When I was a full time smoker, I was hooked for many years on Kool Regulars. Nothing else really satisfied my craving except for Marlboro Reds, but I was a menthol smoker. I remember shortly before I took up snuff and snus trying to make the switch to “100% tobacco” Natural American Spirit Menthols, and finding they didn’t do anything for me despite their incredibly high levels of “free base nicotine”, until I would eventually get nauseous from the nicotine levels. But three hits off of a Kool, and it felt a little like injecting a narcotic, especially in the morning. Old Camel Straights hit even harder, yet “additive free” Sherman Ovals which supposedly had more nicotine just got my heart revved up a little. Obviously, there was something in these brands that was addictive beyond pure tobacco, and the “rush” I was feeling was in large part the sudden easing of withdrawal pangs that could only be obtained from the brand that had just the right molecules in just the right places. So my question is, do different snuff manufacturers add things to their snuff that cause a “proprietary” nicotine buzz like with cigarettes. Or is it just my imagination that I seem to get a different kind of buzz from different brands of snuff?
I don’t know about adding anything to snuff but of one thing I’m sure; NTSU still gives me that nice rush I’m looking for. I tried some fresh Ntsu this morning and yes, it’s still there.
I’m pretty sure Ntsu has some kind of alkalizing agent in it. It may also be made with N. Rustica, but I’m no expert on the subject. The ammonia vapors from it can knock you over even before it goes in the nose. A “roughneck” snuff, right Pieter?
Roderick I’m a Toque fan. Just wondering do you lower the stem and stalk contents in the “Toasts” Your Toque Quit is my favorite only Snuff I’ve bought an extra 25gm tin of. The quit does have a little sting to it sometimes is that due to the higher Nicotine content.? I find that your Snuffs don’t clog me up the way others do.
According an article in World Tobacco on making snuff - ‘And finally, when certain inorganic materials such as potash, soda ash or pharmaceutical soda (these being the titillating elements in the blend, to the extent of around 2%) have been added to the sieved tobacco …’ Some posters here have (perhaps unwisely) significantly altered the balance and suffered the consequences.
I have the article on how snuff is made saved as two bmp files. However, each time I try to attach them for others to view I get the following messages: Some problems were encountered The file you attempted to upload (Snuffmaking1.bmp) was empty. You are not allowed to upload (Snuffmaking1.bmp) the requested file type: You must enter a value for the comments input. Any ideas?
@ Roderick To me, Toque Snuffs are the equivalent of Sierra Nevada Brewery Products. When I drink a SN Pale Ale or Porter (or any other variety) I feel like I’m drinking “health beer” and when I take a snort of Toque Original I feel like I’m using “health tobacco.” Extremely clean, pure and focused. I get a definite nicotine sensation, but it takes a few minutes to come on, and then lingers for quite a while. Some snuffs affect me more like commercial cigarettes, which I’m not too crazy about anymore, to the extent that if I take too much of such snuffs while drinking, when I wake up I seem to feel almost like I was smoking the night before. Analogously, last night I had a few U.S. commercial beers and woke up feeling like crap even thought their ABV is lower than the SN I usually drink. I would prefer not to name names since this is so subjective, but UK snuffs in general seem to have the most “natural” effect of all that I’ve tried, and Toque is among the most “natural” of these. The menthol (easier to inhale, etc.) myth is just that: a myth. The most expensive of menthol mass market cigarettes (Newport) is so coveted because it hurts like hell. To menthol smokers, this is the equivalent of “the burn” than many snuff users like myself chase after. Smoking full bore menthols takes practise: the smoking equivalent of a big pinch of Hedges. Not for beginners. But loaded with additives, so it’s VERY difficult to quit, even when switching to very high nicotine content substitutes like Thunder or Oden’s Extra Sterck Snus. I’m not a chemist, but I suspect that the snuffs that have the unpleasant after effects (and which tend to give me bloody noses even though they are not mentholated) have had their pH artifically dialed up through the addition of alkaline substances that are very hard on both the nasal mucosa and my weak mind.