So - I recently introduced myself as a purchaser of Fribourg & Treyer - flavours Seville, Bordeaux, and Princes Special. I was also given a sampler of McChrystals O&G. Here are my impressions after two days: I found the initial smell of ALL of the snuff repulsive - this despite being a full time (and big time) cigarette smoker; little is worse than the stink of smoke we inflict upon ourselves in our early years. They all smelt the same to me - awful. I was a little sad having hoped that I would open the bottle of snuff to be met by a scent of historic glory that would carry me away to the past. No. They all smelt rank, less pleasant that cigarettes, and I was left wondering how this was the stuff of true gentlemen (of the 18th century - my favorite period and the draw card promptimg my first buy). I was so excited about my purchase that I publicized them on facebook - got hundreds of responses - and steeled myself for an afternoon of snuffing (despite the foul smell) just so I could say I have given it an honest try. My reactions hereinunder are: 1. seville: this is an extremely dry powder. It is tan in color and had the nicest scent of my selection. The perfume added was sufficient to hide the dank of the tobacco. Sadly, however, no matter how hard I tried to not try hard, it ended up shooting against my throat. This hurt. 2. Bordeaux, and Princes special. I unite the two because I simply cannot tell the difference - by smell in the bottle or smell in the nasal cavities. They are both dark, both seem moist, and both smelt extremely repellant. 3. The joker in the pack - the illusion that fooled me. This was the McChrystals original. First I need to declare my hatred of all things mentholated. I simple do not abide by menthol. But the smell of this snuff so overwhelmed the dank musty smell of old tobacco that I was lulled into a false sense of security (as you will shortly see). It smelled the cleanest of the bunch and so, with trepidation - yet excitement - I took my first pinch. It burned - it sent sparks flying - it cleaned my pipes. Clearly I had erred in my original purchase and the vendor had sent me the correct starter snuff - he knew me better than I myself. So what happened? I spent the night feeling I had the worst case of bronchitis in history - coupled with the worst case of dry-nose (if such a thing exists). I was entirely convinced that my end had come. I was suffering cancer induced by one day of snuff taking. My lungs were collapsing, my nose was dissolving, and my eyes were lamenting all the stunning visions they would have had I not indulged myself that one day with snuff. Evil snuff. Snuff that would, ironically, snuff out my life. But I must be honest. I also decided to quit smoking the same day. I am certain that at least part of the blame lies therein. I went to bed at ten. I awoke at 12. I slept until 3. I jumped at 4. I dragged myself out of bed - away from a delightful electric blanket. Following shortly thereafter: The Worst Day Of My Life. And I have had many. With a burning nose - a dry nose - and my self-diagnosed cancer in my chest, I prepared myself for the worst. I readied myself to summon my priest, I thought of all my sins I should confess, and then I feel asleep at the breakfast table. Momentarily. The rest of the day was agonizing and my secret lover had to endure an evening of coughing and wheezing. Day 2 (remember I had quit smoking upon the arrival of my snuff) two things became apparent (largely thanks to this forum). 1. Extra dry powdery snuff should be moistened with a lick of the tongue on finger so as to be properly enjoyed. My bottle of seville will not go to waste thanks to this hint. 2. Menthol snuff is simply not appropriate for newbies. The majority of my symptoms - my faux cancer - are a result of inserting copious quantities of mentholated powder into my delicate nasal cavity. As much as I loved the scent - this is a free sample that now joins my homemade stocks in the freezer. In six months I might attempt it again. So - what is the conclusion to my journey thus far? Princes Special and Bordeaux have a texture which makes them appropriate for a first timer. They are heavy enough that even he who sniffs a little deeply can’t suck back the wonderful powder into his lungs. You are left with a rich dark feeling of glorious tradition in your nose. Seville needs a licked finger or the most delicate of all noses with the most effeminate of inhalations - lest your fill your lungs with powder. And my free gift - McChrystals O&G. First timers take it if you want to end your ability to sleep. Take it if you need to flush your sinuses. Take it if you have run out of nodoz. Otherwise - avoid - at all costs avoid! CAVEAT: I have perhaps enjoyed my snuff (princes special) with a little too much wine tonight. I can only hope that despite this, my experience will help some new snuffers.
If you liked F&T princes special, why not try F&T Princes. Coarse grind, simpler taste but with a nice soothing, relaxing effect. Great as a bed time snuff.
Interesting for you to share your first time experiences. O&G was my first snuff, and my favourite from the outset, and still is today. But everyone is different. Snuff has never made me feel unwell though. I think I’d give it up if it did.
Bordeaux and Princes Special both have heavy doses of geranium, so that is why they smell similar to you, but they are very different beyond that. Princes Special is a course grind, and probably easiest to use. I’m not sure I woud have recommended any of those four to a first timer, but in time you might grow to love all of them. Also, quitting smoking and beginning snuffing on the same day is probably not a good idea. Ease into one as you ease out of the other. Keep practicing and reading old threads on the forum, I think you will pick it up beore long.
Best thing about this story is the telling. Good job.
I agree with Xander, probably a good idea to avoid such drastic measures and changes. Also, take it easy Jamie – I personally see snuff taking more of a wonderful exploration in pleasure than just an alternative nicotine vehicle. I think you started with the Good Stuff, but do try other types as well. Take your time.
Its a shame your first experience was like that. In fact all of the things you anticipated beforehand are intrinsic aspects of snuffing; beautiful scents and the feeling of enjoying something from a less hectic and more refined time. Its not possible to say why any individual reacts badly to snuff as we are all so different, but a few common things that would make your first time your last would be things like; taking too much or too little, using snuffs that are more suited to the ‘aclimatised’ nose and using stock that is past its best. Also, it has to be said, that some people just don’t get on with it. My late brother was desperate to be a snuffer but it just made him feel ill - it wasn’t for him. I personally wouldn’t have picked those snuffs for a first timer. I suggest you need the medium snuffs and a relatively wide spread of them. You also need to investigate the technique a bit beforehand (and by the way, its often the case that a small tentative pinch causes more discomfort than a large one) I always suggest two companies for beginners because they both do nice, mild but decent traditional snuffs. I think course grained/fine grained/dry snuffs are really best left til you are used to it. I suggest experimenting with the following: Toque Original and any one of the flavoured ones that sound good to you with the exception of the toasts and Berwick Brown (fine and course respectively) Wilsons of Sharrow Best SP and again, one of the flavoured ones in their SP or floral ranges. Starting over with some different snuffs may make all the difference. And wait til you have found a couple that you like before you attempt to use it as NRT. Any problems and we will all try to advise as best we can. Good luck! Edit, PS; Toque is sent out factory fresh and sometimes has a strong ammonia smell upon first opening the can. This is just a sign of extremely fresh snuff; before it came to you it had just been made and was sitting in a bulk receptacle. If the smell bothers you just let the tin air for a couple of hours with the lid off.
I personally have a love hate relationship with geranium. Sometimes I crave it, other times I can’t get it out of my nose fast enough (and y’all know that scent don’t leave without a fight). Dank. skunk, stink bug, cow dung…man, you have a lot to look forward to.
I actually felt unwell when I first started myself. The reason I kept at it was that I started taking snuff to help me breath at night. My nose gets blocked and no medications ever really helped, but someone reccomended I try snuff and it worked. I never smoked a cigarette in my life, so my first taste of nicotene made me feel a bit oozy, and I had to sit down. I did get nausieous sometimes if I overdid it, but the desire to breath overpowered everything else, and today my little snuffbox is always with me, besides jars and bottles everywhere in my bedroom.
My first ever try at snuff was WoS Extra Menthol. I quite enjoyed the feeling of having an icicle forced into my sinus.
I started using snuff to kill a 2+ pack a day cig habit, and to my surprise and delight I found myself enjoying snuff much more than smoking. I went straight from smoking to snuff without a transition. I just pinched anytime I craved a smoke.
Thanks for the comments all - they are very edifying. This is certainly a great community of friendly people. I wanted to re-post to fill you in on how things have gone since my traumatising experience above. After a few days I recovered and felt myself drawn to sniff my snuff box - not to inhale it but merely to see if it still smelt as bad as I remembered. It didn’t. Something appealing dwelled in that incredibly expensive tiny box (I paid $125 for one of those old cheap papier mache boxes with a little mother of pearl inlay). First some background: I am such a dreadful lush that I have a rule banning me from drinking alcohol on any days other than Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So I had the time to avoid the powder. And then the weekend came. I got pleasantly tiddly from my wine and dragged out the box. The first snuff gave me the same sensation of burning but now it was pleasant. And the scent was too. From the comments above I presume that I was originally put off by the geranium which I much prefer in a salad but clearly now also enjoy up the nose. The mentholated snuff was still safely tucked away in the freezer with my stocks. I took a mere few snuffs and was rather proud of myself for so doing. I slept wonderfully that night - in fact it was one of my best sleeps in ages (I have, of late, been troubled by a lack of sleep due to tennis elbow in both elbows - and I am avoiding - at all costs - surgery so as to not lose my flexibility). I have now had a wonderful weekend of smoking during the day and snuffing at night with my wine. I accidentally discovered that snuffing at night dramatically reduced the number of smokes I puffed. Perhaps larger portions of snuff was the answer. So I am still smoking, but reducing my reliance on the stuff through snuff. I have also now had five friends pass through my house who have all tried it. Two were non-smokers, one a smoker, one a quitting smoker (he is still on a nicotine replacement therapy) and one a casual smoker (when drunk). The non-smokers were blown away by the nicotine, the quitting smoker didn’t need to take his replacement nicotine, the casual smoker (a delicate young lady) enjoyed it as much as a sneaky cigarette, and the full time smoker hated it (as I did on my first attempt). I am certain that snuff will remain a part of my life now. So, taking the above advice into consideration, I will try a variety of other snuffs. If you can all suggest ones that are suitable (based on my experiences) I would appreciate it.