Can anybody tell me the nicotine content as a percentage of an average english snuff such as wilsons sp100.

I read somewhere in this forum that the Canadian labels for McChrystal’s OG state the nicotine content as 3.5 %. I figure that most SPs must be around that figure.

That’s great thankyou it would be realy good if the nicotine content was stated on the tin . Would have a better idea of what to buy and which to avoid.

Alkalinity makes more difference than nicotine content.

3.5 percent nicotine is a very strong tobacco.

Railroad Mills Plain and Navy Plain scotches both have the highest of US snuffs at 24.84 mg/g which is 2.484% However, they don’t have as big a kick of something like Bruton becuase their alkalinity is lower.

My tin of McChrystal’s SP says: 3.4% nicotine, 0.0005% lead, and 2% nitrosamines. My tin of McChrystal’s Menthol says the same.

Both my McChrystals tins, SP and Menthol(the only snuffs my local tobacconist carries) say 3.4% nicotine

My Rustica SAYS nothing, it just hits me me like a steam engine.

@Xander: “Nicotine is an alkaloid”. So, umm, I suck at chemistry and never really paid any heed to it in school, but… Yeah?

I’ve been doing some measuring and i get about 15 pinches per gram which would be about 2mg of nicotine per pinch. That’s pretty impresive. See what you’re saying about the ph level though.

Anybody got any idea what the usual ph level of the nose usually is. Would adding say half a teaspoon of baking powder to 100 grams of snuff make it just right or would it be best to leave it alone?

@ Mittens: You are not quoting me! I did not say that. Snuff has alkaloids added to it to “free base” it (base=alkaline -as in the oppostie of acidic). Some of the US medical studies compared both raw nicotine and unprotonated nicotine levels. Increasing the alkalinity increases the uptake level of nicotine. So, with two of the same raw strength, one can hit harder. The US Smokeless snuffs, and Bruton in particular have the highest Unprotonated nicotine levels, so they are intense! Yes, pfaber11, baking soda is more or less what they use. Sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate. If you do this, only add a tiny sprinkle at a time. Its very dangerous. I added some to Bruton once and nearly kiled myself. Then some newbie came one here, and tried the same thing. He was never heard from again. I did try to warn him. Poor kid. He posted a few video reviews under the name Mr. Maroon. He sent me some vintage Wit and Wisdom too. He probably should have kept the wisdom half for himself. Not sure what the normal pH of the nose is, I’m sure that’s easily looked up somewhere. Its got to be close to neutral though.

@Xander: Yes, my bad, wasn’t quoting you. I was quoting Wikipedia, which I know I shouldn’t do (and should have indicated as well, for that, you do have my apologies). Secondly, I was not aware those studies, I just remembered reading something about nicotine previously. Chuck it down to the language barrier, it just seems my english just isn’t as good as I thought. And my vocabulary is lacking outside my own field. I guess I have some reading up to do

Alkalinity seems to makes a lot of difference. Take NTSU straight from the container, damp, reeking of ammonia (an alkali) and it has a hell of a nic hit. Let it dry out and it seems to lose some of its kick.

This topic has come up before and I was surprised to first learn that PH level is more of the deciding factor in blood/brain barrier absorption than simple nicotine content. I often wonder if the smoke flavor of the American Scotches is due to the addition of wood ash or potash for just this purpose. To a much lesser extent, I also wonder if a finer grind might contribute by exposing more membrane surface area to the tobacco thereby increasing absorption potential. Possibly not, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

“To a much lesser extent, I also wonder if a finer grind might contribute by exposing more membrane surface area to the tobacco thereby increasing absorption potential. Possibly not, but it wouldn’t surprise me.” Of course it does. Not to much lesser extent, either. Its hugely significant. Dholakia White is the most finely ground snuff I know of. The nic hit is hugely intense. Conversely, Ntsu is probably the coursest. Its nicotine is long lasting, providing the lingering “buzz”.

@Xander. That makes sense. NTSU is loaded with ammonia (an alkali) to give the rapid nic absorbtion and its ground coarse to keep it going.

Makes sense to me. Tho I have to wonder if NTSU is “loaded with ammonia” or that just happens to be a product of the fresh tobacco emitting ammonia naturally. I’ve grown fond of that ammonia smell in a good fresh can.

Me too. I’ve just had my first tin of Taxi red, and I love that ammonia aroma. While we’re on the subject, and bearing in mind that I know nothing about chemistry, anyone know the ntsa levels in Taxi? I know from experience that it is really heavy on the nicotine. If someone were to ask me which snuff to use to get off ciggies, Taxi would be my recommendation. Just love the stuff. My pipes are getting jealous and feeling neglected.

@wildwilliam.Have you tried fresh NTSU (not the menthol, which “tastes” like spearmint.) Its sometimes refered to as NTSU original and is in a black plastic container with a yellow lid. Its considered the most potent of the SA snuffs. What is in it is a bit of a mystery. Someone on this forum with more knowledge than I, said that it probably contained some rustica (wild tobacco plant). This plant has a very high level of nicoteen. As for the ammonia, its probably caused by the manufacturing process.

there are lots of types of tobak that are used commercialy. I honestly don’t think that rustica is used anywhere in commercial blends. However I have read that the tobacco that grows in south africa is pretty strong not rustica strong but stronger then the stuff usaly used for snuff. That’s what some magnet propaganda I read somewhere implied at least.

Thanks LJ, I’ll look some up. Although I’m a little leery of anything stronger than Taxi:-)

“Can anybody tell me the nicotine content as a percentage of an average english snuff …” Yes, open the following link for snuff analyses. With the exception of Hassell’s chemical analysis of snuffs in 1855 this is the only one I’ve ever seen. http://www.smokeless.org.nz/nasalsnuff\\_analyses.htm

I’ve added bicarbs to a tin of Rustica and the result is…mind blowing? Very good!

Thanks for all the information on this subject i’m now wondering if the average pinch is 2mg nicotine how much of this is absorbed by the nose.

Roderick why is it you dont put the nicotine content on your tins i’m sure your customers would like to have such information available to them.

Just went out and bought some bicarbonate of soda. Mixed in about half a teaspoon to about 70grams of snuff. I think it maybe better. Anybody know if i should add more or is that about the right amount.

I would not risk ruining what I have. Small amounts to experiment. I’m probably not the only one to have messed up ideas, and ended up wasting and pitching snuff in a failed experiment.

I see it would be nice to see it on there though. What do you think of the adding of bicarbonate of soda to raise the ph level. Is it worth it or should the snuff be left alone?

@pfaber, be careful to add to much bicarb, it will ruin the snuff completely. And make sure the snuff is moist, otherwise the bicarb will make no difference. You must also leave it for atleast 24 hours before trying it.

@pfaber11, Good advice from Pieter, a little Bicarb goes a long way, and it increases the burn. It burns more as the PH increases, and the nicotine uptake increases too. You can ruin a snuff easy, and My best advice is to work the BC in with a mortar and pestle, a slight increase in the fineness of the grind completes the effect. I have spent many days exploring the possibilities while making the Spanish Folly. Use a 100 to 1 snuff to BG ratio as a start, when it gets to be too much BC you have only one choice to save it, add more snuff. Keep some on reserve, and keep it in mind. That is my hard learned tip of the day. But you can supercharge a snuff with BC, it will burn more as a result. When I take a hit of Scotch or Grunt, I expect a short burn as it gets to work. I caution on the restraint side. I find the PH adjustment of snuff, and the effect on uptake, fascinating, and an art.

Oh, bye the way, chasing the Nicotine dragon is a fruitless folly, The more you get the more you want, and it quickly gives you less and less. I get my Nic from Snus, snuff is a hobby.

I slowed way down on the snus usage, but I get plenty of nicotine from snuff. Low tolerance I guess. American snuff aka Square gives me all I need, If that’s what I’m looking for.

@ Roderick: I don’t see how lack of space is an issue. I’m looking at a tin of Toque Natural right now, and there’s nothing at all on the bottom of the tin. A round sticker on the bottom could display all the information wanted (perhaps even enough to satisfy Canadian labelling requirements).

@ Whalen: That’s really well put. A perfect description. But I think one can come fairly close to catching the dragon with Taxi Red or Ntsu Black. I would suggest those first to smokers, but advise them that they may find them to be stinky.

Yeah, I guess it is what I have learned in the last year of not smoking, although in all fairness I avoid large continual doses of nicotine due to my heart. I love a good hit, and I am strung out on grunt, but I sniff less than most. I really would be hard pressed to quit with just nasal snuff, I mean it can be done, NTSU and Taxi would do it. I still love my Rooster, But a little too much and my heart goes nuts. Not a pleasant feeling after open heart, I spent a year monitoring my heart and adjusting to snus and snuff. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I moderate my intake, and a large dose has an immediate effect, I can feel it big time, I just kinda walk up and smooch the Dragon. I see all these new Snusers double cheeking Extra Starks, and wonder how long that will last. I have really enjoyed snuff and love the nic, but I really love a balanced experience. I love Grunt, but I also love Camphor and Mild, then Rose, Ect. Plain old Toque Vanilla is sublime. It never ends. The one thing I would regret is shoveling Bruton up my nose just for the NIC, that’s just not what I want from a snuff.

I know exactly what you’re saying. You’ve made it almost ‘visual’. Rooster, Bruton and the like cause my heart to ‘race’ (I keep them on hand though), so I can see how you have to be cautious with your heart condition. I hope your recovery is going as well as it can. I’ve never had Grunt or Camphor & Mild. But I really like the strong camphor in SM Blue. That’s what really sets it apart from other mentholateds. I don’t do snus, but I do Stoker moist (fine, natural) daily anymore. It’s the only thing moist ‘snuff’ I like on a regular basis. It’s very different from the others.

Thanks guys for all your input. So far i have moistenned the snuff and added half a teaspoon of carb to about 70 grams of snuff. I did this a few hours ago and so far it seems fine. I will remember to try and keep it at about 1 percent.

Just work your way up slow, go easy on the moisture, just a spritz, I actually use a micro atomizer, sounds expensive but only $2. Micro fine droplets tend to humidify rather than soak. Always have around with distilled water. If a snuff gets a little dry then I give it the briefest shot, great investment, and no more unintentionally dry snuff.

From a personal perspective, I don’t use snuff for a nicotine hit. I much prefer a good flavor and soothing draw into the nose. The times that I have noticed the most pronounced nicotine effects (with the exception of Dholakia White) was in gradual but constant build up of small doses. For example, taking about 15-20 small bumps of an American Scotch into each nostril every 5-10 minutes non-stop. This tends to have a much stronger and longer lasting affect of the nicotine for me. Something I find rather unpleasant and I avoid doing too often. But that’s just my take on it. I actually met a man once who during the course of a conversation pulled out a can of Copenhagen Fine Cut and packed his entire lower jaw with it. Then, to my astonishment he pulled out a package of Redman Chewing Tobacco and crammed both jaws full. How his head kept from exploding right there still baffles me.

You’d look like a chipmonk with an endless stream of drool.

Yeah, that’s pretty much how he looked. One of those strange cartoonish individuals.

Well half a teaspoon of bicarb did not seem to make much difference so i’ve added another teaspoon to about 70 or 80 grams of snuff. Hope i have not over done it. I’ll let you know how it turns out. So far i’m looking at 2 teaspoons per 100 grams or there abouts. If this works all my snuff is getting this treatment in future. The bicarb was only 69p for what would be about a years supply.

That is quite a big dose of BC. I found a little goes a long way in snuff. I would think that using it on all your snuff is a great way to ruin a lot of snuff! I spent months working with it and actually measuring its PH ffect on the snuff. Its fun to play with, but it is like salt and food, a little enhances the flavor, then too much ruins the dish. Have fun, be care full with it. Some snuffs will not tolerate it at all. It can make a great snuff harsh.

Well so far so good. The only noticeable difference so far is a very slight taste of salt in the mouth which is ok. Is that normal? I’ll have to wait a bit to see if the nicotine hit is better as just smoked a roll up.

Hi snuff grinder i did not realise snuffs already contain an alkaline to do this. One thing that does seem to of come out of my little experiment is my nose seems a lot dryer. Could just be a fluke , i’ll post back on here in the near future and tell you all my findings.

Does anybody know if wilsons of sharrow put alkaline salts in their snuff?

I see so what i’ve been doing is not really needed. I guess wilsons know what the are doing. What about you roderick do you add alkaline salts to your snuff?

Well i appear to of overdone it, should of listened to the advice on here a bit harder. The salty taste has come on stronger now and if i kick my lips i can taste salt. Have to invest in some more snuff on monday. Is the snuff i have ruined dangerous in any way or will it be safe to use. I added 1.5 teaspoons to 70 grams of snuff.

Its probably safe. Your body will let you know if you are taking too much nicotine or absorbing too much at once. My little experiment with Bruton (and I only wasted a small portion of snuff) had me laying in a cold sweat on the bathroom floor for a good half hour. Lesson learned.

“laying in a cold sweat on the bathroom floor for a good half hour” Sounds like my first experience with nicotine. Packed a wallop of chew in my mouth and sank into a fuzzy cloud of nausea and clammy anticipation of sure death. Five minutes later, I had an uncontrollable desire to cram more tobacco in my mouth and repeat the experience. Nicotine is a crazy drug.

Well i went into town and bought 100g of sp100 and 12.5g of sm.(wilsons of sharrow) my mistake cost me 7 pounds 47p. Wont be doing that again in a hurry.