I was talking to a fellow snuffer today, he asked if there was any Russian snuff. anyone know?
There were a few Russian companies in the XIX century that I know, that made snuff. Also they had their own type of snuff. But if the question is about a certain snuff trademark, I only know one. Zolataje Rybka - or something like that, made in the '60.
I bet they were strong and smelt of vodka.
There are no native Russian snuff makers that I know of. Snuff is readily available in Russia, in kiosks and at tobacconists, but itâs usually Pöschl: Gletscher, Gawith Cola, Ozona Menthol or the likes. I canât tell you what real Russian snuff is (was?) like, but I guess Feinster Kownoer by Bernard may be like it, Kowno being present day Kaunas in Lithuania. This is just a guess.
Not really. The green snuffs from Poland-Lithuania had a different grind, much like gunpowder. Although Russians also did make itâs own green snuff - but I donât know if it was any close to the German or Polish type.
Good evening, dobroe vjetscher, towarischi I remember using snuff called â russischer Augentabakâ , made by Bernard. This would mean ârussian eye tobaccoâ . I recall, that it was very strong, a green tobacco, fermented. The grind was very much finer than Kownoer, the snuffs colour was almost pitch black. As a student in the former Soviet Union, I was confronted with all sorts of Russian tobacco, Makhorka, different Papyrossi - Belomor Kanal, Kazbek. Most of them quite deadly. Snuff however, I only met once, a Mongolian Student had brought it along, judging by the flavour - very floral - it came from India. Which is surprising, looking at the many Russian snuff boxes around, from FabergĂ© to homemade. I seem to remember hearing that a russian Czar used to have the noses of snuff takers cut off, so it must have been in use. Best regards Patrick B. Ludwig
Papyrossi! That brings back memories⊠Friend of mine brought some back from Russia when I was a student. I was the only one who would smoke them - God only knows what they had in them! Pinching the tube really does work, by the way.
@Ludwig_1954 : The practice of cutting off snuff takersâ noses occurred in the 17th century, under czar Michael. Which is odd, considering that taking snuff became very popular under his successors, to the point of czars handing out snuff boxes with their portraits as a gift to deserving citizens and officers. The snuff habit was probably copied from the French aristocracy, the Russians and French always got along quite well. (Before and after Napoleon, that is.) 19th century Russian literarure is chock full of allusions to snuff and snuff taking. Gogol in particular (who appears to have been obsessed by anything to do with noses) mentions snuff quite a lot, and in his work you may find a couple of interesting ways in which snuff was scented, for instance by putting a violet at the bottom of the snuff box, under the tobacco, or by adding tansy. (I mentioned this a couple of days ago under a different topic, but it canât hurt to do it again.) In War and Peace, which is written in the second half, but set in the early 19th century, snuff is also mentioned quite frequently, but in novels set in the late 19th century (even in Anna Karenina) it is hardly mentioned any more; the practice of snuff taking appears to have been gradually replaced by cigarette smoking from 1850 onwards, much as in the rest of Europe. Itâs a pity Bernard donât make the ârussischer Augentabakâ anymore. It appears to have been a type, rather than a brand, which was popular mainly in Silesia and East-Prussia, which made me think that the Kownoer was similar. But apparently not, thanks for setting that straight. Iâd love to try a âtrueâ Russian-type snuff, it just appears to have died out. Perhaps it would be a nice challenge for Jaap Bes at the Molens.
I remember Russischer Augentabak rather to be pale brown. It was a camphorated snuff, of a strong grind - much like medicated snuffs, but moister. The âaugentabakâ like âmedicatedâ refers to it medicinal use. Snuff was know to be a good cure for eye diseases. I donât find it in the category of âgreen snuffâ, but not much informations are on those legendary types, that who knows. If weâre into literature, the XIX century Polish books say some word on âPetersburska snuffâ (literally a snuff from Saint Petersburg). It was on of the most popular snuffs in Congress Poland and was made by almost every snuff factory in Warsaw. But the name reffers probably to the LaFerme company, which had itâs factories in (besides Warsaw) Dresden, St. Petersburg, Odessa and Moscow.
very interesting! We would be tempted to try and make a Russian type snuff if a sample is made available
Oh, please doâŠa coarser grind 6 Photo would be interesting
@sixphoto hahahaha You make it sound so simple.
@Juxtaposer: We are into snuff making since 1927, it is the one thing we specialize in
@sixphoto Perhaps your Motia snuff is already very similar. I would like to try that one someday soon. I would be interested in knowing if there any snuffs that you have made since 1927 that were not in the vein of traditional Indian snuffs. Making something along the lines of a âgreen snuffâ would be incredible. Feinster Kownoer is a favorite of mine.
@Juxtaposer We have added at least seven new snuffs to our repertoire since joining snuffhouse,this is besides four other snuffs we make for other vendors on order.Even the Motia you mentioned has a different flavor for international market. We developed the Medicated line of snuffs after being provided samples of Radford and Wilsons 99 by some buyers . It is always good to try and learn new things.So if you can provide me a sample of your favourite Russian snuff we can give it a shot
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