Review: Poeschl Kloster Andechs Spezial

This Poeschl snuff is a tricky one and I’m not sure how a review can do it justice. First of all: yes, it clogs up my nose because of the menthol. No, I don’t snuff it all the time, actually not very often. Why then do I sit here and say that this is my all time favourite snuff out of about 60 different ones I have tried over the years? The snuff comes in a 10g tap box like most Poeschls do. I like that. It’s reasonably moist, not too coarse or too fine, just right. I like that too. But then there is this flavour. The Poeschl website only tells us “the aroma of special herbs” but that is quite the understatement. So how do I describe this awesome aroma? The main thing is…it is light and fresh. I remember as a child I smelled my mother’s spice cupboard, filled with heavy scents of cinnamon, thyme, dill. This snuff is nothing like that. It is much more like the herbs and grasses that you might have been smelling, chewing or picking from the side of the road or meadows back in the day when it was not all littered. The tobacco base has been given room to develop as well, so if you put herbs (the medicinal kind, not the one for cooking and baking), light, moist tobacco, medium brown, together into one snuff, you might just get the perfect combination. For some people it might be a bit too low in nicotine but that isn’t an issue for me. There are two other players that Poeschl is selling in the same category. Those are the Radfords Premium and the Alpina. But while the Alpina is just a little too sweet for me and the Premium is heavier on the tobacco side and not on the flavour, the Andechs is getting the balance exactly right. This is a slightly frustrating review for me because that scent is so hard to describe. But since it is my favourite, I want to recommend it as strongly as I can.

I wish some companies offered a ‘menthol light’ version of their snuffs…

Agreed, a beautiful snuff.

@HR_pufnsnuff Me to, I don’t generally like menthols, as when I try them the menthol over powers any other scent that may have been there (such as my GW Whiskey where I get no whisk rearly)

Try it with a nice abbey beer and the synergy is awesome. This has to be my very favourite snuff, even though it can make my nose run a little. I’ve just tried the Alpina, and that is very tasty too, but the Andechs seems a little more wonderful. From what I have seen, the Andechs monastery has a brewery, and part of the scent of the snuff is yeasty. When I first sniffed it I thought of continental pastries, but I now see what the snuff is really about. Honestly, a nose of this and a strong abbey brew and I’m in heaven.

Has anyone tried this recently?

This stuff is one of the worst out there.

Honestly, I like nothing on this one. The aroma is just not my cup of tea. It was one of the first I tried when I started taking snuff. And almost there I realised, me and this one won

I like it very much Fresh and good herbs aroma

Sounds polarizing which is not necessarily a bad thing. @humppa do you like Rosinski snuffs? The herb aspect of this makes me think of the ones I have tried (and liked) by them.

@snuffandsympathy Well, generally spoken I like the Rosinskis. The aroma/scent used in there is much more natural appearing than on this Poschl. I dislike the composition of the Andechser Spezial.

With the Andechser I do not like its over mentholated.

The Andechser is just not my cup of tea.

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@humppa oh ok good to know, have problems with over mentholated snuffs stuffing me up so I guess I will pass…

Just got some of this and love it. I really appreciate the herbal character and compared to the Packard’s and SG Golden Glow I’ve been enjoying, this was nice and light on the menthol.

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@pantsBoots I think Andechs is one of the nicest Poschl snuffs. For me the menthol level is perfect. The grind and moisture level make it easy to use and the scent is excellent. There are other Poschl snuffs I prefer but Andechs is still very good.

@willc Any other Poschl with that herbal note that makes Andechs so special?

@pantsBoots Alpina is somewhat similar but sweeter. Also if you like Andechs you should try the Radford in the tap box. The round tin Radford I found to be different more like O&G or Hedges but the box one is of the same category as Alpina or Andechs. I am not sure exactly what herbs Poschl has going on in Andechs but the whole recipe does work very well all together.

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@willc I know the Andechs has herbs from the Kloster Andechs gardens - must be the same magic that blesses their beer. Wish the beer was easier to find locally, but all the local money likes hipster microbrews in gaudy cans.

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One of the best German snuffs! I only order it once every few years but I still love it.

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