Camel Orbs, Camel Sticks, Camel Strips; Oh My!

I tested Camel Orbs several months ago. Awful, unless you like a touch of nicotine with your foul tasting breath mints. This week I was given samples of Camel Strips (your wallet) and Camel Sticks ( it to ya). Both of these cost $3.89 + tax each in my neck of the woods. Both are worth less. I tested these in front of witnesses at work. As guys, watching another guy say " Hold my beer and watch this..." is the height of great entertainment. So I was the crash test dummy this week. Last month I got a bunch of them to try Camel Orbs, so it was my turn.

Camel Sticks are basically round sticks of crushed pulverized tobacco, mixed with sweetener and flavor. You are supposed to put them in your mouth similar to a toothpick, or break off small chunks and use them as you would the Orbs.  They did get the flavor correct. If one likes Camel Mellow SNUS, Sticks have the same flavor. Sweet, a touch of spice, and a sickly honey aftertaste. I broke off about an inch of the first one I tried and stuck it in my mouth back over my molars. I spit it out after about 5 minutes. UUGGHH! Even Camel SNUS is better than this.The laughter of the witnesses was loud and long. I spit the piece into the trash and reached for and drained most of a cup of coffee trying to wash the taste out of my mouth. It almost worked.  I did go back later in the day and try a couple more times. Still not good. A full stick will last 20 minutes or so depending on how hard you work it. ( WOW! That sounds a bit wrong)  I believe these are to be used in places where you can't smoke and not be obvious that it's a tobacco product. FAIL! It looks like a long brown toothpick without the pointy ends, (or the good woody flavor). Not discreet at all, drunks in a darkened bar could tell it isn't a toothpick. Although it could be mistaken for a brown cocktail straw. Nicotine is minimal, just enough to get a smoker through the meeting and outside for a smoke.

Camel Strips are very like the dissolvable breath mints strips. Same idea, place it on your tongue and wait for it to dissolve, or as Camels advertising says you can put it between your cheek and gum like dip. So being the brave soul that I am I placed one on my tongue. It lasted about a minute and a half, turned kind of chalky and disappeared. The flavor was slightly minty, no tobacco flavor at all. Sweet, but no worse than most chewing gums. Then the fun began.

One of the gentlemen mentioned that my eyes were starting to dilate. No dude, I feel fine. C'mon I'm a chain snusser. Mixed with liberal doses of nasal snuff. I used to smoke 2 packs of cigs a day. I can handle my nicotine. A couple of minutes later I noticed. Whoa! That's wild.  I feel FIIIIINE! There is definitely nicotine in this one. It may just be that dissolving on one's tongue that gets it in your bloodstream faster, but Camel Strips hit hard. The last time I remember a head rush like that involved using NTSU snuff while having a Oden's Extra Sterk in my lip.

Camel Strips do deliver nicotine, with a very fast peak but unfortunately, like other fast peaks, it also ebbs quickly. This one could be used very discreetly, it doesn't scream tobacco product. Unless of course, the boss notices the label on the container.

The packaging is not obviously tobacco, no round dip can, no big square cigarette pack. They are small, easy to hide and unlike snus, cigarettes or dip there is nothing to dispose of, it dissolves. I can see the anti's screaming about how it's perfect for kids. I don't think a lot of children are going to use this product. Mainly since it is illegal in all 50 states to sell it to anyone under 18, but also there is no cool factor at all.

When I was younger someone showing up with this would have been laughed out of the city, or beaten up for being a moron. Of course this was in the old days, when carrying a Buck knife on our belts was normal, a can of dip in our pocket was almost mandatory (for the country boys),  a gun in the truck was a sign we were going hunting after school , and no one freaked out or screeched about "Zero Tolerance" and I can't remember a school shooting.

To sum up, Camel Sticks are really nothing more than Camel Orbs in a new shape. Camel Strips are a non- awful tasting effective nicotine delivery tool. If you can handle the taste for  a couple of minutes the payoff is there.

Similar to Camel SNUS and Orbs these new products are not meant to allow smoking cessation, they are merely a crutch to get a person through a business meeting or visit by the boss, buying enough time avoiding true nicotine withdrawal, to get to a smoke break.  All the talk and press coming out of the cigarette industry is about new non cigarette products, helping people to quit smoking. I see them as being a way to keep people smoking by not satisfying their need for nicotine. I also see them as a major profit center:  a Camel Strip only has 0.125 grams of tobacco.  I bet the packaging costs 2-3 times what the tobacco content does. If you find a sample pack try these, but please, don't waste actual money on them. Unless you want to see your buddies faces as they test them for you.

Mick Hellwig
WHAT I THINK at SnusCENTRAL.org

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