Here’s a link to snuff recipes thread in Polish snuff forum:
http://www.top25snuff.com/forum/41-produkcja-tabaki/137-przepisy-tabaczne.html
Just one of the recipes, originally posted there by top25snuff.com member Calculator:
"The following recipe is a great instruction for producing Scotch snuff:
16 pounds of potassium carbonate,
5 pounds of ammonium chloride,
4 pounds of salt,
100 pounds of smalls and stalks
Dissolve the first three ingredients in approx. 20 pounds of warm water, then pour onto the stems (finely cut) and smalls. The whole mixture must stand for 10-14 days until it is warm enough. Before it is ground, set it aside to dry. If it is to be scented, the essence of bergamot or lemon or Tonka beans will give it the right aroma."
Rough expression in % (mass fractions of Scotch snuff components):
Tobacco 69 %
Water 14 %
Potash 11 %
Ammonium chloride (salmiak) 3 %
Salt 3 %
I actually gave it a whirl a couple of years ago:
From left to right: 1) crumbs of stems and smalls; 2) finished scotch; 3) same scotch, dried-out and milled to fine; 4) scotch brown, i. e., 2) with extra water (total moisture content about 30%).
So, same base with different moisture and grind and gives three different plain snuffs.
Warning: this “extra salty” recipe gives very strong, ammonia-rich snuff with a very invigorating burn. Turned to brown, it takes an extra week to round-up (three weeks, in total).