What are smokeless tobacco alternatives?
If you are a tobacco lover, you might have tried many different tobacco products from different brands and with different flavors. But have you heard about the many types of tobacco alternatives available?
Smokeless tobacco alternatives come in many shapes and sizes. Some products like fake dip try to mimic the experience of dipping tobacco but with other ingredients. Others are designed to help you quit tobacco and often don’t contain nicotine. There are even many healthy choices that can be used to replace smokeless tobacco products. For example, sunflower seeds, sugarless gum, flavored toothpicks, and pretzel sticks can be used to keep your mouth busy and mind relaxed.
Below we are going to discuss more about various smokeless tobacco alternatives particularly the ones that will give you a similar experience to traditional tobacco products. First, we will explore what tobacco is and compare it to alternative ingredients. Then we will look at the products offered by Black Buffalo and see how they perform as a smokeless tobacco alternative.
What is tobacco?
The tobacco plant is native to the Americas. Tobacco is the name given to the Nicotiana genus and the Solanaceae family. This plant has been used by people in various ways for hundreds if not thousands of years. The leaves of the plant are cured, aged, and processed in various ways before they can be used for smoking, chewing, snuffing, and for the extraction of nicotine.
In 1500, Native Americans introduced European settlers to the tradition of chewing tobacco. Christopher Columbus and his men met Native Americans who were chewing green leaves with smashed mussel shells on an island off the coast of Venezuela.
In America, the use of smokeless tobacco is huge and getting even bigger. According to one report, approximately six million Americans regularly use smokeless tobacco products. Moreover, sales were increasing by about 6 percent a year.
However, the risks involved in consuming tobacco are well known by now. As well as the problem of nicotine addiction, tobacco contains carcinogens and other toxins, which are harmful to the body. Therefore, some people search for healthier options to replace their usual tobacco products, while others are just interested in new alternatives.
What is a tobacco alternative?
Tobacco alternatives can be defined as any product used to replace a traditional tobacco product. They don’t contain tobacco leaves but can often offer the same experience as tobacco consumption. They can be divided into three main categories: healthy options, traditional practices and new innovations.
The healthy options are mainly designed to help tobacco users quit. They include products that help with nicotine addiction, for example, nicotine patches and gum. There are also many options that can help satisfy the needs of people who usually chew or dip tobacco. If you have been using chewing or dipping tobacco for many years you will be used to the feeling of the tobacco in your mouth. It can be difficult to adjust if you try to quit or reduce your tobacco consumption.
Here are some healthy alternatives to tobacco that will keep your mouth busy and mind relaxed:
- Sugarless gum
- Sugarless hard candies
- Sunflower seeds
- Natural licorice
- Pretzel sticks
- Flavored toothpicks
- Carrot and celery sticks
The second category is traditional practices. Since tobacco is native to the Americas, it makes sense that in other parts of the world people have similar traditions of smoking or chewing leaves of their own native plants.In Southeast Asia, people chew leaves called Kratom, which is a member of the coffee family. Meanwhile, in South Africa there is a product called Kanna, which literally means ‘something to chew’.
The third and final category is new innovations. In recent years, there have been many new products developed which are designed to mimic the experience of chewing or dipping tobacco. These products can contain many different herbs and other edible leaves instead of tobacco. Some are used in the same way as tobacco but have their own unique flavor, texture and, aroma, whereas others try to offer the same experience as tobacco.
These kinds of fake dips, herbal dips, and tobacco alternatives can be with or without nicotine. Some claim to be healthier options, but if they contain nicotine they have the same risks of nicotine addiction as tobacco.
Why choose Black Buffalo?
Black Buffalo is a brand that sells tobacco alternatives from the third category – new innovations. They sell long cut and pouches in various flavors like straight, mint and wintergreen. However, like every tobacco alternative their long cuts and pouches don’t contain any tobacco leaves or stem. Instead, they contain edible green leaves, a simple list of food safe ingredients and pharmaceutical grade nicotine.
The strongest selling point of the Black Buffalo products is that they offer the same experience as traditional tobacco products. The company’s founders spent a long time searching for the best ingredients and perfecting the process. They researched the processes used in tobacco production in great detail and adapted them to their alternative ingredients. That’s why they can say that their tobacco alternatives offer the same texture, flavor, aroma, pack and nicotine that you are used to in traditional dipping tobacco.
With Black Buffalo, you don’t need to compromise. You will have the same experience as always, just without the tobacco. Alongside the healthy options and other traditional practices, these products are a great alternative to tobacco.
They sell their products exclusively online to tobacco users over the age of 21 in the US and Canada.