My Opinion on Herbal Chews
I have been "Tobacco free" many times in my life. I usually go for a few months or a year and end up with a can of Grizzly Mint in my back pocket shortly after. The times that I am not chewing though I usually have a can of herbal chew. I've tried many types over the years and here is a review of the ones I remember.
Smokey Mountain - This brand has the most flavors of any that I've tried. The problem is that they never really made any of them taste that good. The flavors either taste like a tire or too artificial. The one flavor I actually like is wintergreen. I think its the only one they actually tried to make taste good.
I add an extra pinch of cayenne pepper to give a little extra burn. The Combo is as good as it gets gets for smokey mountain. I really don't love the texture of the corn silk though. It travels around the mouth a little more than I'd like. One other negative is the stains that it leaves on your fingers when you take a dip. Also you need to keep a water bottle handy to rinse the junk out of your teeth.
Overall I give the Smokey Mountain wintergreen a solid B and the rest of the
line up are getting an F.
Hooch - Ok This is everyone's sweetheart in the chat rooms. They say Hooch has the best texture and gives a real dip experience. Let me tell you "If there is no nicotine, you don't get a real dip experience!" They did a decent job with the flavors I will admit. I like mint, wintergreen, and spitfire. The only problem is after twenty minutes the taste of straw or hay takes over and takes away from a pretty good dip. The texture is pretty good if your can is fresh but in a short time it turns to sawdust.
Overall I'd give Hooch a B-. Better than average, but not awesome.
Mint Snuff - Mint snuff smells the best out of any of them. There is something about the smell of mint that makes me happy. Actually opening the can is where the happiness ends. Every can I've had contained a really hard, minty,hockey puck. I'm actually going to call it un-chewable. I think they could have done a better job with it. I don't even remember the taste because I couldn't get over the texture. The pouches on the other hand are awesome. The flavor in these little packets is huge. It is a mint rush. The pouch also helps keep the mint from traveling around. I also love that it makes your breath fresh as well.
Regular Mint Snuff a D-, Mint snuff pouches an A.
Golden Eagle - This is one of the first I tried and I can honestly tell you it was a short relationship. The one flavor that was somewhat ok was liquorice mint. The rest are way too earthy for my liking. They mix quite a few herbs to make this dip and it is not a good combo. It also seemed to feel slimy in my lip. Long story short I am not a fan. I think it tastes more like potting soil than anything.
Overall I give them a C-. The liquorice mint saves it from the D it really deserves.
Bacc Off - I don't remember a whole lot about this one other than I hated it. I think this one put me "bacc on" normal chew the fastest. I hated both the flavor and texture of this dip. The only thing I like less than the chew itself is the name of the chew. That's the best you can come up with? Bacc Off!? Seriously!? Overall they get a D for their chew and a well deserved F for their name.
You probably gathered that I am a little bitter towards the herbal chew. I don't understand why they can't make one that tastes good. It's tobacco free chew, why try and make it taste like tobacco? It is all still better for me than the alternative so I guess I'll keep trying. If anyone knows of one that taste good let me know.
Smokey Mountain - This brand has the most flavors of any that I've tried. The problem is that they never really made any of them taste that good. The flavors either taste like a tire or too artificial. The one flavor I actually like is wintergreen. I think its the only one they actually tried to make taste good.
I add an extra pinch of cayenne pepper to give a little extra burn. The Combo is as good as it gets gets for smokey mountain. I really don't love the texture of the corn silk though. It travels around the mouth a little more than I'd like. One other negative is the stains that it leaves on your fingers when you take a dip. Also you need to keep a water bottle handy to rinse the junk out of your teeth.
Overall I give the Smokey Mountain wintergreen a solid B and the rest of the
line up are getting an F.
Hooch - Ok This is everyone's sweetheart in the chat rooms. They say Hooch has the best texture and gives a real dip experience. Let me tell you "If there is no nicotine, you don't get a real dip experience!" They did a decent job with the flavors I will admit. I like mint, wintergreen, and spitfire. The only problem is after twenty minutes the taste of straw or hay takes over and takes away from a pretty good dip. The texture is pretty good if your can is fresh but in a short time it turns to sawdust.
Overall I'd give Hooch a B-. Better than average, but not awesome.
Mint Snuff - Mint snuff smells the best out of any of them. There is something about the smell of mint that makes me happy. Actually opening the can is where the happiness ends. Every can I've had contained a really hard, minty,hockey puck. I'm actually going to call it un-chewable. I think they could have done a better job with it. I don't even remember the taste because I couldn't get over the texture. The pouches on the other hand are awesome. The flavor in these little packets is huge. It is a mint rush. The pouch also helps keep the mint from traveling around. I also love that it makes your breath fresh as well.
Regular Mint Snuff a D-, Mint snuff pouches an A.
Golden Eagle - This is one of the first I tried and I can honestly tell you it was a short relationship. The one flavor that was somewhat ok was liquorice mint. The rest are way too earthy for my liking. They mix quite a few herbs to make this dip and it is not a good combo. It also seemed to feel slimy in my lip. Long story short I am not a fan. I think it tastes more like potting soil than anything.
Overall I give them a C-. The liquorice mint saves it from the D it really deserves.
Bacc Off - I don't remember a whole lot about this one other than I hated it. I think this one put me "bacc on" normal chew the fastest. I hated both the flavor and texture of this dip. The only thing I like less than the chew itself is the name of the chew. That's the best you can come up with? Bacc Off!? Seriously!? Overall they get a D for their chew and a well deserved F for their name.
You probably gathered that I am a little bitter towards the herbal chew. I don't understand why they can't make one that tastes good. It's tobacco free chew, why try and make it taste like tobacco? It is all still better for me than the alternative so I guess I'll keep trying. If anyone knows of one that taste good let me know.