We realize there are a lot of people coming over from dip to snus. Hopefully this page will be helpful and provide info as well as answers to most of your common questions!
Introduction
I realize lots of people are interested in switching from dip to snus, but simply do not know where to begin. It can be quite overwhelming! Like a new person switching from cigarettes to snus, or American SNUS to Swedish Snus, there is a lot of information. Hopefully this guide will help make that switch easier for you.
Snus Terms
Snus comes in many formats.
Los, or lossnus, or loose - This is simply ground tobacco. Instead of being in a portion, it is packaged as is. This is the oldest form of snus consumption. Even though it has lost popularity since portions have come onto the scene, lots of people still have interest in consuming snus in this way. This article on Snubie.com has a lot of info about the differences between American/Swedish Snus, and more helpful info to those new to snus.
Portions - There are many varieties of portions. In the dip community, they are known as pouches, and they can also be called this in the snus world.
White/Vit Portion - This is when the los tobacco has been packaged into a pouch. No extra moisture has been added and these are dryer than regular portions. Vit is Swedish for white.
Original Portions - Sometimes called regular portions, this is when the los tobacco has been packaged in a portion. Extra moisture is added and is apparent by the portions having a brown color instead of a white color.
Black/Svart Portions - This isn not very common, but some portions are black. This is simply a white portion in a different colored pouch.
Long Portion - This is a portion that is longer and slimmer than an original portion.
Maxi/Maxad Portion - This is a larger sized portion.
Mini Portion - This is the smallest snus portion. Usually half the size of an original portion.
Prilla/Pris - This is the portioned amount of lossnus that is inserted into the lip.
Baking/Handbaking - This is forming the los tobacco into a portion by hand and not using a tool. (There is a video of this below)
Hillbilly Pinch - This is simply taking a pinch out of the can without baking it and putting it in your lip.
Long Cut - This is not a common thing in the snus world. Occasionally, a long cut snus will come out as a limited edition, but it isn’t something you see often.
Portioning Tools - There are many of these available, and we outline them all below with videos and reviews of each. There is the Icetool, the Prismaster, the ProPRIS and the SnusBuster.
Salmiak/Lakrits - This is a term for licorice, which is a common flavor in snus. This flavor is black licorice, which is very popular in Sweden.
Flader - This is a term for eldeflower, which isn not a very common snus flavor, but does exist in some flavors.
Tranbar - This is a term for cranberry, not a very common flavor, but it does exist in some products.
Kanel - This is a term for cinnamon, a not very common flavor, but one that does exist in many products.
Bergamot - This is the most common, or traditional snus flavor. It is a citrus flavor, close to a cross between an orange and a grapefruit.
Nicotine Strengths - Snus comes in various nicotine strengths.
Mini - Usually coming in at 4 mg/g of nicotine.
Regular - Usually coming in at 8 mg/g of nicotine.
Stark/Sterk - Anywhere between 12mg/g - 17mg/g of nicotine.
Extra Sterk/Ekstra Sterk/Extra Stark - Anywhere from 17mg/g of nicotine and up.
Extreme - Usually around 22mg/g of nicotine.
Ultra Strong/Super Strong - Anywhere from 26mg/g-45mg/g of nicotine. Video with Pronunciations for common Swedish Snus related terms and Swedish Snus brands
Dip Vs Snus
Dip and Snus are very different products, but share some things in common. For example, dip shares a common heritage, in fact it came from snus. Dip began being made in the US when Snus came over from Europe to the US.
The main difference is how it is made. Snus is pasteurized (steam cured), while Dip is fermented (fire cured). This yields several results. One, snus juice is safe to be swallowed, while dip juice is not. It will not give your heartburn or upset your stomach. Two, it is much safer. Given that it is not fire cured, it does not give way for a major rise in TSNA levels or have a major presence of carcinogens, as cigarettes and dip do.
Snus is meant to be put in the upper lip. You can lower lip it, but it is not suggested. One thing that makes snus spit free, is that it is put in the upper lip and the salivary glands are located in the lower lip. Using tobacco in your lower lip causes you to spit more, so it is more of a convenience and tradition thing than anything.
The Financial Difference
Due to shipping prices, snus is around 7$ a can when you buy it online. When you buy it in stores by shopping locally, snus can cost anywhere from 0.99$ to 5$ a can, but it is usually on the cheaper end. Buying online has advantages because you can get more options and try lots of different types of snus, but buying locally will save you more money. So it depends on where you are located and how you purchase your snus as to what the cost will be.
Snus: A World of Flavors
Going from American Dip to Snus, or American SNUS to Swedish Snus is like switching from a White Owl Cigar to a fine Cuban. The flavors in Swedish Snus are so detailed, so leveled, and so good, you will not even feel the urge to look back. American products use sugar to sweeten their tobacco, because they think that is what Americans like, to flavor everything. So making the switch you will find more flavor than the American products you have been used to.
Product Suggestions
This is the hard part, because everyone has their own unique flavor profile, but I will try to make the best suggestions I can and speak in generic terms or blanket terms to everyone.
If you like natural flavors - Ettan, Grov, Prima Fint, and Odens Extreme (all come in loose and portions) all have earthy tobacco flavors/natural tobacco flavors. There isn not really a snus that has a common straight flavor with dip, but I have heard many dippers are loving Islay Whisky Snus that were into straight flavored dips, but this only comes in portion. I have always heard dippers who like straight flavors say they like Probe Whiskey, which comes in portion and loose.
If you like wintergreen flavors - the two companies that make the snuses that are closest to American Wintergreen are V2 (Thunder and Offroad) and GN Tobacco (Odens Pure Wintergreen). These are the ones I would suggest trying if you are into Wintergreen. Wintergreen flavors only come in the portion format, at this time. Occasionally you will see a limited edition release of long cut or lossnus in Wintergreen flavor, but it is not very common.
If you like mint flavors - there are a ton of mint flavors out there. As far as loose goes, Odens Cold and Thunder Frosted make a loose flavored mint snus. As far as portions - there are a ton, but my favorites are General Mint and Nick and Johnny Green Ice. Thunder Frosted is a very popular one amongst snusers, so it is worth a try as well if you are a mint fan.
Loose vs Portions
There are advantages to both.
The advantages of loose:
1. The flavor - You can not beat it. It gets you as close to the tobacco as possible.
2. Mouthfeel - Loose feels great in the lip, and much more comfortable than portions.
3. Amount - With loose, you have more control over your amount. You can make a large prilla, or a small one.
4. Value - Loose will last longer, you can stretch a can a lot longer. There is more tobacco in a can of loose than a can of portions. Which in turn, saves you money.
The advantages of portions:
1. Discretion - Portions are more discrete and easier to use at work and out and about.
2. Mudslides - You do not risk the snus running or sliding, it stays in place.
3. Neatness/Cleanliness - Portions are more neat and clean in the mouth.
4. Variety - There are a LOT more flavor options in portion than in loose.
I personally use both, loose at home and portions when I am out and about, as well as at home. I would advise everyone to try both!
How to Handbake Baking
To learn to bake a pris check out our "How To Handbake" video below and start with an easy to bake lossnus, particularly one from Swedish Match, they're the easiest to handbake. Video guide to handbaking.
