A Beginner's Guide to Snuff

What is snuff?

Snuff is finely ground tobacco taken through the nose. No smoke, no vapour, no combustion. Just a small pinch lifted to the nostrils, where the aromas and the tobacco character do their work at the front of the nose and never reach the throat or the lungs. In the UK and across the wider snuff-taking world the word "snuff" almost always means this nasal form. The dipping or oral tobaccos sold as "snuff" in some American supermarkets are a separate tradition.

The leaf is dried, sometimes fermented, milled to a powder of varying fineness, scented if the blend calls for it, and packed into small tins. A tin lasts most snuffers weeks or months. Each pinch lays a quiet film of scent and tobacco character at the front of the nose, there to be examined slowly rather than consumed.

A short history

Snuff began with the indigenous peoples of the Americas, who used pulverised tobacco in religious and social contexts long before European arrival. Spanish travellers carried the habit home in the sixteenth century, and from Spain it moved through the courts of Portugal, France, and on to England. By the eighteenth century snuff-taking had become a defining habit of the educated and well-to-do across Europe, accompanied by elaborate snuff boxes, dedicated rooms, and a busy trade in flavoured blends.

Britain became one of the great centres of the craft. Kendal in the English Lake District has produced snuff for over two centuries, and houses such as Samuel Gawith and Gawith Hoggarth still operate there. London houses including Fribourg & Treyer and Wilsons of Sharrow built reputations the modern blends still trade on. Legislation passed in the nineteenth century to prevent the adulteration of snuff helped cement a tradition of pure-tobacco craft that survives today.

The main styles

Snuff is not one product but a family of related ones. The categories below are the most useful map for the newcomer.

Plain snuffs are unscented and rely on the blender's tobacco selection for character. Samuel Gawith Kendal Brown Plain and Wilsons of Sharrow Best Dark sit in this group. The name understates them: plain blends often carry the deepest tobacco complexity.

Toasts are dry, fine, and built around tobacco that has been heat-treated to bring out nutty, sometimes faintly smoky notes. Fribourg & Treyer High Dry Toast and Wilsons of Sharrow Irish No. 22 are reference examples. They reward patience, since fine dry snuffs ask more of the snuffer's technique than moister blends, but the flavour profile is one most newcomers come to in time.

SPs take their name from "Spanish", a nod to snuff's route into Europe. The category is defined by bergamot and other citrus oils, sometimes with floral or herbal accents above the tobacco base. Wilsons of Sharrow Best SP and Gawith Hoggarth S.P. are classic examples and have become many snuffers' everyday choice.

Floral snuffs lean on perfume traditions inherited from France: geranium, lavender, rose, jasmine, violet. Fribourg & Treyer Old Paris sits squarely in this style and is often the gentlest introduction for someone unfamiliar with tobacco aromas.

Schmalzlers are a distinctively German style: dark, coarse, moist, fermented snuffs traditionally bound with fat (modern recipes use vegetable oil) and scented with deeply fermented forest fruits. The Bernard range, including Aecht Altbayrischer Schmalzler, Schmalzler weiss-blau, and Original Schmalzlerfranzl, is the easiest place to meet the style.

Modern flavoured snuffs sit alongside the traditional categories. Cherry, cola, whisky, cinnamon, menthol, chocolate, and a long list of others are produced by Wilsons of Sharrow, McChrystal's, and Bernard. These ranges have brought many newcomers into the habit by way of a familiar scent before the tobacco character takes over.

How to take a pinch

The mechanical task is simple: deliver a small quantity of snuff to the front of the nostrils, where the aromas and the nicotine release without anything reaching the throat.

The pinch. A small pinch is taken between thumb and forefinger and rubbed lightly. It is brought to one nostril and gently inhaled through the nose, no harder than smelling a flower. The other nostril follows. With practice the traditional sequence is left first then right, with the right hand pinching; reversed for left-handers.

The back of the hand. A small pile is placed in the hollow between thumb and forefinger on the back of the non-dominant hand. The hand is brought up to the nose and the pile sniffed gently from there. This method gives more control over the quantity than the bare-fingered pinch and is widely used with coarser, moister snuffs.

The bunny sniff. For fine dry snuffs in particular, some snuffers wrinkle the nose during a series of short, sharp sniffs. The wrinkle partially closes the back of the nasal passages and keeps the snuff at the front of the nose where it belongs. The head tilts slightly back; small sniffs roll the snuff up rather than drawing it deep.

Three habits to avoid: inhaling sharply (snuff is not meant to reach the lungs), packing the nostrils with more than they need, and stooping over the tin during the pinch. A stray sneeze halfway through a pinch sends the contents across the room.

What it feels like

The first sensation is the scent. A pinch of Wilsons of Sharrow Best SP blooms with bergamot and a tobacco base within a second or two. A Schmalzler comes through as fermented fruit and dark leaf. The tobacco character builds underneath the scenting and settles over a minute or so.

The nicotine release is gradual rather than immediate. Most snuffers describe a calm, alert focus rather than anything sharp. Strength varies considerably between blends. Some plain English snuffs are mild; toasts and the stronger rappees can be pronounced. A snuffer new to the habit is best served by starting at the milder end of the range and learning the technique on something forgiving.

Sneezing is common in the first few days. Most snuffers find the frequency drops sharply within the first week as the nose adjusts. A pocket handkerchief, traditionally in a darker shade to mask staining, has been part of the kit since the beginning.

Where to start

Three rules of thumb make the early weeks easier.

Medium grind, medium moisture. Very fine snuffs are harder to keep at the front of the nose; very coarse, oily snuffs can be messy. Something in the middle is the most forgiving while the pinch is being learned.

Light scenting, not aggressive scenting. A subtle SP or a gentle fruit blend gives the nose room to read both the scent and the tobacco beneath. A heavy menthol or a strong herbal can be too much at once.

Sample small before committing. A short list of three or four tins teaches a snuffer their own preferences far faster than a single large purchase. Tobacco character, scent style, and moisture level all matter, and personal taste varies more than most newcomers expect.

A serviceable starter selection from the catalogue: McChrystal's Original & Genuine (a long-established mild blend), Viking Brown (medium grind, plain, easy to take), Wilsons of Sharrow Best SP (a classic Spanish-style SP), and Samuel Gawith Kendal Brown Plain (the heritage Kendal plain). For someone who would rather skip the choosing, the Snuff Starter Kit gathers several styles into a single purchase.

Looking after your snuff

A tin of snuff in good condition keeps for years. Three points cover most situations.

Keep it airtight. Tobacco loses scent and moisture through any open lid. A tin that has been left open overnight has not been ruined, but a tin left open for a week may need rehydrating.

Cool and dark. A drawer or cupboard at room temperature is fine. Direct sunlight and warm radiators dry snuff out faster than anything else.

Rehydration is simple. A tin that has dried out can be revived by placing it, open, inside a sealed container alongside a damp piece of kitchen paper for a few hours. The snuff absorbs moisture without coming into contact with the paper. Most fine dry snuffs are intended to be dry and should be left alone; coarse and moist blends respond well to this method.

A humidor of the kind used for cigars is not necessary, and over-humidified snuff can develop mould. An airtight tin at room temperature does the work.

A note on etiquette

Modern snuff-taking has no formal rulebook, but a few habits remain courteous: take a pinch slightly away from food and drink, avoid offering a tin to anyone who has not already shown interest, and keep a handkerchief to hand. The tradition here is light rather than fussy.

Going further

A beginner's guide is the doorway, not the room. The categories above open out into hundreds of blends and dozens of producers, each with a distinct character. The Mr Snuff catalogue carries the full range, from the heritage English makers to the German Bavarian houses, with samplers available for anyone who would like to try several styles in a single order.