How Messy is Los Snus?

[Erik327]

I'm getting ready to place an order @ buysnus.com, and was thinking about trying los for the first time. I've never had it before, but i'm concerned about it running too much, and having little bits of black/brown powdery tobacco all over in my teeth and whatnot. Is it a big jump from portion to los? Is there maybe a brand I should try first, one that's easy to bake (i'm not ready to invest in a icetool yet, as los may not be up my alley). Can anyone make any recommendations?

I'm quite partial to Ettan white portion and Taboca, so I'm planning on 4 tins of each of those, one Skruf Stark portion (must try, according to what i've read) and some Grovsnus. Was also thinking about trying Nick and Johnny, Retro and maybe Tre Ankare. Any recommendations or Ideas there? I just want to place one big order and have it all on hand to save on shipping, and waiting..... Thanks all.

[Smarvy]

I just started using loose about a month ago, and I don't find it unusably messy. Once the tobacco starts migrating around my mouth, I just clean it out. Röda Lacket is apparently very easy to bake, but I find that it's one of the messier lös snus' because it is so finely ground. If you like Ettan portion, I think you should try Ettan lös; I also like Gustavus, Gotlands Yellow, General and Skruf Stark all quite a lot. I would advise you to at least buy a prismaster; they are cheap, and will allow you to enjoy your lös while you get the hang of hand-baking.

[Erik327]

Do you just toss the entire pris once it starts to wander, or to you spit out the stray bits?

[The Wolf]

If you're not ready to purchase an Icetool, you might want to use a cut-off syringe which does the same thing but costs only a few cents. Baking is a great thing to handle and I've found that Ettan is very easy to bake. It takes a little practise but it's really not hard at all. So yeah, go with Ettan. I bow to you for going into lös.

[aardvark]

Röda Lacket is apparently very easy to bake, but I find that it's one of the messier lös snus' because it is so finely ground.

That's what my experience is too with röda lacket; nasty stuff regarding its ability to stay well-formed.

I found that Göteborgs rapé stays well in shape if packed into a firm pris.

[lxskllr]

I eat the little bits that fall for awhile, then eventually I spit the rest out. I work outside, so that makes lös use very convenient. I get rid of the pris over 15 minutes or so. I break of a little bit with my tongue and spit it out. This refreshes the flavor a bit, and I'll slowly get rid of the rest. Lös probably isn't something you'd want to go to the club with, but if you like blue collar bars you should be good to go ;^).

I have mixed feelings about lös snus. I used to be completely against it because I had a hard time getting any flavor out of it. I still feel that way to some extent, but I've found a few snus' that I find quite flavorful, and some aren't available in portion form. I'll give a run down below...

lös that I will definitely buy again

Landströms- one of my favorite snus' bar none

Gellivare- see above :^)

LD Red- a good citrus flavor that I prefer to General

Gotlandsnus Grey- I'm a big fan of the portions, and I'm now a fan of the lös. I imagine I'll enjoy the yellow also, but haven't tried that yet.

lös I won't buy again

General- Tastes like the inside of a balloon. You N2O aficionados will know what I mean ;^). That powder they coat the inside of the balloons with is kind of tart, with a rubbery balloon taste in the back...That's General :^/

Probe- Tastes good, but I prefer the portions

Ettan- I like the portions, I can't taste the lös

Grov- see above

Diplomat- I like this one, but... :^(

[victoryredchevy]

I just started using los regularly at home about 2 weeks ago and I love it. It gets old always having portions only. The only 2 brands of los I have tried so far are General and Gustavus. I like them both. They're both similar in texture(course), but differ in flavor. Both bake pretty easily and stay packed in the lip well. Los is not for public activities, but it is nice to have at home and MAYBE at work. I work in a warehouse, so it might be acceptable. I plan on trying Skruf Stark los and some others in the near future.

[wtracing]

I am a student so i stick with the portion at school/work. I've tried one tin of the los and I like it at home in the evening especially. I did not buy the icetool or prismaster, so I had to learn to hand bake pretty quickly. I still make a decent mess so i do it on the kitchen counter but its not too hard really. I find getting it cold makes it a little easier to bake. I had the Skruf Stark los and like it. I tried Offroad los once and did not like it at all (But I don't care for any Offroad snus) hope that helps.

[razor]

1.) breath more through you mouth (as needed) it keeps the pris a little dryer and less likely to spread.

2.)learn to manage it with the tip of you tongue, you can keep it in the original place longer. It's like hearding sheep. Keep pushing it lightly up ward in the middle, don't let it flow down.

3) Pushing on it with your tongue here and there releases the flavor, this way if you can keep its original shape and you will get the juice out of the center.

4.) Avoid laughing, pressing on your upper lip with you fingers or hand, or any facial movements that could flatten out the pris.

5.) Enjoy the loos bits, they flow off the sides since you are pressing the priss in the center with you tongue and occassionaly shore up the sides to keep it to gether.

6.) if you have some gaps in your upper teeth very lightly suck the juice out, but not too hard as to flatten the priss too much.

7.) Placing the Pris dead center can cause more pressure on the inside of the upper lip and may or may not be comfortable. I usually snus on one side and switch sides for next pris to give the mucus membrane a rest.

8.) Use the upper lip, the lower lip get more saliva and causes you to want to spit. (I am an x-Cop user and found this to be true.)

9.) Different los snus are easier to manage than others, you will have to try several for taste and mangementability. I found Skuf stark is dryer and easy to handle with mellow taste (but that just me).

!0.) Get an Ice tool and learn to use it well. I pack it good, back off the plunger a bit, use your finger to press the end smooth, wipe off the sides into the can, and plunge forward against the can lid or a finger slowly until juice comes out. If you use your finger and your hands are clean be sure to lick off the juice it is a delicacy.
Ice tool == clean hands.

[razor]

On the other hand bags have a satisfaction of its own. A couple of bags (one after the other) and a cup of coffee in the morning is the bomb. I really dig giving that bag nudge and getting a tabacco blast. During the day I actually switch off between bags, los, and Oliver Twist Original (2 bits at a time).

[phish]

I would say just stop thinking about it and order some, you'll never know otherwise! Good points include, no tea bag taste, less salt, flexible size and IMHO better flavour

[victoryredchevy]

On the other hand bags have a satisfaction of its own. A couple of bags (one after the other) and a cup of coffee in the morning is the bomb. I really dig giving that bag nudge and getting a tabacco blast. During the day I actually switch off between bags, los, and Oliver Twist Original (2 bits at a time).

I love having a portion of snus and a cup or two of black coffee in the morning. That's actually my routine at work every morning. Even though I'm mainly a General guy, I'd have to say Lucky Strike portions were my favorite to drink coffee with. I'm actually planning to possibly switch to the LS portions as my prime brand and General Los as my at home brand. LS portions are only $2.90 on buysnus compared to General's $3.49 portions. To me though, there is no Los like General. So, I won't be completely ditching my old favorite. I have a tin of Skruf Stark included in my next shipment.