Pardon this long story but here goes… I have read quite a bit about Dholakia White in terms of its positive reviews and comments. It seems to be somewhat legendary. Being able to meet its challenge to successfully use it is almost like a milestone or rite of passage for snuff takers–or at least that is how it seems to me. It is obviously a notable snuff and an important entry in the snuff world in terms of its nicotine content, strong burn, ultra fine grind, extreme dryness, and so on. When I first read about it I could not wait to try it, even though I was a bit hesitant due to its reputation for its high degree of burn and difficulty to take without coughing or sneezing. And I knew I am not the most skilled snuff taker by any means. So I tried it and I found it was difficult to snuff successfully. I hoped that I could achieve mastery of it the way @Basement_Shaman has but I cannot say that I have. Although I can do the snuff, it is difficult to do without getting some into my throat. The grind is so ultra-fine that it actually reminds me of the carpet dust that comes off a hanging carpet when one puts the dirty carpet on a clothes line and starts beating the dust out of it. But the most frustrating aspect of Dholakia White to me was that I could not taste it. I liked the nicotine to be sure but I simply could not taste it or get much of its bouquet. Whenever I tried to even smell it the powdery consistency of it just sent the stuff directly into my sinuses. It finally occurred to me that the stuff is so dry and powdery that, for my nose, the stuff would bypass and barely register on my “nasal taste receptors.” I wanted to experience it but could only do so to a small degree. I thought about mixing it but could not bring myself to do that. So I tried wetting my nose before snuffing it and that seemed to help but not very much. Then I thought I would “cheat” just a little by changing the snuff itself so that it was more moist as opposed to making my nose more moist. But I learned a lot. I took around 7 or 8 grams of the snuff and placed it into a small airtight spice jar so that it was filled almost to the top. I then made a depression in the center of the snuff (powder) by using my snuff spoon. I then took some distilled water and poured some into a coffee cup. I took my (clean) index finger and dipped it into the water and dribbled 3 or 4 drops directly into the depression in the snuff. I put the lid back on and gave the White a half day or so to absorb the moisture. After that I saw that the moisture had been absorbed but amazingly it was still pretty dry, but not quite as much as before. So I shook the container and then repeated the procedure and this time the snuff actually had some moisture at a moderate level. The water itself had been absorbed. HOWEVER, now I could actually smell Dholakia White just as much as I could any other snuff and I could snuff it and actually taste it. It was not exactly easy to snuff but it sure was a lot more easy than it was in its natural state. More importantly, I actually ENJOY it now. Did I cheat? Probably. Is this a cop-out? I am sure it is, but it worked for me. I am sure I am not the first to try this. I am new to Snuffhouse, have much to learn, and there are many who probably already knew all this so I hope you don’t mind my strolling down avenues that have already been explored. But the point of this thread is that Dholakia White is now my friend and a staple snuff for me. Thanks for allowing me to tell the story. Anyone else have stories about trying to master Dholakia White?
im contemplating moistening my white elephant. i considered orange peel as that worked on my dried out dregs mix, but i dont want to scent it…
@Firestarter0 please let me know what you decide. I am interested to how it turns out. I have not tried White Elephant but, interestingly enough, have some on the way from Mr. Snuff. Never thought of using an orange peel. Sounds like a cool idea if it doesn’t lead to mold (as sometimes happens with pipe tobacco). The dribbling distilled water technique came from my long experience with rehydrating pipe tobaccos but with pipe tobacco I would simply dribble the drops all around the tobacco in the tin and then put the lid back on. I actually tried the wet towel approach by placing it over the Dholakia White but it just did not work.
No, you didn’t cheat. Snuffing is like pipe smoking in that after you learn the basics you try “things” to make the experience more pleasurable for you. I love DW the way it is but I’m going to try your “moistening” treatment. Ya never know !
@perique Thank you. Good point.
Snuffing is like pipe smoking in that after you learn the basics you try “things” to make the experience more pleasurable for you. I love DW the way it is but I’m going to try your “moistening” treatment. Ya never know !
I agree totally. It sounds like a fun experiment. I’m going to try it some time, too.
As has been said on the forums a number of ways/times, if you are enjoying your snuff, their is no wrong way to do it. It’s fun to see some of the interesting techniques people come up with to take snuff.
@fredhanna, nothing wrong with the method you are using now – but have you tried taking a deep breath and filling your lungs before taking some Dholakia White? If your lungs are full when you snuff, you are much less likely to end up with the DW going down your throat. I tried it when I first started using it, it works well. Also, while obviously DW has a strong flavor of it’s own, I wouldn’t expect any kind of delicate “boquet” from it. For that, try Toque Violet. DW is more a sharp, vinegary, gun powder type flavor, nothing delicate or subtle in it at all. It is what it is.
I agree with you, @jakartaboy. DW does not have a delicate bouquet to be sure. And I do use the deep breath method before snuffing DW. It certainly helps although for me the moistening is more important. Thank you.
With the white snuffs the sharp and unusual burn is just as notable as the scent for me. Whites can be really hard to pin down as far as their smell, a lot of the time I just get a fishy ammonia . . . “sensation” more than a real scent.
I had suggested before to hydrate dry snuff and as it drys out you get accustomed to using it. The main thing is to enjoy your snuff experience, If it is painful then it cannot possibly be enjoyable ,unless you enjoy pain.
@basement_shaman You are right and that makes perfect sense to me. Curiously, hydrating the snuff in a manner commonly used was a problem (I laid a wet paper towel over the DW without touching it of course) but it did not absorb as much moisture as the method I described where the water was directly placed into the snuff. I found that rather interesting. Have you tried that method before? I am sure I am not the only one to ever try this.
My preferred method , fill a bottle cap with water, place in a container surround it with snuff place lid over container, let sit overnight open and all the water is absorbed into snuff; rather then direct contact.There are many ways to hydrate snuff .Spray bottle, Hot shower, moist fruit, Slice of potato, anything that has moisture can hydrate snuff. If you wouldn’t eat it then don’t use it.
Thanks @basement_shaman. Much appreciated.
If it is painful then it cannot possibly be enjoyable ,unless you enjoy pain.
Feel the burn! >:)
I don’t think its cheating at all. If it makes it so that its an enjoyable experience for you then that’s all that matters. I haven’t tried D.W. but have tried the Fubar Willie Pete. I don’t mind admitting that all by itself it was impossible for me to take. I did however like the scent of it so I now mix it with W.E. Garrett plain scotch and IMO its amazing.I am however going to do a little test [now that you put the idea in my head] of introducing a little moisture and see how I get along with it.
That is an interesting mix @outlawmobile. Hmmm. I had not thought about mixing it with American scotches. And let me know if the moisture helps, or not.
It may have already been mentioned, but there are several companies (Boveda being one) that make humidi-paks. They are used to bring jars and other containers to a certain humidity. Perhaps you could try one of their higher humidity humidi-paks and see if that helps moisten the very dry snuffs. Just a thought. Boveda has packs that go up to 84% rh.
It may have already been mentioned, but there are several companies (Boveda being one) that make humidi-paks. They are used to bring jars and other containers to a certain humidity. Perhaps you could try one of their higher humidity humidi-paks and see if that helps moisten the very dry snuffs. Just a thought. Boveda has packs that go up to 84% rh.
Thanks @Nietzshe-keen. I will look into Boveda.
I just wanted to report that I’ve been augmenting my Dholakia White, as well. I left a thick piece of orange peel in a half full tin of DW for overnight. It provided a slight orange aroma and now the powder has much more manageable medium moisture. The tobacco aroma is more pronounced, too. I think I prefer it this way. I normally use clean water (instead of any organic matter) for hydrating snuff and tobacco in order not to cause mold growth. We’ll see if this happens. Thanks for the tip @fredhanna !