Ok for the past few days I’ve been operating under deep cover, running covert operations behind enemy lines all for the cause of snus. Let me explain.
This past week I had to do quite a bit of driving. Along the way I picked up a can of Timber Wolf dip (a brand I used exclusively for over two years). Now before there are gasps and shrieks. Let me assure you I did not fall off the wagon or have a relapse. I really did buy it for research. I really have no desire to EVER go back to dip. Here’s why I bought it: I have been writing and talking about dip and snus here on the forum for some time. I am writing mainly for those who have just come off of dip. Thus I wanted to make sure that my memory had not become a caricature of my experience with dip.
I can honestly say that it has not. Every word of my initial comparisons stands.
One thing that my little research project confirmed in a very striking manner is the effect of dip. Almost immediately I became dizzy and some what queasy (and no I was not swallowing the stuff). Also, my lip got that old feeling- I can’t explain it except that it was like an addict getting a fix of something after being dry a long time. There was something in the dip that I had not had in a long time. My lip recognized it. I could feel it and I could feel its effect. It was not Nicotine. I dipped for well over 25 years. Today, I chain snus, while using snuff (often American Scotches), and sometimes I’ll even throw in a pipe of a strong English blend for good measure. And when I say that I use snus while snuffing while smoking a pipe I mean that I am using them all at the same time- The point is that Nicotine and I have met. It wasn’t the nicotine. There is added crap in American dip that IS the primary source of the fix you get. Dip and Snus are two very different birds.
On 4 different occasions I tried a dip and I kept each dip in about 5-10 minutes. It was all I could stand.
The second thing that my little research project confirmed concerns the flavor of dip. I was using Timber Wolf fine cut natural- There is nothing natural about it. My guess is that dip is primarily made of burley and deer tongue (two varieties of tobacco that are not big on flavor- though distinct in flavor). It seems that the “natural” flavor is just that- a flavoring that is added. Kind of like using Liquid Smoke flavoring verses actually smoking the ribs/burgers over real hickory wood. In other words, the flavor, like the effect, is chemically enhanced.
The surprise of the research had to do with the cut. I have said again and again that snus does not behave like dip. Now while I still hold this to be very true, over the last 2+ years I have learned to adjust. When I threw out my dip of TW, I replaced it with a lower lip of knox. The difference while still there was not as great or as noticeable as when I started using snus. In fact, it wasn’t bothersome at all. I was glad to have my snus and I liked the way it felt. The point is: I acclimated.
One final note: after this venture into deep cover, I think a lot of why dip and snus behave differently has to do with the difference in moisture as much as it has to do with the actual cut. Snus needs to be refrigerated or it dries out. Thus snus starts off much moister than dip. On the other hand, dip needs no such refrigeration and can maintain its moisture level unaided for much longer. As such, dip starts out a bit dryer (at least it was that way when comparing TW side by side with Knox). Which begs the question: Why can American dip start with lest moisture and maintain that level longer while snus starts with more moisture but will dry out faster? I think the answer is that the moisturizing ingredient in dip is more than just water. Again: Enhancement. Enhancement. Enhancement.
My research concluded with me throwing a nearly full can of Timber Wolf dip into the trash. As I write this, I have a delectable pris of hand tossed Roda lovingly nestled in my upper lip. No regrets and no looking back.
This past week I had to do quite a bit of driving. Along the way I picked up a can of Timber Wolf dip (a brand I used exclusively for over two years). Now before there are gasps and shrieks. Let me assure you I did not fall off the wagon or have a relapse. I really did buy it for research. I really have no desire to EVER go back to dip. Here’s why I bought it: I have been writing and talking about dip and snus here on the forum for some time. I am writing mainly for those who have just come off of dip. Thus I wanted to make sure that my memory had not become a caricature of my experience with dip.
I can honestly say that it has not. Every word of my initial comparisons stands.
One thing that my little research project confirmed in a very striking manner is the effect of dip. Almost immediately I became dizzy and some what queasy (and no I was not swallowing the stuff). Also, my lip got that old feeling- I can’t explain it except that it was like an addict getting a fix of something after being dry a long time. There was something in the dip that I had not had in a long time. My lip recognized it. I could feel it and I could feel its effect. It was not Nicotine. I dipped for well over 25 years. Today, I chain snus, while using snuff (often American Scotches), and sometimes I’ll even throw in a pipe of a strong English blend for good measure. And when I say that I use snus while snuffing while smoking a pipe I mean that I am using them all at the same time- The point is that Nicotine and I have met. It wasn’t the nicotine. There is added crap in American dip that IS the primary source of the fix you get. Dip and Snus are two very different birds.
On 4 different occasions I tried a dip and I kept each dip in about 5-10 minutes. It was all I could stand.
The second thing that my little research project confirmed concerns the flavor of dip. I was using Timber Wolf fine cut natural- There is nothing natural about it. My guess is that dip is primarily made of burley and deer tongue (two varieties of tobacco that are not big on flavor- though distinct in flavor). It seems that the “natural” flavor is just that- a flavoring that is added. Kind of like using Liquid Smoke flavoring verses actually smoking the ribs/burgers over real hickory wood. In other words, the flavor, like the effect, is chemically enhanced.
The surprise of the research had to do with the cut. I have said again and again that snus does not behave like dip. Now while I still hold this to be very true, over the last 2+ years I have learned to adjust. When I threw out my dip of TW, I replaced it with a lower lip of knox. The difference while still there was not as great or as noticeable as when I started using snus. In fact, it wasn’t bothersome at all. I was glad to have my snus and I liked the way it felt. The point is: I acclimated.
One final note: after this venture into deep cover, I think a lot of why dip and snus behave differently has to do with the difference in moisture as much as it has to do with the actual cut. Snus needs to be refrigerated or it dries out. Thus snus starts off much moister than dip. On the other hand, dip needs no such refrigeration and can maintain its moisture level unaided for much longer. As such, dip starts out a bit dryer (at least it was that way when comparing TW side by side with Knox). Which begs the question: Why can American dip start with lest moisture and maintain that level longer while snus starts with more moisture but will dry out faster? I think the answer is that the moisturizing ingredient in dip is more than just water. Again: Enhancement. Enhancement. Enhancement.
My research concluded with me throwing a nearly full can of Timber Wolf dip into the trash. As I write this, I have a delectable pris of hand tossed Roda lovingly nestled in my upper lip. No regrets and no looking back.
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