What is your favorite rappee snuff ?

@Roderick there’s a recipe in my next post. Double dare you.

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@sammyd13 here is an image exerpt from 1899 describing a rappee as well. Capture+_2019-07-08-18-34-25

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@rostanf thank you for the article, and also for clearing up the pronunciation. I was saying something different in my head and just really never got into that :smiley:

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@rostanf, thanks for the excerpt, very interesting genuine formula with calamus root an bay leaves there! 

As someone noticed it before, it seems that SWS Roslein was inspired by Violet Strasburg. So, one more rappee :slight_smile:

Ah, by the way, Hollandse Bolongaro was categorised as rappee in one old encyclopedia, too. My fave! I’m slowly gathering all the necessary ingredients for a repro run.

HB and French rappees were not black and did not contain fire cured tobaccos. Judging from the amounts of sodium carbonate in French rappees’ recipes (app. 7%, if I remember it right), French rappees were very strong snuffs (sauced with Burgundy and Medoc). Those recipes are very basic and could be reproduced easily. Sourcing proper leaves for authentic tobacco bill could be a pain, though…

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@ar47 you’re welcome. I tried to spell it with the punctuation over the e and lost half my comment earlier.

@rostanf excellent citation! Very informative.

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Wow what an article @rostanf, Off the top of my head, i believe syrup of the red poppy is OPIUM…

and the aromatic sulphuric acid …WHAT ?

those guys were getting a proper hit from their rappee… i think you said its pronounced like toupee

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@eblip thank you. Yes poppy syrup has opium in it but it was somewhat of a decoction. Here’s a recipe from Moxon 1764 decribing its preperation “Take two pounds of poppy flowers, two ounces of raisins, shred them, and to every pound of poppies put a quart of boiling water, half an ounce of sliced liquorice, and a quarter of an ounce of anniseeds; let these stand twelve hours to infuse, then strain off the liquor, and put it upon the same quantity of poppies, raisins, liquorice, and anniseeds as before, and let this stand twelve hours to infuse, which must be in a pitcher, set within a pot or pan of hot water; then strain it, and take the weight in sugar, and boil it to a syrrup: when it is cold, bottle it.” As the active componds in poppies are easily lost through heat it is the second soaking that would instill the “medicinal” effects. Here is a link that has an audio clip of the pronunciation of rape. Cheers. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/râpé#French

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@eblip a little further investigation revealed this concerning syrup of red poppy. It is made from papaver rhoeas, a much safer brother to the opium poppy. Botanical name: Papaver rhoeas Related entry: Rhoeados Petala.?Red-Poppy Petals Preparation.?“Take of fresh red poppy petals, 13 ounces (av.); refined sugar, 2 ? pounds (av.); distilled water, 1 pint (Imp.), or a sufficiency; rectified spirit, 2 ? fluid ounces. Add the petals gradually to the water heated in a water-bath, stirring frequently, and afterward, the vessel being removed, infuse for 12 hours. Then press out the liquor, strain, add the sugar, and dissolve by means of heat. When nearly cold add the spirit, and as much distilled water as may be necessary to make up for loss in the process, so that the product shall weigh 3 pounds 10 ounces (av.). Its specific gravity should be about 1.330”?(Br. Pharm., 1885). The directions in the British Pharmacopoeia (1898) practically agree with these. This syrup is prone to ferment, but this is retarded by the addition of the alcohol. It has a handsome red color. Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage.?The proportion of opium present in this syrup is very uncertain, consequently but little reliance is placed upon it as an opiate. It is chiefly used as a coloring agent for mixtures. The dose is about 1 fluid drachm

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@rostanf what are your sources? These snippets are quite intriguing.

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@sammyd13 The Pharmaceutical Era https://books.google.com/books?id=dcvmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA312&dq=rappee&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS54Xsr6bjAhVxds0KHRWrAXI4ChDoATADegQIBxAB#v=onepage&q=rappee&f=true Foods Of England http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/syrupofpoppies.htm Syrup of red poppy. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/usdisp/papaver-rhoe\_syru.html

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@rostanf thanks! You’re a Snuffhouse Archivist Emeritus! 

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Black rappee (a corruption of the French word râpé, for grated) is made by crushing dark tobacco in a strong brine or Bay Salt liquor. It is then left to ferment, the parcel being turned once a week for at least two months or more in cool rooms after being compressed into batches of several hundredweights each. Thereafter it is pulverised and remoistened with brine. Traditionally it is gros (coarse) and moist. The method of production in the UK is known as the Paris Method because of its one-time associations with France. That’s how Samuel Gawith made it. The history of the company and their snuff was written by J.W Dunderlade.

Though made by a different manufacturer the Viking Dark Rappee is recognizable in taste as Samuel Gawith’s Black Rappee. The latter was the genuine article but Dark Rappee comes close. Both are/were unscented single base tobacco snuffs but the biggest difference is in the grind. Dark Rappee is less coarse and more evenly ground whereas Black Rappee contained ‘shotgun pellets’ and was very uneven in texture. Consequently, Viking Dark Rappee is easier to take.

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Viking Dark Rappee and SWS Aged Border Rappee are the favorites I’ve had so far. Never got to try Viking before the Wilson’s era and Viking Dark Rappee has been discontinued, so I was gonna nab Silky Dark next order and give it a go. The Viking Dark Rappee has a hellacious burn and a crazy good nic hit, good thing I like it I got a whole tub (only reason being is because I hate WoS tins)

Why oh why won’t Wilson’s switch to the vaccuum sealed tins or screw tops? Baffles me. Maybe they’ve ordered more than they can use, but I was heartbroken when the Brunswick Black Rappee I had I suddenly noticed was completely bone dry after not even using half of it. Honestly those tins scare me off buying Wilson’s stuff unless in the bulk plastic! And why the hell have they discontinued the Classic F+T tins? I heard they did, wasn’t 100% sure but I talked to @volunge and he said they were. They keep snuff fresh for months, even years because they’re packed vertically. I always pack down moister snuffs so they keep better and try not to let the snuff get unpacked. It’s a sick obsession keeping snuff fresh, I tell ya whut (Hank Hill voice)

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Great to hear it’s similar, and excellent information.

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In the good old days when traditional tobacconists were readily available some snuffs were pre-packaged but the majority came in tall canisters displayed in rows behind the counter. Smaller tobacconists might have a selection from just one manufacturer but larger outlets offered a massive choice. An amount would be ladled out and weighed (always erring on the generous side) and tipped into waxed paper packets or your tin or snuffbox.

For anyone with a knowledge of maxima and minima values used in differential calculus, the manufacture of tins are usually designed to hold a specific volume using the minimum surface area of tin to cut costs. Tall canisters (tins) for snuff eschewed that principle in favour of minimizing contact with air – hence the vertical packing in tall tins. Pre-packed small tins by Fribourg & Treyer and Tranter’s used the same tall-tin principle.

Some time ago Samuel Gawith made the grievous error of using the same plastic tap-boxes used in Germany without considering that German snuff contained paraffin. The result was a disaster despite Bob Gregory defending the decision. I was gifted some of these one year and the contents were bone-dry and discarded. The introduction of the vacuum-sealed tin was a welcome innovation.

I’ve noticed that Mr. Snuff appears frequently on this forum. I’ve never used Mr. Snuff but browsing his site I can see a truly vast range of snuff from all over the world. How long has the merchandise been sitting in storerooms is anyone’s guess but degradation over time is inevitable – especially with vulnerable water-based English snuff in little tins. The moist snuffs are especially vulnerable, High Dried much less so. Having vacuum-sealed tins (and I’m guessing that most snuffers, especially tyros, buy tins) would negate that issue allowing people in Europe, the USA and elsewhere to enjoy the same fresh quality of English snuff that UK residents take for granted. I’ve been gifted or bought a number of these tins, breaking the seal with a spanner, and the contents have always been perfect.

Living in the UK it is easy for me to order direct from Sharrow and I’ve never had a problem with freshness – especially as I generally buy 1.1lb canisters which at some point I decant into old Fribourg & Treyer tins. Postage is free and I never wait more than 48 hours for delivery.

By the way, if you haven’t already done so then have a look at the topic titled Old Recipes. I’ve included photographs of some Regency period recipes for rappee snuffs such as B.C (Best Common) Black Rappee and P.G Coarse. The common factors, apart from the coarse grind and specified tobaccos, are longer fermentation times than is the case with Scotch (twelve weeks as opposed to eight weeks) and the all-important re-liquoring in a salt solution prior to grinding under stones and sieving. The notes state that ‘flake & grain being of great object’ suggest the uneven texture that one found in Samuel Gawith’s Black Rappee and London Brown which is missing in The Viking Dark Rappee, here milled to a smoother consistency.

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I’ve given that topic a run thru but will give it a re-scan now. I basically solely order from Mr Snuff now as the only snuffs I can find here in the USA are obviously Scotches. I will give Mr Snuff a lot of credit: every snuff I’ve gotten from them has been fresh, so kudos to them. :grinning:

Yeah I got a Gawith tap tin, was very dried out (KB Original) I plan to order that one soon in the vac tin. I dunno why Mr. Gregory would defending that, they really are awful unless the snuffs are oiled as you said.

My main thing is keeping Wilson’s good after opening, which is a nightmare unless you’ve got containers. Fortunately today I have a bunch of 1oz screw top tins coming in the mail, so at least there’s that. By the way, how do you clean your used F+T tins for reuse?

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Very pleased to hear that Mr. Snuff provides good quality snuff for you. I’d hate to think that overseas pals were obtaining second best from any country of origin - especially England.

Regarding Tall Tins: If necessary, I just use a paper towel to dust the inside and screw top as I don’t use medicated snuff. I daresay glass containers, if packed and sealed work well enough. G. Smith & Sons offered a popular series called Cardinal which when pre-packed came in little glass bottles – probably very similar to those you have ordered - which were tightly sealed. The close-fitting lid was plastic and had a ring-pull which, without pliers, was a job to pull round and out so you could open the flip-lid. Anyone old enough will recognize the name ‘Golden Cardinal’, manufactured from American and Oriental leaves and very popular. See advert.

Another reason why I prefer canisters – other than the economy – is that a large amount of snuff keeps better for longer than a small amount. For the same reason I prefer a large snuffbox. When a canister gets low enough (say ¼ lb) I decant to F&T tins, partly as a reminder that stock is getting low, partly from habit and partly so that I have a small selection of different snuffs available in tins.


Previously I mentioned that Gold Label is unique to Sharrow but my memory is faulty as I still have in my loft an ancient tall tin of Tranter’s ‘Vintage Gold Label’ containing what is now just musty dust after fifty years or so - proof that the tall tin is not infallible. (Tranter’s bought Sharrow’s snuff and sold it on in the tall tin at an inflated price).

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Smith’s bottles:


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That’s a nice example with a clear label although the fiddly ring-pull below the lid has gone.

Town Clerk - A subtle blend of floral and aromatic oils.

Unfortunately, I no longer have any examples myself but I still have my tatty copy of the booklet which provides a short description of each snuff and may be of interest to collectors.

G. Smith’s & Sons had a rather stunted Highlander effigy (I wonder where it is) quite unlike the large effigy possessed by Westbrook Mill in Sheffield.


Regrettably, I haven’t dated my books and pamphlets all of which date (with the exception of the book ‘Kendal Brown’) from before my snuff hiatus. This booklet likely dates from anywhere between 1969 and 1979 as the London number is direct. The snuff-man at Smith’s, Vivian Rose, was a founder member of The Society of Snuff Grinders, Blenders and Purveyors and he appears in a number of films, some of which you can see via the internet.

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