For those of you who, after long practice, still are having difficulty keeping snuff from hitting the back of your throat, or who (like me) have overly sensitive sinuses that react to every pinch (big or small) with a disproportionate gush of goo, I thought I’d share a technique that has served me extremely well.

This is directed at those of you who, in spite of the best efforts of the many veterans on this site, simply can’t get the right amount of pressure when you sniff. You find yourselves in the frustrating position of loving the habit when you get it right but, because your technique is unreliable, hating it when you get it wrong.

The following is a variation on the stuffing technique but, I think, is tidier and less wasteful. Plugging maybe is the better term. While I’ve found that it works with all grinds of snuff, it is worth noting that the bulk of my intake is Black Rappee. Indeed, plugging seems to work best with the coarser snuffs.

So:

1. Take your pinch–a healthy-sized one, as is often recommended here–and trim off the excess with your middle finger. That is: brush away all the bits that are not gripped between thumb and forefinger.

2. Bring the plug right up to your nose so that your index finger is touching the nostril.

3. Slide your index finger gently off the plug, and bring the flat of your thumb (with your plug on it) flush against the nostril. Mind that you don’t actually stick your thumb up your nose. You just want to position it such that you’ve created a seal between thumb and nostril.

4. Now breathe in through the other nostril. Strength can vary, but I’ll take a strong (not straining though) breath. Do this a couple of times, making sure to exhale through your free nostril as well.

5. When you remove your thumb you will find that most if not all of your plug is now in your nose. Before I take my thumb away I’ll give it a couple of twists (while breathing in) so as to get as much of anything remaining. Again, resist actually sticking your thumb up there.

6. Be sure then to give the nostril a pinch and repeat on the other side.

This method isn’t perfect, and expect some crumbs to still drop out of your nose. However I find that the indirect intake of air (as well as the exhalation, which infuses the snuff with some of the moisture from your breath) works extremely effectively in getting the snuff quickly into the front of your nose, not up into your sinuses or to the back of your throat. The drawback is that your nose can get quite full up and you’ll need to purge every so often simply to make room for more. (Though you’ll be amazed how much you can get in there.)

As I say, I find this to work really well with rappees, but it’s also excellent for people too sensitive to really fine snuffs (like Quit); after step 6, just exhale through your nose to blow away any of the excess that would otherwise fly to the back of your throat.

Also, while it may not seem so at first, I find plugging a slightly subtler way of taking snuff in public. It takes a little more time (but we’re talking seconds here), is less dainty and even less graphic.

That’s how I take really big pinches…though the title made me lol. I don’t know how much you know about drug culture, but “plugging” is what you call it when you take a pill and shoved it where the sun don’t shine.

Ah! damn. Should’ve googled it. Definitely don’t do that.

Thanks @Screwtape , excellent technique. Just tried it with some fresh Toque chocolate and it worked great, can’t wait to try this with some others.

Ah good. Enjoy!

Actually, the same thought occurred to me, @Roderick. That little bit of moisture does much to reduce dustiness.

I just tried this method and it works very well. The only stuff I have on me is Poschl Red Bull so I want to give some others a try with this. Thanks for the info.

It works!  Thanks!

Agree.  This helps me’ especially with the real fine dry grinds.  Thanks!

Just tried this and it works.  One question though, and I know it’s a relative thing, but how big is a “healthy size” pinch?

I think pea-sized is how I’ve read it described elsewhere, @Wanderer. Basically, as much as you can get between thumb and forefinger. You’re not trying to break any records; just the most that comfortably fits. But to the extent that the big pinch is recommended to cut down on irritation from sniffing (leading to sneezing, runny nose) and plugging keeps your snuff from hitting those irritable areas, I don’t think it’s actually necessary.

Indeed, for coarser snuffs, I’d suggest more of a medium-sized pinch. I find there’s less dropping crumbs that way.

I’ll just add that the neatest thing about this technique is that you (or, anyway, I - it’s possible that I’m a freak of nature) can manage a decent snootful with barely any inhalation at all. Generally I’ll get the plug up there to my nostril and just breathe out through the other nostril - sniffing gently once or twice at the end - and discover that my thumb is entirely clean when I take it away.

I recognize that won’t be much of an enticement to those who enjoy the hit of snuff further up the nose. But if any of you, like me, suffer from hysterical sinuses, this works marvelously.

OMG, now I can grab a big pinch of F&T HDT, get it into quicker and safer. Messy, but works perfect.

Works great,Thanks for that tip.helped me alot.

Very gratifying that others are finding this useful.

@Screwtape Thanks for sharing your Plugging technique. I used it effectively with my first snuff experience!

Thanks for the tip, @Screwtape . I’m a Newbie, and although I’m having no trouble with Gawith Apricot, Toque and Quit keep getting to my throat no matter how gently I sniff. I just tried the “plug” with some Toque Peach, and it worked without me coughing from a throat hit!

@screwtape thanks for this new method. It worked very well. Lately I’ve been using a spoon (actually the tiny screwdriver on my small leather man multi tool) and it works very well but scotches still hit the throat sometimes. I’ll have to try this with a scotch later.

This method is the one that works great for me…

This technique is great.

I kind of intuitively came to this working with NTSU Black. I use my middle finger and thumb and slide the pinch up off my thumb. Thumb slides up the outside of the nostril as snuff is gently sucked into the pocket. The way my nose is, the pinch ends up right on the shelf in the tip of my nose. Helps to tilt the head down slightly.

When I read the title of this thread, I was expecting a horror story or a near-death experience. Perhaps “plugging” is not the appropriate term: http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showwiki.php?title=Plugging

Made a YouTube video featuring this method, really like it Here’s a Link

That’s how I take really big pinches…though the title made me lol. I don’t know how much you know about drug culture, but “plugging” is what you call it when you take a pill and shoved it where the sun don’t shine.

The method you described is a variation of the method I have “developed” as I perfected my technique. I think it is a definite improvement on mine. Thanks for the idea! Edit: Just tried it and it worked pretty well. My allergies often means that I can only snuff on one side at a time since, more often than not, one nostril is 95% clogged. It seems this technique is reliant on the air flow from the neighboring nostril and if there is no airflow, the snuff hardly moves. I found an easy and rather obvious solution to this. I jiggled my thumb from side to side to allow tiny bursts of air to sneak through. This solved the clogged nostril problem, but it wound up being quite similar to the technique I’d been using. Regardless, Thanks for posting Screwtape! I’m sure it will help me a lot on my clearer breathing days. :-bd Edit2: OMG, what have you done!? This is me right now > This allows me to get way more than I should up in there (my nose, lol) and the Nic and drip is ungodly! lol

Really enjoyed your youtube plug (so to speak), @Gewie. It’s just the thing. (I have a red beard too, by the way. What are the odds?) And apologies to all, once again, for the poor choice of name for the technique. Why didn’t I google it beforehand?

At least you didn’t call it “figging”.

P.S. Redbeards rule, lol.

@Screwtape: Thanks for sharing this splendid technique. I somehow had missed it at the time you posted it. It really work quite well! I find name plugging good and fitting and don’t actually think that most of the people will mistake it for the other, drug connotation. I, for one, had never heard of it before.

Appreciated @Jari_T and @N_K

Agreed with Jari. Makes me wonder about the person that knew the other meaning, lol. Words ARE ambiguous afterall.

Agreed with Jari. Makes me wonder about the person that knew the other meaning, lol. Words ARE ambiguous afterall.

I have never tried it, just spent a lot of time on drug forums as a teenager

The only promblem I have with this tecnique is that I don’t get the scent much at all I guess I’d rather put up with the cough as I rather like the scent of WE, DW and the like

Tried this method and it works like a charm.