St.James Parish Blend. A strong, dry, finely milled snuff made by blending three types of Virginia leaf and a little Punjabi Rustica with unique and rare Perique tobacco. Named after the small area of land near New Orleans where it is exclusively grown, St.James Parish Blend is a pungent, fruity, high nicotine snuff.

I just put in an order for a 50 gram tin. I used to love Perique in pipe tobacco, one of my favourite blends was a Cornell and Diehl blend called Bayou Night. I’ve been looking forward to this one, ever since Johnny mentioned a Perique snuff in the pipeline.

By the way, @Johnny, when you talk about “fruity”, I take it you mean the natural fruitiness of the Perique tobacco? When I smoked Bayou Night, it always reminded me of those salted, intensely flavoured Chinese plums.

Hooray! I ordered a 50g and a 15g tin. Been looking forward to it, too.

Ditto - Hopefully winging it’s way to me shortly; how exciting!

@Johnny‌ Sounds pretty good to me. My Cajun half is drooling in anticipation. My Lebanese half is taking a nap. Congratulations on another certain Masterpiece.

Ordered a 15g tin to give it a try. I’ll be sure to review it. Perique/Virginia mixtures with that slightly sweet and sour flavour was one of my favourites in my pipe smoking days, particularly the Marlin Flake.

@Kiwi78‌ Marlin is my favorite of the Rattray line. I gave the last of my vintage (made in Perth) MF to my son. Damn I miss the old stuff. I still smoke the current version that’s been aging for ten years or so. It just keeps getting better.

they are just some poncy words to help describe the aroma of the snuff.

As someone once said I’ll trust you though @lunecat Nice review, looking forwards to my tin arriving tomorrow [hopefully]. Sounds delightful!

…wiping drool from my keyboard. And some tears, crying over snuff I don’t have. Yet.

Is this a small run like Havana toast was, or can I wait to order

Hmmm…. My choice of poncy words for this blend do coincide somewhat with @lunecat ‘s For some reason I had it in mind that this one would be a bit of a ‘perique bomb’ [not sure why] that would make stand apart in the Sir Walter Scott’s range in a similar way to Field of Juniper or Havana toast. No bomb here however, the perique doesn’t seem to predominate to my palate, but does marry the other scents together well in the same way that a little black truffle does in a fine recipe. Less explosion, more the whiff of a fine slow-burning pipe mixture for this blend. There’s the same very peasant tin note of vanilla tones from the selected Virginia’s as there is in both Auld Alliance and Trice Brewed. The perique seems to give it a dried fruit perfume to the profile (raisin’s/currants) which is very agreeable. For me easier going on the nose in terms of drip than Crème du Figue or Moro Moro; there’s no bitterness at the end at all. Seems very easy to take pinch-after-pinch due to the finer grind; which could make this one a great all day snuff, as with Havana Toast. Punchy in the Vitamin N stakes after a few portions too, which I’m guessing is the rustica coming through - Overall a rich but subtle and refined natural tobacco snuff. All @Johnny’s snuffs are fantastic; You know you’ll need some every time one is released. Another great snuff from the house of Scott!

Actually I find the SWS snuffs to expensive, but you all made me very curious! Because it contains perique I’m willing to pay what is asked, and me too submitted my order this evening. And because I don’t fancy the fruit and other added scents in the other SWS snuffs, as you say this is a natural one which I’m willing to give a chance.

SWS and Abraxas snuffs are a bargain at TWICE THE PRICE. They are works of art that should not be missed.

@Abraxas has been quiet about this, but Nigel was saying back in June that the latest in the Abraxas line [Prince Regent] should be ready in August/September. Looking forwards to that immensely too. F&T’s Princes is one of my favourites, it will be very interesting to see what magic Nigel can work on this. Given the recent St. Casura Toasted SP I’m already thinking that it will be something really special. Really loving the St. James Parish, easily as snuffable, although different, to Havana Toast.

I’m hating @MisterPaul‌ for having St. James Parish and enjoying it. :)) Actually I’m very happy for you. I’m just jealous. A horizontal tasting of Princes by various makers would be fun, but I speculate that Nigel will kick the competition’s ass, or nose, in short order. St. Casura is the touchstone of SP of the bergamot variety (the debate rages on).

Actually I find the SWS snuffs to expensive, but you all made me very curious! Because it contains perique I’m willing to pay what is asked, and me too submitted my order this evening. And because I don’t fancy the fruit and other added scents in the other SWS snuffs, as you say this is a natural one which I’m willing to give a chance.

@Salmiak, they are expensive relative to the price of other snuffs, but snuff is still a relatively cheap luxury for the pleasure you get out of it. I figure a gram of SWS costs about the same as a large pot of Twinings tea. For the price of two bottles of watery beer where I live, you can get a whole 15 gram tin. Even if you don’t use these snuffs all the time, if you have a little bit of spare cash for luxuries, it’s money well spent.

Hopefully St James parish blend will be added to the SnuffStore inventory too? @MrSnuff‌

That’s where I ordered mine anyway. https://mrsnuff.com/product\\_info.php?cPath=100\\_268&products\\_id=3427

got mine in today. The smell is actually only pure tobacco. I always had the opinion tobacco on itself had no smell, that it were always sauces that gave it. But I had to adjust that opinion when smelling real raw tobacco at the snuff mills in Rotterdam. As Johnny mentioned it is quite pungent and even pervasive smell in the nose. Being composed of stronger tobacco’s it supprisingly has no strong burn. There is an earthy hint of chocolate but this doesn’t overdo. When sniffing at the tin, I immediately recalled the smell of “De Witte Os Geurige Pruimtabak” (a Dutch chewing tobacco originated by Douwe Egberts still used and sold only to men passed their 80’s). The virginia tobacco’s Johnny mentiones are not to sweet but just as virginia should be. I find it very much like De Molens Virginia line of tobacco’s. I never tried rustica tobacco before so I cannot give an opinion on that. But I believe there is also rustica in Makla Ifrikia chewing tobacco which I sometimes use, a hint in this snuff reminds me of it. A bit earthy, spicy/herbal. If you have a tin of that, smell on it before chewing and it reminds you of the St. James parish blend. Yes, and then the perique. Never ever had that before since in Holland you can’t get ANY form of tobacco containing this rare luxury race of tobacco. I think it is the perique that gives this snuff it’s overall warmth, depth and longlasting scent even after blowing the nose. Yes, I was sceptical before seen at the price of a tin. But I’m converted… A true snuff lover and enthousiastic should try this snuff which is a lesson in tasting tobacco. I’m very happy that this snuff doesn’t have an added scent, it would destroy the perfect boquet this snuff has by nature.

That is an interesting review because as you say, you’re someone who hasn’t come across perique before. So your nose focuses on other components. I have had quite a bit of experience with pipe tobaccos that include perique and I also handled pure perique before from a batch that was meant to be used for blending. If you have a chance, you might be able to venture into the pipe tobacco world and smell some of that. It could give you a better idea. Of course, as long as you enjoy the snuff, there’s no urgency, it’s only a recommendation. To my nose the snuff in the tin smells exactly like a freshly opened tin of the famous Dunhill De Luxe Navy Rolls or in its older and discontinued form, the Escudo. @chefdaniel probably knows exactly what I mean by that.

@Kiwi78 Has Escudo gone the way of all flesh? What a shame! I haven’t smoked a pipe for more than twenty years, but that news is still saddening.

@Kiwi78 Has Escudo gone the way of all flesh? What a shame! I haven’t smoked a pipe for more than twenty years, but that news is still saddening.

I thought it did (the Cope/Gallaher variation of it anyway) when I was in my pipe smoking days in the early 2000’s. That’s what other pipe smokers told me at great length. They also told me that the Dunhill Navy Rolls are an almost exact copy of it (which I smoked a lot), but Google tells me that it’s still being produced. http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipe-tobacco/39889/escudo-navy-deluxe/ Edit: http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/pipe-tobacco-reviews/dunhill-escudo-navy-de-luxe-the-same/

Escudo is alive and well around here. I bought several dozen tins about ten years ago lest there be an embargo or other shortage. I’m not a greedy sort, so I’ll be happy to share. I also have about a pound of pure St. James Parish Perique sitting right here. It was a gift from a nice cousin in Louisiana. @Salmiak if you want some it would be my pleasure to send a wee bit to you if you’ll pay the postage. I use the Perique in a few of my snuffs at <10% of total weight. Powerful stuff. There’s some fine folks a few miles north of me in the Green River Valley that use the same technique on their burley. It’s good, but it’s not Perique. Cheers

@chefdaniel Thanks for the offer, I keep it in mind, just don’t sniff it all up yet! I will give you my address to send some when I am way more finishing my present tin. Since it is so vunerable for storage. Luckily the tins that SwS is in are very air tight and I was granted only a little corner of our fridge to store some in it, so I leave the pure Perique at your premises for so long. I must add to my review above that after a few more snuffing sessions of St. James Parish blend it is the first time in my tobaccolife (now 35 using the herb since I was a teen boy of 14) that I have the feeling to really have tobacco from the farmland in my nose, this really is natural stuff. Fruity pure tobacco slightly vinegary. Compliments to @johnny for making it and searching the globe for good tobacco’s. @Kiwi78 Thanks for the tip. But I must tell you that even the best tobacco specialists here in Holland don’t have any pipe tobacco’s made of Perique. But I know of a lot Dutch pipe smokers that would commit a murder to have it in their pipes. If they even know about it’s existence, it is really very very rare and unknown here.

found a nice newspaper article from last year on http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/us/tobacco-lovers-discover-mystique-of-perique.html?\\_r=0

Has everyone emptied their tins yet? How is the snuff now to you when the newish is off? Still on wishlists? I must say I still like it even as a quick all day snuff, now I still have about 150gr. It’s getting better and a lil more fruity after time. I Have set other snuffs aside for this one. I hope the manufacturing will continue!