How To Use Snus: Where It Goes, How Long It Stays And What The Can Tells You

To use snus, take one pouch from the tin and tuck it between your gum and your upper lip, slightly to one side. Leave it there without chewing for somewhere between twenty minutes and an hour, then lift it out with a finger once the flavour fades and drop it in a bin. 18+ only. A pouch sits in the lip much as a throat pastille sits on the tongue, quietly and without fuss. A session lasts about as long as a slow coffee after lunch, rather than an espresso taken standing at the bar.

Below, I go through each step in plain terms. After that come the questions that usually follow: which lip, how long, what the numbers on the lid mean, and what you should feel early on. Whether you are reading this on a morning RER into Paris or at a kitchen table in Nantes, the aim is that you open your next tin knowing exactly what to do with it. In my opinion, a little patience in the first week counts for more than any choice of flavour. Everything we offer around snus builds on these same few movements.

Does This Routine Apply To Snus And Nicotine Pouches Alike?

Yes, placing, leaving and removing a pouch works the same way for snus and for nicotine pouches, even though the filling is different. Snus is made from ground tobacco mixed with water, salt, an alkalising agent and flavouring, while nicotine pouches use a tobacco free filling instead. So, the movements are identical even when the taste and feel in the lip are not. The routine on this page carries over to whichever tin you choose when you buy snus from us, and we deliver to France. The cheapest can is about €4.78, a typical can is about €5.98, and there is a 10% saving on 5 or more cans (Zyn excluded).

The word snus is Swedish, and the product is most closely associated with Sweden. It is not lit like a cigarette on a café terrace, and it is not sniffed like snuff. Nor is it chewed like gum; it simply rests in the lip and does its work quietly. For the wider picture, the Snus Guide covers the basics, and where did snus come from follows its history.

How Do You Use Snus, Step By Step?

You open the tin, take out one pouch, tuck it beneath your upper lip, leave it undisturbed and take it out once the flavour has faded. Set out as numbered steps, it looks like this. 1. Twist or lift the lid, breaking the seal if the tin is new. 2. Take one pouch with dry fingers, and if it looks a little flattened, roll it gently between finger and thumb rather than pulling at it. 3. Lift your upper lip with one hand and slide the pouch up between gum and lip, just left or right of your front teeth.

4. Press it lightly from outside the lip with a fingertip so it lies flat against the gum, then stop touching it. 5. Leave it in place while it releases its flavour and nicotine, usually for twenty minutes to an hour, and carry on with your day. 6. When the taste has faded and the tingle has settled, hook it out with a finger and put it in a bin. Step five asks for patience, because the urge to fiddle with something new in the mouth can be strong.

Session length varies because pouch size, moisture and strength all change how quickly a pouch gives up what it holds. In a survey of Swedish users, a pouch stayed in for about 65 minutes on average, with a median of an hour, which is a useful guide for planning a session. That being said, if you are new to this, I would suggest starting with around twenty minutes and lengthening the session as the feeling becomes familiar. It is a little like learning how long you prefer your coffee to brew in a cafetière, a matter of taste found over a few mornings.

Where Exactly Does The Pouch Go, And Which Lip?

The pouch goes under the upper lip, between the gum and the inside of the lip, a little to one side of centre. This is by far the usual choice, since a survey of Swedish users found about 96% of pouch users placed it between the gum and the upper lip. The very middle, just under the nose, can feel crowded and may show as a small bump, so slightly left or right tends to sit better. Which side you favour makes no difference, and you can simply alternate from one pouch to the next.

Height matters as much as side, and it is easy to overlook. A pouch sitting low, near the edge of the lip, rubs every time you speak, while one pushed up high against the gum stays put through a phone call on the platform at Lille Flandres. Some people try the lower lip, but in my opinion the upper lip is more comfortable and keeps the pouch out of the way. If a pouch keeps slipping forward, nudge it back up, and consider a mini, which is where the smaller sizes come into their own.

How Do You Open The Can And Get Rid Of A Used Pouch?

Most tins open with a simple twist or lift of the lid, and a used pouch belongs in a bin, never down the toilet or on the pavement. Portion snus usually comes in a plastic tin of 20 to 24 pouches. On a stroll along the quays in Bordeaux, a small bag in your pocket is the tidy answer until you reach a bin, because a damp pouch folded into a tissue is nobody's idea of a pleasant surprise later in the day.

Keep the tin closed, somewhere cool and away from strong heat, and press the lid back on after every pouch. Moist snus as a product is more than half water, while the moisture in pouched snus typically runs from 25% to 50% of the weight, so it is worth looking after the tin you are using. The one in use can live in a coat or bag pocket rather than a back pocket, where it has a habit of being sat on.

What Do The Words And Numbers On The Can Mean?

Multiply the mg/g figure by the pouch weight in grams, and you have mg per pouch, which is the number that tells you what actually sits in your lip. Portion weights run from roughly 0.5g for a mini to about 0.8g to 1g for a normal pouch, and up to 1.7g for a maxi. The same mg/g figure therefore gives a different mg per pouch depending on how heavy the pouch is. The most common snus strength is 8mg/g, which works out at 4mg in a 0.5g mini and 8mg in a 1g normal pouch.

The words on the lid describe size, style and flavour, and they deserve a glance before you open anything. Mini, normal and maxi give the size, original and white give the pouch style, and a flavour name such as mint, citrus or coffee tells you what the first taste will bring. Stronger snus runs from 11 to 14mg per gram, and the strongest reaches 22mg per gram and beyond, so a quick sum on the tram home is the simplest way to know what you are holding. For what fills the pouch itself, see what is in snus? ingredients explained.

What Should You Feel In The First Few Minutes?

Expect a tingle under the lip within the first few minutes, with flavour arriving alongside it, followed by a gradual easing as the session settles. The tingle is a common early sensation. An alkalising agent such as sodium carbonate is added to snus because nicotine is a weak base, and at a higher pH it crosses the lining of the mouth more easily.

After the opening comes the plateau, the long middle stretch when the tingle calms and the flavour holds steady before it slowly tapers. It is closer to a pastille you stop noticing after a while than to chewing gum you have to keep working. Mint and other cooling flavours can feel sharper at the start than coffee or fruit at the same printed figure. Perceived strength and the number on the lid are therefore not always the same thing, which is worth remembering when you compare two tins side by side.

If the sensation is more than you want, take the pouch out, because there is no prize for finishing it. Next time, try a smaller pouch, a lower figure per pouch or a shorter session, and give that combination a fair run before judging it. If you notice more saliva than expected, spitting is entirely optional with snus, although some new users prefer to spit at first. And, if the flavour fades sooner than you hoped, a fresh pouch is the answer rather than pressing or chewing the old one back to life.

Can You Talk, Drink Or Swallow With Snus In?

You can talk and drink with a pouch in, but you should not chew it or swallow it. Once it sits high against the gum, it is close to invisible, so a chat at a market stall or a quick word with a colleague goes on as normal. Chewing works against the whole idea, since the pouch is made to release slowly where it rests, and squeezing it only rushes the flavour out in the first few minutes. When it is finished, it comes out with your fingers, never down your throat.

Drinking is no trouble at all. I like to let a pouch settle for a few minutes before my coffee, but that is simply a personal preference. Over a long Sunday lunch, you can take the pouch out whenever you wish and place a fresh one afterwards.

Do You Use Loose Snus, Original Portion And White Portion The Same Way?

Mostly yes, as all three go under the upper lip, but loose snus has to be shaped by hand first, while both portion styles arrive ready to use. Loose snus is a moist powder, commonly sold in 42g containers, which you press into a small pellet called a pris before placing it, a little like shaping a tiny quenelle. Portion snus arrives as neat little sachets, rather like the infusion sachets you might be handed in a Lyon tea room, though you would never steep one. Pouched snus dates from the 1970s, with the original portion arriving in 1973 as a brown, moist pouch.

White portion uses a dry, unmoistened pouch that releases nicotine and flavour more slowly, so in my opinion it feels gentler at the start, while original portion gives up its flavour more quickly. The word white describes the style rather than the colour, which can catch out first timers. Moisture in pouched snus typically runs from 25% to 50% of the weight, and mini pouches hold drier tobacco than larger ones. For more detail, see what types of snus are there, and how is snus made explains why most snus today is steam pasteurised rather than fermented.

Which Small Habits Make The Biggest Difference?

The habits that matter most are a pouch size that suits your lip, a figure per pouch you are comfortable with, a spot high on the gum, and a few quiet minutes before food or drink. The usual beginner slips are the mirror image of those: a maxi where a mini would sit better, a pouch tucked too far forward where it rubs, and a coffee or croissant straight after placing it. A nudge now and then is fine once the pouch has settled, since about 36% of pouch users in one survey moved theirs around the mouth, against about 19% of loose snus users.

Above all, read the figure per pouch before your first load rather than relying on a single word on the lid. As a worked example, Pablo Exclusive is 50mg/g in a 0.60g pouch, so 50 multiplied by 0.60 gives 30mg per pouch, which sits in our Extreme band, and you can find it among Pablo snus. So, next time you open a tin, do that sum first, place one pouch high on one side of your upper lip, and set a timer on your phone. Note how long the flavour lasts, and let that number guide the length of your next session.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Snus
• PubMed Central: Study of loose and pouched snus use
• PubMed Central: Nicotine buccal absorption research