Swedish Snus vs American Snus

[McDougal]

I started using snus recently. I was always curious about it over the 2 years I've vaped, but took the plunge and found it to be excellent. Actually, I haven't vaped in a week. That being said, I've found a lot of literature on snus, but one thing that still seems unclear is the difference between American and Swedish varieties. I wouldn't be snusing if the evidence showed the same health risks as chew or dip. I've used the Swedish General brand thus far, original portion and dry mini. From the literature, I do gather that American snus tends to be dryer, and according to many forums/sites, tends to be of lesser quality and lower nicotine availability than Swedish. But what about the pasteurization process? Do the American brands stay true to the Swedish method and have the same large health benefits over smoking?

 

[hittman]

I don't have a link to post but have been told that the camel snus is pasteurized. To me, all of the american snus that I've tried is too sweet. I think the nic content is close to a regular 8mg portion. I also remember hearing that american snus and chew/dip have greatly reduced their tsna levels so should be somewhat close to swedish. I like to have the option of different flavors and strengths that swedish snus offers. They offer something for just about everyone.

 

[Stubby]

Hittman covered the bases but let me add a few things.

First off american dip has essentially the same low risk as snus. It has been the decades of conditioning (brain washing) that makes people think dip is somehow far more risky then snus.

Having said that I much prefer Swedish snus. The sugar in dip is not to my liking as it can create a few gum issues, though not nearly what we have been lead to believe. In the end I just don't like the spitting thing to much. I do occasionally use a can but only at home. Once you get rid of combustion the vast majority of harm is gone. Anything after that is splitting hairs.

I haven't had any american snus for over 4 years so can't speak to the nicotine content. I had heard it was getting better for some brands. Like Hittman, the sweetness of the american snus was a big turn off for me compared to the saltiness of the Swedish brands. It might be nice for a desert snus on occasion but not for all day use. I have the same issue with the stonewall dissolvables (no longer available). The TSNA content is comparable for both. It certainly isn't going to kill you to give it a try.

 

[hittman]

Stubby, I didn't know stonewalls were no longer available. I don't use them very often and still have some in my drawer at work. Are they just not available online or not at all?

 

[Stubby]

Stubby, I didn't know stonewalls were no longer available. I don't use them very often and still have some in my drawer at work. Are they just not available online or not at all?

They went out of production. Star Scientific made a statement some months back about it. I can't remember the exact reason. I believe they where focusing on there other products. I still have a few 100 count boxes left. I wasn't planning on buying more when I ran out so it doesn't effect me. I thought the nicotine content was on the low side and was just to sweet. They are a nice change up but it was a very minor part of my routine.

 

[hittman]

I probably wouldn't have bought any more either. I think I might have three or four of the small boxes left. I did notice that their stock took a dive a while back. I would guess that it had something to do with not making stonewalls.

 

[KathyD26]

I'am really saddened that the Stonewalls have been discontinued. I use them at work as they are more discreet than snus (for me)and they do keep the nic demons at bay. If anyone wants to sell their Java ones to me I'll take them.

 

[Nyght]

With as much hype as Snus has received in ECF I actually tried it last night. Sadly (and granted it was Camel) it made me want to throw up. :/ The pouch seemed huge (though it wasn't the large pouch) and the feeling of ill, I can only guess may be due to the nic strength? (or, of course perhaps the flavor, which was mellow. ) It wasn't a brain idealism thing. I honestly figured it was worth a shot.

Are the Swedish mini's smaller than the normal sized camel pouches? (I sorta think if I could half the pouch (and get a different flavor) maybe it'd work... ) Le sigh, I really want to get off these analog cloves and get smoke free. (like vaping, and hopefully the WTA juice will be that missing element. (arriving soon I hope :Wags brows But, even then WTA is so bloody difficult to obtain I'm trying a few vaper's suggestion of having backup methods.

Any ideas on the feeling like I was going to throw up. (It was... maybe five to ten minutes max into trying it.)

 

[hittman]

It does kind of sound like you got nic sick. I believe the camel are what are called long portions. Yes the swedish minis are smaller and depending on the brand and the type of tobacco used, some regular portions contain less tobacco than others and are smaller. It kind of makes sense about the 5-10 minute period. That's about how long it takes for you to start to react from the snus. It's a slower absorption rate than vaping or smoking.

 

[McDougal]

I don't have a link to post but have been told that the camel snus is pasteurized. To me, all of the american snus that I've tried is too sweet. I think the nic content is close to a regular 8mg portion. I also remember hearing that american snus and chew/dip have greatly reduced their tsna levels so should be somewhat close to swedish. I like to have the option of different flavors and strengths that swedish snus offers. They offer something for just about everyone.

Yeah, it's nice to have some good Swedish brands available now. As far as the TNSA in chew and dip, it seems it would be difficult to lower it because of the processing method. If they found a way, that would be good too.

 

[McDougal]

With as much hype as Snus has received in ECF I actually tried it last night. Sadly (and granted it was Camel) it made me want to throw up. :/ The pouch seemed huge (though it wasn't the large pouch) and the feeling of ill, I can only guess may be due to the nic strength? (or, of course perhaps the flavor, which was mellow. ) It wasn't a brain idealism thing. I honestly figured it was worth a shot.

Are the Swedish mini's smaller than the normal sized camel pouches? (I sorta think if I could half the pouch (and get a different flavor) maybe it'd work... ) Le sigh, I really want to get off these analog cloves and get smoke free. (like vaping, and hopefully the WTA juice will be that missing element. (arriving soon I hope :Wags brows But, even then WTA is so bloody difficult to obtain I'm trying a few vaper's suggestion of having backup methods.

Any ideas on the feeling like I was going to throw up. (It was... maybe five to ten minutes max into trying it.)

I think it's totally plausible that it was the nicotine. I do notice that it's absorption is far more efficient than with the e-cigs I've used. Much closer to the absorption rate of smoking. Your experience reminds me of when I tried dip - I got the nausea pretty quick.

 

[Stubby]

I would advice new users of snus to not use snus and vape (or whatever other source of nicotine you are using) at the same time. Snus does have a good nicotine kick to it and if you have a good amount in your system already it would be easy to overdue it. You might want to lay off any nicotine for an hour or so to clean out your system a bit, then do some snus. That or first thing in the morning.

It may take a week or two to get a feel for what is going on and how much you can tolerate. I was a pack a day smoker but can easily get by with 5 or 6 standard strength snus a day. Snus comes on slower then cigarettes but stays in the system much longer. If I do more then 6 portions a day I can run into issues of overdoing it. Others have a much higher tolerance so you just have to feel out what works for you.

 

[hittman]

That last remark resembles me. I always vape and snus at the same time. I even use wta liquid with snus some. I'm still at about 7-8 portions a day but have noticed that my liquid usage has increased some over the past few months. Most likely due to stress. I have noticed that I need much less on the weekends when away from the stress of work.

 

[four2109]

That was my response to trying Camel as my first snus. I like Swedish and Stonewall's. I don't bother with U.S.

I didn't know about Stonewall's going away either. Ariva too? Guess I'll check around and buy up some leftovers.

With as much hype as Snus has received in ECF I actually tried it last night. Sadly (and granted it was Camel) it made me want to throw up. :/ The pouch seemed huge (though it wasn't the large pouch) and the feeling of ill, I can only guess may be due to the nic strength? (or, of course perhaps the flavor, which was mellow. ) It wasn't a brain idealism thing. I honestly figured it was worth a shot.

 

[four2109]

Yeah, Here is the Star Scientific announcement. That was December. I've been out of the loop.
http://www.cspnet.com/news/tobacco/articles/star-scientific-exiting-tobacco-business

 

[rothenbj]

That's really a shame. I never tried either, but they were never marketed in my area. In fact, nobody mentioned here they could get them in a b&m. They had stated that they were working on a snus product that I was really interested in since S & A's both were very low on nitrosamines.

Hopefully, the FDA won't look at their effectiveness in stopping Star as a method to close down other cigarette alternatives.