As others have commented, this snuff smells an awful lot like Wint-o-green life savers. For some that may be a bad thing, but personally I love it. It is moister than most scotches and is a dark brown colour. The moistness makes it very easy to inhale without hitting the throat, and it has a natural sweetness to it. I find it also helps to clear the nasal passages somewhat, without being overwhelming like some of the stronger menthol snuffs.
As a dip it is more user-friendly than a lot of the scotch snuffs because its moisture makes it more similar to dips like skoal and copenhagen. It also gives the mouth the burning sensation that one gets from Copenhagen (that led to the urban legend that it has glass particles or something in it to cut the lip). I'm not sure if that's from the nicotine content, but I sense that the nicotine content is fairly high.
Because it is not sold in the large tins I suspect Checkerberry is not a high seller for Swisher, which seems odd to me because it is similar to Skoal Wintergreen but probably a lot cheaper and just as user-friendly.
There's a reference to checkerberry snuff in Alice Walker's "Everyday Use", a story about an African-American mother's conflicted relationship with her two daughters:
"I looked at her hard. She had filled her bottom lip with checkerberry snuff and
it gave her face a kind of dopey hangdog look. It was Grandma Dee and Big Dee
who taught her how to quilt herself. She stood there with her scarred hands
hidden in the folds of her skirt."(413)
Checkerberry is one of the few snuffs that I don't have an intake preference for--I like it equally well in the nose or lip.
Comments
How to describe? Hmmm.. I have seen "Pepto Bismal"-ish descriptions - and I think that is fair . Which may be telling because that made me want to try it more - to me Pepto taste like my favorite child hood candy - Canada Mints - a chalky , oddly minty candy I would get at the Rite Aide in 2 for $1 bags.
I *think* it is probably faded from when fresh - the scent is more like a suggestion than anything pronounced - but I do like it. I think finding some fresh to seal up in vac bags might be a goal in the near future.