I’m still new to the snuff world and was wondering about drip. I tend to take snuff with a dull end of a blade and get an ever so slight drip down the back of the throat. Snuffs that are natural tobacco sit really nicely on the back of the throat, but more floral snuffs turn me off because of this. Am I taking snuff to hard? When I go light I don’t really get much out of it. I’m not snorting the snuff. I was just wondering how drip into the back of throat relates to technique? Does it represent incorrect technique or is it part of the experience? Thanks.
The only way not to get drip is to blow it all out before it has a chance to work its way down there. Snuff will eventually work its way down your throat into your stomach, it’s what the human body does.
It’s probably getting too far back, it’s hard to snuff off a surface much easier to use a pinch, especially if you’re using something fine and dry. At the same time I think a certain amount always drips down but I don’t really notice it and most of it comes out the front when I blow my nose.
There is a wonderfully insightful and informative post (with link to video) that discusses how to place a pinch in the nose. Not sniff but place. Essentially the user takes a pinch and presses it into the front end of the nose without sniffing. I would imagine this would cut down significantly on drip as it is so far forward.
The only way not to get drip is to blow it all out before it has a chance to work its way down there. Snuff will eventually work its way down your throat into your stomach, it’s what the human body does.
I’m not sure if I agree with this. Perhaps peoples’ noses work differently but I rarely get any noticeable drip. Some snuffs do it for me though. Like the SG KB Special I’m having right now. The most of the time and with most of the snuffs I don’t feel I swallow any of it. I wrote noticeable because I can’t possibly know if all the snuff comes out when I blow my nose or if some gets swallowed. My definition of The Drip is when there’s the swallowing reflex and I feel and sometimes even taste the snuff in my throat.
^ There is a layer of mucous that protects your stomach walls from getting eaten away by your gastric juices but this layer of mucous itself is constantly being eaten away by your gastric juices so it must be constantly replenished and your body accomplishes this by sending a constant stream of mucous from your nose down your throat into your stomach, this is also how your body keeps your nasal passages clean by sending all the junk your mucous catches down your throat into your stomach to get processed by your gastric juices so although you may not notice most of the snuff you take is actually going down your throat into your stomach. For most seasoned snuffers the “drip” is only noticeable with certain snuffs particularly the coarser ones.
The layer of mucus in the stomach is produced by Foveolar cells in the stomach itself, these are what protect the lining of the stomach from its own acid. The cells that produce the mucus in your bronchial system are the Goblet cells which are different, but basically do the same thing. The roll of the Goblet cell is to produce the mucus that traps any particals that you breathe in (dust, pollen, snuff). You then either swallow this or blow it out of your nose. The drip that you get from snuff is the mucus from the Goblet cells that has trapped the snuff but is too far back for you to blow out, so it goes to the stomach to be destroyed. You can taste it if it is in concentration (if you have snuffed a lot of a pinch too far back into your cinuses and it stays together) or if the snuff is stong enough in ‘taste’ that the throat can detect it in smaller quantities. I think that makes sense, Im no expert but I hope I explained that well!
I don’t get any drip with finer snuffs, it’s only been happening with coarser snuffs. The information you have shared is very helpful. I like the drip. I was simply wondering if it was common and it sounds like it is at times with certain types of snuff. Good to know. Thanks again for the knowledge.