannot gauge what snus is supposed to do based on dip. That’s like expecting wine to behave like beer because they both have alcohol in them. They are two different beverages and snus and dip are two different tobacco products. Clear your mind of what you think should be and just let the snus drive for a while.

Second, once your lip has acclimated (maybe a month maybe more) this all gets a whole lot easier and less regimented. It is then that you can and will begin to deviate and augment what and how you are do snus. Until then, let me suggest that you hillbilly some (lower lip it like dip) once every two or three prises. This will let you taste the snus more directly (so you know what you are looking for and what to expect when you upper lip it- and that is very important especially early on). It will also, give you a nic release and a feel more like what you are accustomed to with dip. But note you will lose more when you spit.

Man I hope this helps. If not just give me a shout and I will try to clarify.

Also, please keep us posted on your progress. You will not believe how much sharing your experiences here will help others. In fact I am going to copy this post over to the Guide because I am sure that other have and will experience the same things you are going through.

Excellent post mate

May the snus abide. 8)

[bottledwater]

I just switched back from dip to los and find the hit to be very different.

Snus I have learned, for me, is more of keeping the nicotine level consistent rather than fighting off a craving.

When I was dipping, I would wait until I needed a dip and then receive a quick nic hit to quell the craving, going up and down the nicotine rollercoaster.

Snus hits me much more gently and I find if I throw a pris in before I need one, I don't have a wait time for it to kick in.

Keep with it and, since only you know how you react to nicotine, try to time your pris before you need it.

Mike

yes, i have noticed this as well in the past 3 days (since bought camel snus, i was young and stupid, but i've matured into the better stuff) it does tend to just make you feel like you did before you started smoking/dipping. when u have a pris in, it just makes nicotine seem completely unimportant, but when you dip you get urges and cravings every now and then. the only thing is that i used to get lightheaded from dip (i love that feeling) but i dont with snus, not sure why, maybe i just havent noticed it since the nic rush isnt as strong.

i just began putting my loose stuff in teabags, at 3 pris/teabag and use the string from the bags to tie it up. i used to do this whenever i got fine cut dip, and it worked pretty well. im anxious to see if it works for snus. now there was some folding going on, and one side of the bags has more paper than the other (its an engineering issue, it had to be done) so im wondering, is the nic obsorbed through the gums or the inside of your lip? anyone know?


btw i havent said thanks yet, but you guys have been very helpful...so thanks!

[bottledwater]

hey snusdog, thanks for those tips. yeah i kind of did all those the past few days, i've been experimenting. and i hadn't thought about the wine/beer thing, but i think you're very correct. i dont really want to hillbilly it because i have a small gap between my bottom two teeth and when i did it with a pris, it eventually started spilling everywhere, and i had to swallow half of it.

about baking the pris: im not sure if i had the size correct, but just to be clear, i took a pic of what the size looks like next to a penny, here it is, fyi, its a perfect cylinder (clicky for full size, 555x416):

standing up



lying down:




as for the lip being used to it, i had a period (recently) where i couldnt pack dip on my bottom lip because the little flap in the middle was starting to recede, so i started packing lips on the top lip instead, so its used to them.


about the molding; yes i felt it mold actually, it did take a bit of time, i think your estimation of 20 mins was about right, and thats when the juice sort of started flowing a bit and i could taste it.


i am completely open to making a bigger pris if mine are too small, i just thought that any bigger would mean about 3-4 grams per pris, and that is like 3 portions, and i have no idea if that is too much (i used to pack 2 pouches if i got dip in pouches, so i dont know)

since i had the portions before, i kind of know what the taste to expect is, very salty and a bit spicy, i actually rather like it (then again i love the taste of grizzly wintergreen, its so savory and salty and spicy...reminds me of steak!)

in the last one i packed, i didnt touch it at all like you guys suggested, and it survived for a good 75-90 minutes, and the taste was pretty consistent, so i dont think i kept it in until it was really done.

one thing that i did notice, however, was that as time went by and it got wetter and wetter, it started to slide to the sides, and it was kind of hard to re-gather using my tongue. i tried to leave my mouth open while breathing so everything would dry out a bit, then using my dry tongue on it, but it was too juicy, so i gave up.

also, another thing i was wondering is how do you spit this stuff out when you're done? because mine involved reaching at it with my finger quite a few times until everything was out, i was wondering if there was a less messy way to do it.

regarding the tightness of the pris, i made it as tight as i could. now i have a question for future reference, is there a way to bake the pris (i mean a geometric shape) that will reduce the chances of it running? i feel like if the sides are bigger than the middle that might help. also, when i dip and feel like one side is done, but the other side still has some left in it, i just flip it over with my tongue, can you do that with snus? right now im just brainstorming on seeing what is possible to do with it, i probably wont have the skill for it for quite some time.

one last question is there long cut snus or is it all really fine cut?


also, a followup on the self-portioning that i did with the loose, its working pretty well, i've had it in for about half an hour and im still getting very nice flavor out of it (probably nic too).

thanks a lot you guys, i feel like i will like this a lot more than dip, since its far less dangerous and much more convenient.

[MojoQuestor]

I'm bad about playing with the pris. Sometimes I catch myself poking my bottom lip on in there and "rolling" it.

Letting it sit there at first is probably a good habit to build. In the end, of course, it's your mouth, find what works for you.

Something other ppl have mentioned on this forum (I wish I could name names) is if you puff your lips once in a while you can get a little puff of flavor. Be careful, this can make your pris fall down (my bit of Kronan just did, but no worries, tongued it right back up in there).



edit: fixx speling

[sagedil]

OK, so I have stayed out, let everyone else speak, now my turn.

Welcome to Snuson bottledwater. I am Sagedil, and snuson's most well know portions king. I have tried los twice, own an Icetool, will try again for a third time in three years in a few weeks. But still, after almost 3 years, I so much love portions more.

So understanding who I am.....

Give them a chance. And not just with General, which is one of my least favorite portions. And make sure you try white as well as regular.

To answer your question. In many ways, portions are extremely different than los.

*I think* that you get much more flavor with portions. Far more important to me, I can play with the portion, suck on it, play with it with my tongue, all things I can't do with los. One can say I "maximize" my portion. :lol:

There is a fallacy bottledwater that many folks who come straight from Dip have. I dipped, so I should do los. They are close enough. But snus, so very different from dip. You just might find, like myself, that you prefer portions.

So my challenge to you is this. Snus is all new to you. Try EVERYTHING out for yourself, assume nothing. And then use as it is most pleasing you to use.