I am snuffing a new snuff today, Abraxas Club. This is, without a doubt, the most complex snuff I have ever tried. It is a course, dark brown, moist snuff. The top note is brandy, and quite a good brandy. Under the brandy is a nutty almond flavour mixed with tobacco goodness, and every once in a while the scent of an old fashioned barber shop peeks through. This snuff shows what can be done when snuff is produced in small batches by hand. Nigel puts a lot of pride in his product. This one is a winner.
★★★★
Here’s what I just posted on my blog and wiki about Club:
Abraxas Club was the second premium snuff to be released by Abraxas. Like the others it is very much a premium snuff both in terms of price and flavour. Luckily mine came as a sample in a 15g plastic pot, preserving my bank balance somewhat.
So far only available online from Mr Snuff, Abraxas Club is very coarse, moist and scented. In coarseness and moisture level it ranks with the rappees and it is nearly as dark. The premium nature of this snuff really lies in the flavouring or saucing. I decanted the contents of the 15g pot into a larger 25g tin (an old Samuel Gawith one still in good condition) to give the snuff a chance to breathe a bit, thus enhancing the flavour. And flavour seems to be just the right word here. This stuff is good enough to eat!
Along with a touch of the farmyard (proving freshness) the initial scent is of brandy (or is it a particularly rich rum?), closely followed by coffee, a touch of chocolate, an underlying nuttiness with hints of citrus and an almost plum-like fruitiness. Finally the base tobacco shines through with the occasional reprise of the other scents. Quite amazing snuff, though I must confess that it tends to make me sneeze. I put this down to the coarseness of the mill. Perhaps if I were to add a little extra water it would reduce that tendency.
The only thing that stops this from being a five star/snuff box snuff for me is that sneeziness, so it gets four.