A brief nicotine fiend’s guide to the world of American dry snuff. These tables are extracted from IARC monograph vol. 89 (pg. 65-66) (2007): http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol89/index.php. I’m sure many had seen this before, there were links and references to the source in some older threads of this forum.

NB: Tables contain old (2003) data. It refer only to tested samples.

The key-figures for nicotine are in the last two columns (unprotonated nicotine). These indicates actual potency of snuff.

Notice how potency correlates with pH value.

I will post ingredients of some snuffs later.

excellent smithers ^:)^

I guess we should try that Starr snuff, Sunny

@volunge i would love too i still have to try all of the swishers! that starr is really sticking out @-)

Spectacular data thanks for sharing @volunge ! These measurements appear to have been conducted 14 years ago so I’d consider the credibility of the data against the current products to be slightly suspect, but very enlightening to see the wide range of potencies Can any of the non protonated be absorbed?

Not much, taken nasally/orally. I made snuff from home grown rustica and was disappointed with the result. It was helluva strong smoke, but snuff was lacking the desired effect. It was veeery mild, to put it softly. I had no knowledge about alkalizing and different types of nicotine back then, so just grinded dried leaves with coffee grinder.

There’s a decent read on nicotine chemistry, pH and uptake: https://www.bernd-mayer.com/nicotine-the-basics/

@Volunge as I commented in another thread the Starr still seems quite potent today. Much more so than Navy Sweet anyway!

http://www.altria.com/our-companies/ussmokeless/our-products-ingredients/Pages/default.aspx

Scroll down for snuff ingredients by brand.

Possibly a really dumb question : can I toast scotch snuffs? They already have sodium carbonate and salt added to them.

^ Dont see why you would need to its already scorched (toasted well beyond a toast) its where the name comes from, scotch snuff is really scorched snuff

I bought a huge tin of Peach and it seems to be rather “light”, in color and flavor. Thought toasting might add depth. Thanks.

I wouldn’t advice toasting any ready-made snuff. You could try mixing your Peach with some other smokier scotch, or just mix in your own deep-toasted tobacco. If your leaves haven’t arrived yet, but you are eager to proceed, any pipe/RYO/cigarette tobacco could do the job. Just toast small amount, grind it with spoon and mix with Peach.

Thanks. Will do as you suggest. I have scented a small amount to get an idea of how much, etc. That seems to have worked really well. Banana and Strawberry overrides any peach (I cannot detect any peach) scent. 5 grams now smell like banana bread.

Heating scotches would quicken decomposition of ammonium carbonate into ammonium bicarbonate, which is thermally unstable and easily degrades to water and gases (carbon dioxide and ammonia). This could affect (reduce) unprotonated nicotine to some extent, but I don’t have any evidence, it’s only a speculation.

Heating could result in (partial) loss of aroma, too.

I haven’t find out the ingredients of the rest scotch snuffs yet. My previous post was based only on U. S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. snuff chemical composition. Peach is made by American Snuff Co.

Brutal Bruton is tobacco, NaCl, (NH4)2CO3, Na2CO3, H2O. Nothing else that I can find. I am not going to heat them. I have scented them and that worked well. But I prefer the grind of Tom Buck.