I was recently in the UAE, and when I ventured to ask at an Indian emporium about snuff, was delighted to be handed these metal tubes wrapped in very Indian looking paper. Of course I bought 3 on the spot, which cost about $1.78 each, and took a nice pinch as soon as I got outside(not having had any real snuff in a while, and daily being stuck with ground up green Dokhah tobacco.) It was very nice snuff, unscented, but then my wife started complaining that my hands and room smell like cow dung. After consideration of the issue, I guess it does smell a bit like fertilizer of some sort, I just hadn’t noticed before. What is it that makes some snuffs smell like that? Which other snuffs have people tried which can be described as having a cow dung aroma? I sure wish I had a nice tin of SP here right now as I’m back in Qatar.
Its common with snuffs from Africa, particularly NTSU, which has a very strong dung scent. What causes it? I would suggest its linked to an ongoing, but slight, fermentation of the sort that also causes very fresh European snuff to smell strongly of ammonia until it has been aired. Harmless and for some people part of the charm. I think it has its roots in the manufacturing process and the types of tobacco crop used. Im sure someone will have the exact reason to hand.
Active fermentation causes ammonia generation. So does adding potash or soda to air- or fire-cured tobaccos under the right temperature and moisture conditions. I’ve never had any ammonia occur when using lime or with sun dried or flue cured leaf.
I wish i was there. I love the barnyard aroma of plain snuffs. I dont know if it is because ive always been around farms here in Missouri, but plain grainy, hay, barnyard smelling snuffs are the tops for me.
Yeah I asked this very question and I got around the same answers. Dholakia Black and Neffa Ifrika smell like that too