I recently purchased this snuff bottle from a tobacco shop in Montréal, Québec. The shop has recently closed their retail location and are trying to sell off some of their old stock, while focusing on wholesale - but that’s another story. I wondered whether anyone could help me identify the snuff inside. I couldn’t find anything on the internet about Bernard’s Kavalier snuff. I guess it might just be a rare, alternate branding of a snuff they do under a different name, or some kind of special promotional bottle. The snuff inside is pure tobacco, with no scent added. It’s dark brown (though not as dark as Bernard’s Fichtennadel or Klostermischung, both of which I have tried). It’s somewhat coarse, which I guess is typical of German snuffs, and definitely drier than the other Bernard ones I’ve tried - though I can’t tell if that’s just because it’s been sitting on the shelf for a while (the vendor claimed it had never been opened). It’s easy to take, though I would certainly prefer if it had more of the moistness of the others. It most reminds me of Echt Fresco, though the relative dryness reminds me of De Kralingse. I’m not too good at describing these things. Do let me know if you can tell me anything more about this snuff and its bottle.

Can’t help you but, that is a pretty sweet looking bottle.

I don’t even know what is in the bottles that I have filled myself.

“Kavalier” means in german something like “gentleman”. It does not have to be a name of a snuff just a “gentleman, who holds a can in his right hand, from which he pours tobacco on the left hand.”

Right, “gentleman”. Just like the French “Chevalier” from which the English word “chivalry” derives. Likely it is a standard Bernard snuff. Sometimes they were sold in the bottles as promotions. Mars Cigars used to have various ones. Bernard also do promotional labeling, but that’s something else. e.g. you can commission them to have a snuff label made for your organization or event and put on the ordinary tap box. I suppose the snuff that goes in it is your choice. Great find though. Its worth it just for the bottle, which you can reuse. Also you can show it as a credential if anyone ever questions your status as a “gentleman.”

@Jacobin Is it easy to find snuff in Montreal? I can’t find it anywhere near me in SW Ontario.

This old stock from montreal feels to be interesting, I suppose the snuff that goes in it is your choice.In this site you can find more information Cubancigarbest

Kavalier or rather Chevalier or Tabak de Chevalier was a snuff. A popular one in Germany in the first half of the XIX century. The name on the bottle refers to it and was also made by Bernard in one time in history. The oldest refference which I have about this type of snuff comes from 1798. It would be rather strange for a snuff to be named “gentleman”, without any meaning behind it. Most likely it could be named after one of the Dutch tobacco makers mr. Chevalier - which still had his factory in 1828.

And “chevalier” comes from cheval, which is French for horse, since cavaliers were originally horsemen, and only gentlemen rode horses.