When Goon Snus Goes Bad

[Lauritzen]

I have a question for you pro snusares out there. How do you know if it has gone bad?

I've seen a lot of talk of expired and spoiled snus but I'm not sure I know the difference quite yet. I guess I'm lucky as I haven't gotten a bad can yet even though I haven't refrigerated any if them so far.

Is it a smell? A taste? A look? How do I know if I shouldn't use it?

Thanks guys.

PS- I meant to say "GOOD" snus in the thread title. I guess this outs me as a goon...

[chainsnuser]

Re: When Goon Snus Goes Bad

How do you know if it has gone bad?

Good question! I don't know. Personally I have used snus, that has been kept for weeks at room temperature or was months past the expiration date or was absolutely fresh but smelled weird, but not a single can was gone bad. The worst experience, I ever had, was a single portion of fresh snus, that went dry on a summer day and tasted as if it had been toasted (no, it wasn't Lucky Strike).

After all snus is still tobacco, which should be pretty germ-killing and virtually stay fresh forever IMHO.

I think, there's no reason to fear a poisoning from old snus, but it may well happen, that the taste goes bad, when the flavorings and the moisture vanish.

Trust your taste buds!

Cheers!

[Craig de Tering]

Don't get all worked up about what others say.
Remember that their taste buds are not yours.
I chalk it all up to psychology; I think most people complaining just take a look at the date on the can and their brains convince them it somehow started tasting bad at that moment.

I personally have used snus that was many months over the date (albeit frozen) and it tasted just fine thank you very much.
As for dryness; if it gets too dry just put a few drops* of water in the snus and massage a bit with a finger.

* Really! Watch out because a drop too much will make it very very muddy.

[lxskllr]

I haven't had a bad can of snus yet, at least that wasn't made that way(I'm looking at you Level :P ). Sometimes it smells a little off, but it always tastes fine.

[Lauritzen]

As far as dryness goes, I've noticed that I can rub the portion between my fingers a little and the moisture comes right back. No water needed... yet.

[Zero]

I don't think snus really goes "bad" in the sense of spoiling. Over time it slowly loses freshness, but it doesn't really become unusable or anything like that. A tin that has been open for a week seems to me rather like yesterday's croissant - still perfectly edible, but lacking that beautiful freshness of one made just this morning.

[Kindrd]

I have definately received tins that had a strong ammonia odor. This obviously points to some kind of decay going on. I would think this might also correlate with a higher level of TSNAs. Personally though I just air them out and use them anyways.

[cigator]

I keep several can open at the same time. Many stay at room temperature for weeks at a time. Other than getting a little dry, the snus tastes great. when i first started I was anal about refrigeration, now I don't worry about it. Snus is great, I haven't smoked my pipes or cigars but a handful of times since I got into snus. Anyone that says snus isn't addictive is kiding themselves. I don't know how it compares to cigarettes (never smoked them), but I find it way more addictive than my pipes and cigars. Good thing it's cheaper to use.

[Craig de Tering]

I have definately received tins that had a strong ammonia odor. This obviously points to some kind of decay going on.

Nope! That pungent smell of ammonia tells me it's fresh. The smellier the fresher. It doesn't increase but diminishes with time.
It's just an acquired taste, just like some people hate olives, anchovies or the smell of gasoline (I like all three :-P ).

[Kindrd]

I have definately received tins that had a strong ammonia odor. This obviously points to some kind of decay going on.

Nope! That pungent smell of ammonia tells me it's fresh.

I stand corrected.

[RealmofOpeth]

It's just an acquired taste, just like some people hate olives, anchovies or the smell of gasoline (I like all three :-P ).

haha, i like all 3 as well. i also like the smell of cow manure too. weird, but that old farm smell is great i think.
however I've noticed the smell of ammonia is much stronger if you leave out your snus to warm up from not having been refrigerated.
perhaps we are speaking of different smells. there is the new snus smell that smells more salty and has a hint of ammonia at first and it definitely diminishes over time. but there is also a much more noticeable ammonia-only type smell if you leave it out, even if that 'new snus' smell is gone, you can still generate the ammonia smell from leaving it unrefrigerated.
to me that's a sign of some sort of chemical reaction that kindrd was pointing out.
i read somewhere that is also where tsna's can increase is to leave them unrefrigerated for a while because there is some kind of fermentation.
i doubt that there would be vending machines and other storage containers for snus would be refrigerated if it wasn't because of that issue. if refrigeration isn't needed then it's not going to be employed, you can be sure of that.

as for lauritzen:
i suggest freezing them even if you're not afraid of that smell or tsna's, you at least keep the moisture in-tact, because snus WILL dry out over time of being left out, there is no debate on that. unless you have perfectly hermetically sealed cans, which none are I believe (unless it's lucky strike for it is only hermetically sealed once until you open it).

[Gneldre]

With Ettan Portion (wich I use often enough to notice slight taste differencies), I first notice that the "edges" (with no snus inside) turns white, and the portions have a slightly lighter color value. The smell is a tad more faint too.

Bad snus to me tastes kinda like a too young apple, green and too early to eat, just with the snus taste instead of the apple taste. "Sour snus", if you like. Often happens at shops where they do not keep the snus refridgerated at the storeroom. No matter when it expires. My last can of this sort expired February 3rd, bought roughly a week ago.

When it comes to loose, I can'r remember it happening, really :P

Edit:
It has a more ("fyldig" på norsk, plees hjelp :P) taste.

[databat]

When plant matter decays and decomposes, it releases ammonia and methane. To confirm this, take a leaf or 2 from a tree, put it in a jar with an air tight lid, close it up, and leave it at room temperature for a week or two. When you open the jar you will notice a similar smell.

As long as there isn't any mold growing on it, it should still be safe. The TSNA's will probably be higher though. If anyone here is a chemist, they could do an experiment to confirm this.

[TheInsulator]

Hey, nice to see another saint louis snusser!

I noticed the quality of my snus goes sour fairly quickly. Even though i store it in my fridge locked in ziplock bags it dries out and doesn't taste nearly the same. I wouldn't say it's unpleasant but it just doesn't taste as good as it does when i get my order. I also take into consideration that i'm a constant snusser so my mouth is probably just so used to the taste that my taste buds aren't excited by it anymore. I've also been using the same brand for over a month too. My new order should arrive next monday hopefully. I still have a roll of goteborg's to chew through though. I don't get a nicotine kick at all anymore either.

Still beats ****ing smoking so i'm not complaining. I haven't had a cigarette since july and i don't miss them one bit. In fact, i hate them with a passion now. I live on the illinois side of saint louis and my state just passed an anti-smoking law making it illegal to smoke in public bars and restaurants. it's a god-send. Now i can take my wife and daughter out to dinner and we don't smell like smoke at the end of the night.

[TBonehawk]

I wish they would pass that restaurant/bar smoking ban here in Iowa, too. I visited Madison, Wisconsin like two years ago (when I was still a smoker) and I was amazed at how clear the air was in bars! It was so clear, I didn't want to ruin it. I asked the bartender if smoking wasn't allowed and he told me about the ban. It was actually very pleasant. I truly didn't mind going out for a butt. I'm sure smokers smoke a lot less in the Winter!

BTW - Those were college bars, too! The lack of smoke probably keeps the beer goggles clearer later in the evening! LOL!