This isn’t a new user question. I’ve been using snuff for 3 years. I’m not an ‘old hand’ but I’m not exactly a newbie, either. Wilson’s of Sharrow Irish High Toast No 22 was in one of my first orders (2009), and since I started, I found that toasts, Wilson’s included, are generally clearing, much like US scotches. This seems to be the general consensus here on Snuffhouse, as well. However, I’ve recently purchased a large 260g tub of IHT No22, and it’s having the opposite effect on me. I take a pinch and shortly thereafter, I’m completely stuffed up and have lost my sense of smell for at least a good hour or so afterwards. Scotches still clear me up. So even if it’s ‘just me’, I haven’t gone completely upside-down. I also get clogged up by the new vacuum sealed Sharrow Mentholated, but O&G gives me no trouble. Has anyone else noticed a change in WoS IHT 22? Is it me that’s changed? Did they change the magic formula over at the Sharrow?
I’m guessing its moisture level. The tins are going to be drier than a bulk tub. Maybe transfer some to a tin or snuffbox and let it air for a little while before use. Toasts for me have a tendency not to drain out on their own, but to form a crust inside the nose that can impede airflow.
Hi Xander, Thanks for the reply. I don’t think it’s moisture level. It’s been decanted into a WoS 25g tin for nearly a month now, and that’s what I’ve been pinching from. It’s not as dry as a WoS tin that’s been sitting on a retailer’s shelf for months, but it’s not straight from the bulk tub, either. The effect is more dramatic – like a mild allergic reaction – than a build-up of crust. One possibility was that it has always affected me in this way, but previously I took smaller pinches than what I’m taking now. Maybe I’m just overwhelming myself. I also remember @PhillipS saying he experienced something similar in a thread not too long ago, and was looking for further confirmation from others.
OK, I found his quote now. It was in the ‘Favorite Toasts?’ thread back in April. @PhilipS said:
Sam Gawith’s Irish Dry Light and Wilson’s Irish High Toast in equal first place. I know it sounds snobbish, but Irish should be left unscented as per Lundy Foot, Dublin tradition. Regrettably both snuffs now lead to congestion, so daily intake is limited to just a gram or two.
It sure could be me, though. :((
yeah, try taking your large pinch reeeaaall slow. that works for me. or take a bunch of small pinches one after another.?
I will, indeed, try smaller pinches. I guess everyone else thinks that the snuff is the same as it ever was.
I seriously wonder if it’s to do with changes in the barometric pressure or just some other change in the atmosphere
Snuffs that normally do not clog me up, do the exact opposite as soon as the cold weather sets in and we turn the heat on in the house and offices. Sitting in front of my (lit) fireplace creates a hermetic seal in my nose. It’s the dry, hot air that does it. I have to take a walk outside to get the juices flowing again. Just a thought…
I take IHT22 a lot, and have some more issues with congestion in the winter. Mainly though, I think this is related to walking around with a mild cold most of the time.