Reviews are not gospel they’re opinion. Don’t think if something gets lots of reviews one way or another it means you’ll agree. There isn’t a snuff everyone loves or a snuff that no one likes. Case in point McCrystals O.G. gets lots of great reviews I find that snuff vile with a slight hint of rotting melon and that’s far from the typical review. Trust yourself first and keep in mind that reviews are hints and clues but the map is not the territory.

I am but a character a figment of my imagination, any thing I say may be real or made up, I can’t be sure. Truth is in the nose of the beholder. I purchased many a snuff because of the fantastic review ,then when it got to my nose the description was off base and in left field. I don’t build up any product I say it as I see it. If it is not good I rate it as such. Mr.Snuff 4.0 some reviews got jumbled onto different products ,I came a cross one I had written for a Bernard cigar under a snuff review.It was in the right place before the switch. How often has this happened? Also a review could be incognito as a hypnotic sales pitch, Why would someone say are you tough enough? and find out it is gingerbread cookie dough snuff. You really need to use a snuff for some time before you can judge it as 1-5

Furthermore anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. I come to conclusions based on the information that I have and I share here so that it can be corrected if necessary so that it may evolve. I appreciate all points of view so that I can get the most complete picture possible. What makes reviews so difficult is the constant changing of particular attitudes towards a snuff. To lock into writing a circumstance is almost unfair to it.

And reviews only reflect the person’s view at that time. Only a couple of weeks ago I was slagging off Poschl. Then a few nights ago I found some I hadn’t thrown away and rather enjoyed them. So I feel very stupid for having thrown out the other Poschls I had.

My tastes change frequently… In saying that I am not meaning that I don’t have favorites, because I do. But if I only HAD to do 1 or 2 I think it would be boring. To compare and contrast a variety of goodies not only keeps it interresting, but it also keeps my nose from experiencing 'olfactory fatigue; keeping the whole experience fresh. Over time, my enjoyment/appreciation just grows. Those varieties that are not my favorites initially are appreciated more later as I further develop my technique and am able to compare with others. There are a lot of nuances that are hard to appreciate initially.

It’s all a matter of PERSONAL TASTE. I could write some rave reviews for Indian Hot Pickled Limes or Kim Chi (Korean,) but others just don’t care for them.

I have found that my tastes have changed greatly over time, and some that used to be staples I’ve been plowing through, just to get rid of them (good ones to let the boss use). If I had to rewrite every review I’ve ever done, many of them would be different based on the amount of additional products I’ve tried and the evolution of my nosebuds. If we taste with tastebuds, wouldn’t it make sense that we smell with nosebuds? Never believe anything I say, at any time, unless someone else confirms it. I’m not to be trusted.

You should believe everything that I say and also contact me for great real estate deals (Haw= sound after being an a$$) I think everyone is dead on and I remember someone saying that you should never toss your old snuff because you may change your mind later (if not send the unused portion to our friend @basement_shaman for proper disposal)

Everything I say is a lie, including that. It doesn’t pay to believe anything I say, believe me. I like to read reviews, if they give me some idea of the scents involved or the type of snuff it is it all helps. At teh end of the day most of 'em are cheap enough to forget about if they don’t work out. Like the tin of bloody Hedges sitting just to my left. But wait - it’s just the right size for a paperweight!

@Dogwalla “If we taste with tastebuds, wouldn’t it make sense that we smell with nosebuds?” Funny you should say that as it is said we only taste sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami. Flavors are otherwise perceived through olfaction. So what most consider as taste is actually scent and scent is highly involved with emotional responses. This makes individual reactions to snuff very complicated. In fact a perception of a particular flavor can paint a completely different picture in peoples minds depending on their emotional history including food related issues. Thank goodness most of us have reasonable control over emotions and can easily retrain our reactions to a certain degree. A good reason not to throw snuff out.

What about spicy/pungent (in TCM the metal element)?

@Mr_O I would imagine taste to be a little more complicated than a simple list of descriptors however complete or incomplete as it were. The use of taste also plays an important role in flavor but is very limited in my opinion. For example the snuffs that have great scent but if dripped to the taste buds is alarmingly different. I’m curious now as to how closely the olfactory senses can come to sensing these so called tastes that the “tongue” senses.

@Juxtaposer I see what you mean. I’ve described snuffs before as having an acrid drip, and I suppose that’s when they transition from the smelling to the tasting. Interesting.

I just wanted to cover all the bases. Of course there’s more to it than just the elements, there must be an enormous number of tastes and an infinite number of combinations of them in the world of flavors. What about the so-called super-tasters? Does that condition have an effect on the sense of smell too?

@Mr_O My point is taste and taste buds have little to do with flavors and are only limited to a certain spectrum of sensation.

J-man- I gotcha. That was a genuine question, though, about the super-tasters and the sense of smell. Just curious if anyone knows about that. Also, how do the amount of nerves/receptors/whatever differ between the nose and the tongue?

There are super smellers as well, and god forbid there may be individuals with both afflictions. As a super taster you would have to avoid a lot of foods because they will be too sweet or too salty or too bitter etc as per the spectrum of taste. Chocolate for example would not be extra chocolaty it would just be chocolate that is too sweet. As for a super smeller, they would be detecting smells that otherwise could be overlooked. No fun in this filthy world! I don’t think a super smeller could enjoy snuff due to the myriad of intricate off smells that would be picked up.

I don’t think the difference between the amount of receptors of those two senses matters much because they sense different things or the same thing in a different way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRgEkek-sb8 by the way John Lee is a real person. He is in the band PFFFR and also very invovled in some of the awesomest t.v. ever.

Juxtaposer- interesting stuff

I have mistaken clove for anise; sometimes fresh brewed coffee smells of dog shite to me. For this reason, i do not write reviews

potpoe that is why you should write reviews. Just ad a postscript saying then again …

I know what you mean, @potpoe! Depending on what coffee shop I go into and depending on what my nose is like that day, coffee can smell like cat box sometimes. (funny, because I don’t mind the ammonia hint in some fresh snuffs).

More snuff advice: When preparing food and chopping garlic, wash your hands. Then wash them again. I know of no snuff that matches well with garlic.

coffee grinds help removes garlic smells from hands.

@crullers You mean no one has came up with Italian Garlic Toast?

Yum,Toasted Garlic bread

I’ve suggested a garlic snuff a number of times altho I’m not sure it’s a good idea

I’ve suggested a garlic snuff a number of times altho I’m not sure it’s a good idea

It’s well known that it would stop vampires stealing your snuff.

Garlic doesn’t scare vampyres they have bad senses of smell. So Garlic just smells like death to them, makes them assume you’re one of them. Unless they drink coffee then garlic doesn’t confuse them at all.

wow funny stuff. going to order my third! snuff! any suggestions for this beginner?

yeah try what sounds good to you. Order at least one snuff that sounds completeily new to you or in other words unlike anything you’ve ever had. For example even if you don’t think you’d like tradional indian snuffs try one. If a particular type of snuff is agreeable to you order some stuff similar to it. This is how you figure out how to make the perfect order.

@justhend read what in your nose thread, plenty of Ideas on what is popular, and what others are using.

IMO a variety of modest sized tins is better than a smaller number of larger tins- at least until you really know what you like. Years into the snuffing hobby I still tack multiple small tins of new stuff onto every order. The more favorites, the better I say…

I say the oposite of Mr_O larger tins are better. I’ve had more times I was sad about only having ten grams of a particular snuff, then I’ve had times where I’ve thought 25 grams or more is too much.

Welcome @justhend!

Well it is subjective. My experience is just honestly different. To me, these days, variety just makes life better (I’d say one of the spices of life- but not the only one) and if you’re not hoovering it up really fast as some of the very experienced folks here are you may have a different experience than they do. I personally more often end up thinking “Geez, I wish I would have added just a small tin of this or that to my last order- I really wanted to try this or that.” and the more you’ve tried, the more you know about what works for you or what doesn’t. Like how I like to try new restaurants and new beers- you can always keep going back for the tried and true, as well as experimenting with new stuff. I wouldn’t suggest a beginning pipe smoker to buy more than a tin or a couple of ounces of any single tobacco until they’re really learning what they like or don’t like. Also, with me, and especially in the beginning, I end up having tins to use up, stuff I wouldn’t buy again, and it can be a chore to finish up even 10 grams of something you’re not so crazy about. Maybe you’re wired more like bob, I don’t know, and admittingly (sp?) there are some snuffs I will buy a bit more the first time, but only on an rather educated guess- not blindly, and it is true that maybe there’s someone you that would enjoy your left overs or to do a trade. At any rate have fun on your snuffing journey all! (no dis intended here of course…)

You have a point @mr_o I bought several hundred snuffs three years ago when i started snuffing, and I’m now at the point where I’m having to use up the ones I don’t like. I’m making it easier by only including one or two less favourable snuffs in a daily rotation. Having said that, I’m very glad I did buy all those snuffs as now I know exactly what I like, I am now focussing the next couple of years on only buying bulk of my favourites. I’ll buy the new snuffs that came out last year sooner or later as well so I’m trying new snuffs, but bulk is taking priority. I’m paranoid about snuffageddon.

Snuff advice- NEVER PUT SNUFF IN YOUR EAR , We don’t need another recorded case of someone getting cancer from snuff use!