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In this article we'll answer questions regarding how you can use our empty dip pouches and fillable dipping pouches to create your own, unique dipping experience.

Here is one of our empty pouches as it comes, ready to be filled and sealed.

One end of the pouch is open, roll it between your fingers so the pouch opens wide

Drop your favorite herbal mixture into the open end of the pouch. You can also use tobacco as well as snus to fill your empty dip pouch. Our empty pouches work great for snus!

Once filled, simply seal the open end of the pouch using a safe, in home heat source such as an iron or a hair iron. The pouches will seal within 5 seconds. Here we are sealing the filled pouch with a hair iron. Note that the entire pouch is made from sealable paper, so the area containing your mixture can be as large or as small as you like!

Now that your pouch is sealed, simply cut off excess paper.

And now your filled, sealed, and trimmed pouch is finished and is ready to enjoy!

We like to fill our pouches with herbs such as peppermint and add some stevia as well to provide sweetness.

If using cannabis or hemp as an ingredient in your custom made dip pouches you should consider decarboxylating the plant material so that any THC present can provide additional medicating effects you may desire. See our article on decarboxylation for details!

You may also achieve the medicating affects you desire by simply dropping your favorite tincture onto your pouch once it's sealed.

See our article on the history of smokeless tobacco.

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!

Hops are a diverse and useful botanical extract, and the oils from hops have been used by humans for centuries to serve a variety of medical purposes before they were introduced into beer in the 9th century.

In addition to being a source of pain relief for headaches and other issues, improving the appearance of hair and skin, and serving as an aid to reduce anxiety, buying hop oil s popular among craft beer enthusiasts and homebrewers alike.

Humans have been extracting essential oils from plants for centuries, but only with modern technology are we finally beginning to hone the distillation process into one which is fast, effective, and which produces the highest-quality essential oils.

Until recently, the most popular method of extraction was steam extraction, which involved using carefully temperature-controlled steam to capture the essential oils. Now, a new and more modern technique, CO2 extraction, has begun to replace it as a newer and more modern extraction method.

What Is CO2 Extraction?

Traditionally, essential oils have been extracted by using steam, hydro distillation, or techniques which involve chemical solvents such as ethanol, hexane, or heptane. However, in instances where preserving the natural aromatic quality of the plant is a top priority, many distilleries are turning to a more modern technique: CO2 extraction.

The Top 4 Benefits of Orange Oil

Orange oil is an essential oil derived from the rind of the orange fruit.

Compared to most essential oils, orange oil is extracted as one of the by-products of making orange juice, which results in a cold-pressed oil that is pre-distilled and ready for you to use.

In addition to being a terrific additive to any homebrew beer or recipe, orange oil also has a variety of positive uses.

Keep reading to learn more about this fascinating essential oil:

This is a great recipe to use hop oils with an extra bonus cocktail recipe at the end. The Ginger Beer recipe is a hopped up variation of a recipe I found in the book "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers" by Stephen Buhner. An excellent book and well worth the read if you are even slightly interested in beer. 

It is a very basic and easy to brew recipe. The result is a crisp, dry, and slightly alcoholic beverage with a nice hint of ginger up front and light lingering flavor of cider and ginger. Very nice and I liked the amount of ginger. Though some prefer a more pronounced ginger presence and maybe some bite. The recipe is a good skeleton to hang whatever additional flavors you may like on.  

Originally the recipe does not call for steeping grains or hops extract, those were my additions. Having brewed the original version a few times, I wanted to try to add a more beer like taste and mouth feel.  Here is what I came up with. I happen to be sipping one right now and it is quite tasty.

• Steep 150g of 20L Crystal malt in 1.5 quarts of spring water at 150-155F for 30 minutes
• Strain
• To your strained liquid add 
• 1.5 ounces of fresh ginger root, crushed
• 12 ounces Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar
• Add enough water to bring volume to 1 gallon
• Be certain all sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil.
• Boil for 10 minutes
• Turn off the flame and add 1ml of Citra varietal hops extract and stir to incorporate
• Cool to 80F 
• Strain and pour into gallon fermentation vessel
• Add yeast and airlock

Ferment at temps between 75 and 80F for 7 to 10 days and bottle. 

For bottling, a simple syrup of 2/3 cup cane sugar was boiled in 1 cup spring water for 10 minutes. Bottle condition for 7 to 10 days. Refrigerate and enjoy at your leisure. 

The resulting beverage is lightly carbonated, golden in color and very tasty. A slight head forms and dissipates quickly. This isn't too gingery a ginger beer either, but there's just enough ginger to know it's there. There's an excellent balance provided by the hops that brings a good hoppy nose with a little grapefruit flavor after the sweet ginger. All that with a back drop of a slightly cidery, dry malt beer flavor making for a crisp and refreshing, easy drinker. This is an instant favorite. 

If you're looking to take it to the next level, then look no further than a Dark and Stormy. Pour your ginger beer over ice with a squeez of lime and shot of rum.