News & Things

First, let me apologize for the lack of updates. I have no good excuse for you, and I will try not to let this happen again.

I just wanted to give everyone a little update on what’s happening in the Snus, and really tobacco world right now.

You all know Mr. Unloading Zone, author of the The Unloading Zone right? If not you should. He educated me, and countless others on Snus. Well he’s launched a new site; SNUSCentral. It’s more than a Snus site, it’s a Suns social network. I highly recommend you join.

Another very important thing happening right now is the US Government wanting to raise tobacco taxes.

The U.S. Senate voted (66-32) to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The bill includes a $0.62 per pack increase in the FET to pay for the expansion. (The current FET is $0.39 per pack.)

Now so far, the Government is focusing primarily on Cigarettes, but sooner or later they are going to go after smokeless tobacco.
Please visit nocigtax.com and learn how to contact your senators & congress people, and say NO to more tobacco taxes.
It’s also very important that you write your own letter, and not use the form letter provided. A well written original letter has a lot more impact. And be courteous, it helps.

I’ll resume reviews soon. Don’t forget that you can get 10% off your first order from BuySnus.com by clicking the banner below.

Review: Lucky Strike Portions Snus

Lucky Strike Portion Snus - Used with permission from BuySnus.com

When I began my journey into the world of snus I didn’t have much of an idea of what I liked and didn’t like; I didn’t know if I would like pure tobacco flavored snus, or any of the other flavors available. As time has gone and I’ve tried more flavors I’ve come to realize that I do in fact prefer pure tobacco flavor, over any fruit, citrus, or mint flavors that I’ve tried.
Up until the day that I opened my first can Lucky Strike, Ettan was my all-time favorite snus, but by the end of my first portion Lucky strike had claimed that spot.
Lucky Strike is another offering from British American Tobacco, and like the Pall Mall I reviewed previously, Lucky Strike is another brand that outshines its cigarette brand counterpart.
From the moment I opened the can I knew it I was in for. Just by smelling the snus I could tell it was pure tobacco; no citrus, no fruit, no gimmicks. I also smelled a hint of smokiness, which piqued my interest even more. When I popped the portion into my mouth I was not disappointed. This was exactly the flavor I was looking for. Straight tobacco; not too salty, not sweet at all, with a nice smoky aftertaste that I really enjoyed. I like to keep a portion in my mouth for about an hour, sometimes little more and Lucky Strike holds up just fine for that amount of time, and I have no doubt the flavor would last even longer. The portion bags have a typical feel, and are comfortable for all that time.
To put it simply, this snus is my new all-time favorite, and it’s hard to imagine any other snus knocking it from that spot.

Don’t forget, that by clicking the banner below you can receive 10% off of your first order from buysnus.com, my preferred online snus store

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Review: Pall Mall Portion Snus

Pall Mall Portion Snus - Used with permission of BuySnus.com

Back in the beginning of November, when I placed my second order of snus the two cans I was most looking forward to trying were Pall Mall and Lucky Strike. I had heard so many good things about them both that by the time I got my order I opened them both right away, even though I still had about half a can of LD left. This review will focus on Pall Mall.

Pall Mall is an offering from British American Tobacco, but made in Sweden, which differentiates it from other snuses offered by non-Swedish companies such as Marlboro and Camel.

Some people have described Pall Mall as a milder version of General and I would tend to agree. Where I think it differentiates from general is that, at least in my mind the citrus flavor is more lemon like in taste and odor. It’s quite delicious! Just like General, tobacco and citrus flavors are in perfect balance, with neither being overpowering. They don’t overdo it with salt, which as I’ve said before is a big plus for me. Each portion will last you at least an hour, if not more.
This is a premium snus, which is surprising when you consider that the Pall Mall brand of cigarettes are quite cheap, and for many people a last resort when the store is out of their own brands. I will definitely be ordering a roll or two of this in the future.

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Review: LD Portion Snus

LD Portion Snus - Used with permission of BuySnus.com

According to buysnus.com LD is “A low priced snus with an element of citrus and bergamot. LD is made by the Gallaher house.”. When I first put the portion in my mouth, there was a strange, herb like flavor to it which I’m guessing is bergamot. It’s not a bad flavor, just different than what I’m used to. It takes about a minute or so for the tobacco and citrus flavors to kick in. It’s not bad, but it’s also not great. The taste is pretty standard, certainly not as good as General, but for the price it’s good. My one major complaint about LD is that the flavor does not last long. Generally I’ll have a portion in my mouth for about an hour before it starts to lose flavor, but with LD the flavor was gone in 30 to 45 minutes. While is not a terrible snus, you can certainly find better at a comparable price.

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Review: Retro Portion Snus

Retro Portion Snus - Used with permission of BuySnus.com

Retro is another entry into the pure tobacco taste snus category and it delivers as promised. It has no flowery scents, no citrus flavors, and no gimmicks. The taste is quite good, with just enough salt as to not be offensive. The tobacco flavor is on par with Ettan, which is a huge plus for me. Where Retro deviates from Ettan is in the smokiness. Retro has no smoke flavor added to it at all which is the only reason that it’s not my new favorite in the pure tobacco taste category. Aside from the smokiness, which is a personal preference, Retro is quite good. I’ll certainly be adding a few cans to future orders. If you are looking for pure tobacco flavor with nothing else added then Retro is for you.

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Review: Elixyr Peppermint Snus

Elixyr Peppermint Snus - Used with permission from BuySnus.com

I was little nervous about trying this snus, the few reviews I’d read about it were not good. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Even before opening the can there was a very strong smell of peppermint, almost like gum, or toothpaste. I nervously popped portion into my mouth, expecting a burning peppermint sensation, but was treated to a very balanced flavor. The peppermint is not so overwhelming that it’s unpleasant, it’s actually quite refreshing. I was surprised to find that you could still taste the tobacco through the peppermint, and the two flavors which I would not have expected to mix well, actually complement each other quite nicely. This snus has a very strong nic hit, certainly not something like a Sterk or extra Sterk, but still strong. The other great thing about this snus is that the flavor is very long-lasting. It wasn’t uncommon for me have a portion in my mouth for 90 minutes or more. All in all this is a very good snus. I don’t know that I would buy entire rolls of it, or that it would be the only snus I would use until the can was empty, but it is good for changing things up during the day. The sweetness of this snus makes an excellent after meal treat, and for people who like mint, but don’t want to be overwhelmed by it, this is a snus for you.

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Snus Updates

I read a while back that Lorillard Tobacco was working with Swedish Match to develop a private-label snus for the American market. Triumph was to be a true Swedish snus, not a “snus like” product like those put out by Philip Morris or R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (Camel snus and Marlboro snus). Well, the man whose blog introduced me to snus, Mr. unloadingzone himself brought us the bad news that Triumph is a low nicotine snus. It seems like American tobacco companies want us to like snus, but not enough to quit smoking their cigarettes. Read all about it by clicking here.

It’s been a little over a week since I quit smoking and I feel great! I’m breathing better, I’m no longer coughing all time, my lungs don’t hurt when I wake up, and my apartment smells much better. I’ve tried quitting a few times in the past, using the patch, the gum, going cold turkey, etc. and it was never as easy as it has been this time using snus. I have very few cravings, and when I do I just pop a portion in my mouth and within a few minutes the craving is completely gone. Even when I’m around other smokers, as long as I have my snus with me I just don’t feel those cravings. I really think this reduced harm tobacco quitting method is the way to do it. I really feel that this time it will last and I will never smoke again.

In other news, I placed my second order with buysnus.com, getting another 10 cans, all different from my last order.
Here’s what I ordered:

Catch White Eucalyptus Portion
Grovsnus Portion
Göteborgs Rapé White Portion
Jakobssons Ice-Fruit Snus
Lucky Strike Portion
Nordströmmen Christmas Snus Portion
Pall Mall Original
Röda Lacket Claq Qui
Röda Lacket White Portion
Skruf Cranberry Portion

I’m really looking forward to trying all of them, and of course reviewing them for you. I think that half the fun with snus is the sheer variety of flavors offered. This may seem a little silly but I find it quite exciting to get a new order in, full of new flavors and varieties to explore. This kind of variety just does not exist with cigarettes or American smokeless tobaccos.

Well it’s all I have for now. Coming up later this week I’ll have a review of Elixyr Peppermint Portion

Feel free to leave a comment or contact me by e-mail if you think there’s a snus that I need to try, I’m always looking for my next favorite brand.

That’s all for now. Until next time keeps Snusing!

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Review: General Portion Snus

General Portion Snus - Used with permission from BuySnus.com

General snus is Sweden’s best-selling snus, and I can see why. Everything about it is great. When I popped open the can for the first time I smelled nothing but tobacco with a hint of citrus. I noticed that the portions seemed to be thinner than the other portions I’ve tried so far, and also slightly longer. When I put in my mouth I was able to see why they did that. It produces no noticeable bulge in your lip, and sits very comfortably. The taste is exquisite. Nothing is out of proportion. It’s slightly peppery which helps define the tobacco flavor. All the reviews I’ve read of general say it has a slight citrus taste to it, I wasn’t sure how this would add to the flavor, but let me tell you it’s delicious! The citrus flavor is not too strong, and is not apparent right away, it’s a very pleasant aftertaste. General is my new favorite snus, replacing Ettan, though it’s a very close second. If you’re getting ready to order snus for the first time I highly recommend you add General to your order, and make it the first snus you try.

As always if you click the banner at the bottom of this post or the link to buysnus.com on the sidebar, you’ll receive a 10% discount on your first order.

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Review: Ettan Portion Snus

Ettan Portion Snus - Image cortesy of BuySnus.com

After my bad experience with Kronan I was certainly nervous as I took the Ettan out of the fridge. My fears were not removed when I opened the tin. The aroma was similar to Kronan, but much lighter. I took a deep breath and placed the Ettan in my upper lip, and wow was I surprised!
BuySnus.com describes Ettan as:

Full-flavoured, slightly smoky and an unseasoned scent of tobacco.

This is an absolutely accurate description of Ettan. It’s delicious! It took me a minute to really appreciate the flavor. My only prior (and very limited) experience with smokeless tobacco was with American style “dip” like Copenhagen and Skoal. I always assumed that pure tobacco tasted like these, I was wrong.
This truly is a pure tobacco taste. It’s bold but not overpowering, and not too salty. The smoky flavoring is just right, and adds to it without overdoing it. This is an exceptional Snus, and I highly recommend it. Although I’m still new to Snus, I can tell you Ettan will always be on my favorites list.

Don’t forget that by clicking the BuySnus.com link above, the banner below, or the link in the sidebar you can get 10% off your first order. And if you like what you read here please subscribe to my feeds using the links in the sidebar.

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Snus?

What the fuck is Snus? That’s what I asked myself one day while reading Wikipedia about smokeless tobacco. It turns out it’s the Swedish equivalent of American smokeless tobaccos like Skoal and Copenhagen. Snus is superior in every way though. I’ll get to that in a minute, but first let me talk about myself, because that’s my favorite subject!

I’m 28 years old and I’ve been a smoker since I was 16 or 17. I loved it for a long time, but recently it’s been getting to me. I’m developing smokers cough, my lungs hurt when I wake up. Smoking also makes everything stink. My breath stinks, my clothes stink, my apartment stinks, even my cat stinks. So I’ve decided it’s time to quit. The problem is that I’m hopelessly addicted to nicotine. I bought a can of Skoal Mint Pouches at the store. They’re not bad so I went online to see if I could get a better price and learned about Swedish Snus.

According to Wikipedia Swedish Snus:

Snus (IPA: /snuːs/) is a moist powder tobacco product that is consumed by placing it under the upper lip for extended periods of time. It is a form of snuff that is used in a manner similar to American dipping tobacco, but typically does not result in the need for spitting. Snus is also unique in that it is steam-cured rather than fire-cured, is not fermented and contains no added sugar. Snus is manufactured and consumed primarily in the Nordic countries, and is being test-marketed in several other countries.

I was intrigued so I did a little more digging and learned quite a bit.

As mentioned above, Snus is spitless. Spitting was the biggest problem I had with the Skoal. It’s unattractive. Snus is also much safer than American smokeless stuff. Because the tobacco is steam pasteurized rather than fermented and toasted the levels of dangerous carcinogens is greatly reduced. I’m not clueless though. It’s safer, but not without any risks. Since abstinence just isn’t going to happen for me, I’ll choose the safer option.

So with that knowledge in hand I made my first order. In my searches I also found out that the most reliable place to buy is Buysnus.com. I chose the Swedish Post shipping option, it was only $6 and I had my Snus in 5 days! If you click that link above you’ll get a 10% discount on your first order. For full disclosure, that is my affiliate link, I do not get paid for it, just a discount if anyone buys from them.

So what did I think? Stay tuned for my first Snus review!

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