I’ve been corresponding with @chefdaniel and sharing with him my impressions of the various snuffs I’ve gotten from him, and he has encouraged me to share these with the rest of you here on the Snuffhouse community. Much of what I write is about what the aromas evoke to my mind, or feelings about some of the component ingredients of the snuffs. I seldom mention the grind or moisture because in all cases I have found them perfectly suited to the blend at hand, so it would get repetitive. Feel free to weigh in and share your insights, opinions, objections or relevant anecdotes. First up: Old Mill Puro Dominicana When I read the description of this, it was definitely at the top of my wish list for Old Mill snuffs. As a cigar lover, I was intrigued by the idea of it. What may naturally come to mind by the title is the original Dominican Puro, the Fuente Opus X. Having tried many “cigar” pipe tobaccos, I know that the goal of the blender is not to match the cigar experience, but to evoke certain qualities of it. I have tried my own hand at snuffs by milling cigar tobacco in a coffee grinder, and of course the result is an incomplete picture. Still needs some other ingredients to make it special. I think this PD snuff does a terrific job by adding new colors to the spectrum of flavor. The cedar fragrance evokes the first opening of a cigar box, or unwrapping of an en cedro cigar. Moreover, for me, it calls up an olfactory memory, which I quote from something I wrote on Snuffhouse [What’s in Your Nose?]: “Trying to work out what it is about it that evokes some sort of nostalgic childhood memory. I think I’m getting a fix on it. The distinct note of cedar in there (planks of which were used to press the tobacco) is taking me back to a period of life when I used to spend all my free time drawing with pencils. They were art pencils, which must have been made of good cedar unlike the cheap #2 school pencils, and when sharpened kick up that distinct aroma, setting a kind of olfactory anchor point that can be revisited by such cues as this snuff. Smell is a very powerful sense, and can be the key to unlock memories from deep storage. While this particular evocation may not have been the intent of @chefdaniel, I feel that art, poetry, music, film and food (and now snuff) are all at their best when they can stir a person deeply.” In my quoted passage above, I did not want to give anyone the impression that the snuff just smells like pencil shavings. That would be incorrect, as the note is cedar, but the impression called up by the cedar is a personal one, yet positive due to sentiments connected to such an experience. The brandy element adds to the experience by bringing to mind the natural pairing of a full-bodied cigar with a full-bodied alcoholic beverage. The brandy is most strongly picked up when holding ones nose over the jar, before snuffing, and the powder when snuffed carries the stronger flavors of cigar leaf and cedar. Concluding, I’ll say this is a winner, and I’m looking forward to indulging in future Old Mill cigar-based snuffs.
snuff #2: Old Mill Spotted Dick The menu description of Spotted Dick had my mouth watering. I admit I have a sweet tooth, and when I was travelling Europe in my younger days my tourism was a bit on the gourmand side. Going into restaurants I was always sure to try the local delicacies, no matter how strange to the American palate, and I always tried the desserts. This is a complete dessert for the nose. I’m amazed by it, really. It has all the flavors you’d expect of a decadent custard pudding. Hard to believe I’m not just snuffing a powdered Spotted Dick. I keep going back to it to make sure there’s really tobacco there, but no doubt it has nicotine. I’m reminded of a perfume company called Demeter, which has the most unusual repertoire of scents, and the likeness to what the perfumes are named is truly uncanny. Makes one think some kind of wizardry is at work, though I know it comes down to a mastery of the craft and willingness to experiment.
You nailed it on the Puro. I couldn’t put it into words or put my finger on it. It’s like a nostalgia trip for my nose. I keep thinking of the old drug store I hung out in as a kid. It was still pretty much like it had been in the 30s with old wood booths and soda fountains. The pharmacist who owned it had been there that long. He always had a cigar. I’d go in to read comic books. They smelled like that Puro. Everything did. I loved that smell. It’s half the reason I liked to go in there. The other was that he would make me an egg cream or a root beer float. The real deal.
Snuff #3 Solstice (Winter 2014) As a pipe smoker, I tend to favor the non-aromatic blends. Particular favorites are the English, Balkan, Virginia/Periques, and classic burley blends. But when it comes to snuffs, all bets are off. I’m open to anything. This Solstice snuff, if it was a pipe blend, I would smoke it. All of the flavors are so well married that, like it says in the menu decription --a Winter warmer-- the effect is one of broad-spectrum warmth. It hits all the notes on the scale. I try to single out the Latakia, the sherry, the vanilla, the cranberries and other notes, and I can’t. They are all fused into a mood, and there are no soloists.
Snuff #4 Tempete This snuff also stirred up deep things inside me. Maybe my memories are a tempest of sensual associations. Usually travel to foreign (and not-so-foreign) places is associated in peoples’ minds with new sights and sounds. These are just the tip of the iceberg. What really struck me growing up in an ever-moving military family was that each new place was an explosion of new tastes and smells. No matter where you go, the grass is still green, the trees are leafy green, the clouds are their usual fluffiness against a blue sky. People may dress a little differently or speak differently, but their clothes are the same fabrics and their words become intelligible when you stick around long enough. Buildings may have diferent shapes but are still brick or wood or concrete. What was always unique were the regional smells and tastes. The description of Tempete alludes to the Cajun heritage of the artisan, and one cannot deny the importance of the St James Perique as a contributor to the soul of this snuff, but damned if this doesn’t take me back to the first time I walked into a German Konditerie (pastry shop). You might have noticed I mix descriptive modalities, but that’s because I am a synaesthete. Thus, the whole musical spectrum of smells sets me firmly back in that first encounter with the sights, sounds, colors, smells and general vibe of a pastry shop in Bavaria. Mollasses, rum, cinnamon, citrus peel and cloves must have been used in some of the sweet offerings there, or it could just be a result of the married flavors and the specific frequency of sweetness it calls forth. Funny how the brain (or my own weird brain?) works. As a lagniappe (though it may be relevant) I was born about 40 miles East of New Orleans, and spent some formative years on the Gulf Coast. Most of my cookbook collection is of that region, including the classics by figures such as Paul Prudhomme, Tony Chachere, Justin Wilson, the junior league books like River Road Recipes, and they influenced my own culinary orientations. The town I was born in and the one where I went to Junior High were both obliterated by Katrina (after rebuilding from Camille). Tempests have been a part of my existence, including the man-made tempests, one of which I was eyewitness to in New York, 2001. When we experience the devastation of a storm, it affirms our human desire to survive and get in all the pleasures of the soul that we can, as life is so ephemeral. Got to let the good times roll.
Snuff #5 Yvette Ah, Yvette. fast becoming a favorite. The name suggests a charming young lady, and though described in the menu as unsweetened, there is a natural sweetness present, perhaps a result of all the berries and the violets, and of course the particular tobaccos used. Gin and Vermouth are on the astringent end of the bartender’s shelf, and while they may have contributed something, there’s nothing to make one pucker here. At this point I am trying a snuff/whiskey pairing, and I have chosen Lagavulin, 16 years aged. Such a peaty aged scotch brings in that absent astringency, but I find that the flavors of the scotch and the snuff retreat to opposite corners. Yvette will not soil her petticoats with the peat moss and sheep dung of the isle of Islay. Would she fare better with a Kentucky Bourbon? Perhaps, and perhaps she is more of a belle of the South. Having another snuff of Yvette at this moment, and I suspect that some caramel note and the vanilla is what clashed with the peaty scotch. Some time soon I will try it with a classic American bourbon and learn the truth of this elusive lady.
Snuff #6 Black Velvet Elegant and smooth, Black Velvet has a flavor one might characterize as “dark” – that is to say it’s a deeper, moodier aroma than some of the other sweet-scented snuffs. The choice of tobaccos brings a bassier feel to the blend than if it has been the plummy spice of perique or a straight unstoved Virginia, and ingredients such as the coffee, cloves and cinnamon give a dark sensuality, with the citrus notes adding in a textural touch, giving more of a soft velvet feel than satin. The brandy and oak barrel bring in some ineffable character that might suggest a cozy paneled den with a warm crackling fireplace, a soft easy chair and a glass in hand.
Snuff #7: Calypso Of the many fruit-centric snuffs I’ve tried, this is by far the most sophisticated. Although the name Calypso suggests a festive occasion, a party under the hot tropical sun, the clamor of steel drums and dancing in the sand, I feel this snuff is not so Dionysian. It’s a more introspective time. You’re alone on the beach, watching a full moon rise over the sea, savoring a cigar and sipping a rum cocktail, the rustling of coconut palms mingles with distant music, and you want to make the moment last forever. This is no fruit punch. The tropical scents mingle on an equal field with the dark rum and the tobaccos. The sweetness may come as much from the fermentation of the tobacco as from the fruit. My senses suspect the presence of vanilla and mint leaves, but that may be a trick of the blending. Coconut gives a rounding to the flavor and the fruit adds a faint sparkle (like moonlight on the water) rather than a blunt sweetness. Those who don’t usually savor fruit snuffs are urged to give this a try – it’s nothing like the others.
Snuff #8: Tennessee Toast Toasts are an interesting category of snuffs. It’s been said about pipe tobacco explorers that all roads lead to Virginia, which is to imply that beginners are dazzled by the aromatics and the exotic tobaccos, but as their palates refine they will eventually come to focus on the pure Virginias. I don’t know that this is necessarily true, but I do wonder if among snuffers they might say all roads lead to toasts. When I got far enough into snuffs that I could take off the training wheels, I was still like a kid in a candy shop (sorry for the mixed metaphors – or not, I love mixing metaphors). The toasts were pretty far down on my list of favorites. Maybe I didn’t get them, or maybe I just didn’t know how to snuff them to best effect. In time though toasts have been winning my respect, and I’ve gained a better appreciation for their distinct qualities. This is a snuff of great subtlety, not an in-your-face blast of booze or fruit The stars here are a combination of tobaccos, and the other scents are a supporting ostinato, lending a solid floor against which to showcase the leaf. It’s got whisky and honey, but it’s not a Whisky And Honey snuff, and I’d never guess that it had praline or lemon zest in a blind test, because they are so well blended into the background like a soothing hum, letting the burleys and air-cured take the lead. The moisture level gets special mention here. When snuffing it stops right where it needs to and doesn’t all fly back into my throat. Very fine but very easy.
Snuff #9: Marlin Spike Virginia and perique, moistened with rye whisky and composted between slabs of salt. Beauty in simplicity. The description does not prepare one for the boldness and complexity of the aromas present in this snuff. It’s so much more than a whisky-infused VaPer snuff. The fermentation under rock salt seems to hold the key to this unique substance. Without, it might be reminiscent of a nice pipe tobacco, but the salty presence transforms it into a thoroughly decadent salty confection, like one of those truffles you have to pay $10 for a single tiny piece. The mystery of it is, every time you sniff, it’s a little bit different. Your mindset, room temperature, what you’ve been eating or drinking, the sounds around you, maybe even the phase of the moon, may reveal some startling nuance here that you hadn’t noticed before. Spend some time with this, and your attention will be rewarded.
Snuff #10: Shandygaff Shandygaff is one of those words I had to look up only to realize it’s one I used to know, as I used to drink them sometimes at an English-style pub in NYC back in the 90s. There appears to be a number of variants, but usually it is half beer and half soft drink such as ginger ale or lemonade. This fine snuff conveys a convincing hoppy beer, even to that hint of floral skunkiness that I associate with some craft beers I enjoyed back in my beer-exploring 20s. This note at first made me wonder if valerian was a component, but it must be the variety of hops used. Open the tin and sniff the aroma, and the citruses come forth. The lime zest is a pleasant and welcome player. On snuffing, the citrus is a supporting presence behind the herbal and tobacco aromas, and somehow I feel like ginger is there, though the menu description does not mention it. Maybe an illusion created by my expectations, or just a good trick of the art of blending. Overall a pleasing cocktail with a good spectrum of aromas, which may appeal to those who like complex snuffs without an assertive sweetness. I suspect it would pair very well with a pint of IPA, or maybe a lager and lime.
@cpmcdill These are fantastic reviews, thank you very much for sharing them. I am married to a synaesthete, although her association is language and colour.
@Justin - Thanks! Here’s snuff #11: Acadia I’ve been spending all day with this one, trying to unpeel its mysteries. No sauce on it, just six different tobaccos, resulting in an understated yet sophisticated aroma. There are Virginias, a burley grown in Tennessee, and real St. James perique. Added to this blend is a less familiar tobacco, new to me and probably to most pipers and snuffers, which is fire-cured Orinoco, an heirloom strain of Nicotiana tabacum, possibly one of the oldest varieties grown in the American colonies, and which doesn’t come up too often in the ingredients list of tobacco products. This is a tobacco-forward snuff, with sweet Virginia characteristics and a plummy but not too peppery perique presence. The burley’s in there but I can’t single it out. A smoky aroma sits at the heart of the snuff which must be the Orinoco, and I feel that this is the magic ingredient that completes the blend. The name is a tribute to the ancestral home of the ethnic group now known as Cajun, who after making new homes in the American south have become a welcome and influential part of the fabric of this society.
Snuff #12: Butternut Toast This is a fine toast with numerous subtle sweet flavors blended seamlessly on a bed of Tennessee Burley. THe honey and muscovado bring in a light sparkle of sweetness, while the whiskey, vanilla and walnuts add breadth and depth, though not overpowering the star of this snuff, the toasted burley tobacco. Sea salt steps in on the backdrip, reminding us that this is indeed a toast, meanwhile possibly attenuating the sweetness. I snuffed a lot of this while evaluating it, and so it’s hard to rate the nicotine strength, pinch for pinch. Suffice it to say, I did feel a substantial nicotine hit. I’ll have to look into this Tennessee burley. It makes a great, mostly neutral base for snuff, not as sweet as a Virginia, but contributing its own light flavor and strength to the mix.
Snuff #13: Melba Toast Another fine toast, this time with a base of Virginia tobaccos. Inspired by the Victorian era dessert by famed chef Escoffier. As a snuff, this would make a fine dessert for those watching their waistlines. I’m guessing it would pair well with a cappucino. Brandy, raspberries, vanilla and peaches are the stars here, and the sweet Virginias take the back seat. An assertively sweet, unsalted toast that satisfies with its delightful mix of aromas, so vivid you can almost taste them.
Snuff #14: Dreamcatcher One of my personal interests is herbalism, and as a gardener I am inclined more to plant and grow medicinal and culinary herbs. While some herbs must be decocted as a tea or ingested in pills to have their therapeutic benefits, there are some herbs that have healing properties in their aromas. Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils or whole herbs to facilitate some kind of physiological response. American herbalism combines knowledge from Native American and European traditions, and this snuff drawns from the best of American herbalism through its native roots. A blend of soporific and sedative herbs skillfully infused into an excellent blend of tobaccos which, if it were a pipe blend, would be called English/Oriental. The smokiness of this snuff is probably the marriage of the cedar and valerian aromas, while the other plant components present a subtle cloud of restfulness that make this truly pleasant way to de-stress at the end of a busy day. And that’s all I have until the next order of OM snuffs. 
Where can I get them from?
Where can I get them from?
On the left side of the main discussions page of Snuffhouse, there’s an advertisement for Old Mill. It does not have a website, so you’ll need to send an e-mail to get the pricelist.
Fine, well written reviews. I enjoyed reading them and share many of the same thoughts on OM snuffs. Chef Daniel is really an artist with the tobaccos and flavors; his descriptions of his snuffs are wonderful in their own right. I am anxious to try all the newest ones and plan to place an order in the near future. My faves? Virginia Toast, Mississippi Mud and Premiere!
I been studying and using medical herbs for years. Much is unknowned to the medical professional. I use various herbs in harmony to utilize their natural components for a variety of health issues. Some fresh culinary herb have cancer fighting agents ,I try to use them often. Herb knowledge when applied cautiously , I feel is better than big pharmaceuticals. Minerals and vitamins from fresh food is far more beneficial than supplements. Tobacco is actually good for you , but I don’t add it to my salad. And there is a lot to be said about the beneficial aromatherapy of snuff. The more I study I realize that the ancient nomads knew more and has been forgotten with the rise of modern civilization. They have a pill for that but are the side effects worth it? Burns me up people poisoning their lawns to be free of dandelions and red clover, it also pollutes the groundwater and the robins that the eat worms. Enough with the ranting bottom line is Chef Daniels Creations are wonderful . Thank you cpmcdill for your excellent reviews!