Good questions. From where I sit:
Why snus?
1. No drip. This means you never need to spit like chewing tobacco and American moist snuff necessitates. This makes snus a very discreet means of nicotine delivery for all the time you spend in places where tobacco use and vaping is prohibited.
2. Steam pasteurized. Unlike American moist snuffs which are heat fermented, most Swedish snus is steam pasteurized, meaning the cancer causing elements that form due to heat and fermentation are eliminated or at the very least reduced to barely measurable levels compared to other forms of oral tobacco. Oden's may be an exception as there is evidence out there suggestion at least part of their catalog is heat fermented and not steam pasteurized. From every test and study that I've seen regarding Swedish snus, it's the next safest means of nicotine delivery after vaping.
For me, discretion and tobacco harm reduction are big pluses in the argument for Swedish snus.
Why not snus?
1. Availability. The good stuff is only available from Sweden via the internet. That makes it kind of a hobbyist's means of tobacco use, and shipping is high as well. Yes you can buy General brand here in the States, but a very limited line of product that does not work for everyone, myself included.
2. Low impact nicotine delivery. Here I'm talking to former users of American moist snuff, and the very few nasal snuff users out there. Swedish snus has a pretty mild kick to it. I dipped and I used nasal snuff for years. I have to use ultra strong Swedish snus or it doesn't work for me, and even then I wish it had more kick. That brings the added problem that there just isn't that much product out there for me to choose from. Snus does the job and takes the edge off, but it is not satisfying like throwing in a big dip of Cope.
3. Cost. It costs more to use than vaping, ryo and nasal snuff.
I use ultra strong white portion. I think that white portion has much cleaner tobacco flavor than standard portions. It lasts longer too, but that kind of depends on the snus as well. I can leave a portion of The Lab No. 07 in for an hour, but Skruf Xtra Stark, Thunder Ultra and Oden's Extreme and I can't get it out of my mouth fast enough after 30 minutes.
For me Swedish snus is kind of a compromise. I use it at work because I like the positives, but I also find it a little unsatisfying compared to other forms of nicotine delivery. I am also very limited on product I find desirable due to the lack of selection of ultra strong white portions.
Here are a few microreviews:
The Lab No. 07 (extra strong, white)
My favorite. The taste is the best, the burn is ok, and it lasts. I wish it had more burn and it'd be perfect for me. Tobacco foremost and kind of a wood-y, herb-y thing flavorwise. Not fatiguing and very palatable.
Skruf Xtra Stark White (extra strong, white)
meh. Flavor goes south pretty fast and tastes raunchy quick. Also lacking in strength.
General G3 (extra strong, standard)
Not a fan of the General flavor profile. Tobacco, bergamot and salt. Sounds great, but General just kind of tastes generic. Not enough flavor, not enough strength here. Need to try the white version, but I'm not expecting much.
Thunder Ultra White (ultra strong, white)
Pretty good for a budget snus. Straightforward tobacco flavor. Overall impression was meh though because I didn't stick a roll in my cart after using a tin. Not terribly long lasting with just ok flavor. Strong enough. Good but not great.
Various Oden's
none of these did it for me, except the Extreme White Dry Portion. The problem there is, there are only 13 portions in a tin, compared to 24 for most snus. Yes it's a budget snus, but by the time you buy two rolls to compensate for the skimpy portion amount it ends up costing more than the premium brands. Also, the pouch material tears up my gums, which no other snus does. So I like that one Oden's snus, but it has two knocks against it. Other than that, it's strong enough, the flavor is good, and it lasts. Oh, and there is a wintergreen version of this snus that is also good. The rest of the Oden's line is strong enough, but the flavors range from too subtle to too weird, and the non-white portions all taste awful after 30 minutes. Any of their menthol (double mint varieties) actually elicits a gag response from me. I find them so horrible they literally almost make me puke.
Lots of good info on snus out there, Google and Youtube can help. If you're not addicted to some high octane version of nicotine delivery like I am, then product selection really opens up with a lot more standard strength products and your chances of finding a satisfying snus will be all the greater.
Why snus?
1. No drip. This means you never need to spit like chewing tobacco and American moist snuff necessitates. This makes snus a very discreet means of nicotine delivery for all the time you spend in places where tobacco use and vaping is prohibited.
2. Steam pasteurized. Unlike American moist snuffs which are heat fermented, most Swedish snus is steam pasteurized, meaning the cancer causing elements that form due to heat and fermentation are eliminated or at the very least reduced to barely measurable levels compared to other forms of oral tobacco. Oden's may be an exception as there is evidence out there suggestion at least part of their catalog is heat fermented and not steam pasteurized. From every test and study that I've seen regarding Swedish snus, it's the next safest means of nicotine delivery after vaping.
For me, discretion and tobacco harm reduction are big pluses in the argument for Swedish snus.
Why not snus?
1. Availability. The good stuff is only available from Sweden via the internet. That makes it kind of a hobbyist's means of tobacco use, and shipping is high as well. Yes you can buy General brand here in the States, but a very limited line of product that does not work for everyone, myself included.
2. Low impact nicotine delivery. Here I'm talking to former users of American moist snuff, and the very few nasal snuff users out there. Swedish snus has a pretty mild kick to it. I dipped and I used nasal snuff for years. I have to use ultra strong Swedish snus or it doesn't work for me, and even then I wish it had more kick. That brings the added problem that there just isn't that much product out there for me to choose from. Snus does the job and takes the edge off, but it is not satisfying like throwing in a big dip of Cope.
3. Cost. It costs more to use than vaping, ryo and nasal snuff.
I use ultra strong white portion. I think that white portion has much cleaner tobacco flavor than standard portions. It lasts longer too, but that kind of depends on the snus as well. I can leave a portion of The Lab No. 07 in for an hour, but Skruf Xtra Stark, Thunder Ultra and Oden's Extreme and I can't get it out of my mouth fast enough after 30 minutes.
For me Swedish snus is kind of a compromise. I use it at work because I like the positives, but I also find it a little unsatisfying compared to other forms of nicotine delivery. I am also very limited on product I find desirable due to the lack of selection of ultra strong white portions.
Here are a few microreviews:
The Lab No. 07 (extra strong, white)
My favorite. The taste is the best, the burn is ok, and it lasts. I wish it had more burn and it'd be perfect for me. Tobacco foremost and kind of a wood-y, herb-y thing flavorwise. Not fatiguing and very palatable.
Skruf Xtra Stark White (extra strong, white)
meh. Flavor goes south pretty fast and tastes raunchy quick. Also lacking in strength.
General G3 (extra strong, standard)
Not a fan of the General flavor profile. Tobacco, bergamot and salt. Sounds great, but General just kind of tastes generic. Not enough flavor, not enough strength here. Need to try the white version, but I'm not expecting much.
Thunder Ultra White (ultra strong, white)
Pretty good for a budget snus. Straightforward tobacco flavor. Overall impression was meh though because I didn't stick a roll in my cart after using a tin. Not terribly long lasting with just ok flavor. Strong enough. Good but not great.
Various Oden's
none of these did it for me, except the Extreme White Dry Portion. The problem there is, there are only 13 portions in a tin, compared to 24 for most snus. Yes it's a budget snus, but by the time you buy two rolls to compensate for the skimpy portion amount it ends up costing more than the premium brands. Also, the pouch material tears up my gums, which no other snus does. So I like that one Oden's snus, but it has two knocks against it. Other than that, it's strong enough, the flavor is good, and it lasts. Oh, and there is a wintergreen version of this snus that is also good. The rest of the Oden's line is strong enough, but the flavors range from too subtle to too weird, and the non-white portions all taste awful after 30 minutes. Any of their menthol (double mint varieties) actually elicits a gag response from me. I find them so horrible they literally almost make me puke.
Lots of good info on snus out there, Google and Youtube can help. If you're not addicted to some high octane version of nicotine delivery like I am, then product selection really opens up with a lot more standard strength products and your chances of finding a satisfying snus will be all the greater.
