For those of you that have tried SG Hazelnut, do you think it really tastes/smells like Hazelnut? I don’t know if I got a mixed up tin, or if I’m expecting some sickly sweet coffee syrup flavored something-or-other, just let me know if you have a similar experience with it. I will say that whatever it is, I do like it, just not what I expected.

Mine tastes sort of like hazelnut but it is sickly sweet and tastes very synthetic

@n9inchnails “Sort of like hazelnut” lol. I have read that English snuff manufacturers are not allowed to use synthetic flavorings in their snuff, so I wonder if what we think of as Hazelnut is the synthetic tasting stuff?

I don’t know where you heard that, SG uses synthetic flavouring in nearly (if not) all of their flavoured snuffs. Toque is the only snuff manufacturer that uses only natural flavouring that I know of. English snuff manufactures aren’t allowed to use fat or oils to moisten their snuffs, that might be what you read. Certain fruit flavoured snuffs like apple or banana can’t be made without the use of synthetic flavouring which is why there is no apple or banana flavoured Toque snuff

@n9inchnails :-? I read it in a “Shire series” book on Snuff. However most of the references in the book were WoS related and the book was published over 20 yrs ago. I’ve not had anything artificial tasting from WoS, McChrystal’s, or Toque. It’s a shame on the SG. You think I got the right tin?

My latest tin of SG Hazelnut is perfectly fine. This snuff has managed to become one of my favourites without any trouble - a rather finer grind than I at first expected, but with a lovely roast hazelnut flavour that keeps me coming back for more. I’ve got it in my nose right now, and certainly don’t get the slightest hint of artificiality or anything else weird… Like some other SG snuffs (Wild Duck for example), it benefits from a certain amount of drying and airing - leave it open for a while and see if it makes a difference. I’d also say that words such as “natural” and “synthetic” are thrown around with a certain amount of casual abandon when it comes to flavourings. A “natural” flavour may still contain diluting substances and emulsifiers such as synthetic alcohol, propylene glycol, and triacetin (a synthetic food grade emulsifier). A “synthetic” flavour can, by contrast, eliminate the presence of potentially harmful impurities (e.g. coumarin in tonka bean extracts) or allergens, the latter definitely an issue with nut flavours - genuine nut extracts in snuff could kill the unwary susceptible snuff-taker.

O.K. so I bought a can of Coffee Mate Hazelnut creamer, and opened it side by side with my tin of SG Hazelnut. Not even close. Am I trying too hard? Am I expecting something different than I should? This is my only reference point with Hazelnut, so maybe I’m just biased. Maybe the SG is just sort of in the background, subtle, blending with the tobacco. My wife says it smells like make up?

@Barbertrey‌ try a little bit of Frangelico liqueur-careful, it’s sticky-you may want to cut it with some distilled water or vodka. Mix into snuff and allow to dry a bit. You may need to screen/grind out the lumps. You could also use roasted hazelnut oil. Again careful, or you’ll end up with schmalzer. http://latourangelle.com/index.php/oils/roasted-hazelnut-oil.html

I know there have been some comments about SG Hazelnut being overly sweet, and I agree that this isn’t a snuff that I would want much of by itself.  It is after all a very rich dessert snuff.  But I do want to point out SG Hazelnut is perfect to use in a mix with other snuffs that are not sweet - it adds sweetness, vanilla, and nuttiness to a mixture.  In that way, I find it very useful and will continue to order it.

I do agree with @Hapax that SG Hazelnut benefits from some airing and drying.  I notice the hazelnut more now than when I first opened the tin.