GH - if you peruse this site, then listen to me. Get rid of your stupid annoying sneeze boxes. Your snuffs are really nice in the 25g tubs, but in those tap boxes I shall never buy them. Ever. The difference is huge. Your snuffs are lovely in the 25g tubs, they’re shite in the tap boxes. You want my business? Get rid of your vile tap boxes.

As far as I know OW, all GH snuffs are available in both tap boxes and tubs, unlike Sam Gawith snuffs.

Can you tell me where to get GH in tubs? I ordered ALL the ones at MrSnuff but that was only 19 snuffs. Don’t GH do many more varieties?

Ah ok, I may be wrong then. I just looked at my usual place (my smoking shop) and they had all flavours in both sizes. Though that wasnt many and they dont stock all the flavours. Really want to try KB scented which they dont stock. You could try contacting them directly, they will sell to individuals, I contacted them before.

Mr. Snuff has all 31 varietes (look on page 2). Also I personally reccomend Aireys of Kendal http://www.aireysofkendal.com/ They are located a 5 minute walk from the mill, so you know its fresh. They also carry drums and half-drums. If its not on the website, just write to Peter Baxter he’ll take care of you for whatever size you require. I think GH brought about the 25g tub recently in respond to our needs for an economical size but in a container that preserves freshness. I used to curse the sneeze boxes (c) Snuff Head, but now its easier just to ignore them.

Yes, Sneeze Box© and Sneeze Boxes© are the copyright of SnuffHead, LOL! I second what Xander says above, Aireys are great. When I phone Peter, I say my long lost brother, as we share the same surname.

@Xander do you actually have to be a UK resident to order for them, or is that mainly just verifying your age? Dam all these new tobacco laws! They make me all paranoid! Edited to add…I’m actually serious for once. It’s got me wondering if they ship to the US. They’ve got a huge selection and really fine prices!!

I ordered from them via email and over the phone last spring. The website was down at that time. Peter told me he ships to the US routinely, and I had no issues getting my shipment. Don’t know about laws, but that’s probably just a CYA thing on there.

Thanks bro…just being careful…don’t want to get any distributor or myself in any trouble. Big ups on the link btw…I’d never heard of em…and they have a plethora of tobacco lover’s delights!

Thanks @Xander. Dunno how I missed page 2. Helpful as always. Cheers dude.

I didn’t realize how bad tap boxes are until I received a tub of GH Kendal Brown yesterday. The stuff in my tap box was bone dry and extremely coarse, with very little flavour at all. I wanted to try it in a tub, and I’m sure glad I did–it’s an unbelievably good plain snuff when it’s moist and fresh. Pretty strong in the nicotine department too. I didn’t sense that big of a difference between the tap box English Rose and the tub of English Rose, but the difference in the Kendal Brown is amazing. I’m a tub believer now.

the tubs make such a huge difference. I really prefer them. Another thing that no complains about the sneeze boxes is that the little bitches are much harder to get a proper dose out of. I’ve spilled half onto the back of my hand before and I do not like it at all.

If you still have some crap boxes with a good amount of snuff, it’s fairly easy to transfer this into a more suitable container. The older ones i know for a fact pop apart fairly easy(just throw some paper down as not to waste any) and then it’s just a matter of putting the snuff into a container you prefer. I know this doesn’t fix the freshness problem, but at least you won’t be dumping huge amounts accidentally. Snuffhousers unite…down with crap boxes!!

Being a bulk buyer I had no idea just how bad these boxes are until I was gifted a dozen or so a while back. One after another they were cast into the bin in disgust. On writing to Bob Gregory (of Sam Gawith) I was told: “Two years ago we moved to the new plastic container as we were receiving so many complaints regarding the qualities of the tin. Rust etc. We are pleased to inform you that you are the very first to complain about the new packing…world wide.” I take pride in (apparently) being the very first person to complain about these dreadful things.

And they were pleased to inform you…lol! That’s so awesome. I hope you printed out that email and framed it!

What a smart ass reply. Don’t they realize that you are the just first one “world wide” that CARES enough to let them know. Your efforts PhillipS, are not in vain my good man. I salute you.

Not everyone is an expert, most of that world wide market of theirs don’t know the difference between good and bad, so as long as the cash rolls in the company is happy. Just another reason to buy bulk. The fact is no small brand can is any good, even the good ones - even snuff taken from an airtight FandT can will be dry quicker than snuff decanted on a daily basis because every time you take a pinch you let the bulk get unwanted contact with the air.

The full range of snuffs from Sam Gawith are available in vacuum-sealed tins. One wonders, therefore, why distributors, don’t stock them. The answer is that they are only sold in boxes of 16 tins at a cost of £30.86 per box plus vat. Simon from My Smoking Shop, for example, is reluctant to stock the range as he believes that the moisture of the snuff would cause the tins to corrode internally before he can sell them all. (That was likely with thin tins, but the stout tin should keep moist snuff good for several years.) Tap-boxes are available in smaller packs. Why then can’t SG make vacuum-sealed tins available in smaller packs too? Unless they are made to order there are obviously hundreds of 16 tin packs gathering dust at the factory - and all because of the solemn commandment from above: “Thou shall issue tins in packs of sixteen and sixteen only”, saith the management, “and our commandment hath been written in stone.” If anyone really doesn’t have anything better to read … the correspondence is listed below. ******************************************************** PhilipS - Why, when Quality Control ensures that moisture levels are perfect for snuffs, are faulty plastic samplers used so that by the time is reaches the customer it is unusable? The box is barely suitable enough to keep snuff good for a day - let alone months. 1. Take empty box and fill with water. 2. Shake box and observe water loss 3. Hold box over sink with slider facing down. 4. Squeeze box and observe the following: - water pouring out from slider under pressure - air pouring in when pressure released Every sampler I’ve tried has contained dry as dust contents. Rappee runs like sand from an hour glass leaving a residue of congealed shotgun-pellets rattling behind. Please bring back the tin - preferably the 25 gram vacuum sealed ones. ******************************************************** Bob Gregory - Sir, we have received your mail, thank you. Two years ago we moved to the new plastic container as we were receiving so many complaints regarding the qualities of the tin. Rust etc. We are pleased to inform you that you are the very first to complain about the new packing…world wide. However let me see if I can address your complaint. We do not claim that the dispenser is air tight otherwise how would the slider move to allow the snuff to exit. The large vac packed tin has never been discontinued by us and probably won’t be. Where and when did you buy the snuff and what brands did you purchase. I ask this so that we may investigate the conditions under which it is stored ie next to a heat source ?? ******************************************************** PhilipS - The boxes were purchased before Christmas from My Smoking Shop. They included all the Kendal Browns, Black Rappee, London Brown, Scotch Black, Princes Dark and Cob Dark. (Snuff purchased by the drum arrives in factory-fresh condition and is quite unlike the contents of the samplers). I’m surprised that mine was the first complaint worldwide as snuff forums have many posts expressing similar displeasure with the packaging. Bernard in Germany, who also use these boxes, arouse similar dissatisfaction. Pöschl alone escape condemnation as their snuffs are sauced with paraffin oil and don’t dry out. Water based real snuff requires better care - especially those marketed as belonging to the moist variety. In my experience the consensus of opinion is one of bringing back the traditional tin. The availability of the large vacuum-sealed 25-gram tin is of great interest. Please provide information on where they may still be purchased. The news that they have not been discontinued will be very welcome to all snuff aficionados. ******************************************************** Bob Gregory - echo answers silence. ******************************************************** PhilipS to Simon Jackson - … I haven’t heard from the manufacturers so perhaps you can tell me if we can expect their snuffs to be supplied in those excellent 25 gram vacuum sealed tins? ******************************************************** Simon Jackson - Unfortunately we already have serious issues with the volume of new lines we already have that are waiting to be photographed and listed. I can get you any vatiemt on the 25g tins you require but unfortunately you would need to buy the full outer of sixteen tins. I can get all their snuffs in the 25g tins but prefer the smaller packs as sometimes with the moisture of the snuff the tins start to corrode internally. ******************************************************** PhilipS to Bob Gregory - Where is it possible to purchase a range of your 25g vacuum-sealed tins? Only My Smoking Shop seems to stock any, but the choice is severely limited. According to Simon Jackson the full range is available. ******************************************************** Bob Gregory - Simon is correct, the full range is available. The 25g tin comes packed in boxes of 16 tins only at a cost of £30.86 per box plus vat. ******************************************************** And there we have it - a typical British impasse.

An interesting read, @PhilipS. Thanks for sharing.

Reading that makes me say “Thank god for Mr. Snuff!!!”

SG inform me that, my smoking shop have placed a large order for the new(er) non corrosive tins and they should be delivered in the next week or so.

Well, really, 99.9% of the people that buy tap tops probably don’t know the snuff is not well kept in comparison to other containers. It doesn’t surprise me that no one has complained before as the .1% either don’t buy it again or can’t be bothered to write in about it.

I just read a couple of reviews of SG Lavender Dark on snuffreivews.com. They were the first two reviews. Its looks sadly like the two reviewers in question got hoodwinked and think that this rappee is supposed to be dried black sand. I’ll need to get my own review up there soon and set the record straight. For those it may help, I’ve noticed that snuffstore.de has the full range of SG in vacuum tins. It might be a roundabout way of getting them in the UK, but there it is. At least our German brothers no longer have to suffer.

I felt/feel genuinely ashamed that our overseas pals and tyros, irrespective of nationality, are being ripped-off in this way by UK companies. Somewhere in one of my journals from the 1970s the issue of these German-style boxes was discussed, but the idea rejected by manufacturers for the very same reason we complain about now. If I can find it I’ll cite it. Hopefully cautioning will lead to a gradual boycott of tap-box sales. Properly packaged samples like the little tub or sealed tins should also lead to more sales.

@xander thanks for the tip re: snuffstore.de, they have some interesting looking Brazilian snuffs also.

@PhillipS, I’m sorry to say that today I broke your wishes and ordered a bunch of snuff in tap boxes – only because they’re not available in tins. I’d happily have bought larger quantities in tins had they been available. I really don’t like the sneeze boxes but when they’re the only alternative, sales happen. It’s a shame, really, but I am weak and I like what I like. Note to Mr Snuff: Dave, please stock everything in 25g or greater tins! Now to check out snuffstore.de…

Well I feel moderately better; snuffstore.de doesn’t have what I wanted today either. Mr Snuff really is the only place I can find the snuffs I want, even if I have to buy them in tap boxes. Sad, really. But that’s the price of living on the bleeding edge I guess.

Wow, crossing the picket line for personal benefit? How can we have a union if our members are so easily seduced.

I’m easy, no doubt about it. What’s a snuff nut to do? I have done my part by complaining publicly and privately; meanwhile I’ll grudgingly buy what’s offered. Damn it!

That’s ok. Taking dusty snuff is its own punishment.

"I’m sorry to say that today I broke your wishes and ordered a bunch of snuff in tap boxes – only because they’re not available in tins. I’d happily have bought larger quantities in tins had they been available. I really don’t like the sneeze boxes but when they’re the only alternative, sales happen. It’s a shame, really, but I am weak and I like what I like. " Sorry indeed! Echo answers Scab! Quisling! Traitor to the cause! As with Ishmael your hand is against every man, and every man’s hand now against you. Your justification is as convincing as Pharaoh’s feeble ‘corn in the lean years’ excuse - and we all know how the Good Lord felt about Pharaoh. Yea, the way of the transgressor is hard. The purchase itself will punish with dust as dry as the sands of Syria and a taste as bitter as the cud . (Nothing like some good Old Testament fire and brimstone condemnation for purchasers of the vile Kendal tap-box.)

@Xander - many thanks for the link to Aireys and I have just placed my very 1st bulk order after 4 years of snuffing! 250g’s of Kendal Brown heading my way.

I promise not to buy tap boxes. Largely because they don’t appeal to me but hey heh heh. Besides, I snuff off the scooping spoon bit of my pipe tool (after wiping the ashes off it of course heh heh) just because I have extraordinarily fat fingers and cant seem to get a proper pinch. The tap box would make that really hard to do.

You’re very welcome Mopey. What did you order for me? That’s telling him, PhilipS! LOL

I only made the tap box error once, but it was with the other Kendal snuff miller… I love the micro-bulk-tubs that Mr. Snuff stocks, though!

I never even bothered with G&H snuffs until MR Snuff got the tubs. Thanks man.

@Xander LOL … dried black sand… That’s funny

Sprangalang; good Lord, how are you my dear?

“Sorry indeed! Echo answers Scab! Quisling! Traitor to the cause! As with Ishmael your hand is against every man, and every man’s hand now against you. Your justification is as convincing as Pharaoh’s feeble ‘corn in the lean years’ excuse - and we all know how the Good Lord felt about Pharaoh. Yea, the way of the transgressor is hard. The purchase itself will punish with dust as dry as the sands of Syria and a taste as bitter as the cud .” Damn, talk about getting spanked!

The only place I have found tap-box snuff consistently “perfect” at time of purchase is John Hollingsworth’s in Birmingham, where it is stored in a humidor.

It’s usually good when received by post from Tim & Julia at Snuff Store [I guess they, too, have good storage facilities - I also know their stock is generally very fresh].

However, I have needed to place SG tap-boxes [and, it must be said, those from GH as well] my “super-moist” humidor after only a few days.  Contrast this with the superb seals on either Fribourg & Treyer tubes, or the 10g tins in which Snuff Store sell their own “house” sorts.  The irony here is that I understand many of the Snuff Store “house” sorts are blended at Kendal Brown House - begs the question as to why SG cannot supply their own product in Snuff Store type tins.

Part of my guess is that SG invested a lot of money in the “Bernard style” tap-box machinery, and are loathe to admit that it may have been a mistake.

That said, the concept of the SG tap box, for convenience when out for the evening, or during the working day, is excellent - if only it could also keep good snuff fresh.

Or they bought a lifetime supply

What on Earth constitutes a “lifetime supply” for a firm celebrating its 220^th anniversary this year?

Where would they store such a quantity?

In one of the saddest warehouses ever.

I have to say I not that fond of the flat tins either.  I’m always seeming to spill some snuff when I open them.  The only containers I’ve liked have been the Fribourg & Treyer 25g screw top canisters and the plastic canisters the American snuffs come in.  The taller narrower profile makes the snuff less likely to spill out on opening.

@bluemanma :
The “secret” with flat tins is to tap them a couple of times soundly on a table (on tap the underside robustly with the tin held flat lid uppermost) before opening.  This should cause the snuff to settle some.  It is also the traditional way, in company, of letting those gathered know there is about to be snuff for the partaking of!

I never complain if a little falls from a new tin.  Wilsons of Sharrow seem especially generous in filling their tins, which pleases me for two reasons:

1. the more snuff is in the tin, the less air present to oxidise it;
2. it tells me I’m not being short-changed!

Yes, I also like the screw-top tubes used by F&T, and the screw-top tins now used for 10g quantities of house blends from SnuffStore,  Whilst both of these sometimes appear a shade less than “full”, one has to bear in mind (in both firms’ cases) that their sorts vary considerably in texture and moisture, thus 10g (or an ounce in F&T’s case) does not have the same volume for every blend.

I hate those pesky tap boxes , so I decant into aluminium screw top tins.

 The tap boxes are fine to buy/store but using them is a pain.They pop open easily using a sharp knife.

Then using a paper funnel tip it all into a tub,Job Done.

I save all my WoS tins and as mentioned above I use the excellent tubs from Snuffstore for their own blends.

 Now for the OCD bit, I clean each one after use and relabel with hand written labels and date them so I can use them in rotation.Most labels will come off easily and a quick wipe with nail Polish remover all the stickiness goes.( don’t tell her indoors though).

So no ageing mystery snuff knocking around. I also knock up a Blend Ends tin, this had all my old last pinches in and is a complete mish mash of aromas and types.I usually use this when I am fly fishing so there are no tears if it gets blown about or rattles around in my fly vest ( or gets wet when wading).

The tap boxes are fine to buy/store but using them is a pain No. They are most certainly not. They are so prone to air entry that thesnuff inside will be stale within days of being put in there. So even if it only sits on the shelf for a week before it gets to the buyer, it is already stale. I agree wholeheartedly with the OP. Both Gawith companies are shooting themselves in the foot with these boxes, giving new snufftakers poor mpressions of their products.

 It is amazing how many more stars they started getting after the tubs became available. And it’s nice that most reviews don’t think that all of their snuff is bone dry. It makes no sense. I don’t care how much money they’ve dropped into these crappy porducts or what types of contracts they signed, but it probably cost a hell of a lot more not making new customers. I mean seriously be faned by one person with tad then we are talking about some sort of serious money.

If you wanted to take the bastard route you could keep asking for refunds since the snuff was not in saleable quility.

how true it is! tap boxes could be ok if there would be best before date expiring like 2 weeks after filling those darn plastic containers. I think from now on I do not buy any kind of tap-box!!!
farewell pöchl too. just got GH’s CM and OMG =P it is good! only have tried GH’s snuffs from tap-box before and it has been a bone dry experience. same with Samuel Gawith, ZIP is like totally different snuff from tap-box than it’s from vacuum tin. so if those tap-boxes are like “samplers” they really do their job in worst possible way.

how about using little sealed plastic bags like in India? not classy enough?

So realise this is an old discussion but doing a bit of market research and is the general consensus still to get rid of tap boxes and only have in tins?

Does this hold the same for those buying Gawith snuff outside the UK?

Yes get rid of the tapboxes, even if you order a fresh tapbox by the time it arrives at your door it has already dried out. Tapboxes only work good for oil based snuffs because they dont dry out nearly as easily as waterbased snuffs. The worst thing you can do to a water based snuff is put it in a tapbox.

1. Holy Yes, get rid of them 10-grammer rattleboxes, please!

2. What an odd question this… Of course, holds the same! The leaky plastic boxes only bring disgrace to Your business (in the eyes of snuff partakers).

I’m in the US. I’ve had a few tap boxes in the past, a huge waste of time and totally annoying. I don’t even consider buying them anymore. Honestly, if it’s not in at least a 20g tin (30 or 40 is better) that I can pinch from, I’m not interested.

You do make some great snuff, I just despise tap boxes.

I asked because this thread was started back before Gawith Hoggarth took over Samuel Gawith and now most of the snuffs are done in tins. However, there are some that are done in tap boxes and these are large sellers for the export market and from discussions on other forums, some like the tap boxes as they are portable and better for carrying snuff around in and prefer 10g over larger tins. Hence why looking to get a range of opinions from different places.

Hello. Samuel Gawith is the only brand that is legally imported in my country, and it is actually only in the tap boxes. I find them comfortable and useful. Just my reality.

I would not be sad to see them go, that’s for sure. Smaller vacuum sealed tins with a proper rubber lid seal would be an excellent replacement.

Which country are you in?

I live in Argentina. Now I think that maybe they are selling old stuff because the boxes still do not have any Gawith & Hoggart logo on them. Anyway the snuff is good enough for me.

We do not have a distributor in Argentina and any tobacco produced by us is packed in our factory and has our logo on. I would be surprised if it had ever been sent without branding on the box. How do you know it is Gawith’s snuff if it has no logo or branding on it?

I should explain myself better. The brand is Samuel Gawith. As far as I know, that brand is now produced by Gawith Hoggart. Since the box that I recently bought does not say Gawith Hoggart on it (it actually has the internet address of Samuel Gawith), I think it may be old snuff.
The tapbox, then, may not be the same that people are talking about in this thread. Anyway, I have seen pictures of new SG snuff and the boxes look quite similar to those I have.
It is useful to know that you do not have a distributor in Argentina: it reinforces my idea that they are selling snuff that they stocked in the past. Or, perhaps, they buy Gawith Hoggart from some distributor in another country (here I am thinking about Pipe tobacco).

Yes this will be old snuff. Our distributors can only sell within the country they are licensed to sell to. The tax laws currently make it impossible more or less to import tobacco products (and many other products) into Argentina due to the time limits on when taxes must be paid and currency restrictions. It is something we are keeping under review with the company we used to work with in Argentina. And until this changes its unlikely that tobacco products can legally be brought into the country.

I would like to point out that the only person here who doesn’t hate the tapboxes has only ever had your snuff from a tapbox and therefore has no idea how much better your snuffs are when they aren’t dryed out and stale.

I hope I soon get the chance to try them fresh!

It would be fantastic if it came in a 10g tin. The beauty of your snuff is the moist fluffy tobacco. The ammonia and gorgeous fresh smell (my mouth is watering now) but the tap tins just don’t keep it fresh imo.

There’s only one type of dispenser which beats 10 g tap boxes in terms of leakiness - a 5 g tap tin:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nasalsnuff/comments/13jnzaw/does_this_type_of_tin_with_a_hole_in_the_side/

According to trade journal reports by Sonia Roberts and Jacques Cole, these container types are most popular amongst younger people and the export market - in particular the USA. The irony is that all the quality control for batches that go to fill these containers using Neumo-Alite machines appears pointless (to me) as the snuff is degraded by the time it reaches the customer – especially overseas customers.

The solution is to avoid purchasing any shake-out container for water-based snuff, irrespective of material used or shape.

Also, they are not cost effective. Looking at Sharrow’s website I see that one of these ridiculous efforts containing a miniscule five grams costs £1.36. Purchasing 500 grams worth in these containers would cost you £136. But a 500 grams tub only costs £34.80, saving you over one hundred quid and procuring quality snuff into the bargain.

Is that Jacques Cole of Pipe Line? An old friend.

Indeed, it is. Being a hoarder, I have quite a number of ‘insider’ articles by tobacco journalists of yesteryear which provide information that is not (as far as I am aware) available anywhere online.