When I first started up with snuff a couple years ago I got a small tin of wilson’s IHT no.22 and sone F&T HDT. Both were fine ground golden blonde . I have recently renewed supplies of both and they are quite a bit darker. Fine snuffs, but not quite hitting the mark of their previous offerings. Has anyone else noticed, and what is the explanation?
Have you tried Irish D Light from Sam. Gawith? That is a blonde coloured tobacco and very moreish too once you get into it. It’s apparently the original HDT.
The Wilson’s IHT No 22 that I have is very pale, as is the Sam Gawith Irish D Light which I’m snuffing at the moment. However, I also have some of the Wilson’s No20, which is much darker and rather less toasty. Still not at all bad, but not a patch on the No 22 (IMO of course).
my iht 22 is light yellowish beige in color. and, of course, extremely delicious…
Like ermtony & betonente, My IHT No22 is also pale and yellow in colour.
I have a half pound cannister of IHT22, its pretty dark, certainly not the usual Irish Toast light colour. I can only assume that the tobacco used is variable depending on their supply. I’ve noticed small chahges with other snuff as well over the years. I suppose like all crops, tobacco can have good and bad years. This is one for Troutstroker I think
Then I am not alone in this perception. The current lot is just not as pretty. . The aroma is different, and not quite as fine as before. Still good snuff though…just not what I expected.
Aging darkens pipe tobaccos. It’s probably the same with snuff tobaccos.
Same as any tobacco - you don’t want it to dry out so I would say an airtight container kept in a cool place that has a steady temperature. I just snuff now but used to be a big pipe fan. I kept my tobacco in a sealed pottery jar with the tobacco in a sealed bag inside. All simple common sense stuff really
“how should pipe tobaccos be kept for ageing…any idea?” Some advocate vacuum sealed tins or jars but not a complete vacuum, i.e., only a partial vacuum which doesn’t remove all of the air from the container. Advocates would argue that the tobacco needs this minimal amount of air for anaerobic activity to take place. I just store my tobacco in canning jars with the lids simply hand tightened and they do quite well for everyday use. If I were going to store some long term for aging, I think would put it in canning jars and dip the lid ends in hot wax to seal the jars (whether to pack the tobacco tight or leave it loose and room in the jar is also a matter of conjecture). In fact I’ve got some stored like this but they’re buried away in storage now for a number of years so I can’t tell you how they fared. Take a look a alt.smokers.pipes (usenet) for extensive discussions and opinions on aging techniques.
probocis got it… I would ad that the so called anaerobic activity proceeds within an enclosed environment and that any exposure is said to stop the aging process. The aging can be restarted by resealing but frequent opening delays aging dramatically. Some tobaccos improve noticeably with aging such as the Virginia type. The aromatic types are not expected to improve with age though airtight storage is recommended. I would presume snuff tobacco is similar and that some of us who have small stashes of Spanish Jewel in separate untouched containers for aging will be pleasantly surprised. I think the Toque Natural will also age well. I understand that the effects of aging can be noticed in as little as three months so several smaller containers are recommended. That way you can enjoy some while the rest is left untouched to continue aging uninterrupted. Don’t forget to label the jars with the sealing dates. A steady temperature as Snufster said is also relatively important. I don’t recall the chances of mold being a problem so I guess it would be slight. I’m no expert here and have minimal experience but this is some of what I understand from my Internet surfing. Good luck to us!