Beginners Guide to Snus
With all the new snus users showing up down here I thought it would be a good thing to set up a general guide to help new users along. The first part below was originally written by Kitabz but I have done some editing to try and clarify a few areas. Hope this helps you make a smooth entry into the wonderful world of snus.
"Portioned snus is tricky to explain because there are several subtypes and further categorizations within those. This is further complicated by multiple uses of the word “portion”. The word “portion” is used to describe all portions in general, also one of the sizes, also one of the strengths and also one of the styles/finishes so this can be somewhat confusing to start with.
Sizes
The easiest way to describe the choices available is to first divide portions into three main categories according to size:
1. Mini – these contain around 0.5g of snus – the second most popular size
2. Portion – these contain around 1g of snus – the most popular size
3. Maxi – these contain around 1.7g of snus – this third most popular size. Maxi’s are quickly being dropped from production as originally the only way to get more nicotine then 8mg per portion was to make it larger. That changed with the introduction of strong and extra strong 1g portions. As of this writing the Granit brand is the only Maxi still on the market.
Nicotine Strengths
Nicotine strength can be added to the above as follows and describes the nicotine content per gram except for purified portions. Because purified portions have no water content at all, they weigh considerably less then regular snus which is about 50% water; their nicotine content is described in absolute terms (per portion) rather than per gram.
1. Purified only – 3mg and 6mg per portion
2. Portion or unstated – around 8mg per gram
This strength is available in all sizes and is the default; if it is not stated, this is what it will be
3. Strong – around 11-13mg per gram (also know by the Swedish “Stark” or “Sterk”)
This strength is only available in mini and portion sizes (not maxi)
4. Extra strong – around 14-18mg per gram (also known by the Swedish/Norwegian “Ekstra Stark/Sterk”)
This strength is only available in portion size (neither mini nor maxi)
The thing to bear in mind with the strengths is that, aside from the purified portions which are a special case, the descriptions above are relative to the portion size in terms of overall nicotine delivered. A regular portion will have 8mg of nicotine (because it weights one gram) but a strong mini will also have around the same or slightly less because it weighs half as much but has nearly twice the strength of tobacco. Similarly a strong one gram portion will deliver around the same nicotine as a maxi portion because the higher strength nicotine in the strong one gram portion is equalized by the maxi’s larger size.
Finish or Style
For some of the above there are further subdivisions to describe the finish or style:
1. Purified – these contain purified tobacco plus cellulose filler and are completely dry. This style releases the nicotine relatively quickly but also lasts for the least amount of time. Because they are made from purified nicotine, there is no tobacco flavor at all. Any flavors that this style of portion may have are added during manufacture (and there is one brand which is completely flavorless by design).
This type only comes in the mini size, indeed it is thinner than a mini but around the same width and length.
2. Original Portion – these have been lightly sprayed with tobacco liquid. The causes the nicotine to be released more quickly but has the side effect that they can be a little "drippy". Although spitting is not technically required with snus, some portion snus in this category can cause quite a bit of saliva to be produced.
This type comes in all sizes and strengths.
3. White Portion– these have not been sprayed with tobacco liquid and are mostly dry to the touch however they are still around 50% water (inside the pouch), similar to previous item, it is just that the teabag material has not been additionally sprayed. This type comes in both the mini and the regular size. White portions have a less noticeable taste to start with and take longer to "kick in" than regular portions. However, the flavor and nicotine tend to last longer.
In the beginning there was only one type, the Portion. The minis and maxis were added later, the different strengths were also added later and then the non-sprayed (whites) and purified portions were added later so all of the additional choices have new names whereas the original portion became known as.... the Original Portion. And this covers size, strength and style.
Color
Finally, there is color which describes the color of the teabag material. Originally there was just one type of material which, before spraying with tobacco liquid was white in color. The sprayed portions naturally become a light brown color after treatment. The portions that are not sprayed remain white in color hence the name “white”. The ones that are sprayed are of course just called “original portion” and not “browns”.
So far, so good.
But, to further complicate matters, some manufacturers decided to release teabag material in a black color so there is now the paradoxical situation where a so-called “white” portion is actually black in color. This would be straightforward if it could be said that all “blacks” are actually “whites” but sadly this is not the case. There is at least one portion (sprayed) which comes in a black color (LD Black by Gallagher, sadly no longer available in the US) so it is best to think of colors as a distinct (and largely irrelevant) category to the finish/style one detailed above. It is said that the black material is softer than the original white material so it’s best to mention why there is a distinction at all (other than aesthetics or marketing).
With all the new snus users showing up down here I thought it would be a good thing to set up a general guide to help new users along. The first part below was originally written by Kitabz but I have done some editing to try and clarify a few areas. Hope this helps you make a smooth entry into the wonderful world of snus.
"Portioned snus is tricky to explain because there are several subtypes and further categorizations within those. This is further complicated by multiple uses of the word “portion”. The word “portion” is used to describe all portions in general, also one of the sizes, also one of the strengths and also one of the styles/finishes so this can be somewhat confusing to start with.
Sizes
The easiest way to describe the choices available is to first divide portions into three main categories according to size:
1. Mini – these contain around 0.5g of snus – the second most popular size
2. Portion – these contain around 1g of snus – the most popular size
3. Maxi – these contain around 1.7g of snus – this third most popular size. Maxi’s are quickly being dropped from production as originally the only way to get more nicotine then 8mg per portion was to make it larger. That changed with the introduction of strong and extra strong 1g portions. As of this writing the Granit brand is the only Maxi still on the market.
Nicotine Strengths
Nicotine strength can be added to the above as follows and describes the nicotine content per gram except for purified portions. Because purified portions have no water content at all, they weigh considerably less then regular snus which is about 50% water; their nicotine content is described in absolute terms (per portion) rather than per gram.
1. Purified only – 3mg and 6mg per portion
2. Portion or unstated – around 8mg per gram
This strength is available in all sizes and is the default; if it is not stated, this is what it will be
3. Strong – around 11-13mg per gram (also know by the Swedish “Stark” or “Sterk”)
This strength is only available in mini and portion sizes (not maxi)
4. Extra strong – around 14-18mg per gram (also known by the Swedish/Norwegian “Ekstra Stark/Sterk”)
This strength is only available in portion size (neither mini nor maxi)
The thing to bear in mind with the strengths is that, aside from the purified portions which are a special case, the descriptions above are relative to the portion size in terms of overall nicotine delivered. A regular portion will have 8mg of nicotine (because it weights one gram) but a strong mini will also have around the same or slightly less because it weighs half as much but has nearly twice the strength of tobacco. Similarly a strong one gram portion will deliver around the same nicotine as a maxi portion because the higher strength nicotine in the strong one gram portion is equalized by the maxi’s larger size.
Finish or Style
For some of the above there are further subdivisions to describe the finish or style:
1. Purified – these contain purified tobacco plus cellulose filler and are completely dry. This style releases the nicotine relatively quickly but also lasts for the least amount of time. Because they are made from purified nicotine, there is no tobacco flavor at all. Any flavors that this style of portion may have are added during manufacture (and there is one brand which is completely flavorless by design).
This type only comes in the mini size, indeed it is thinner than a mini but around the same width and length.
2. Original Portion – these have been lightly sprayed with tobacco liquid. The causes the nicotine to be released more quickly but has the side effect that they can be a little "drippy". Although spitting is not technically required with snus, some portion snus in this category can cause quite a bit of saliva to be produced.
This type comes in all sizes and strengths.
3. White Portion– these have not been sprayed with tobacco liquid and are mostly dry to the touch however they are still around 50% water (inside the pouch), similar to previous item, it is just that the teabag material has not been additionally sprayed. This type comes in both the mini and the regular size. White portions have a less noticeable taste to start with and take longer to "kick in" than regular portions. However, the flavor and nicotine tend to last longer.
In the beginning there was only one type, the Portion. The minis and maxis were added later, the different strengths were also added later and then the non-sprayed (whites) and purified portions were added later so all of the additional choices have new names whereas the original portion became known as.... the Original Portion. And this covers size, strength and style.
Color
Finally, there is color which describes the color of the teabag material. Originally there was just one type of material which, before spraying with tobacco liquid was white in color. The sprayed portions naturally become a light brown color after treatment. The portions that are not sprayed remain white in color hence the name “white”. The ones that are sprayed are of course just called “original portion” and not “browns”.
So far, so good.
But, to further complicate matters, some manufacturers decided to release teabag material in a black color so there is now the paradoxical situation where a so-called “white” portion is actually black in color. This would be straightforward if it could be said that all “blacks” are actually “whites” but sadly this is not the case. There is at least one portion (sprayed) which comes in a black color (LD Black by Gallagher, sadly no longer available in the US) so it is best to think of colors as a distinct (and largely irrelevant) category to the finish/style one detailed above. It is said that the black material is softer than the original white material so it’s best to mention why there is a distinction at all (other than aesthetics or marketing).
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.....had ta laugh....guess spellcheck is Americanized too. I gotta get exo one of those. Kit, you're on the list, too 
