Very nice. I see how it is. Ha.
Well I have had a bit of good luck with the Folly! I have of course tried all kinds of things with small batches of the snuff, none of which resulted in exactly what i was looking for. I keep the mother load of raw snuff in a quart jar next to the wood stove while the honey and brandy develop. Then last week I found the snuff was getting a little dry, so I added some distilled water to it. I was wondering if the Jewel was actually fermented, so In a fit of irrationality I added a pinch of Jewel to the jar as a starter. I had lost track of it, and when I opened it tonight it just reeked of ammonia. I had been wondering how ammonia got into commercial snuff, and I am aware that ammonia has a very high pH level, and this was a curious development. So I took some out and dried it a little on the wood stove and sniffed some, then I had to sit down and try to get my head to stop spinning. Whoa, what was that? I think I may be on to something good here!
Sounds good. Keep us in the loop…
Ammonia is usually generated when alkaline salts and water are added to tobacco, whether fermented or not. Most fermented snuff tobaccos are actually acidic. There’s not any soda in this snuff? Any idea what the temperature is next to your stove?
Sounds good Whalen, keep us informed how its going. Stefan
I’ve been intensely curious about how the ammonia comes about. What are these alkaline salts that are added? And why, when, how, and anything else you can tell, s’il vous plait?
Sodium carbonate, & potassium carbonate are the ones most commonly used in Europe nowadays. Calcium hydroxide is the primary alkali used in Indian snuffs. They do have an impact on flavour but basically function as a PH buffer to enhance nicotine release.
Merci beaucoup, I’ve always wanted to know.
Hi everyone!!! Any progress on the SJ yet?
Pieter and Whalen this is great stuff and my hat is off to both of you for all your effort. From the sideline…rooting
Well, what I ended up with is about a pound of a toasty honey sweet snuff with a nice brandy finish, It is quite strong in the nicotine department. What I did not end up with is a snuff that smells like feet and gives you a huge near fatal rush, so I guess I failed! I just got tired of the relentless grinding and experimenting, that and two feet of snow followed up with the holidays and a near record cold snap. It does have a most pleasant aroma and kick though! Very much a Rustica toast. Has a pronounced biscuit aroma I always find enticing, I have found that the snuffs made with Rustica tend to be drippy, not one of my favorite traits in a snuff, although the Folly has its charms. I plan to distribute some soon for comments, a pound is a hell of a lot! Sorry for the delay in the updates!
…Napoleon used to snuff a pound’s worth in a month. Makes you think, doesn’t it. Well at the end of the day whatever it is like, as long as it is nice you’ve done well. Looking forward to hearing what it is like.
I POUND A MONTH?!? No wonder he always had his hand in his coat. He was holding back his heart from exploding.
A rustica toast with honey and brandy notes? Sounds like an absolute winner to me. Even if it isn’t the fabled Jewel I hear so much about, I would say it sounds like you came up with a quite desireable sounding snuff none the less. Good show! You should be proud!
@Parrots… Either that or the cost of it as that would be 45 10g tins. Bloody expensive even by todays standard. Although he did have a large nose didn’t he? Pushing it up there by the fistful.
55 grams a day is definately do-able but sustaining it would seem excessive, 25 grams a day providing you have the time seems a more sensible amount
I get blocked up after a 3g mini bullet! (Albeit, more to do with technique than anything else) but 25g a day would kill me!
I’ve done 10g in a day but to finish off a 25g tin in a day is beyond my means.
Im not sure it is do-able. It might be possible in theory but snuff is an irritant, however nice. I think his sinusus would just close up. He was a head of state in an era where snuffing was very common - I would bet most of that famous amount was simply given away and the story has grown up around what are fairly vague references.
I think you have nailed it there snuffster the nose would indeed have to be working well, when my nose is playing nice if i’m chilling out watching tv a 25g tin has been known to almost empty itself. What never ceases to amaze me is that a mate of mine manages to go through an XL O&G tin in about eight hours now that i could not do as although i love it about a dozen pinches would close me right up.