I invite testimony from our historians, but has there been a period of such inventiveness, at least since the early 19th Century; and have more varieties been at the hands/nostrils of snuff-takers? I may be wrong. When I became aware of snuff in the 1970s, every variety seemed ancient; partly because I was young (and so everything seemed old) and because, real or not, perceived tradition is part of snuff marketing. But it seemed as if most were indeed old, apart from F&T’s James Robertson Justice (d. 1975). It seemed as if only a handful of companies made snuff. Now, expanded trade has put the world’s snuff-makers at one’s doorstep, introducing snuffs of which we never dreamed. But also there are boutique manufacturers springing up everywhere and they traffic in pure delight. Given the choice available to Dr Johnson or Mr Dickens, I think we can call ours the Golden Era of snuff. Yes?
Yes. I agree. I attribute this to the decline of popularity and use of cigarettes. In an ever changing market one must be able to adapt or die. Though, in the USA at least, companies aren’t allowed to advertise a tobacco product as a harm reduction product, the Internet has allowed an outlet for others to find “safer” tobacco products that would have otherwise not been unavailable. All one has to do is look at Swedish Match and how hard they are pursuing the American market with snus. I call foul on them for laying down against the EUs garbage legislation but at least they are exploiting the loopholes there and fighting the FDA here in the states.
Yes. I agree. I attribute this to the decline of popularity and use of cigarettes. In an ever changing market one must be able to adapt or die. Though, in the USA at least, companies aren’t allowed to advertise a tobacco product as a harm reduction product, the Internet has allowed an outlet for others to find “safer” tobacco products that would have otherwise been unavailable. All one has to do is look at Swedish Match and how hard they are pursuing the American market with snus. I call foul on them for laying down against the EUs garbage legislation but at least they are exploiting the loopholes there and fighting the FDA here in the states.
It’s good to have a powerhouse like Swedish Match out there pushing for safer alternatives. Now if only we could do something about Canada; $20+ and covered 80% in health labels. Granted, customs has never given me problems with snuff.
Probably a golden age for the consumer in terms of variety, but hardly a golden age for the producers I’d say. Quite interesting really how the boom in variety has come at a time when tobacco is at it’s most alienated period globally. Maybe it’s the smaller demand that allows producers to invest so much love in their product as they don’t have to be as concerned over volumetric throughput, or maybe it’s just because it’s become a niche product. It would be interesting to see a graph of how global snuff production quantities have changed over time, and how much of a resurgence there really is
Yes it is a great time to be alive. In the short time I been at snuffhouse Paul Godard, Abraxas, Sir Walter Scott, A&S, Old MIll, Rosinski, Have all started up.Toque has been growing the product line.Bernard,De Kralingse ,6 photo & Dholakia have also introduced some interesting snuffs. Contract brands like Buzz, Fubar, Viking, Snuff Store. Have made the seen. I not sure how many lurkers visit snuffhouse but we do get a surge of new members from around the globe sporadically. And what is nice is most snuff blenders have a voice here. They are not totally faceless big tobacco conglomerates. I say they are cooperative and generous and are in touch with the snuffing community. Willing to work with your inquiries, concerns ,complaints and even make special bespoke products. Where else and with what product have you ever seen this level of consumer relations emerge . Golden Age Indeed :D/ =D> <:-P
Well said @basement_shaman :-bd Fully agree with you’re comments on the makers who have a presence here. So courteous, patient and helpful, but also amongst us as true members of our community rather than just as businessmen liaising with customers.
@50ft_trad @basement_shaman honestly the manufacturers being here and interacting is one of the coolest things about this forum. It’s smart on their part. I was always surprised Swedish match never had a rep on the snus forums
The fact that the wonderful manufacturers, distributors, and artisans have a personal connection with their customer base is one of the main reasons that I am proud to be a part of this community.
It is indeed. I am sure when snuff was “popular”, or at least more popular, there were some people that had maybe less than a handful of any variety. They may have used it longer than most of the people on this forum. Plus, snuff manufacturers must feel the same way, with the market expanded to cover the entire world must be very helpful.
Another thought may be that with early retirement more bright and capable artisans have the time and wherewithall to experiment.
Well put. As a long time user of snuff I became board with it (as weird as that sounds) and put the tin down for several years. About a year ago I dug out several stashes of snuff and began a rekindle to see if I could like snuffing as a hobby again. Well with a change of heart towards this great thing in life I have found redemption! With a great new selection of makers and variety they offer I am all in again. Old or new gold always shines…
We are certainly in a golden age of choice and information thanks to the internet. Pre-web you were limited to whatever your tobacconist sold and a couple of slim, out of print books. I think if the internet had come along sooner we would have seen a big revival but tobacco legislation gets tougher all the time and there is always the chance we will be swept up with it, certainly in Europe. I think if snuff became really big in the UK ‘they’ would end up treating it like cigarettes.
Yes. I agree. I attribute this to the decline of popularity and use of cigarettes. In an ever changing market one must be able to adapt or die. Though, in the USA at least, companies aren’t allowed to advertise a tobacco product as a harm reduction product, the Internet has allowed an outlet for others to find “safer” tobacco products that would have otherwise been unavailable. All one has to do is look at Swedish Match and how hard they are pursuing the American market with snus. I call foul on them for laying down against the EUs garbage legislation but at least they are exploiting the loopholes there and fighting the FDA here in the states.
It’s good to have a powerhouse like Swedish Match out there pushing for safer alternatives. Now if only we could do something about Canada; $20+ and covered 80% in health labels. Granted, customs has never given me problems with snuff.
And thats the problem with socialized healthcare. The more stake the government has in something, the more laws and restrictions they’re going to put on things. In the good old days, if you smoked two packs a day, that was your business. Now your a social outcast and a detriment to public health. I really do think this has all gotten a little out of hand. At what point is it a governments job to protect me from myself, or regulate what i consume/possess/put in my body? Accept that now that the government is tangled up in healthcare, my personal health is a financial concern to the powers that be. As far as snuff goes, I doubt I would have gotten into it if schools, bars, public places became smoke free. Fortunately I have turned a few friends onto the stuff, but for the most part people look at me like I have two heads when i whip out a pinch of snuff and inhale it in public. I’ve been learning to be a little more discrete, and am far from perfecting my technique. I don’t even want to know how many people next to me at a stop light think i’m picking my nose when i’m really taking pinch of tobacco.
We are certainly in a golden age of choice and information thanks to the internet. Pre-web you were limited to whatever your tobacconist sold and a couple of slim, out of print books. I think if the internet had come along sooner we would have seen a big revival but tobacco legislation gets tougher all the time and there is always the chance we will be swept up with it, certainly in Europe. I think if snuff became really big in the UK ‘they’ would end up treating it like cigarettes.
Snuff and chewing tobacco have never been a big thing in Finland. We don’t have any tradition for them and although they are legal to sell, I have never seen any snuff or chewing tobacco for sale anywhere here. Snus on the other hand has always been a big thing in Finland because of the close relations to Sweden. Snus is legal to possess and use, but it can not be sold in Finland. Now that Thunder for example has introduced the chewing bags and are claiming them to be chewing tobacco although it’s essentially snus, I think the ban for chewing tobacco may be close. Finnish customs is already seizing Thunder bags because of the close resemblance to snus and if they ban chewing tobacco I’m pretty sure they treat snuff the same way. EU is tightening the tobacco legislation all the time and I’m pretty sure Finland will be the first EU country to ban chewing tobacco and maybe snuff as we were the first to adopt the new laws of smoke free restaurants, warning labels, hiding the tobacco products from sight etc.
@RainDog I think the government honestly oversteps its bounds and has for many years. The role of the government (in my opinion) is to protect the rights and freedoms of people foremost, such as when those rights (life, property, etc.) are being infringed on by other people through crime. The government should have no say in protecting the individual from himself unless it can be shown he does not have the mental capacity to care for himself. We are lucky that our drug (and yes, snuff is still a drug albeit not a particularly harmful one) is still somewhat legal, but those more inclined for other plants have been facing issues like this and worse for decades.
I pretty much agree with everyone saying this is truly a golden age for snuff (and other crafts enjoyed by minories, I must say) but the banning stance of our governments towards tobacco is worrysome. Not because of cigarettes, as I don’t care that much about them (though I love smoking one from time to time and I’d love that would just be my business and none else) but I’m worried about cigars and pipe tobacco, which are more of my liking. And think about the snus ban on most European countries, at least in Spain: if it’s in a pouch and made in Sweden, a tobacconist can’t legally sell it. All of us know that snus pose no significant threat to health and that it would help a lot of fellows to stop smoking. Loose Makla, however, can be sold without restrictions. Of course, we don’t have a lot of studies about its safety, and we don’t usually know what’s in a tin (30% tobacco… rustica or tabacum?, 70% “texture agents”… lime and what more?). Not that I have anything against Makla, but the whole deal spells “boycott” to me, and it’s strange that EU governments, currently pushing liberal economic reforms, oppose the legalisation of the snus sale. Not to talk about the “very dangerous” electronic cigarettes, which are currently unde more or less the same laws than tobacco. They were effectively stopped by a fallacious propaganda campaign before being able to make a dent to Big Tobacco sales, or to overexpensive pharmaceutical products of dubious effectiveness such as nicotine gum and sprays. If the governments are being manipulated by the big tobacco and big pharma lobbies, then why don’t they lift the many bans on smoking they have been pushing the last years? Sheer incongruous stupidity, unenlightened populism to keep everybody calm or adequately pushed bribes? Let’s just hope that they don’t place a ban on the sale of snuff, as it would prove an effective catastrophic end for this golden age.
Luckily snuff is cheap (at least it is here) and stores well i’m not going to run out any time soon, even if the supplies do dry up. £100 of rolling tobacco would last me 6 or 7 weeks. £100 of snuff would probably last me a couple of years if I spent it wisely, or maybe 10-12 months if I went for variety and more luxurious snuffs. I have probably 3 or 4kg in total (maybe more, not really checked), and use maybe 1 to 3g a day dependent on mood and type … essentially I have at least a 5 year stash at current consumption, though that would increase if I kicked the smokes! Worst case, I also have a garden, and tobacco seeds are legal and available for purchase. :-"