I have been reading the forum, not posting much, but reading a couple of times a day. Trying to learn how to use this stuff. I’ve been trying for 3 months or so. I still can’t get it right, or don’t know that I’m getting it right. How far into the nostrils is snuff supposed to go? 1/4 inch? clear to the eyeballs? I sniff gently and dust my shirt,and get most of the snuff in the wide part of my nose, but only in one nostril, the other one I can feel it hit the top of my mouth/throat where is meets my nostrils. Almost like it goes straight into my mouth instead of slowing down… If I use my bullet it goes even farther into my nose, which makes me wonder if the bullet is doing it right. I tried to sniff until I feel it start to hit my throat, but I can only get it right now and then. How far away from your nostril is the snuff when you sniff? I generally use the pinch method, as the back of my hand doesn’t work well for me. Again it may be I just ain’t doing it right.I looked at the sticky on how to several times but still ain’t getting it. I really do NOT want to give up snuff, but am starting to think it’s not for me. Help me out y’all. I used snus to quit smoking and snuff has helped, but I worry about how much I am getting in my throat and ingesting.

The only thing I can suggest as I am quite new myself to snuff: There’s a muscle, not sure what it’s called, at the back of your sinus cavity that once you properly figure out how to use it, will allow you to sniff shallowly, very quickly. So you get a sharp inhale that cuts off very quickly. This means the tobacco has enough force to get into your nose, but not into your sinuses or into your throat. It’s supposed to stay in the “front” of your nose, where the nicotine can be absorbed and the scent can be appreciated. How far away? I basically put my nostril over the pile of snuff on the back of my hand. I know this won’t work for you since you said you don’t like the back of hand method. Perhaps others here can give other suggestions. EDIT: I too use bullets (God I have eleven bullets. How did this happen?) but only to tap out onto the back of my hand. Only time I take directly from a bullet is when on a plane (“Snorting” off the back of your hand is a good way to get a visit from an air marshall.) or in a car (safer).

I hope some of the “old timers” can help. I’ve got a bunch of tins of snuff that I would hate to waste.

Well, I don’t think it will come down to “wasting” anything, as I’m sure if you keep at it something will click. I was in your shoes basically til a month ago, not doing it right. I had a snuff about a month ago where I said “oh!” and then “mmm” And since then it’s “made sense.” By the way, what kind of snuff do you have? The fine stuff is a bit trickier, for me anyway, than the more coarse ground snuff.

I have mainly Toque, both toasts, Quit, some fruit flavors, original, natural, I have some American Square and F&T HDT. I seem to get along better with the fine stuff, still not good, but better.

That’s about the same as what I started with. The only way I can put it to text is to say try to go with a short shallow sniff.

The only thing I can say is time, and practice. Bullets are not for greenhorns, plain and simple. It’s all about finding your method. When I first started, I sucked at controlling my pinch. It just takes time.

One would think 3 months is plenty of time.

How do i begin? First most all of your toast a very fine, which makes them easy to sniff clear behind the ears… The fine powders take some getting used to, they still make loose a breath every once in a while… Bullets should help as they control amount you put it, but if you are using a fine powder sometimes a little can be to much… "remember you are not sniffing your last breath, nice easy, even, pull, works great… Second i doubt you are doing anything wrong, other then jumping right into the seasoned snuffers snuff… You should try something more moist, like a schamlzer, or a polsch apricot something like or even a coarsely ground snuff like a brunswick till you develop a rhythm… Third take really really small amounts… I even seasoned snuffer occasionally get snuff behind the eyeballs, personally i think thats the best part of it!!!

Try holding the snuff just a bit further away from your nose. That way the same sniff that would make it fly to the back of your throat, or eyeball, will land nicely inside your nostril.

I’ve found honestly it just gets eaiser especialy if I don’t worry too much about how I’am doing it. My sugestion that helped me the most with non-toasts is smell it. The more I focus on the scent the less it goes down my throat.

bob, I just tried your suggestion, and you’re right it helped! Thanks!

bigmick, you didn’t list a single snuff in your rotation that I would consider a beginner’s snuff. Those were all intermediate and above. Most Toques are pretty fine ground (even the ones that are not Toasts) get some Toque Chocolate! Don’t like chocolate? Get F&Ts Princes Special. Get a few Wilsons too (but not Toasts) Apricot, Rum & Blackberrry, and Lavender were the ones that got me over that hump. Schmalzers are good too. Many beginners (and sometimes old timers) like Pöschl, but they just give me post nasal drip something fierce. Give a try to them at least. If I were you I’d read reviews (snuffreviews.com) and find things that have larger grinds and higher moisture contents. Don’t give up! Its tricky to learn, takes a lot of practice and patience! Inhale to full lung capacity then a gentle sniff just into the nose, easy, easy, gently. This way you won’t breathe while sniffing. Don’t worry about what you swallow at this point. Spit it if you want. If it drips you may have too much in or you may need to blow. The nose has to learn to accept it. Eventually, you’ll get the control down. I still have mishaps too, but its like falling off a bike. Just dust off and get up and go again.

Thanks for the advice guys. The fill up the lungs trick helps. I guess i just need to keep trying. bob, if I don’t pay attention I’ll blow out my eyeballs. Xander, I did have some Tom Buck,Queens Special, and they were a bit better than what I have now. I have some President, but it gives me the drips something fierce.Where can I get these Schmalzers? I use NR, Toque and Northerner as my suppliers. Princes Special and Apricot will be in my next order.

My current issue is my nose is stopped up more than usual. I don’t know if it’s the snuff, the weather, allergies, or what? I didn’t snuff the 1st half of the day yesterday, then the 1st snuff was good, but then I am stopped up. I just did a morning snuff, and now I sit here all stopped up. It does seem to lessen alot when I stand up. I’m gonna get some Vicks.

Try some fine toast type snuff, the menthol’s and that vick with just make your nose worse. Ok at firsts it does seem to relieve things, and then you get the blockage again. Reason is the wetness makes the small veins in the nose swell up. That causes the blockage.

Thanks. I have been using non-menthols lately. All today I have only used Dholakia Manjul, it does have a coolness, but I think it’s mint and not menthol. Seems to be a stage I am going through, I suspect it will pass.

BIG D, have you ever tried mixing Magnet Peach with some Taxi Blue? I shovel HUGE lumps of that stuff up my nose, it is awesome!! @bigmick…I’ve been snuffing now for 2 years and it still happens that, when I sniff some of the finer snuffs, it hits the back of my throat. Don’t worry, be happy!!

Bigmick,try taking some of the Poeschl snuff,they are quite easy,i can snuff tons of Gletscher Preise at once,but Rooster kills me XD

On my finer grind snuffs I tilt my head forward a bit. That seems to help keep it from rocketing through to my throat.

I can’t use menthols at all. Well I can but I don’t like the menthol part and neither does my nose. Tilting my head forward make sit worse. I tried the full lungs thing today and got along much better, still had a few issues, but much better. I guess I just can’t learn to sniff hard enough, yet soft enough or shallow enough…

Bigmick, I’m new at snuffing too, and it takes a lot of practice. I haven’t had a day go by since I started that something didn’t hit my throat, but as you refine your technique, snuffing will become more and more pleasurable (and easy!)

I forgot to add, try using a straw that should help you see what u are doing + you can control your input better…

Ok so what is a heavy snuff that smells like tobacco? Say Quit or Natural from Toque? I just tried the back of my hand sniff,and got tobacco behind my eyeballs. Ouchy! Give it a minute and I’ll try it again… maybe

ok bigmick, no Toque Quit and Natural are not heavy. They are medium to medium fine. I think herein lies most of your problem. Heavier natural ones might be Fribourg and Treyer’s Santo Domingo (much like the aforementioned Princes Special, only less scented). Molens de Kralingse Latakia 1860 and Hollandse Bolagaro are nice course plain ones too, but since they are very course, you might get painful drippage. Quit with Snuff Smoker’s Blend has an easy to snuff grind also (also watch for some drippage on this, but it will not hit your throat diectly) I understand what the menthol/Pöschl reaction you are having. I think this is the combination of the menthol and the oily base. I still get that, and most of the time steer clear of them. Oddly enough, a straight menthol like Wilson’s SM Brown, or Hedges L260 don’t give me trouble. Plenty of schmalzers are available from Snuff Store and Rajek’s. Look under Bernard’s first. Pöschl also makes a few that are excellent. Check the list of snuffs for beginners in the FAQ. I’m not sure I agree with everything on the list, and its also a little out of date, but its a place to start. Basically, you will need a variety of brands, styles to get you going. Also if you feel the urge to snort while you have somthing in your nose, resist that urge. I know its almost instinctive. You will get nasty drips of you do. When that feeling comes on, its time to blow your nose. I hope this helps you!

This was lifted from the pdf file in the beginner’s guide. I have tried most but not all of these, the F&T ones are easiest of those listed to take for me A/P by De Kralingse A coarse snuff with a strong tobacco basis and a nice pine scent. Produced on old snuff mills in the Netherlands. Blue Crest by Samual Gawith A medium fine, medium moist snuff with a flavour of toasted nuts. Dr. Verey’s Medicated by Samuel Gawith A fine and medium moist snuff. As the name already implies, it has a slightly medicated, herbal scent. Kendal Brown by Gawith Hoggarth A coarse, moist and dark brown snuff. Besides a clear tobacco scent, it is slightly flavoured with citrus. This is a classical product carrying the name of the snuff centre of the world. Kendal Brown Original by Samuel Gawith See above. Latakia Ao 1860 by De Kralingse A coarse, dark and unflavoured snuff with a smoky tobacco scent. See A/P, which is based on this snuff. McCombie by Samual Gawith A coarse and medium moist snuff. Easy to take with a mild flavour of nuts and butterscotch. Morlaix by Fribourg & Treyer A medium fine and medium moist snuff with a light floral scent. Old Paris by Fribourg & Treyer A medium fine and medium moist snuff with a scent of cinnamon and dates. Original & Genuine by Mc Chrystal’s A medium fine, mentholated snuff. Flavoured with camphor and eucalyptus, this medium moist snuff is easy to take and has a refreshing effect. Princes by Fribourg & Treyer A medium fine, medium moist and dark brown snuff with a scent of flowers. Taxi Regular (Blue) by Dingler A medium moist, medium coarse snuff with a straight tobacco flavour.

To all our members who battle with them fine snuffs: Go for Taxi, you will really battle to get any further than your noses!!!

Xander, thanks for the recommendations. I will be placing an order as soon as I get another paycheck. For now I’ll just have to keep fighting with what I have.

Hey Mick I’ve felt your pain! The 1st order I received from Toque I glommed onto the Chocolate as I knew it was mild and forgiving. A couple snuffs and “yeah this is great!” So on to the Whisky & Honey. A couple quick big sniffs and I was sneezing,coughing,choking and begging for it just to quit,go away owowow! I use the “breath” method on the dry stuff now but a lot of mine tends to run moist anyway. I’ve been thinking of trying the schmalzlers and a couple others from the Snuff store so if you want to group buy let me know,think I’ve still got your address. If you wouldn’t mind trying Toque Expresso I’ll send you a smashbox of it,its pretty smooth,along the lines of the chocolate. At least I haven’t been able to hurt myself with it. Yet.

I would also say easy snuffs for new snuffers are the Wow!, Blast, and Temptation snuffs. They have some good flavors, and their grind and moisture, I think are just right for an easy snuff. Also the Rockit and Fubars,

I’m somewhere between a newbie and an old timer, but i learn from this forum all the time. I recently started using my bullets strictly as “tap out containers” and using the “Tom Thumb” method. (my name for it!) Now I’m getting MUCH more enjoyment from my regulars and I’ve been able start using snuffs that I wasn’t able to master before. I put my thumbnail right up to my nose and just breath regularly. I hope you don’t mind that I’m reposting your pic, Tom.

See my thread about how to pinch, just some personal observations on there…

I may have been cured. Tom’s thumb “snuffbox” works like a dream. I was on St Clements all day and only once had a snort reach my eyeballs,and none in my throat. and no mess. I think it’s not my sniff that’s off but my pinch. Off my thumb the snuff is much freer, if that makes sense. Maybe I’m pinching to hard? But if I pinch less hard it all falls out. I don’t know, but I’m sticking with the thumb method for now. I still want to try all these beginner snuffs.

I’m glad it worked for you, bigmick. I’ve been enjoying manjul all day today, something i could never do with a bullet or a pinch.

Mark, I just tried Manjul for the first time tonight. I’m not sure where my eyes are at the moment.