I am back from a long hiatus (about 8 months)… I am still having trouble taking snuff. I want to like it so bad and I do! But its such an awful experience taking it, if it doesn’t go straight to my lungs it goes straight into the back of my throat… I have tried everything, boxcar, pinch, back of hand, snuffbox, and all sort of sniffing strengths: hard quick, slow very gentle sniff, the “quickly open the jaw” type, and everything between, even all distance and it goes straight to the back of my throat… I am at a loss, I just can’t seem to figure it out. It seems like it may be an anatomical issue that will count me out of the snuff hobby., Any advice is welcome!
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Maybe try moist, coarsely ground snuff.
Samuel Gawith make a few blends fitting this bill. Wilsons of Sharrow also have a few options from their own range and that of Fribourg and Treyer.
NTSU and GWAYI make very coarse snuff, although some of their stronger snuff can carry a very heavy scent of ammonia.
From Toque the Artisan rappees are quite sticky as is Otto Schmalzler - most people struggle with getting these into their nose.
Having snuff you can enjoy is probably a better option than torturing yourself with snuff you’re unable to enjoy.
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I can see your mistake.
None of a whole bunch of various snuff taking techniques will solve the issue right away, unless you flex/tighten the muscles inside of your nose while drawing the snuff up. This makes a physical barrier, narrowing the nasal passages, which prevents the powder from going too far!
And one more thing. After taking a pinch of some fine snuff, like Indian white-type, or some finer American dry snuff, do exhale the air remaining in your lungs vigorously through your nose in series of several short blows, pinching your nose while exhaling, then also exhale the rest of the air through your mouth. That way you get rid of snuff particles which are not bound to the walls of your nasal passages, which otherwise would irritate your respiratory tract, triggering cough.
The coarser and moister snuffs like South African gwayis, schmalzlers and some dark British offerings are way less challenging, but even those types might hit your throat every now and then if you don’t flex your nasal muscles.
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Sounds like you are taking small pinches. Contrary to what common sense would suggest it is actually easier to take large amounts than small ones. The more snuff that enters your nose at once is less likely to be carried into the throat and sinuses. With small pinches you are getting mostly air and that air is going to carry the snuff deeper into your nasal passages. It is extremely difficult to take a small pinch and not have it hit your throat but big pinches are easy
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And how do you actually take it? I have heard people say put it to the front of your nose. What exactly does that mean? Are you putting your pinch on the tip of your nose and gently inhaling or are you putting it right on the tippy front of your nostril? How hard should you inhale and how far away should your pinch be?
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When you say flex/tighten, do you mean to scrunch up your nose?
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You want to sniff the snuff into your nostril and not go any further than that. You can either sniff very gently without enough force to push it past your nostrils or you can take a sharp short sniff and blast the snuff into your nostril but too short to sent it further.
You want the snuff as close to your nostril as possible when you snuff, if you can get it in your nostril before you sniff even better. If your having trouble getting the hang of sniffing it then don’t, grab as much snuff as you can grab with your thumb and forefinger and quickly jam it into your nostril with your finger, sounds gross but it works great especially with the really moist coarse snuffs that are too heavy to sniff normally.
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Thats such a great way to put it, I have never thought of it that way before: sniff only as hard and as long as it would take to pull it into the nostril. Some people say sniff it like you would a flower. For me, I take a long draw when I smell a flower. If you pull it that long, it will give it more time to follow that vacuum into your lungs. If its short, sharp sniffs, it will only go as far as the front of the nostril.
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Overthinking is a hell of a drug 
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Yes. It’s the only thing a snuff taker must learn. It unlocks all the methods of snuff taking.
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I have tried your suggestion and it has really improved my intake of fine grinded snuffs. Thanks!
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