When I started posting here it felt like we were experiencing a real snuff renaissance. There was a huge amount of selection from SG, WoS and regular new flavours from Toque. We had De Kralingse churning out some absolute magic like their Latikia snuff, artisan snuff box makers and some real regular engagement.
I found my favourites and drifted away and now I’m back the landscape feels so different. Like a slow sunset…
My old local tobacconist in Leeds closed down years ago, my Bristol tobacconist is gone. The cost cutter in Barnsley that used to have O&G doesn’t seem to stock it any more. I’m going to Cardiff soon and wouldn’t be surprised if the bear shop is gone.
I’m not sure what I want anyone to say, I just had some feelings to get off my chest.
Like smokers, it seems we’re a dying breed.
I know snuff taking was never big in my lifetime and that the sun has been going down for a long time, but it really feels like dusk has set in.
There will be no renaissance of snuff in Europe, Britain or the USA. Snuff here in the UK is in long decline, probably terminal despite tax concessions by the chancellor in 1978 and an advertising campaign launched in the early 1980s. There is a thread on this forum covering these issues which as a snuff taker for sixty years I’ve perhaps felt more keenly than others. The many companies in Britain and Ireland (some of great age) which manufactured snuff that have folded in my lifetime are listed - and the list is a long one. The demise of the mining industry and the wholesale closure of the traditional tobacconist from the humble High Street shop to Wix of Piccadilly or the Bacon Bros. in Cambridge accounts for the withering. The war on tobacco has taken its toll on snuff. If it wasn’t for the internet and online purchases then I doubt snuff made in the UK would still be available. Even now there appears to be confusion over international shipping for overseas customers and what can and can’t be sent by mail whereas in the past manufacturers would be able to sell wholesale to, for example, the USA.
France no longer manufactures their genuine Morlaix or indeed (to the best of my knowledge) any other snuff and some very old German manufacturers have given up their last gasp.
Like some other posters here I’ve always been interested in the history of snuff and the history of the UK companies that made them, but the only company with a genuine pedigree that now remains is Wilsons of Sharrow (est. 1737). There is now much less to discuss regarding the history of a particular snuff or its maker as, understandably, few people are likely to show interest in or engage in discussion over something that has ceased to exist.
For the sake of snuff I’m thankful to live in England and I just hope to goodness that Sharrow Mills survives me
I started my adventure with snuff during what was called the snuff renaissance in Poland, so I found the best time possible to start my journey through the tobacco world. Unfortunately, I must admit with regret that this time has long passed, as I believe that this period covered the years 2000-2015, i.e. from the end of the snuff prohibition in Poland, until changes in Polish law forced by EU directives (including the ban on the sale of tobacco via the Internet).
The number of people at that time interested in various issues related to snuff was truly significant. You could really feel like you were part of something bigger, discovering fantastic curiosities from the past. It looks a bit like a “back in my days” text (after all, I started taking it at the age of 17, and I’m slowly approaching forty), but the snuff community was amazing - which also contributed to the fact that I was a moderator of one of the largest forums on this topic and the editor of top25snuff - the first of which no longer exists, and the second has been dying in agony for years. I am sad to say that I finished writing my book too late.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to disagree that the snuff market was definitely driven by online sales, which gave the opportunity to choose a really huge amount of powdered tobacco. Although in Poland we have always had an equally large one locally. I look carefully at what is happening in the European Union regarding tobacco regulations and it is hard for me to imagine that a product that has survived so many adversities and has survived to this day would disappear.
Sorry to hear that the Polish Renaissance has petered out in disappointment for you. Forty to forty five years ago there were hopes, too, of a snuff renaissance in Britain, backed by advertising, a favourable report by the influential medical journal ‘The Lancet’ and tax concessions. The reverse has happened, eroding the customer base to a small number of enthusiasts. Hopefully these enthusiasts will ensure continuation of snuff manufacture albeit at a smaller level of production.
I also considered writing a book, a short history of snuff manufacture in Kendal and Sheffield to keep me out of mischief during my retirement years, but with the collapse of Illingworth and more recently Samuel Gawith it seems hardly worth it now. Even if I had managed a history it would hardly be a bestseller so I would have had to publish privately anyhow.
I never had the opportunity to take truly Polish manufactured snuff, as it ended its life in 1996. However, I don’t suspect it would be worth it. The snuff I would most like to try is Rawicz Nessing, but its life ended sometime in the early 20th century. I remember how passionately I was looking for a recipe to give to Jaap - unfortunately, apart from information about the great popularity of this species (and a few details about its appearance), I could not find the recipe.
However, the topic of the history of snuff in Poland is rather unpopular in the snuff community itself. It is obvious that delving into history is not particularly important when you have Bernard or Poschl at your fingertips. Therefore, my goal was to find everything I could about the history of snuff in Poland - following the Polish saying: You praise someone else’s, but you don’t know your own. Basically, I didn’t expect to find so many fantastic anecdotes, advertisements, etc.
First of all, I did it for myself, but as I wrote in the introduction, it is a thank you letter created by a Polish snuff taker for the Polish snuff takers. Currently, I am selecting illustrations for the book. I wonder what the printing cost will be, because I have a lot of it - yes, it will be my own financial contribution. Ultimately, I will print one piece for myself and the rest will go out into the world as an e-book. However, I already have the ISBN number, so serious steps have been taken.
To sum up, if the lack of a few producers on the market is going to hold you back, what was I supposed to say when there haven’t been any in Poland for years?
And as a bonus, one of the illustrations for the book.
Snuff will never die, and we also can’t say definitively if it will return to popularity or not. There are all sorts of old tech and other practices that come back into popularity. Vinyl records are an obvious one. I’m someone who likes collecting VHS tapes because they’re so cheap and unique, and the VHS market is starting to rise in popularity even though just a year ago everyone thought they were outdated and inferior. Same with all physical media, more people are buying blu-rays and DVDs because they’re tired of paying streaming subscriptions.
Snuff is not popular now and has been decreasing in popularity for some time. But as smoking is continuously discouraged and vaping dangers are further advertised, the desire for smokeless tobacco will rise and we don’t know whether snuff will fit the bill for many or not.
I think a better question would be: Will snuff ever be mainstream rather than a niche? That’s a fun fantasy to daydream about…
The trouble is that VHS tapes and vinyl LPs are not subject to prohibitive legislation as is the case with tobacco. Nor do they contain health warnings. At best, snuff will only ever be a niche market in the West. But if the incumbent UK government have their way, prohibiting sales of tobacco in all its forms (including snuff) to anyone born after 1st January 2009, then long before the end of the century it won’t even be a niche market in this country; it will cease to exist altogether.
I note that profits for Wilsons of Sharrow est. 1737, Britain’s oldest and now largest manufacturer, has dropped from £947,900 to £770,762 in the last two years, doubtless the result of the cost of living. Still healthy for a small business but alarming all the same.
(BTW: The controlling body of the snuff industry in Britain was the Society of Snuff Grinders, Blenders and Purveyors. It consisted of the twelve snuff manufacturers (inclusive of other brand names but were custom-made by one of these twelve). The interest of this society lay in its publication of figures for snuff sales in pounds. The society collapsed along with much of the snuff industry so by the 1980s this information was not to be had. I have figures for their final entry in 1983. The recorded sales volume was 268,376 lb domestic and 262,538 lb export. It would be interesting in the light of the collapse of the two largest British manufacturers (Illingworth and J&H Wilsons) what these figures would be forty years later.)
@PhilipS2 Laws don’t make things disappear. Doesn’t matter if the UK government makes all forms of tobacco illegal, people will still do it, and it likely wouldn’t be heavily enforced, anyway. See the U.S. Prohibition era, for example.
It may become unprofitable for small manufacturers. Also a more pressing issue putting people off snuff is the fairly recent profiteering that is becoming so obvious by certain monopolys on sales. The UK government cut tax on snuff to make it cheaper for the customer not so that snuff sellers could tax it for themselves! For example Sam Gawaith 25g is £2.75 in a brick and mortar shop in the UK and £6.50 online obviously that’s a situation that is bad for snuff in general.
I had a look at an online tobacco store and saw that a large tin of Wilsons which costs £3.60 from the manufacturer is selling for £5.99 - a 65% hike in cost. Unfortunately Sharrow doesn’t ship abroad, but if you live in the UK it makes no sense to purchase elsewhere for Wilson’s snuff.
The tax break also scrapped ad valorem tax as well as all Customs and Excise duty on tobacco imported for snuff - a situation not seen in England since 1590 according to ‘The Manufacture of Snuff’ by J & H Wilson Ltd.
Yes, this is something I’ve noticed. I only buy direct from Wilson’s now because of shipping, etc. When I started exploring the world of snuff there was so much available and it was so affordable. American, Indian, German snuffs were all so accessible and affordable. It seems different now.
It is not that bad. Industrial snuff is consolidating in a few large manufacturers now, that’s not a bad thing in a niche market.
Don’t forget that you can make your own snuff. I had a blast making not only my snuff, but also cigars and even tried snus. If you can’t get tabacco leaf in you country you may use additive free ryo tabacco.
Now i even have a fellow snufftaker in my real life, apart from a dozen or so who may use it once in a while.
Snuff will survive, don’t be so bleak, cheer up a little.
When, on 1st January 1978 the European Economic Community (as the European Union was then known) revoked tax on tobacco intended for snuff there was a European renaissance that fizzled out like a damp squib a decade later. Since then there has been closure after closure of snuff manufacturers.
For new snuff-takers who are not in a position to compare the past to the present a wish and a prayer is one thing, but anyone, like me, who was a snuff-taker in 1978 will know that those halcyon days are long past and that today snuff manufacture and procurement is precarious. I realize, understandably, that that view is not a popular one among many here but it’s a realistic view.
Snuff has a very large range of products (giving an impression to some, perhaps, that it’s a thriving market) but that large range is manufactured in low volumes by a small and dwindling number of manufacturers to cater for a shrinking clientele.
Looking at records held by Companies House I have a shrewd idea (from viewing their plunging assets) that the next business to go will be a UK manufacturer (but not Wilsons, who I hope will survive my dotage). My son, meanwhile, has emailed Bernard Schnupftabak on my behalf for definitive confirmation that they are closing this May, and I hope he receives a reply.
It’s still doing OK in Germany, though. At least that’s my impression from what I see online. Doesn’t appear to be booming but doesn’t look on its last legs either.
I think that our view of the topic is strongly geopolitically conditioned, but also filled with our own experiences in the topic. Of course, I understand the view that “snuff will never die”, because we know that we currently have producers in Brazil, India, the United States, England, etc., but there are certain political movements that are unfavorable for certain countries. As a Pole, I see it a little differently, especially considering the history of tobacco in Poland, which was heavily monopolized for centuries. Therefore, I am not convinced by arguments comparing alcohol prohibitions to tobacco prohibitions - although I understand the idea of going underground, because this is what we experienced in Poland with snuff after 1996. However, nowadays it is not about the underground, but more about the gradual taking away of the freedom that we were given. after 1989 (thank you, Pocztam Conference) and definitely the political movements offered by the European Union bring many people to mind the period of communism/socialism. It’s like giving a carrot and then taking it away. Looking at the situation that is currently happening in Europe, because the question is asked in 2024, we can say that the situation is very bad. Historically, there were many countries that could have contributed to the end of history in their country, but considering that we have a union of many countries that must adhere to one general law - the situation becomes much more dangerous. And I will not mention that there are ideas to completely ban the production and sale of tobacco products.
That post was from a year or so ago. Back then I had just started using snuff and I wanted snuff to be the most used tabacco product out of them all, newbie enthusiasm. Now that my relation with it matured, my perception about the status of snuff changed from " Why isn’t it more popular? " to " There is room from improvement but it is in alright situation ".
Snuff taking is still in decline (in europe and us at least) compared to the 18th-19th century but not in the deathbed. Internet preserved the all the info about it. Don’t forget that industrial snuff is not all the snuff used. Many people, for various reasons, choose to make artisanal snuff straight from tabacco leaf. The amount of this type used is very hard to quantify.
Much of EU legislation and laws are covert, with the citizen not being aware of them until they are affected. One example is the proposed Traceability & Security of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU). The avowed purpose was to limit diversion of tobacco products from the legitimate supply chain: the intended purpose was to make tobacco products prohibitively costly by means of an elaborate tracking and trace system. Larger companies could have complied but as Gawith Hoggarth, McChrystals and other small and micro-businesses pointed out it would have had a disproportionate and devastating effect as they did not have the available resources to comply and would be driven out of business.
I no longer follow the mired jungle of EU directives and regulations since Britain left and fortunately the considered article was never applied to snuff in this country. (Brexit has its benefits). Track and Trace has, however, put Bernard to the sword after 291 of business.
