I’m looking for a new, plain American scotch snuff to infuse with essential oils. I was previously using Superior (not exactly bland) but I can’t find that anywhere now. What are the blandest American scotches you’ve tried? I’m talking the least amount of smoke or toast flavor and as close to natural tobacco as you can get. Which scotch was so nondescript that you couldn’t see why anyone would want to use it? 

I know using a plain tobacco snuff would be easier here, but I have yet to try one that does not cause congestion with repeated use. I have no clue why, and it is frustrating because I can see a couple of them working really well, and cheaper, if only I could breath an hour after using them. For whatever reason, only plain scotches reliably do not cause any amount of congestion for me.

Why not buy leaves? That would be pretty bland.

+1

wholeleaftobacco.com has great quality and service

Natural Burley with some Dark Fired will do the trick

@Zanaspus and @Cobguy  It’s like you two are reading my mind. I’ve been looking at the possibility of doing just that today! I’m feeling a little overwhelmed trying to figure it all out. I think I’ve got the process, more or less, figured out. Now I’m trying to figure out what leaf types to try. 

@Cobguy Would the burley and dark fired be bland enough? I’m worried fire-cured tobaccos might overpower some gentler scents. Though the combination sounds like it would be real nice on its own. 

For scenting purposes, I think I’d like something light and just slightly on the sweet side, similar to Toque’s Natural. I was leaning Virginias and Burley but have absolutely no clue as I’ve never tried blending tobaccos before.

I’m not even sure I want to do this. On one hand I want to be lazy and just buy snuff already made. On the other hand I live in fear of what our not-so-trusted politicians and do-gooders will do next to limit my ability to obtain vitamin N. Being able to make my own snuff might be a skill I need one day. Bah, decisions!

If I buy the cured whole leaf, do I still have to sweat/ferment it or anything or can I just grind and go?

Starr is by far the least smokey scotch, flavour wise its closer to a toast

@n9inchnails  For a while now I’ve been looking for Starr but I’ve had no luck. It’s like a snuff unicorn. It may exist, but I’m not pure enough to find it. LOL

I went looking through my storage for some old pipe tobacco to experiment with and guess what I found! TWO 1 lb bags of whole leaf tobacco blends in a box in the corner of the top shelf in my pantry! I vaguely remember buying them some time between when I started rolling my own cigarettes and I quit smoking - maybe 9 years ago? I think I intended to buy a shredder to use the leaves but never did. Pack rats for the win!

Anyway, the leaves are dry with no mold or sign of bug infestation. I think they’re safe to use for a few snuff experiments! The only down side is the bags don’t say exactly what tobaccos are in the blend and the company appears to be out of business. C’est la vie.

Sooo I decided to try the very simplest method I found. I used a small mortar and pestle to grind 4 grams of leaves and stems with 10% kosher salt until it had a grind somewhere between Toque and Wilson’s snuffs. Then I sifted it all through a fine mesh sieve. At that point it smelled wonderful, just mellow tobacco for days, but I still felt a little nervous taking the first pinch…

It is amazing! I’m fairly certain it’s a Virginia blend. It’s a strong, semi-sweet tobacco with hints of leather and hay. The smell lasts a really long time. There is no “burn”, but there is a very faint sting reminiscent of how my nose feels after swimming in salt water. I’m going to make another batch without salt and mix these two together to reduce the overall amount. The best part is so far there is zero congestion! My nose feels really open. 

I’m so excited!

* Runs through the online streets singing, “The hills are alive with the smell of tobaccoooo.” *

*Runs back* The nicotine is STRONG in this blend. Not quite to Rooster level, but stronger than most. I need to take smaller pinches. *Runs away*

@Notalynn congratulations! The first snuff I ever tried was made out of dried cigars, and that was a revelation. Have you read the Snuffmaking 101 thread? That’ll tell you how to alkalize it to make it more potent if desired. There’s a treasure trove of information on snuffmaking in the threads and at least a few members have a lot of experience and can answer technical questions.

@SammyD13 Thank you! I have read through the thread and will probably read it a few more times to fully absorb it all. I’m going to skip alkalizing this stuff. I really don’t want this snuff any stronger than it already is. I just finished making some from the 2nd bag, which is a different blend. The nicotine content is noticeably less, but still quite strong. I can feel my heart beating in my ears from a tiny pea size amount.

I swear this second bag, whatever the blend is, smells sweet and just like the base for Honey Bee. It’s delicious. I’m going to grind more and stick a Tahitian vanilla bean in it. Mmm 

… and so it begins! 

Good luck and keep us posted on your experiments.

~Darin