Hi, I’ll probably be in London some day next week and I’m thinking about a visit in G Smith & Sons shop. Do any of you know what are their opening hours? And which of their snuffs would you recommend?
I cannot remember what time they are open from, but I know they close at about 6pm. It’s a really great shop and worth a visit however, the owners rather let it down. As for snuff worth having a look at, cafe royale goes without saying. I’d recommend George IV as well… Other than that, not sure what else. Oh although on a side note, they are rather expensive.
They Currently Sell G Smith & Sons Snuffs £7.30 per 25 grams Attar of Roses Cardinal Menthol Cinnamon Café Royale Golden Cardinal George IV Kendal Brown Princes Dark Spanish Special Menthol SP Best Top Mill Wild Strawberry Friborg & Treyer Medium Size £4.55 Large £8.45 ALL cheaper online Bordeaux High Dry Toast Macouba Morliax Old Paris Princes Princes Special Santo Domingo Seville Dr James Robertson Justice If you do go I’d say you must try the Café Royale, the flagship snuff. It’s very nice but costs £7.30 per 25 grams. Some will say you can reproduces it by mixing other snuffs but I’m glad I tried the original.
Although you maybe able to ‘reproduce’ it by mixing other snuffs. There is nothing like the original at all. It’s a snuff you have to try at least once in your life.
@Snuffin “It’s a snuff you have to try at least once in your life” i’d second that, my sister got me some a little while back and, it’s nice 
Hell if I’am ever in london I gotta get some Smith and Sons. Just because
In this order 1) Golden Cardinal 2)George IV 3) Spanish (if you have any money left after the first 2)
I guess as a one-off its ok but, when you think you can get six toques for the same money! Or 9 WoS Irish #22 toast from mysmokingshop…makes you think
Money is not a problem, I just want some nice souvenirs, and what can be a better souvenir from London than couple of nice tins of snuff 
And yes, I am lazy, I have like 30 minutes by train to get to London, I just never have time to go there I’ll definitely take the Cafe Royale as I love coffee snuffs. Xander, could you try to describe for me those three you wrote about?
Well, Spanish is basically an SP. Its kind of like Wilsons Grand Cairo a bit. I don’t know how to describe George IV. Nutty, spicy, kind of like chocolate cake maybe? But not really chocolatey? Almonds, I think some have said. Its moist, somewhat sweet, just really tasty. Golden Cardinal is semi-floral semi SP like. I’ve heard its just Sam Gawith’s Bouquet under a different label, but I’ve never had Bouquet so thats hearsay. I’ve had Wild Stawberry, Cinnamon, Best Dark, and Kendal Brown also. All are very good, but perhaps not completley unique. Their Cinnamon and Strawberry are better than Wilson’s versions though. The large size vacuum sealed tins are pretty nice. You get a nice “whoompf” sound when you open them and the snuff is fresh and smells great. You can’t beat a souvenir like that!
I have both Golden Cardinal and Gawith’s Bouquet by courtesy of Ermtony. Both are jewels but they’re not the same.
I’d go for Cafe Royale and Spanish. Regarding the vacuum sealed tins - I’d recommend you check that the tins are still vacuum sealed after you’ve bought them and take them back if they aren’t. The clueless staff at the shop frequently crack them open to let potential customers have a smell of the contents. They’re normally okay about swapping them over (it’s happened to me twice now).
The Cafe Royale my sister picked-up didn’t come in a vacuum sealed tin, came in a plastic pot.
Yeah, my George IV came in a plastic pot as well. That being said it’s still nice and fresh. I’ve had maybe 2g of it so far? So about 23g left. Not something you would want to take everyday but nice for a treat now and then when the mood strikes… Although I would agree with Xander on the George IV, it’s nutty, spicey, has a hint of clove I believe and just rather nice. Reminds me of Christmas.
In addition to the advice given by BradMajors, it might be worth phoning Smiths first to make sure they have want you want in stock. I went there last April to buy some Café Royale and, amazingly, they didn’t have any in stock. +44 (0) 20 7836 7422
Plastic pots ? It’s been quite a while since I was in Smith’s but that must be a recent development. Could one of you maybe post a picture ?
I have a tin of George IV by courtesy of Debbie and I can say this is a must have. Not an everyday snuff but you will be poorer without it.
They actually close at 5.30pm prompt, so get there early. It’s a very good idea to phone ahead and ask what they have in stock as they don’t always (hardly ever) have a full range of their own snuffs in stock. You can also buy smaller tins at about £4.50 ish, but again, they don’t always have a full stock. I’d recommend George IV, Café Royale and Wild Strawberry. They also have Smith’s Mix, which is like a Kendal Brown. If you have time, try to pop into the Segar and Snuff Parlour in Covent Garden Market, which sells Mullins & Westley snuff - Jock’s Choice & Mature Crumbled would be my top picks there. Happy Shopping!
Is that really a G&H label??? Really???