The Bureau, manufactured by Wilsons of Sharrow, is one of a few that I find hard to describe. First of all the facts. It is a very dry, very fine snuff which has a reddish-brown colour. It is one of Wilson’s heritage snuffs, and it is one of the few snuffs that doesn’t have a description attached to it when I check their website. I find taking it quite difficult, regardless of the flavour. It causes a strong burn in my nose which hits the back of my head and that is very unpleasant, even if I take it as carefully as I can. The flavour itself can be simply described as “flowery soap”. In my eyes that makes it a love or hate snuff, but I can’t say I do either. This tin has been sitting on my shelf for a few weeks because this strong soapy taste is something I have to be in the mood for, which doesn’t happen very often. Today is one of those days and I’ve been taking it for the past five or six hours. Despite the dryness of the snuff I don’t need to use a lot of tissues. That is a plus. The soap is very dominant in the nose and I can barely taste the tobacco base, but I have to say it’s definitely there. That flavour seems to fade very quickly when I’m indoors but as soon as I step outside into the fresh cold morning air, it flares up again and it is slightly more enjoyable than the initial first pinch. Now…compared with the likes of Bordeaux or JR Justice…I would describe all of them as flower and soap, but they all taste different. That is the main problem I have when I say hard to describe. I can imagine a few snuff enthusiasts who will take a pinch and say “wow, amazing, I’ve never had anything like it”, but my guess is that those will be very few. As I said, I have to be in the mood for that heavy perfume which makes me think of 18th century France. As a recommendation I would say that 25g will probably be too much just to try it. But if somebody does not insist on pure tobacco flavour and if somebody generally likes very fine snuffs which hit you with perfume and soap the size of a hammer, this is a must try. Again, I suspect there will not be many people with those kinds of preferences. I’m sure I will finish the tin eventually but I will not buy it again.
It’s manly soap, though. 
I like Bureau. It’s described as one of their ‘modern’ scents made up of five of their most popular ranges, but for a company that’s been around since the 1700’s that could mean anything from a newie since Wilson’s brought the name back, to the 1950’s, 1930’s or even the Victorian era. It’s one of the few snuffs that makes my teeth tingle when I take it, and I love that.
George Evans’ booklet The Old Snuff House of Fribourg & Treyer 1720-1920 (London 1921) states that the heavily perfumed varieties of F&T snuff were intended as mixers at a rate of a quarter or half ounce to 1 lb of plain snuffs. Accordingly, I have just tried this with Bureau, with very good results. A 1:5 mix with Wilson’s Nr. 22 was still dominated by the Bureau, but the scent was much softened with the soapiness almost gone. A 1:10 mix reduced the Bureau to a background scent, still very pleasant and allowing the Toast flavour to come through. A bit of experimentation should allow each person to find their favourite ratio. I had tried this previously with Seville and thought it was much improved by blending with a neutral toast (I used Toque); the “soapiness” was no longer apparent and the neroli undertones were pleasant (rather than overwhelming as in unmixed Seville). I would guess F&T Morocco would benefit from such dilution as well. By the way, I’m not so sure about that “modern” scent description - Bureau is on the earliest F&T price lists with a specific reference from 1801 according to the aforementioned booklet.
Sorry to revive an old thread–thanks to the above posters i tried mixing FT Bureau 2 to 10 with toque natural toast and like it a lot, same with macouba 2 to 8…was it this thread or another where someone said most F&Ts were intended to be mixed with a plain tobacco? For Seville which i also bought but find too “soapy” and lacking the promised orange notes in significant quantity i was thinking of doing the same plus adding some citrus snuff, maybe toque st. clements? what say you all?
@marco Mixing down F&T snuffs has been mentioned in quite a few threads over the years. I would think that seville and St. Clements or Toast & Marmalade would work very well.
I mix my own snuffs quite often. Usually it’s a plain snuff as a base, and yes the F&T snuffs are great additions. Other good additions I use are SG Firedance and Celtic Talisman, GH Cherry, Wild Mint, and Mitchells, anything with a good potent scent
^Firedance is very nice with Viking Brown or KB plain.
That’s why I have both in bulk Celtic Talisman works well too 
Another good base for them is Toque Plain Coarse
I think I need to invest in toque plain coarse. Can’t believe I’ve never ordered any, guess I’ve been complacent with berwick brown.
I currently have Plain Coarse, KB Plain, Thors Hammer and London Brown for my coarser bases. These will take Firedance, Celtic Talisman, GH Cherry, Dry Orange, Seville, or my “fruit salad” reject blend For the lighter mixes I have Yellow Crest, Blue Crest, and Tom Buck. These would take the likes on Mitchells, Ambassador, Bordeaux, and Royal George. Best Dark might get a boost from Brunswick or Princes SP Scotch might get a lift from Burgundy My Berwick Brown doesn’t get mixed, apart from tipping the dregs into a recycling mix. Talking of recycling, there’s also my “Granny’s Stew” mix, which is about 500g of all kinds of stuff I wasn’t keen on, which has evolved into a rather nice complex snuff. … or I might just take a pinch of something just how it left the factory :-" Good to see more people cooking up their own cocktails
I also have a ‘orphan’ jar. Things I didn’t like, things I sweep off the counter when I fill a snuff box. It’s not as bad as it sounds.
Sounds like how McDonald’s makes the chicken nuggets. I do like them sometimes.
I am now calling it the ‘McSnuffet’ jar.
@Sandwhichlsles I didnt know Toque made a plain type in a coarse grind. If youre thinking about a custom order, im keen :))
@aamon the coarse plain is sold on the toque website in 400g bags only. No special order required. I believe I’m going to order some myself soon.
@Sandwhichlsles Ahh okay yeah unfortunately 400g bulk is not an option for me. It would wind up around an additional $300 + in tax. Maybe i’ll see some up in the trade page at some point.