Tripletech Box

I LOVE MY TRIPLETECH SNUFF BOX!

it's great, as you can see from the size, goes great in my pocket, holds about 4g of snuff, has a little tap hole, a pinch/loading area, and a built in compartment for the bone snuff spoon.   It's great!

been a bit..

I've been BUSY..   business is GOOD and I've been billing waay too many hours..

I've ventured my way into snuffs, still using snus tho.   Working my way through some Oden's Lös, good stuff.   I dig the salty licorice flavors, and am glad i ordered a roll of it.   Also picked up a roll of XTRA Sterk, and now with PACT making that a bit more difficult to get here in the USA, I'm glad I did.  

PACT, what a topic eh?   I'm not too happy about that, but next up on the chopping block for my fellow Americans is salt & fat.   Utterly rediculous.   Good fat, teaming with Omega-3's is NECESSARY for human health!  Skip the corn-fed beef, I'll take mine grass-fed and keep losing weight.   I'm dropping 1-1.5 pounds a week eating normally, just choosing my food sources and origins better.  Grain-fed meat is high in Omega-6, causing fat accumulation, joint problems, and swelling.   Grass-fed meat is high in Omega-3, reducing inflammation.   A good grass-fed steak is as good for you as wild-caught salmon or tuna.

I'll be back around more often I hope, business is finally sorting out and we're getting used to the drinking out of the firehose we've been doing for the past several months.

what... me worried?

Well, I have to acknowledge the PACT act passage.    Am I worried?   What would give you that impression?

New Adventure Sprouting...

I've got 18 seed pots dedicated to tobacco seedlings this year.  

I didn't do a great job of getting just two or three seeds in a pot as you can see, THOSE THINGS ARE TINY.   But they're coming up and I can thin them out as they grow..

18 plants is what i'm shooting for this year.   Should give me 3 pounds of dried leaves, or 6 pounds of 50% hydrated snus, or 60 cans of 45g per can lös.  Total investment thus far, $5 for the seed pots,  The seeds came free from another interested party.

Zen and the Art of Icetool Maintenance

The Icetool is a wonderful, useful tool.   Keeps your hands clean, forms a perfect little prilla of snus and delivers it precisely.  But after a few uses, it becomes sticky, difficult to work.   Never fear, you don't need oils or replacements for the O-ring.  

Here's what the inside looks like after a few uses...  Some crumbs at the end, but those aren't your problem, it's the streaks of stuff on the interior that are causing your issues..   A pipe cleaner, doubled over and dipped in your favorite libation (I use Woodford Reserve Bourbon) will clean that out really quickly.

Here's the pipe cleaner after cleaning out the Icetool.

I used a bit of vodka so the color wouldn't hide the gunk coming off the Icetool.  After cleaning that guy out and a quick similar cleaning of the O-ring, the Icetool works just as good as new!   I don't use oils or wax on the O-ring, as this will encourage stuff to collect on it.   Just give the Icetool a quick cleaning as needed! 

Dr. Starksnus (Or How I Learned to Love the Xtra Stark)

When I was a new snus user, an online snus house sent me a free tin of Skruf Stark Portion.   Willing to try anything, I popped a portion in and began enjoying that clean tobacco taste with a hint of bergamot and rose oil.

30 MINUTES LATER I found myself curled up in a ball sweating trying not to spew.
Mega Vitamin-N overdose.


So when Skruf sent me a trial of the Skruf Xtra Stark, I was naturally nervous, flashing back to my experience with Skruf Stark, and imagining that times two..   but, I gutted up and tried it and realized  "Oh, but that was two months ago", and I've become somewhat accustomed to the hit it seems...

Today, I enjoy the flavor of 2 clicks of Skruf Xtra Stark, with a smooth Vitamin-N hit that builds in 5 minutes and lasts for seemingly hours.   I'm in love with the smooth nature tastes it gives, and the Vitamin-N ain't bad either.    The rose oil is a great addition to the flavor profile, and the bergamot cuts just enough.

I can't say enough about the Icetool and Lös, I run my own company out of my home so most of the day I'm in my private office at my desk and don't have to worry about portions or being able to sub in/out easily.  Lös is perfect in my opinion, portions may be convenient, but at a slight disadvantage to the uninhibited enjoyment that a perfectly portioned lös pris out of the 3ml Icetool provides.  No need for overpowering flavorings or worrying about the benefits of white vs regular vs dripless.

If you're accustomed to a LOT of Vitamin-N, definitely give the Xtra Stark a try.   I will warn you tho, it's definitely not for the weak.

NYHET! Skruf Xtra Stark Lös (and portions)

opened the mailbox today with a SPECIAL SURPRISE from our friends at skruf!

happy to see the lös in there, since i got the icetool, i've been almost exclusively lös..    I'm a little scared tho, at 19mg per gram, I'm definitely doing a 1 click of the 3ml icetool to start out with.    I've not had skruf lös so I'm looking forward to this.

Nice... the vitamin N punch from a little 1 clicker wasn't as scary as I thought, in fact, it's pretty nice..   The flavor is better in the lös than the portion to my tastes.   The vitamin N content means I'll probably wait on this until after a good meal, but it also means it'll go a little farther for my tastes.  A quick check on Northerner shows this available now, while other outlets are taking pre-orders for March delivery.

If you like it strong, you gottta try skruf Xtra Stark!

Skruf Tranbar - not my cup of tea

I've tried a portion or two of the Skruf Tranbär, it's not my gig I'm afraid..   Didn't like it, gave me a sour stomach.   Guess this one will be going into the box pass from hell, I won't be using it.

The taste starts out interesting, tart berry, but turns sour & bitter very quickly.   I'm not a fan of sweet snus, but this one might've done better as a sweet portion.  

Göteborg's Prima Fint

mmm... classic snus.   restrained flavor..  loads of salt in this one.  a very mild snus overall, makes a tight pris in the icetool (I might've overpacked this one as I was coming from Roda Lacket)

from http://www.goteborgsprimafint.com/

Göteborgs Prima Fint was launched in 1919 and is only available as loose snus. It is a mild snus with a pure and slightly sweet tobacco flavour.

So it's a classic!   A prime snus the way snus was meant to be enjoyed.   Easy going, a regular use type snus when you don't want to be bothered with odd/weird flavors or feel like you've stuck some candy in your mouth.

Flavor your own!

Apparently these guys were around for a long time, went away, but are back again. 

Gellivare Snus offers essential oils and base snus for flavoring your own snus!

http://www.gellivaresnus.se/index.php?page=shop.browse&category=&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53

They're pretty standard flavors, but that does open up whole new avenues for me.  I'm a home brewer, make my own beer and wine at home, so this interests me GREATLY!

I must be a lightweight..

This is after a weeks worth of use in the lös dept:

The taboca tin looks deceptively full, it's only about halfway full truth be told.   I guess i'm a snus lightweight, although I do hit the portions when I'm out and about, just for convenience sake.

I couldn't see how anyone could use a can a day, but then again, I'm only doing 2 clicks on the 3ml icetool.

Economies of Lös

I'm still working on the first two cans of Lös i've opened..    I've also been through more tins of portions (Oden's OP is great stuff).

The economies of lös cannot be ignored here folks.   A 45g tin of lös goes MUCH farther with my (average?) usage than portions do, for about the same cost I get much more use.   $40 on an icetool will pay for itself in a hurry at this rate.   I put back a roll of Roda Lacket for levelling out the dips in my stock, but at this rate with lös going much farther than portions, a roll will do nicely for a good long time!

Folks, you must try an icetool if you're going to give lös a fair shake, you owe it to yourself and your pocketbook.

COLA Snus! hmmm, may have to try that...

Yeah, I'm totally going to have to try flavoring snus, but 3 cans at a time?    might be a little on the excessive side to flavor at once.     I'm thinking Sailor Jerry's Rum snus would be AWESOME.

Rollin' rollin' rollin'... keep them doggies rolling!

got my first roll on the way, roda lacket lös roll on the way from northerner, also got some gotlandsnus grey, and a can each of offroad licorice and icemint to try out..

all the different varieties of snus are just so cool to try!   Roda Lacket is a great "go-to" for me, so it has the status of being MY FIRST ROLL!

Mobile Post

3rd snus today! been working crazy hours and thought I would try out SMS post from my phone. currently rocking an Oden's OP and working on some code!

Taboca Lös

Two clicks on the Icetool of Taboca Lös in, and it's good..   The fig is all but unidentifiable in the flavor profile, but the overall flavor is nice, mild tobacco and bergamot/citrus also restrained to give a really easy going snus experience.  Taboca is one snus you don't mind sniffing, the bergamot-citrus really stands out at you in the aroma and on your breath.

I like the way this one packs too, tight little pris that stays put for a good long 90+ min prilla without a hint of slide.  The tin is pretty sweet too, I like the metal case, the 35g is a bit of a downside, but I'll give up the 20% less snus for a case like this overall, saves me from springing for that icetool tin (although i probably will buy that thing sooner or later).  All in all, this is a great snus in lös, and a really great choice for lös in general!

Oden's Original Portion

Yeah yeah, I know, I am on the lös bandwagon, but portions are convenient as well.   I wasn't sure what I'd think about a licorice snus, but I have a friend from Denmark that introduced me to these delicious salty licorice drops, and I was hoping for the same in a snus.

And by all accounts, I GOT IT!  Including a bit of Vitamin N as a bonus!

Delicious morsels that taste like candy, long lasting full flavor that I can't grow tired of.   I will try the stark version next, if it's this good, there's going to be a roll of either this or the stark inbound to my fridge post-haste!

Roda Lacket Lös

Shipment from Northerner just came in, HOO-RAH.

I'm trying a pris of Roda Lacket currently.   Much tighter, nicer pris than i get from General Lös, I can see how being a regular lös user might happen now.  60-90 min with minimal drip, no mudslide and good flavor.

This is GOOD STUFF!  I'm digging on the muted flavorings, all across the board.  Tad bit of licorice, tad bit of fruit... tobacco flavor is there too, and not too heavily salted.   Absolutely love this stuff, I think a roll of it might just be in order.  The pris stays put, no slide, largely due to the Icetool's help I believe.  60-90 minutes is NO ISSUE with this either, I'm backing it up with a coke zero, and enjoying the heck out of my post-lunch snus.

On the note of the Icetool, previously I'd pack the Icetool, pop the pris out and try to insert it.   This resulted in crumbs, and broken pris.   I've started using the Icetool to insert it directly underneath my upper lip, and this is a much improved process for getting things done.

Hope your snussing is as good as mine today!

First Lös Pris!

Ok, got my icetool and a can of General Lös.

Pris was a bit bigger than i thought it would be.   I don't think I packed it quite tightly enough either, it cracked into two pieces on the way in, so I shoved it up into my lip and tucked the pris in with my tongue.   Now I have what feels like a standard sized portion up in there..  Flavor is a bit more evident, Vitamin N rush was a bit more evident up front.   I'm drinking a chai tea with this so that's balancing nicely.

I'm anxious to see what other flavors and brands are like, General is "ok" but rather run-of-the-mill for my tastes, I could see a regular several-pris a day user doing something like General Lös, but I view these as more of a 1-2 a day kinda thing, if that.  I'm particularly interested in the Roda Lacket and some of the licorice snus that I see, doing the impatient dance waiting on my order from Northerner to get here, I have a nice sampling on the way.

Update after the jump -

ICETOOL - Stainless Steel

THE ICETOOL IS HERE!

Oh my long awaited icetool from Northerner has arrived! I couldn't be more excited, but like a kid at christmas when "batteries not included" I find myself WITHOUT a can of snus to try it on! Time to make a trip down to the local for some General Lös! (Yes, I did order some lös, it's just in a different shipment!)


It's a 3mm tool, and my initial thoughts are "That's a helluva pris!" but since it's the small size, we'll have to wait and see.   The action is smooth, and I can't wait to try it out!

Down to the DREGS, rambling on.

So, i thought 5 cans of snus on my initial order would be enough..

And so it happened I got a bunch of general sample foil packs and a bunch of discreet as well.

Well, now I'm down to the sample packs as I wait on the next (second) order. Lesson learned? Order at least half a roll, maybe even a full roll of a snus you like early on. I was going to wait until I found something I liked well enough to be a regular, and i'm leaning towards Skruf at the moment, but with the variety out there, I feel like a kid in the candy store who can only grab two handfuls and can't decide which two handfuls to grab.

On order is:

• Skruf Cranberry, Portion - 1 pcs.
  
• Taboca Snus, Loose - 1 pcs.
  
• Roda Lacket, Loose - 1 pcs.
  
• Odens Licorice, Portion - 1 pcs.
  
• Goteborgs Prima Fint, Loose - 1 pcs.

Learning my lesson, I'm going to put a roll of something on order RIGHT NOW to start building the stash, but still having indecision problems on WHAT EXACTLY to order..

BUSTED!

It finally happened..   a portion broke open on me.   Fortunately, I hadn't put it in yet, I normally give the portions a small roll in the fingers before i put it in and noticed some loose snus work its way out.

I was wanting to get into lös but not this way, hehe.   On that note, I'll be trying out lös snus soon, my order from Northerner is on the slowboat here, I'm very excited about trying it out

Emerald Ice - Discreet Snus Review

Let's just start by putting this out there, I'm not a big wintergreen fan.  I've got a can of Klondike Wintergreen in the fridge I've been putting off for a while.   Similarly, I've had a few packets of Discreet Emerald Ice I've been putting off because I THOUGHT it was wintergreen.

I was mistaken.

Despite the green hue, Emerald Ice is not the wintergreen that I've so long avoided!  It's quite different in fact, much more restrained in flavor, bracingly cool in minty mentholic tingle, yet without the sickly wintergreen flavor commonly put into most "Wintergreen" snus.  The flavor is nice, the nicotine is typical of other Discreet portions, not enough there to punch thru and make you feel it, but subtle.

All in all, this Discreet might be the one that finds a spot in the rotation.   I will review and compare the Klondik soon, but this is far and above more preferable to the General Wintergreen I've tried.

Happy Snusin'!

STERK! Skruf Stark to be precise.

WOW!   what a rush..

Tried my first Skruf Sterk portion, included in a recent order from ClubSnus.com..    It's not a big portion, but man, it's giving me a bit of a nice rush.  Natural tobacco is nice, mild/flowery taste (from Rose Oil according to the description), good mellow flavor and aroma, not much on the breath thankfully.  I'm really happy with the used portion container in the lid, keeps things neat and tidy.   The portions are comfortable, and not overfilled, providing a fairly innocuous portion with a great Vitamin N punch.

Give this a go if you're looking for a nice nicotine buzz that lasts!

Discreet Peach - Another Dessert Snus!

Opening up a pouch of Discreet Peach, and wow does it smell sweet. This is like candy!

Aromas of peach fill the air as I open the pouch, seeing the portions of white gives me the usual sense that this is going to wear on the lip a bit, but I pop one in anyway and immediately get the peach aromas all over. Nicotine hit this is not, but again, an easy going desert type snus that is goes equally well with a cup of coffee or tea. I wouldn't pair this with a sweet soda however, it would prove too much for even the sweetest tooth.

Discreet definitely has the market nicked on packaging and size, I wish they'd modify their tobacco formulation a bit to include more nicotine however. Some spice might be nice in with the peach as well, but for pure peach flavor, this snus has it! Lasts a good 30-45 minutes before it's spent, has the residual aromas similar to the strawberry, but turns a bit metallic & chemically after 30-45 minutes.

Discreet - Full Flavor - Review

Today I'm opening and trying for the first time a packet of Discreet Full Flavor.  No expectations on this one yet, some sweetish aroma coming from the packet upon opening.   Looks like a mini white portion in form factor and does have a sweetish taste, although not nearly as cloying as the Camel Mellow.

It's definitely got the "Discreet Sweet" to it, but the portions do not bug me nearly as much as other brands white portions do.   The little zipper pouch is convenient and easy to stash in the laptop bag or wherever you've got a space.  Not a tremendous amount of vitamin-N punch in these, but it's nice for winding down an afternoon with this one.  Depending on how well these packets store, I could easily see this being my "in-a-pinch" stash, leaving a few here, few in the gym bag, and few in the jeep.

A little late for Christmas, but...

Here's some Gotländskt Julesnus Portions (2009)!!!

I know it's after Christmas but I didn't get a chance to jump on this one during the holiday season.  A delightful blend of holiday season(ings) with that swedish salty tobacco backbone in a portion that isn't too large for this snubie's lip.  I get some nutmeg & clove from the initial aroma (I know, I know, DON'T SMELL THE SNUS!) but either this one has a pleasing aroma or I'm just getting used to it.

The portion stays nice & dry for the first 30-45 min, when it starts to drip I'm reminded of mincemeat pie with a hint of ginger thrown in.   Definitely a winter-time type snus, this probably wouldn't go as well in the summertime.  I am disappointed that the tin doesn't have a portion lid, General has spoiled me in that regard I suppose.  Overall a portion lasts me a good 60-90 minutes before I tire of it, and I don't find myself immediately reaching for more, the aromas last a good bit after the portion is gone, which helps with rationing as well.

Definitely a thumbs up from the author, give it a try while you can still find it!  I will be curious next year if the formula changes.

Welcome to Adventures in Snus

I'm Red MacGregor, a new snus user for about a month. I created this blog to post my thoughts & comments of snus as I venture along this journey of discovery.

Currently on deck is a can of 01 Original Portion.

I gotta say I really like the form factor, all the benefits of a mini with the full punch of a large portion. It stays up out of sight, and nobody realizes I have anything in my lip (which is advantageous considering the wife doesn't care for me using snus at all).

I'm enjoying the flavor, a fresh tobacco with just a hint of fruit and wood in there. Low on the salt and enough nicotine to carry it... I don't find it to be completely dripless as advertised however. I don't mind the drip as it sits tho, that's when i notice the flavors coming through. I will probably order more of this.