I’ve notices some of the snuffs I tried that I didn’t like the first time I tried them started smelling a lot better after a few more uses, and figured I was just getting used to them. But then I read some posts that suggest some snuffs are better after getting some air exposure. That’s very interesting, almost like decanting wines.
The ammonia produced by the snuff making process helps keep the snuff fresh, but it does interfere with the flavor. Other times snuffs like Abraxas’ just need to breathe. I have aired snuffs out of the tin and many dried up sooner than they would have otherwise. To keep it fresh you should decant some into a snuff box or some kind of container and leave the lid off maybe 10-15 minutes. If you still get the ammonia when you snuff it you can air it longer but be careful.
All down to personal choice. Factory fresh snuff tends to develop a strong ammonia smell - just organic processes taking place - and some people air them until the smell goes. Some users air moist snuffs until they get to the desired consistency - it’s all just about personal taste. It’s very common to come to appreciate a snuff that you initially didn’t like and probably most of us have experienced that at some point, in fact some of my favourites started that way. As you point out, wine appreciation has quite a few similarities with snuff use.
I enjoy the ammonia ,Tells me it is fresh. To each their own
I have never once gotten a whiff of ammonia; I guess I’m getting old stale snuff. I should have known that clearance snuff wouldn’t have been high quality. If people liked it, it wouldn’t be sticking around long enough to get old in the first place.
@Nietzsche_Keen try Taxi
@Nietzsche_Keen try Taxi
Try Taxi for the ammonia? lol
Ntsu has even more ammonia. Many folks air it. I like it with the ammonia.
I got a tiny bit of what I believe to be ammonia when I opened the Spanish Gem today. Not an unpleasant smell really; just part of the whole.
hate the ammonia smell myself. Though I love when I open a tin and it’s there. Means it’s fresh. I air it out though. I also love dry dry snuff. Though when it’s fresh with the ammonia smell and you air it out to get rid of the ammonia and moisture the snuff still smells wonderfull in a way nothing else does.
Some snuffs need airing, most don’t. It depends on whether you can smell the ammonia and if this is something you like or not. When I smell ammonia, I air the snuff.
I’ve noticed a snuff changing - SG Princes Dark has changed slowly but quite radically since I opened the tin and it’s nothing to do with ammonia. I think it must be a further reaction. Oxidization. (sp?) . Yes, they age and lose some of their initial power but can often improve as a result- it allows more nuances to surface and more interactions to happen between the different elements. I should note that the snuff has been stored correctly and is still very moist. Something to think about that isn’t ammonia, I personally like the smell, it usually fades quickly in the normal course of opening the container to snuff, unless it’s sawdust soaked in cat piss (taxi). jmo
Like me the ammonium myself.
I will try to push on through the ammonia smell to see if i begin to appreciate the freshness. I am just a noob .
The idea of adding ammonia to tobacco is to raise the pH, thereby increasing the total amount of freebase nicotine delivered to the addict… er sorry, consumer. Without this ammonia additive, snuffs would apparently deliver zero nicotine, any freebase nicotine naturally present having been destroyed in the curing and manufacturing processes. No ammonia, no “nic hit”, so they say: Ammonia and other chemical base tobacco additives and cigarette nicotine delivery: Issues and research needs ; Nicotine Tob Res (2004) 6 (2): 199-205. However, ammonia itself is gaseous, so traditionally it was added in the form of “baker’s ammonia”, which is ammonium carbonate (“smelling salts”). It is easy to mistake the smelling salts “hit” for a supposed “nicotine hit” - which probably does not exist at all…
@Hapax Yes, the cigarette mfg’s do add ammonia. And yes, ammonia increases the ‘bio-availability’ of nicotine. However, ammonia is also a natural component of the tobacco itself. I concede that _some_ snuff manufacturers may add bakers ammonia, but I suspect it’s rare, and mostly to adhere to historical recipes. Most have learned it’s not the ammonia itself as much as the pH buffering that increases the bio-availability of nicotine (as described in your linked article as the reason for the ammonia). I grow my own tobacco, and I don’t add any ammonia. But when I stove my tobacco, I assure you that ammonia is released. I can smell it rising off of it. It burns my eyes and my nose, until it is all gone. The scent is unmistakable. It develops in the tobacco itself from the nitrogen in the soil. There are other ways to buffer the pH, to improve the bio-availability of nicotine. Sodium bicarbonate is one. Sodium carbonate is an even stronger buffer. If you pH buffer properly, you can surely feel the nicotine ‘hit’ you faster than an un-buffered snuff. Please don’t take this as a recommendation, but rather as a cautionary note. I’ve made my palms sweat and my head spin (unintentionally) without adding ammonia. A nicotine ‘hit’ surely exists, even if I don’t find it desirable. As a side note, I also don’t drink everclear, even though I enjoy a glass of wine. Maximizing the ‘hit’ doesn’t always maximize the enjoyment.
Hi all, I’m sorry, I know this is already a slightly old thread, but may I still ask: When you air, how long you air? @TomStrasbourg mentioned 10-15 minutes and I prefer something similar. I have just received some WoS and their snuff tends to be nothing but ammonia when opened first time. I air it, but on the other hand I fear to lose all the other scents as well. Sorry about necroing again.