Anyone care to help a snus noob?

[DaveInPA]

I've been a cigarette smoker (at least a pack per day) for 10 years now. (I'm 25). I decided that I wanted to start using snus to cut way back on my cigarette use, for many reasons:

1. Health. Lung cancer doesn't sound fun.

2. Convenience. I can't smoke at work, in restaurants, at friend's houses, etc. I'm assuming snus can be used anywhere and other people are none the wiser that it's being used.

3. I'm sick of smelling like smoke and turning off non-smokers.

Now, I have some questions for all of you.

1. I've tried Camel Snus this week, and it just doesn't do anything for me. I feel like there is NO nicotine in it whatsoever. It does absolutely nothing to curb my urge to smoke. So, what this leads me to is, what brand(s) is recommended to give me a high enough dose of nicotine to curb my urge to smoke?

2. I have been placing the pouch between my upper and lip and gums, but off to the right or left side. If I place it directly in the center, it pushes my upper lip outward and makes it obvious that there is something there. Could the off center placement have something to do with the fact that I'm not getting adequate nicotine from the Camel snus? Along these sames lines, can the portion be placed in the bottom lip, or is it only effective under the top lip?

Sorry for the long post guys. Just wondering basically:

1. What brand I should try, and where I should order it from. I need more nicotine than I get from the Camel stuff!
2. Does it have to be stored in the fridge?
3. Where are the best places in the mouth to place the portion?

[Badfish74]

First of all welcome to the forum. There is a hyge wealth of knowledge here, with experts in all aspects of snus that can always steer u in the right direction. As far as recommendations, it all depends on your personal tastes. I prefer the more tobacco flavored snus, and as an ex-smoker i find snus like Skruf Stark and General Extra Sterk. Both have a nice nic hit and curb my urge to smoke. You might also want to check the top 5 thread that is stickied above. There are several sites that are good to order from. For speed Getsnus.com is pretty good. They have a US warehouse, which makes for faster shipping. However the overseas sites like Buysnus.com and Northerner.com have a much better selection. I prefer the upper right for portions and upper left for loose. From what i understand the upper lip makes for less saliva, so less of the need to spit. I'm fairly new at this too, so i'm sure some vets will be along with better advice. Anyway, i hope i helped a little.

[jamesstew]

What badfish said; go for some of the stronger varieties mixed with regular strength. General Extra Sterk is great as is, Nick and Johnny, Skruf and the like.

[sagedil]

Welcome to Snuson DaveInPA,

First, yes, Swedish snus will give you a much better nicotine kick than camel, one of the chief complaints about Camel since day one.

My best advice is go to Northerner.com, and order ther Top 10 try out box. You will get what they most commonly sell and a good way to introduce yourself to Swedish snus. Maybe make a point of ordering a couple of "Strong" snus as well, these are higher nicotine snuses that will help with the weaning from Cigarettes.

Placement in your mouth really shouldn't make that big of a difference. It's not where you are putting it, it is just the Camel. Traditionally, snus goes slightly to the rght or left in your upper gums. but am in a minority that pushes it much further back. This has just always been more comfortable.

The major places to order snus....

Northerner, which i already recommended.
buysnus.com
getsnus.com


Getsnus is located in a and ships from the US. A bit faster on delivery time, but they don't carry everything that Northerner or Buysnus carries.


If you don't want to go the tryout box route, another suggestion is to look at the Top 5 snus thread. it is stickies so new folks like you can find it. you will see much differences in what snus folks love. but enough similarities will emerge you will get a good idea of what many folks like.

Again welcome, I have been using snus now for over 2 years. I was a 2 pack a day smoker for almost 30 years who never intended to quit, but snus just took over and quickly just didn't want to smoke anymore

[lxskllr]

I'd recommend one of the tryout packages from Northerner or Buysnus. That way you'll get a small cross section of what's available. You don't have to stop smoking as soon as you get snus. I spent many months using both, and my cigarette use slowly dwindled over time. I now smoke about 1 cigarette per week, and I don't have to smoke that unless I want to.

[ddandb]

DaveInPA.. GETSNUS is in PA. I believe it's in or near Bethlehem. They may be right around the corner from you. (or at the complete opposite end of the state) You may want to try them first.

[DaveInPA]

Well I just placed an order with getsnus.com! Here's what I ordered:

Nick & Johnny Original Portion

Skruf Stark White Portion

General Mini White Portion

General Mini Original Portion

General White Portion

GetSnus Mystery Can FREE

Which one should I start with?

[lxskllr]

The mystery can, because it's a surprise :^P

[rickcharles606]

Welcome to the site Dave, and congrats on laying down the cigs! It seems everyone has given you great advice, it's the same advice they gave me to quit my cigarettes too.

Swedish snus will help you quit, if that's what you want to do, some people just want to slow down the smoking. I wanted to quit, and I haven't touched a smoke in around 80 days!!

I use a combination of regular portion snus and sterk or ekstra sterk snus. Reg portions have around 8mg/portion of nicotine, and sterk/Ekstra Sterk have anywhere from 9-17mgs of nicotine.

I primarily use the Ekstra Sterks for those "gotta have a smoke" moments, like first thing in the morning, after food, high stress...see where I'm going here, lol? Then for all the other times in between, I use the regular portions to maintain my nicotine levels, to prevent cravings.

It will take some time to figure out what is best for YOU, so don't get discouraged at first. Try several brands, types and flavors...there are many. Snus isn't expensive so it will save you money, but it may not seem that way at first because of trying to find your favorites. Once you settle on a few that you can use on a regular basis, you can buy just them and only try a couple new ones on every order, that's what I do anyway.

My first portion was General White portion, you may want to start there, it's pretty tame and has a very popular flavor profile...salt, pepper and a bit of citrus (bergamot), oh and of course the tobacco, lol.

Having come from the Camel, you'll find that Swedish snus is not sweet, but rather salty. So don't be surprised, but after a few weeks of snusing, you won't notice the salt as badly. Also, intitially the more subtle flavors of Swedish snus may not be very apparent to you mainly because the smoking has fried your tastebuds, that too passes. The first two weeks of my snushood, the snus burned the inside of my lip and throat, and my lip was always sore, etc. I kept a drink to ease the burn. It all passes quickly, btw. Your lips aren't going to be accustomed to the nicotine, which is what causes the burn, etc.

DON'T SMELL THE SNUS!!!, lol...it's an aquired smell. It has an ammonia like smell to it, that is a byproduct of the pasturization process. It means it's fresh, btw. The stronger the smell, the fresher the snus..usually. Trust me on this, snus tastes waaaaay better than it smells.

Have fun with this, try lots of flavors and your lungs will thank you! Again, welcome to the site. Ask all the questions you want, we'll answer.

[Snusdog]

Welcome DaveInPA,

As far as storage goes snus does not have all the preservatives that American tobacco puts in their products. Therefore, it will dry out faster- not over night or anything like that- but it is best to keep it in the fridge.

What I do is keep all my unopened snus in the freezer- It will keep there for a year or more just fine. All my opened tins I keep in the fridge. I usually carry my daily allotment in a separate container/tin and return anything unused to the fridge when I get home.

Also note that the mini portions you ordered will have less nic than the other types you got. They may not be strong enough to quiet the cravings. I would recommend having something a bit stronger with you that you can go to if the minis don't do the job fully.

Hope this helps and congratulations on kicking the cigs

[chadizzy1]

Re: Anyone care to help a snus noob?

1. I've tried Camel Snus this week, and it just doesn't do anything for me. I feel like there is NO nicotine in it whatsoever. It does absolutely nothing to curb my urge to smoke. So, what this leads me to is, what brand(s) is recommended to give me a high enough dose of nicotine to curb my urge to smoke?
1. What brand I should try, and where I should order it from. I need more nicotine than I get from the Camel stuff!

Dave - what brand of cigarette did you smoke, what flavor? Marlboro Light, Newport Menthol, etc...?

Do you like flavors - as in the Camel Snus - did you buy the Frost or the Mellow and which did you like?

I can make suggestions if you tell me this and offer you my opinions.

[jamesstew]

I'd start with the Nick and Johnny; it's got a really nice taste and some extra nicotine to boot. I noticed you got some mini's which while nice in the fact that they give you no lip-bulge they may be a little weak. I just got some Taboca strong mini's and really like them for meetings and such. Just something to consider for the next order. Looking forward to hearing what you like.

[DaveInPA]

I'd start with the Nick and Johnny; it's got a really nice taste and some extra nicotine to boot. I noticed you got some mini's which while nice in the fact that they give you no lip-bulge they may be a little weak. I just got some Taboca strong mini's and really like them for meetings and such. Just something to consider for the next order. Looking forward to hearing what you like.

Yeah I got the minis to use while on the job working with clients. If the ones I got don't give me enough nic, I'll try the ones you suggested.