Alright Ladies and Jellybeans, reptiles and crocodiles! It is time to state what your absolute favorite SP is. MMM that delicious burn and outdoorsy citrus… I love these snuffs. My ALL TIME favorite SP is Tom Buck. I’m sure quite a few of you know this. I have several 25g tins of this stocked up and I intend on getting a pound soon. I just can’t get enough of this snuff! Grand Cairo is in CLOSE second. I’ve heard this is supposed to be WoS’s “Red Rappee” but it’s too close to being an SP I’ll just call it one. So what is your favorite SP snuff? Why?

Toque Original or McChrystal’s S’Nuff. Both are excellent SPs.

WoS Queen’s Extra Strong. I love a good shot of bergamot and this one offers up a respectable dose. Pairs exceptionally well with both Earl and Lady Grey for an amazing taste experience. Two thumbs up for any configuration of the three. Toque Original pairs very nicely with both of those teas as well.

Toque SP Extra and WoS Tom Buck are my current favs

@transistor … I am glad you started this thread… as I have just received many varieties of WoS’ SP’s and wanted to get a show of hands on this very topic as well … “SP Best” being my favorite. Having already fallen for Queen’s Extra Strong and Strasbourg, I also received SP100, Tom Buck, SP2, S.S … my nose not being as refined as most of yours, does anyone else find these all too similar? I prefer SP Best due to its freshness, crispness, and longevity … with the others fading more quickly? QES is a nice second. Question - will I be able to discern the subtleties of fragrance with time and experience or are these variations so slight in their recipes that they will continue to blend together as one terrific SP? No matter, I suppose, as I love them all, the bottom line is - to me, at least - I have ample to supply myself without worrying about reordering. Although my sniff rate continues to rise. Do any of these make anyone else’s list as top SP for the time being? Well … that became a rambling mess … my apologies.

The McC sp, WoS SS and Toque Sp Extra are my favorites in that order.

There can only be one. WoS Best SP. Second place Tom Buck. Third, whatever SP they are currently given half a dozen different names to and fourth place; JandH.

WOS Gold Label. The tobacco is different than all the other Wilsons SPs.

Would anyone like to say what they understanding of SP is? There are various meanings…I like to think it’s ‘Sheffield Pride’ but then I would wouldn’t I

@snuffster says “Third, whatever SP they are currently given half a dozen different names to…” - and with this, I think that settles my confusion re: WoS having so many SP’s that are good but not quite “Best SP” … and I also am with you … “Best SP” is simply … well … the “best” @gillybean129 - would it be “Sheffield Pride”? I read on WoS website it may have stood for “Spanish” at one time … but then again, I have read lots of things about the mystery of “SP” … maybe it is one of those things I should never want to know and just go with the mystery …

wos sp100

Wilsons Best SP, for me.

Tom Buck for me as well. Toque Original comes in second (I think that snuff counts as a SP). Granted, I haven’t tried all that many SPs.

Transistor So what is your favorite SP snuff? Why? Very interesting thread. I started my quest for a suitable all day snuff some months ago. I am drawn to the plainer sorts. I tried Tranter’s SP, Dr Johnson and Regency. Covent (Mullins and Westley: Particular, Mature Crumbled and Jock’s Choice (the latter being an SP type perhaps with neroli). I smoke a pipe and this I find this sometimes reduces my ability to taste and appreciate these snuffs to the full. However I would say that all these are excellent, some with more some less of the citrussy taste. A good SP properly treated with respect and properly ‘tasted’ is about as good as it gets. I tried the Wilson’ Cairo, Tom Buck and the exotic variants such as Strasbourg. SP heaven for me is Samuel Gawith’s SP No1 High Mill. It is fine but moist. Mild and easy to take. People have rightly detected orange in this. Sometimes more strongly marked than at others, never cloying. The snuffs mentioned above are excellent and may be a little better in their dark rich SP sort of way, with more of a hit on tasting. For me Sam’s SP is perfect to take all day. I still reach for it sometimes in the evenings when it has a full range of other more exotic snuffs to compete with. I have it in bulk and would not be without it. I have also tried G Smith’s High Mill. This tastes and hits just like a fine dry SP but there are subltle and more exotic frangrances lurking there. It is not worth the £8 X 25 g. And would lose in my book hands down to Sam’s SP. I have not tried Gawith Hoggarths SP. This received fairly unenthusiastic reviews. My experience with GH snuffs is that they strike me as better than the sum of their reviews. The tap box effect might account for some of this lack of appreciation, and I intend to try this from 25 g tub later. I am still learning about how good all these SPs can be. And as you can tell from this waffle, I’m still quite enthusiastic about it. ( I also smoke SG’s Full Virginia Flake pipe tobacco. Some people don’t get it, as some don’t get SP. Each to his/her own.)

McCrystals S’nuff has been my favorite…use some every day.

Tom Buck Gold Label Irish D.H. Toast #20 - I know it says toast, but it is more of a toasted SP, and it is one of the finest SP style snuffs for me. Please try this one if you have not had it. @gillybean129 - here we are debating the origin of the name of one of the most prevalent styles of snuff! The history is important!

Toque Original Superior Product.

PieterClaassen They are all good or ‘Superior’, in a certain sense - you’ve just mentioned another I must try. So that’s GH SP, Toque Original, SG Scotch SP and so on and…Ah yes McChrystal’s SP etc

SP100, Toque SP Extra, Toque Original in that order I love them all. I have SP100 in bulk and would like one of the Toque’s, but won’t buy it because they don’t come in tubs. Stefan

@whalen THAT’S the SP I wanted to try! You reminded me! I’ve been stumped for the longest time on which one I wanted to try…#20! @petersuki I think I said my favorites! I’ll list them again though: Tom buck is definitely FIRST and then a CLOSE SECOND is Grand Cairo. Snuff Head reminded me as well about Gold Label! I vacuumed the HELL out of that tin when I got it. It’s a GREAT SP but the best part about this one is the U.S. VIRGINIA Tab! It’s a dark, robust, and sharp SP that definitely lingers for awhile!

transistor I like both of those too. In fact I’ve taken a sniff of Tom Buck which confirms your good taste. I’d mention Gold Label, except that I have a hunch that it loses it’s EXCEPTIONAL tobacco taste quickly on airing. SP Best is a sort of Gold Standard of these sorts.

Well my advice, identify the “Exceptional” snuffs, and then get the biggest bulk amount you can, then decant some to a smaller airtight jar, and enjoy really exceptional snuff for a real long time! There is a premium experience to be had from super fresh bulk that just is so wonderful!

Whalen (I should say ‘Best SP’ not SP Best.) I’m going to try another tin of Gold Label. What I have is vg. Strangely this was the closest to a Havana wrapper taste I’ve got in a snuff, though it’s said to be made from American Virginia! What I’ve just tried is good but ‘no cigar’. I will try it to see if I can preserve that fine aroma I sensed once at the begining (worth its weight in gold). And see just how deadly any sort of air contact is to it.

@petersuki - There is sweetness to the Gold Label, I love the tasty tobacco base, I have pound of bulk, it is still heavenly. But if you want Havana wrapper, try the latest Fubar Grunt. The cigar in that one is great, and a taste I was looking for elsewhere and could not find. I thought the Brannif would have it, but they masked it with menthol, real smart that move. I do not get the cigar so much from Gold Label, I have a pinch in right now. That red tobacco sure is good! @transistor- The #20 is very much a constant companion of mine, my daily carry is a double Collins box, one side Grunt (original coconut) and Irish D.H. toast #20 in the other. What I carry is the greatest test of what I truly like! But it is cruel to chose between snuffs, they all have something special to offer.

I’d hafta say either WoS Silver or S.S. Tom Buck is right in there too…I usually make an SP mixture with a little Strasbourg thrown in for some ‘floral’ aroma.

Whalen. I agree with you. I’ ve just tried another careful sniff. It is excellent. It may be that when I sensed that Havana my nose was just in very good shape to sense more of the depth of this snuff. Lovely stuff. I now must try the Silver Label! It’s endless. Transitor: You are right. There is no point in naming the snuffs you don’t like. Others will enjoy them and they have the advantage of enjoying something I don’t. In any case, just when I have a pecking order, I taste something great in another another one. I have tried the Grunt but alas no coconut! I gather that this no longer features in this snuff

I tried the Gold Label again this morning. Lovely and tobacco-y. Does anyone have take on the comaprison between Silver and Gold label. This is not Tobacco Acquisition Disorder (TAD) it’s proper research!

SP “Silver” is a nickname for one called “SP Snuff” which is only sold in 25g tins with a silver label. Its just Best SP but with a finer grind. It has no relationship to Gold Label, other than that they are both SPs.

Xander -thanks as usual for the info. Do you have a favourite SP? I’m interested in trying McChrystal’s. Kind regards Peter

McChrystal’s is good. Very good. I don’t think I have a favorite. Their S’nuff is like an extra bergamot SP (like Tom Buck) and its quite good too. You’ve had the Tranter’s I presume, also good. I bounce around so often, that whichever one I’m into at the moment I think is fantastic. I have ruled out a few not to get again, WoS S.P. 2 leaps to mind as one, but there’s nothing wrong with it, I just like most everything else better.

I would like to try McC’s SP as well … I have found the McC’s tin taste to permeate the snuff, anyone else have this happen? And @Xander, I am with you, ruling out an SP or two from the long line of them from WoS helps - with Best SP being the one I will choose when re-ordering.

I finally got some McC’s SP to try, Excellent! Very much a Toque situation, the Sp and Sp Extra, is like McC’s SP and S’nuff. An extra dollop of bergamot. I personally like the stronger one, but not always. One thing about the Wilson’s is that it allows you to get a feel as to what different Grinds, Base Tobacco, levels of bergamot, and other tweaks can do to a snuff. It is a worthy and educational journey through the line. It is bewildering to have such a line of SP’s, but fun to see the subtle results from say just a finer grind. You get into silky nose feels and scent longevity. All kinds of effects,

@petersuki McChrystal’s is good. It’s actually a drier, fin SP.

Just ordered it (large tin), and Toque SP Extra (small tin) and GH SP 25 gs. Plus a couple of the German snuffs I haven’t tried.

lol. Thank you, T.A.D.

The house brand SP at Snuffstore.co.uk. A little redder, a little coarser than the usual run of SP’s and better for it.

Ive only tried one kind of SP, WoS Best SP. Ive gotta say this is one of my favourite snuffs t the moment, besides F&T High Dry Toast.

@Brandasaur if that’s your favorite right now, you’ll probably like Tom Buck. I consider it an SP on steroids. It’s got STRONG scent to it. I love it. It’s my all dayer. Grand Cairo would be if it wasn’t so strong!

Ill have to get some Tom Buck!

I’ve just tried the Tranter’s SP Xander mentions above. Very tasty…

@Xander That’s how I feel about a few SP’s as well. There’s SO MANY of them, I tend to skip a bunch and just go for IMHO the best ones. That’s NOT to say they’re no good. I could easily snuff them all day- I LOVE sp’s they’re my favorite snuff. A few that I’ll probably not do again are WoS SP 100, WoS SS, WoS SP 2, etc. Alot of Wilsons, as they have a ton of SPs. McC’s SP snuff is really good! But still- it’s nothing that special imo. Alot of SPs are alike.

SPEAKING OF SPs!!! I just need to lay this to rest. I’d imagine this has been this way for YEARS yet some STILL get confused- TOM BUCK and Queen’s EXTRA STRONG is the SAME SNUFF! TOM BUCK and TOM BUCK EXTRA is the SAME SNUFF! I have one of each right here in front of me, and they are EXACTLY THE SAME. You can call Wilsons of sharrow and they will tell you the same thing. I don’t know why they market it under two names, but I’m not complaining! There’s been so many times I needed some TB and it was sold out, so I went with QES! Maybe I shouldn’t have made this post- considering this has been my fall-back plan since day one… lol

Apparently why TB/QES has two names is that it’s a north/south English divide. They marketed macho sounding Tom Buck up north where there were a lot of mines and industrial areas, and went with the more dainty sounding Queen’s Extra Strong down south where there were less macho industries. That’s apparently how the tale goes maybe somebody could back me up one way or the other? Stefan

my go SP is Toque SP Extra every time

@transistor … thanks for offering that info up … I have been trying to figure out the differences too … i finally came to same conclusion today doing TB and QES back to back

Tom Buck is a mispronuciation of a type of hooka tobaco.

Its actually a corruption of “tumbak” which itself is a corruption of “tobacco.”

I rather sheepishly have a Bulk of both. There is absolutely no difference between mine. So I alternate. (TB and Queens ES).

Very true. So Tom Buck is the funniest name for a snuff since it’s really a form of cultural circular telephone. It’s the old school version of google translation from english to what ever langauge then to another and finaly back to english. Either way it’s a good snuff. Though I find it interesting that it doesn’t sound like this but it’s a refrence to the exotic east just like Grand Cairo.

Well, the exotic south more accuratley, since tumbak is from an African language. I understand its used similarly to makla?

Just sampling Mc C’s and GH’s SPs. Both fine by me. The McC’s strikes me as a Sharrow style. The GH is more or less Smith’s current ‘High Mill’ - amongst the sharpest and most refreshing SPs.

“Apparently why TB/QES has two names is that it’s a north/south English divide. They marketed macho sounding Tom Buck up north where there were a lot of mines and industrial areas, and went with the more dainty sounding Queen’s Extra Strong down south where there were less macho industries. That’s apparently how the tale goes maybe somebody could back me up one way or the other?” The name Best S.P is fairly new. Formerly it was called Queens and distinct from regular S.P (sold as S.P) by being more piquant. Tom Buck, another very old name, was more piquant still. When (for reasons unknown) Queens was relabelled the old name briefly vanished from the list only to be resurrected as Queen’s Extra Strong. Your theory may be true, but the company claim only that they did not wish to loose either of these old names from their list and so they decided to use both names for the same snuff.

"Tom Buck is a mispronuciation of a type of hooka tobaco. " “Its actually a corruption of “tumbak” which itself is a corruption of “tobacco.”” Sounds feasible, but no one knows the origin of the name for certain. If there was a definitive answer then I’d lay money on Tom Buck Whaley, a once well-known rake, gambler, politician and Hellfire Club member. A late 18th century Buck seems (to me) a much more likely candidate for an old English snuff name then a washed tobacco mixed with molasses smoked in a hookah. Anyway, rightly or wrongly this is what I’ve always believed.

I’ve just ordered a 1lb tub of Wilson’s Best SP so I guess that’s my fave. I’m also a fan of J&H’s SP which has a delicious tobacco base and a subtle SP flavor. I’m going to order an 8 x 25g tins box of it next week.

For beginner snuff takers! If you haven’t tried it yet but you enjoy SP’s, you need to try Gold Label from Wilson’s of Sharrow! Like alot of them, it has a hefty dose of Bergamot, citrus, etc. But it has some GREAT Virginia US tobacco, that cuts through and is VERY enjoyable. It’s different. I love it…

Toque’s original for me. It just has a smoothness and crispness I just dont get with other SP’s. I like their SP Extra, but it just has something missing compared to the original. Not far behind though is Tom Buck and J & H Wilson’s. The Wilsons is mainly for the quality of the snuff from those airtight tins. I really do need to get some Original in bulk!

Toque SP Extra, WoS SP 2 and McCrystals SP in that order.

for me its a fine line between tom buck and best sp …both from wilson although i hear the hoggart gowith sp is a bit different but up there.

for me though i am generally happy to use either tom buck or best sp…and ordered more tom buck, as out the tin it is slightly more potent.

Throwing in another vote for McChrystal’s SP. It’s got this bready-buscuity thing going on that I haven’t been able to find in any of the others. It also lacks the sharp, lemony notes that a lot of SPs have, which I don’t particularly care for.

It works well for me as a nose reset, as it tends to clear me out without interfering with anything I might have after.

one snuff to rule them all…gawith hoggarth sp …definitely the king of the sps from what i have taken.

@houtenziel sounds like you would enjoy J&H Wilsons SP No1 and Top Mill No1. Have you had them? I like em even more than McC for the aspects you describe

Tom Buck and Best Dark continually fight for my favorite spot. Sometimes I like a 50/50 blend. That is delicious. Honorable mention to Toque SP Extra.

Grand Cairo is my favorite SP. But I also really like Mcchrystal’s SP, Tom Buck & Gold Label. Toque original & Gawith Hoggarth SP are all occasional SP’s for me.

I really wanted to like Tom Buck but I find I only get scent for a split second So for me its Toque SP extra and Grand Cairo with a hopeful spot for Tom Buck one day!

@BillSykes Gold Label is a great SP, well worth a try.