Snuff making 101

Looks good !

Jaap Bes.

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I grow a Hopi Indian rustica in the summer months. The leaves are rather small, but if I age them for a year or 2, I can make a pretty decent snuff by grinding and adding some sodium carbonate mixed with distilled water and salt. Not nearly as good as the Dutch windmill snuffs of course, but it’s nice to have something I made myself.

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This is fantastic. You’ve become a scientist @volunge ! :slight_smile: Talk soon brother

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I will attempt to make my own natural flavored snuff this weekend or next. Both are samples I just ordered:

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Nicotiana Rustica (Wild Tobacco) 

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Fronto Dark Air Cured (ALO) (Kentucky and Tennessee region)

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@Volunge. Thank You. I just made a batch(above recipe), of a Nicotainia Rustica and mixed leaf batch. Coarse and a little moist. Accidentally spilled a local India Pale Ale in it, when can exploded. 

 The batch is drying now. I tried as a dip and was satisfied. I don’t usually dip. I did add 2 drops of cherry flavoring, and 3 drops of Orange to the water.

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Non-alkalized (left) vs alkalized (right):

DSC06711

Same tobacco, same moisture (20%). Both plain (unscented).

Left: non-alkalized, lightly salted (1% sodium chloride) snuff. No changes of colour and aroma in the course of one week. Low nicotine, very slow release, mild burn, no ammonia, moderate drip.

Right: snuff instantaneously turned darker after the addition of sodium carbonate (10% of total weight, dissolved in water). Noticeable emission of ammonia at room temperature in the course of the first hour, pronounced ammonia next day and later on. High nicotine, fast release, sharp burn, strong forward drip. Smell is mildly sourish, similar to rye bread.

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A very simple way to scent small amounts of any coarse and moist snuff (10-15 g):

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Open a tea bag, replace the tea with a  g e n e r o u s  amount of natural scenting medium of your choice (ground coffee, spices, dried and crushed herbs, fruits or mushrooms), fold or stapple to close shut, put into the large tin or snus can with snuff, cover the lid and leave for some hours or overnight. Give occasional shake. Use large snuff tin or snus can.

Freshly ground coffee and caraway seeds worked like a charm with my homemade, Taxi Red and NTSU.

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OK, I’ve got a mortar and pestle, and have just ordered a pound of non-steamed whole leaf Rustica (and some seeds).I get the basic recipe. My eventual goal is to mimic my favorite snuffs as closely as possible. So, NB Madras I think might not be bad. Next two are White Elephant and L260. If I could get close to those, I’ll be all set. Suggestions? How about a good resource for growing? I’m in Maine, so a short growing season. 

Thanks!

Michael

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@mecompco it’s always great to see a snuffer starting the craft! Perhaps we’ll be sampling your creations some day? 

I’d suggest reading up on the gardening threads and posting there. You’ll probably see posts from other members who are experienced tobacco gardeners who could provide specific advice, too. Just a couple of them:

https://snuffhouse.com/discussion/10192/the-gardening-thread

http://snuffhouse.com/discussion/7860/growing-my-own-tobacco

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@mecompco … for growing, curing and fermentation questions there is no better source than the Fair Trade Tobacco Forum.  It’s the forum for wholeleaftobacco.com who I also strongly support for the best whole leaf out there, IMHO.

If you’re going to want to use menthol (L260), this is what I use and it’s great:

https://www.amazon.com/MENTHOL-CRYSTALS-Mentha-Arvensis-Grade/dp/B01N3095WW/ref=asc_df_B01N3095WW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343269559135&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10400314231293823040&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030289&hvtargid=pla-786183415644&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=72736834687&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=343269559135&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10400314231293823040&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030289&hvtargid=pla-786183415644

Lastly, the M&P is great for finishing small quantities but a food processor and coffee grinder make quicker work of it for me.  

Welcome aboard and happy snuffing!  :slight_smile:

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@Cobguy I actually ordered a pound of Rustica leaf from wholeleaftobacco.com as well as some Rustica seeds today. I didn’t notice their forum, will check it out. I’ve now got your recommended menthol in my Amazon cart. I’m thinking a ball mill–the M&P is already getting old. I probably go through a kilo of snuff a year, so will need to think about production. Of course, next will be making my own snus at some point. Projects never end.

Thanks for the advice!

Michael

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That’s how they grind it in Kashubia (Poland/Eastern Pomerania):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H48q6FWQuA

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Same size in Bavaria:

schmalzlerfest-top

I wish my tools were that big!

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My pleasure, @mecompco.  Have fun!  :slight_smile:

@volunge, great video and I love those old horn snuff containers.  Very cool!

~Darin

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Just found this book: THE COMPLETE TECHNOLOGY HAND BOOK OF TOBACCO, ZARDA, KIMAM, GUTKA, PAN MASALA, MOUTH FRESHNER, SUPARI, KHAINI, NICOTINE, CIGARETTE, CIGAR, BEEDI, SAUNF, KATHA/SNUFF, HOOKAH, AND PAN CHATNI WITH MANUFACTURING PROCESSES AND FORMULATIONS (Engineers India Research Institute (2017)

https://www.amazon.in/TECHNOLOGY-CIGARETTE-MANUFACTURING-PROCESSES-FORMULATIONS/dp/9380772947

It would be interesting to browse through.

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Wow!  That looks like one interesting read!!  :slight_smile:

Possible download here: https://www.scribd.com/document/387655339/Complete-Hand-Book-on-Tobacco

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My latest 11 g micro batch of Orient Samsoun coarse:

20191130_230226

Ingredients: tobacco 7.5 g, water 3 ml, sodium carbonate 0.4 g, ammonium chloride (salmiak) 0.1 g.

Process:

  1. Aqueous sodium carbonate solution (2 ml water and 0.4 g sodium carbonate) worked into the tobacco flour, left overnight.

  2. Aqueous ammonium chloride solution (0.1 g of salmiak per 1 ml of water) worked into the snuff, left to rest for a couple of hours.

  3. Final sieving on the third day.

Love this recipe, will make more! So glad I purchased some salmiak this summer, it really adds to the nose burn, ammonia content and rounds up the back drip. I’ll replace sodium carbonate with potash next time to explore the difference.

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Looks great!  :slight_smile:

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@Cobguy, thanks! Making another batch :slight_smile:

Just found this mass fraction calculator: https://www.fxsolver.com/browse/formulas/Mass+fraction (really handy for quick calculation of ingredient percentage by mass; apparently doesn’t work with decimal fractions, though).

Mass fraction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_fraction_(chemistry)<!–[if gte mso 10]>

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@volunge if you were in the US, your PM inbox might have as many messages from me as @Cobguy 's B-)

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