History - tobacco had been used orally or 'chewed' by indigenous peoples of North and South America since before the arrival of Europeans. Chewing tobacco or "smokeless tobacco" and later "dip" became popular in the U.S. and is a significant product category in its own right and indeed compliments that of tobacco products intended for smoking.
When tobacco is 'chewed' or otherwise left in the mouth for 3 or more minutes, (usually between the cheek and gum) tissues in your mouth absorb nicotine readily. This type of administration called "sublingual" from the Latin meaning "under the tongue", allows a substance to enter one's circulatory system through tissues under the tongue. The water soluble nature of nicotine lends itself to this ready absorption allowing the nicotine to enter the bloodstream, and thus the individual can experience its effects.
The Skoal Bandits product was introduced in 1983. Bandits are small cloth pouches containing a measured portion of tobacco intended to make dipping more convenient and less messy. The Skoal Bandit pouches also allow for easy application of the desired amount of tobacco, with an added benefit of eliminating loose tobacco pieces floating around in the mouth and potentially being swallowed. With the pouch in ones' mouth, flavor and nicotine are absorbed through the cloth pouch.
In 2010 a product called Grinds was launched that builds on the Bandits concept using coffee grounds in place of tobacco (caffeine in place of nicotine). The creators of Grinds cleverly leveraged chewing tobacco and dip usage by baseball players to introduce a product that is enjoyed similarly but eliminates the health risks associated with oral tobacco use and nicotine addiction and indeed is promoted as a tobacco cessation product.
Grinds has been embraced by the baseball community and the product has enjoyed success as a consumer product as well. Grinds dip pouches contain flavored, ground coffee, vitamins and other nutrients. Users report the benefits using Grinds include keeping the user bright and alert. For some, Grinds provides a healthy alternative to chewing tobacco.
With our empty dip pouches and fillable dipping pouches, you can create pouches containing your own custom blend of ingredients. Fill our dip pouches with any ingredients of your choosing to produce a unique, custom made and enjoyable dipping experience. Popular ingredients used in making custom dip pouches include herbs, vitamins, flavorings, supplements, antioxidants, ginger, coffee, tea, caffeine, mint, cinnamon, vanilla, tobacco, hemp and cannabis.
To see how to make pouches yourself, head on over to our article on how to make pouches for dip!