appeal of loose? and do u spit

[dirtyjersey]

first off do you spit?
and secondly i cannot figure the appeal of using loose in the first place.....ive been a heavy snuser for over a year now and can sometimes blow thru a tin of n&j in less than a day but have been stickin 2 knox.......but come on now...the mouth mud, the snus bits inbetween your teeth, and the sheer disgusting look in the upper deck...not to mention that loose deprives me of one of my favorite joys of snusing.....the first flip of the portion and the constant moving of a portion while squeezing the juice......ive baked by hand and via prismaster.....and am running low on portions and i still cant stand loose

to each his own i guess

[Zero]

I dunno, portions just sort of taste like the ready-meals of snus to me - they lack the depth and quality of flavour you get from loose. I hated my first tin of loose too - it seemed like a dirty, messy, unwieldy, and altogether no-fun way of having snus. It does take practice, though, and it's a bit of a mastered skill to be able to use loose without the mess, but once you get past the technical problems of avoiding mud-mouth and keeping your pris firmly tucked out of sight it can be a bit trying, I agree. As you say, it's a matter of taste. If all you want is nicotine and bit of flavour to go with it, then portions are fine. Loose is more about enjoying the subtleties of snus, I think.

As for spitting, if you do it properly there should be no need to spit at all. A few people, I think, who've come from a dip/chew background still do, but it's purely a matter of habit and preference in that case. In general it's not done.

[Soft Morning, City!]

I like loose for these reasons:

1.) The flavor. When the flavor really gets going, it's phenomenal. And it lasts for hours. The longest I've ever kept a pris in was 3.5 hours and the flavor still hadn't gone away. With portions, the flavor tends to go away much faster.

2.) The feel or it under the lip. I always fold my portions in half lengthwise to simulate a pris of loose. It isn't the same, but it feels better than putting them in flat (in my opinion). Having a big pris under my lip just feels... good, for lack of a better word. The way it molds itself to the shape of your gums is lovely. Granted, it isn't very discreet and so I tend to avoid using it in public, but when I'm at home by myself with nobody to impress, I mostly use loose.

3.) The process. When I smoked, I always liked rolling my own cigarettes. With snus, I like the process of baking a pris by hand. I like the process of filling the Icetool with snus and compressing it against my finger. I like pushing the plunger and sliding the pris into place in my upper lip, or sticking the pris up there with my index finger when I'm hand-baking. I like portions just fine, but loose has a whole ritual that comes along with it and I love it.

4.) The value. A can of portions usually lasts me no more than two or three days (mostly because I don't use them very much while at home). A tin of loose can easily last me at least five days. The fact I keep the pris in longer than I would a portion and the fact that you get 50 grams instead of 24 makes it very, very cost effective.

[Asquar]

Even though I'm pretty new to lös snus, I've followed some of the excellent tips and advice here on how to use it properly, and have no need to spit. And if you make a decent pris (either by hand or with one of the tools) and refrain from playing with it with your tongue, you should be able to avoid getting the stuff on your teeth.

But I'm (currently at least) only using the lös at home. When out in public I pack portions for both the ease of use and the certainty that there is not going to be any mess.

[Dead Rabbit]

Even though I'm pretty new to lös snus, I've followed some of the excellent tips and advice here on how to use it properly, and have no need to spit. And if you make a decent pris (either by hand or with one of the tools) and refrain from playing with it with your tongue, you should be able to avoid getting the stuff on your teeth.

But I'm (currently at least) only using the lös at home. When out in public I pack portions for both the ease of use and the certainty that there is not going to be any mess.

I don't mind portions, but for me, as a former dipper, nothing beats the feelings of loose. I also swear I get more of a kick from loose as well. That being said, it’s only something I do at home or when hanging with my buddies. There is certainly a disgusting element to snusing loose.


As for flavor, there are some portions I enjoy much more and vice versa. I am currently trying out a can of Ettan loose. I’m not sure I like the consistency of it and find the portions to actually taste way better.

[Erik327]

Agreed. I only use loose at home, usually once in the evening as a "reward", if you will. It's just that it's very unsightly to have this stuff run all about the mouth and the teeth and whatnot.

I've got a tin of Ettan Los in the fridge, that's next in line when I'm done with the Prima Fint. I was hoping it'd be better than the white portions of Ettan that I use most all the time, but i'll have to wait and see. You're mini-review of it kind of kills my hopes for it.


Cheers,

Erik

[snoosiphant]

I've got a tin of Ettan Los in the fridge, that's next in line when I'm done with the Prima Fint. I was hoping it'd be better than the white portions of Ettan that I use most all the time, but i'll have to wait and see. You're mini-review of it kind of kills my hopes for it.

I use Ettan lös quite a bit, never had the portions. I like the lös quite a bit, I use more of it than any other lös, imo it has a great subtle flavor. stays together well and has a nice texture. I would be interested to know what you think of it when you try it.[/list]

[Dead Rabbit]

snoose....weird, because keep having ettan fall apart on me...maybe my can is on the dry side?

[snoosiphant]

snoose....weird, because keep having ettan fall apart on me...maybe my can is on the dry side?

Im using a prismaster to bake it and added a couple drops of water to it. Maybe you could try packing it tighter?

[STORM6490MT]

I started out with portions and then moved on to los snus. You get twice as much for about the same price, it tastes better and you get over the particles in your teeth.

Try Roda Lacket to start out. It stays together much better than others and has a great taste and kick to it.

I now use a lot of ettan, knox and kronan. I still like the skruf portions for when I'm out with the wife.

[Harry]

It's ok to spit, there aren't any rules.

My take is that once you start feeling like you need to spit, in other words, if the run is no longer pleasant, but a bit irritating, it's about time to take the pris out.

The amount of time between new delicious pris with enjoyable/slight run and a sprinting/leaking pris will increase with the amount of experience you have with loose.

It will also vary with the different brands as well. For me, Granit is indefinite. I can have a solid pris of that for hours if I choose, whereas Ettan has about a 45 minute timeline where I need to pull it because of an overwhelming run.

Remember the juice from snus is completely unlike juice from dip. It's edible and won't cause too much of an upset stomach in the right quantity. Dip juice is just toxic. Once I was able to realize that the liquid from snus was enjoyable/safe, I was able to swallow with no pretense. This is coming from a guy who was lucky if I only went through one tin of Grizzly mint a day.

[Xobeloot]

Harry,

I just had a pinch of Grizzly Straight from a coworker to remind me what I was "missing" ... Nope... No thank you.

Dirtyjersey, You from NJ? if so, where abouts? I lived in Bergen County until I was about 17-18.

ANyways, I started using portions, then went to loose. After I went to loose, I have had a pile of portions in my freezer. They just no longer appeal to me. I have grown comfortable enough with loose that I use it all day, every day. Just like it was mentioned, Each snus seems to have it's breaking point. some lasts me an hour, others last me 4. When the slide gets out of control, I just flush it and repack. Portions work when I want to just suck on the thing and get a blast of nicotine. Loose is just a steady ride.

[STORM6490MT]

Harry,

I just had a pinch of Grizzly Straight from a coworker to remind me what I was "missing" ... Nope... No thank you.

Dirtyjersey, You from NJ? if so, where abouts? I lived in Bergen County until I was about 17-18.

ANyways, I started using portions, then went to loose. After I went to loose, I have had a pile of portions in my freezer. They just no longer appeal to me. I have grown comfortable enough with loose that I use it all day, every day. Just like it was mentioned, Each snus seems to have it's breaking point. some lasts me an hour, others last me 4. When the slide gets out of control, I just flush it and repack. Portions work when I want to just suck on the thing and get a blast of nicotine. Loose is just a steady ride.

Which one lasts you four hours? That would be rad!

[Harry]

Granit, Grov, General, Skruf...

Any of the slightly coarser ones seem to handle the time.

It's just a matter of placement, size and attention the pris gets.

If I forget about it, Granit lasts indefinitely.

[Xobeloot]

Aye. I'll pack a big pris of grov, general, or skruf at about 6:30am while gettin ready for work and often tont remove it until near lunch time (11am).

This is also dependant on how much I play with it. sometimes I intentionally just swipe a piece of it with my tongue to get a blast of flavor and eat the snus... BUT... this is usually the demise of that pris.