Forgive me if this has been discussed before, I did a forum search but couldn’t find anything. I just recently went to take a sniff of some black rappee I received on the 12th of this month and was really looking forward to it as I’ve never tried this style of snuff before. Anyway, as I opened the container over the back of my hand about 2 grammes of the stuff poured all over the back of my hand and on the floor. The snuff inside is like course, dry grit and is totally unsnuffable to me. I was under the impression that black rappee was super moist and clumped together much like a schmalzler or amostrinha yet this is totally the opposite. Is it down to the crappy containers? I have some Ozona President that has been in my possession alone for about 5 months and it’s still moist and pleasant so I’m thinking if this SG has dried out it must’ve been sat laying around for an awful long time.
The same thing happen to me with London brown! I’m thinking is really really old I bought only one tin but received two tins??? the contents of the two tins are hard as rocks, no joke! course and dry grit you nailed it! I tried to rehydrate it for 3 days its still UN snuff-able! Does anyone know about London brown?
Just been discussed in the last week or two in a few places. You have made a classic search error in trying to spell the item you are seeking correctly (Rappee). Its here: Black Rapee towards the bottom. and read:Tap Boxes are EvilAnd also read:ermtony’s blog on rehydrationShort answer is its supposed to be very moist. Your Ozona will take years to dry out completey since its moisturized with oil.
@ thehookster: just saw your post after I did all the leg work for you guys. London Brown was also discussed recently, probably in the same threads, but maybe not, so someone else search for it. I’m getting tired. You guys need to get more creative in your searches. The search feature only works as well as the data put into it!
@Xander I thought I would voice my dealings with London Brown that’s it, and thought ill ask if it has happen to anyone else! I do use the search engine and quite often but we still need to make comments sometimes as times pass that’s what makes a forum a forum. Sorry if I took offense to your comment.
I’m usually half-joking when I make comments like that. forgot to use emoticons :-/ told you I was tired. By all means discuss until your heart’s content.
Thanks for the info Xander, I’ll have a go at rehydrating it before I offer it to the bin then. I also wasn’t aware of the differences between oil and water moisturised snuff but I’ve never been very good at chemistry.
In ‘The Florists Manual’ of 1906 the author, William Scott, describes the compost for potted Geraniums as looking like black rappee snuff. His contemporaries would be able to visualise the similarity. Today, however, black rappee snuff would be associated with confusing images of black rappers and unpleasant films - worlds apart from either the snuff or the genteel pastime of potting plants. The short answer to your question is very moist. SG’s black and brown rappees are made by pounding heavy dark tobaccos in copious amounts of brine and then fermenting it in large batches in cool rooms. After several years it is then remoistened (sauced) with brine and milled so that it is left coarse and very moist. The original pungent flavour is lost when it dries out. I was almost embarrassed (especially for the sake of our overseas pals) to discover just how bad the plastic boxes are. SG has a long history of fooling around with containers. Tins of all shapes and sizes (including tall tins) and, worst of all, a tin with a clumsy hinged lid that leaked snuff like a pepper pot. The plastic box is not much better. Fortunately you can get the proper snuff in drums. The process for making these snuffs is called the Paris method as it used to be very common in France. Until the 1970s it could be bought in waxed brown paper parcels, but I haven’t seen any French made snuff since then. F&T used tall tins to prevent de-hydration.
Thanks PhilipS for that info - that clears up alot!
They were using those 25g vacuum sealed steel tins, with a gasket in the lid about the time I joined this forum. As I recall someone made a group order from the mill. These tins resembled the large J&H Wilson tins. That type of tin would be a reasonable compromise between enourmous bulk drum and 10g tins or tap boxes that dry out. I wonder why they dropped them.
Agreed - until the vacuum is broken those tin types are perfect for snuff, guaranteeing factory fresh condition for even the moistest contents.
I’m ordering 250g of this soon. Well, I’m torn between this and London Brown (is that the Brown Rappee that you speak of, Philip?). I love this snuff, I think I will take a pinch now.
@cstokes4 Yes, London Brown is brown rappee. I don’t know why it can’t just be called that. It is similar to their black rappee although not quite as dark. It has a ’continental’ flavour very similar to genuine Morlaix, which is no longer made. I find the flavour, which is 100% natural, slightly fuller and more complex than the black. For black I almost exclusively use Wilson’s Princes.
@Philip: What do you mean by “continental”?