A couple years ago I grew some Walker Broadleaf plants, an heirloom variety and didn’t get much out of it. The plants went to seed and I harvested the pods. A few broke open and this spring a few volunteer plants came up in the bed. I put more care into this crop and a couple months ago I hung up the leaf to dry in the shade. Yesterday I took one of the more golden colored leaves and toasted it on a hot plate on low for about a half hour. Ground it down to a fine dust and added some eucalyptus and lavender oil. Altogether I made about a gram of product. A few pinches convinced me this is about the strongest snuff a man should take. Unscented it reminds one of the green candella cigar wrapper. I took a couple pinches and after the burn died down I could feel the nicotine really coming on. My ears were slightly ringing. My nose was running like crazy and after a good blow I put the stuff away. My nose was clear! Today I revisited it several times, liking it more each time. Finally I took a small scoop and mixed it with an equal volume of Garret’s Sweet. A good move. The sweetness masks some of the herbal bitterness of the minimally cured leaf and softens the flavor nicely. It still kicks like a damn mule.
This is one of the most interesting posts we may find here…Congratulations stitch…may you add some pics from your leaves and snuff???..Thanks in advance and congratulations again!! Pedro
Congratulations!!! You’ve inspired me! I need to order some tobacco seed now!
Seedman has a good selection if your looking. They recommend the Greenwood Dark for making dry snuff.
THAnks for the welcome fellow snuffers. Sorry pictures were not taken during the process, but it is straightforward. I have always been a dyi kind kind of guy, so I got a lot of satisfaction getting something usable out of this. I can’t claim to be objective, cause of all the time it took to pull this off. However, the three plants have given me enough to make quite a bit of snuff. In lieu of pictures I would not be adverse to sending out some samples to members once I make a larger batch. If you would like to receive one, let me know. US addresses only, please. Just “whisper” me. First five people will receive a care package - enough for several sessions. No cost, but if you’d like to share some of your home grind, or whatever, it would be welcome. And do let me know what you think of my creation! I want to try several variations in very small batches before processing the bulk of material. Also not all the leaves turned the same shade of brown or gold, some have dried to a light green. So I sure there will be variation in flavor from leaf to leaf. Today I am attempting to heat cure some rather green leaf from the tops. I made a packet of aluminum foil and placed the leaf inside, perforated top and bottom and tossed on the hot plate. This time I will increase the cure time to about an hour. Will keep you posted. I think I did get the seed from Seedman originally.
The leaves did lighten up to a brownish color with tinges of green. Kept them on the heat for an hour. Temperature high enough to sizzle a drop of water on the heating element. A bit on the tongue is quite bitter. I think I would do better with some fully cured commercial product. This is a potent powder, but not very pleasant as a main ingredient.
Try drying and grinding the midribs for a light colored milder snuff. Any of the dark air or fire cured leaf tobaccos are going to make strong snuff. Sounds like you might do better with an additive free rolling tobacco like American Spirit or the unflavored cigar leaf chewing tobaccos from Finck that Troutstoker has mentioned in another thread.
Oh and it is strong. I removed all the large veins from the mix. If I take more than a couple small pinches, the I can really feel it. I don’t know how growing conditions relate to nicotine content, but these plants grew during the hottest summer on record for Phoenix. Over thirty days with temps 110 deg or more. I did see those items on the Finck website. Very tempting. There are four types of unflavored leaf - can anyone make a suggestion which would be most suitable? I also ordered the Fred Stoker catalog, so I will probably hold off until that arrives. Never seen it before either.
Finck Cigar Co. They have a free catalog as well if you sign up.
stitch, you may want to try the commercial tobacco enhancers & top note flavors from Seedman They offer a couple that smoothes tobacco flavor.
Mo, you’re correct, the top leaves have the highest nicotine content on the plant…
Hi All, Tried growing seeds from Coffin Nails online shop a few years back… They grew well, but at the time I smoked and didn’t snuff, so maybe I should give it another go for snuffing purposes. They have a ‘make your own snuff’ guide on the left hand side of the page too. There’s also Tobacco Seed who have what looks like to be an interesting selection of tobacco seeds on offer. Strangely they use PayPal to process orders… Maybe they get round PayPal’s ban on tobacco products because they’re selling seeds. Had a quick scout round other UK tobacco seed sites, found out something a little shocking about growing your own tobacco if you live in the UK (and EU), and intend to ‘smoke’ your end product… According to Free Smoking you have to declare it to HM Customs (or whatever they’re called in non UK), who’ll then slap duty on your home grown for personal use tobacco produce… Ye Gods! They do say however on site via a letter published from HM Customs, that there isn’t currently an effective method of enforcing or policing this rule. But the tax becomes ‘payable’ as soon as the tobacco is cut for ‘smoking’ purposes. “You may wish to point out to your customers that duty only becomes due once the tobacco can be smoked i.e. when the cured tobacco leaves have been shredded. There is no duty on tobacco seeds, which are quite legal to buy, or on the tobacco plants themselves.” So in which case, if you do decide to grow and declare it, makesure it’s declared as snuff not smoking tobacco because of the ‘duty’ differences. Cheers NoseBag
OK so far I have processed leaves from the tops - green and pungent - the bottom - golden brown and still very strong. Today I have taken one of the mid-stalk leaves - a large golden one about 20" in length. I have sprayed a bit of water on it because it’s so brittle and i want to give it a cleaning before continuing with the process. Once it become flexible enough, I will wash off any dust and proceed to drying it again. Chris - there should be enough in this batch to send some samples out, just send me your snail mail addy by “whisper” If anyone is interested in some second generation seed - adapted to hot and dry climate - there will be some available for a nominal price. Waiting on a package of small zip lock bags for this and they should be here late next week.
Hello Stitch, I am very interested in try to have my own snuff. But what’s the year month/s to sow the seeds? Thanks very much in advance? Pedro (Spain)
Soil temp needs to be at least 26 c. for good germination. As a general rule, plant at the same time as summer vegetables like peppers, tomatoes or eggplant. Seeds need to be germinated in a flat and not covered with dirt. They need light to germinate. There are instructions on some of the homegrowing website.
Here is a forum that has a lot of answers. How to grow tobacco Tobacco harvest PDF PLANTING AND RAISING (This is from Seedman) Raising tobacco is very easy. The seeds you received should be started inside in flats. In northern states, start the seeds 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Tobacco can be ready to harvest for curing about 60 days after transplanting, therefore it can be raised in almost any state. If raising more than one variety of tobacco, use separate flats. A mixture of peat humus and potting soil should be used. Potting soil only can be used if you select a high grade of commercial potting soil. Place the mixture into the flats, soak the soil with water and allow the excess water to drain off. The next day, sprinkle the tobacco seeds onto the surface of the damp soil. Do not cover the seeds as they need light for germination. Tobacco seeds are very tiny, so be careful to spread the seeds evenly. Keep the soil damp being careful not to wash the seeds around when you water. You will begin to notice sprouts in about two weeks. Transplant outside after all danger of frost is past. If you have a moderate growing season and can start the seeds outside, try to sow the seeds where leaves or wood has been burned. The plants will thrive in these spots. Tobacco requires a lot of nitrogen and potash which is supplied by wood ashes. The ashes from charcoal grills are also beneficial. I recommend applying a good brand of garden fertilizer to the area where the plants will be grown. Working in rotted manure is very good for the plants. Never raise tobacco plants in the same spot in the garden for over a few years at a time as tobacco plants will totally deplete the nutrients in the soil. You should space the tobacco plants about 2 ft. apart in rows 3 ft. apart when practical. The plants are large enough to transplant when the largest leaves are 2" or larger. Always transplant outside in late evening or when it is cloudy and overcast. Water plants thoroughly after transplanting and water daily each day until plants have become established. When growing in tubs, limit the number of plants grown. Tobacco plants need to be exposed to full sun while growing. Tobacco roots grow quickly and often close to the surface. Be careful around plants when hoeing or cultivating around them. Try not to disturb the soil anymore than necessary. As the plant begins growing, remove all suckers as they will sap the plants growth. Tobacco plants suffer from several diseases and are attacked by several leaf chewers. I recommend using sevin dust to control insects. Be cautious not to use any form of systemic insecticide that will penetrate the leaf. Remember, you may be chewing or smoking this plant and you do not want to be ingesting chemical residues. For a truly natural pesticide, purchase an ounce of tobacco dust from us and make your own supply by mixing one teaspoon tobacco dust, one teaspoon of black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap to one gallon of water.
The little zip locks are here. A couple of you guys should receive some homemade snuff before too long. It should go out today.
Boy, that’s good stuff. Good nic punch, although you certainly weren’t bashful with the eucalyptus and lavender oil. I had a little trouble zeroing in on the tobacco scent. Nonetheless, that’s simply a matter of personal preference. GREAT JOB Stitch!
After leaving Stitch’s homemade snuff open for a few days the scent has definately mellowed. It’s a very good snuff. Now I need to get my seeds planted next year and I’ll make some.