Havana Toast naturally. =D> ^:)^ 8-} :)>- :x [-O< =D>

Gets my vote.

That’s great. Seems like we’re all agree’d. Now we just need a regular supply!

When some kind soul trades me some Thrice Brewed for some of my Old Mill Fleur de Cafe, it might give Havana Toast a run for its money. The Thrice Brewed, NOT the Fleur de Cafe. Sir Johnny is a genius. I’m just a cook with too much time on his hands. Cheers

I could look at that but I’m a very lazy postal person. How much hassle is it? It doesn’t compete with Snuff of the Year though!

The year’s not over yet!but agree a very good snuff it is.

I could look at that but I’m a very lazy postal person. How much hassle is it? It doesn’t compete with Snuff of the Year though!

It’s a bit of a pain in the arse. It’s not cheap either. I’m willing if you are. Cheers

Just have snuff maturing for future years! From what years is the question.

It’s a bit of a pain in the arse. It’s not cheap either. I’m willing if you are. Cheers

I’ll have (am having) a Thunder V2 chew on it but I’m sure you can tell I’m not bursting with postal enthusiasm which is why I don’t normally bother with the snuff marketplace. That and I like the anonimity when online then I never have to worry about who I gave any details to. Obviously others are more free and easy about it. Strange stuff. 1st time I’ve tried anything like this (having a teabag filled with tobacco in my mouth) but it does give a good nic charge in the morning although bit of an acquired taste. Bit worried I could get used to it. Ok it was in the teabag. Just burst. I didn’t chew, hard.

@I_snuff_therefore___ Snuff of the Year? What are the criteria? Can a snuff from a previous year win this award? Is the award only given to new snuffs? And having done a good number of pinches of Sir Johnny’s Thrice Brewed, I like it even more than Havana Toast, and I really like Havana Toast! I think the award goes to Thrice Brewed so far, for what it’s worth. It is yet another true masterpiece from Sir Johnny. But if the award goes to snuffs from previous years, that would be a long discussion indeed! Whatever the case, Sir Johnny is a snuff genius, just as @ChefDaniel said. There is no question about it. The guy is a pure, unmitigated, unqualified, unequivocal, freakin’ marvel.

@I_snuff_therefore___ Snuff of the Year? What are the criteria? Can a snuff from a previous year win this award? Is the award only given to new snuffs?

No idea. I just made it up, perhaps not surprisingly! Anything goes. Feel free anyone to suggest their own snuff of the year or previous years or next year (@Juxtaposer)? Havana Toast has been the big one for me this year and since I started snuffing even. Certainly others are great but there really only is one Havana Toast, sadly. Even now there isn’t any more of that! My high ammonia Creme de Figue was Snuff Of The Century!!! and I haven’t even been snuffing that long. Guess I’m flexible about the rules. I just cycled 30 miles today in this heatwave. Hope my refreshing Thrice Brewed from the fridge will help bring me around. Yep, seems to be working. Another worthy Snuff Of The Year. I do believe it has saved my life!

Cycling 30 miles in any weather is iffy unless you’re commuting to work or some profitable destination. Doing it in this heat and humidity requires more than any snuff can provide. I would advocate checking into the nearest air conditioned mental facility for extensive evaluation, rehydration, nicotine replacement therapy and a quick, sharp slap upside your head to get the marbles into proper configuration Unless you lost all your marbles during that ride. It’s so damn hot here I’m thinking of driving to the f*ck!ng mailbox.

I went to a few nature reserves on route and there was one with a bird hide in the reed marshes and no-one there so I opened all the hatches to let a cool breeze through and pulled two benches together to make a bed and had snooze using a jacket as a pillow although a couple of breeding Tern rafts just outside were creating an awful racket. It was actually bliss although the bed was a bit hard. I didn’t really want to go home again and back to busy town life and indoors etc.

Hurray! My campaign of harassment seems to have worked! Realistically it had to be given another try. More seriously it is one snuff that I’d always like to have available (or versions thereof) and I hope now more people will get the chance to try it and find it also a great pleasure. More high ammonia desert snuffs also please Sir Johnny! This calls for a celebration. Breaks out the Havana Toast!

Well, it wasn’t that long ago that @Abraxas produced his first batch of St.Casura, which should also be considered for the prize. I still think Nigel should have a crack at a plain tobacco toast, just as a point of comparison with Havana Toast and Lundy Foot. A bit of friendly rivalry between the two artisan snuff producers would do us all good.

My next snuff will be a version of Prince’s - a dark, coarse geranium sauced snuff. It has been maturing for three years and just requires finishing off. I hope to get it out by August. Working title at the moment is Prince Regent V.S.O.S. Made from rustica carotte and cased in Hine antque cognac with beach harvested ambergris and geranium. Due to the one off nature of the ingredients it will be a single batch. A plain snuff is a distinct possibility but I have so little time at the moment with orders for the existing snuffs taking priority. I wish I could squeeze extra hours into the day. Johnny and I share the same vision but it never feels like rivalry. It does however make me want to keep on creating new snuffs.

^REAL beach harvested ambergris? I absolutely have to try this snuff! I’m guessing that the one natural ingredient is the ambergris.

@Abraxas - Sounds seriously sexy that Nigel Any clues on when this marvel will be avaliable to your adoring snuff buying public?

I call it ‘beach harvested’ as it washes up all the time. To distinguish it from anything obtained from a whaling country. Re: ‘natural’ it depends on the definition I suppose - I would very much argue all the ingredients are. Nothing synthetic in any of my snuffs - I either make the flavourings myself or source them very carefully - they are all natural in some sense.

@MisterPaul - August/Sept hopefully.

Single Batch , Put me down… Better get a pre order going

Nigel has long been at the pinnacle of the snuff genius category, and the mere fact that he conceived of a snuff with ambergris shows how versatile, wide ranging, insightful, and incredibly creative he is. Ambergris? Holy crap! Who would ever have thought of such a thing in snuff? If this snuff is even close to what its description seems to promise we may be contemplating a legend-in-the-making. I first found out about this project a little over 5 months ago and was completely blown away by the thought of using ambergris in snuff. The thought immediately struck me as fantastic and yet perfectly appropriate, and the more I thought about it the more I realized the limitations of my own vision. Over the passing months, I have many times found myself pondering what such a snuff could be like. Nonetheless, this is probably the most creative concept I have encountered not just in the world of snuff but in the world of tobacco in general–including pipe tobacco and cigars–in my opinion of course. I understand, of course, that it is still in development at this stage, but that is not withstanding relative to the vision that it took to conceive. Nigel @Abraxas, you continue to amaze and delight. Prince Regent (or whatever the name turns out to be) is, for me, the most highly anticipated and exciting snuff ever to appear on the horizon. It is great to know that it is coming soon. It is curious that whenever I start thinking or writing about Nigel and Sir Johnny and their snuffs, I go off into superlatives and effusive praise.

I meant the ingredient that restricts you to making only one batch

Thanks Fred, as ever - I have to say though that when you go for a long period in case you never know exactly what the result will be, fingers crossed it’s been worth the wait. The tobacco was in a beautiful carotte form which I hope I have done justice to. I have just been doodling the artwork and I think it will be Prince Regent v.s.o.s - the v.s.o being an acknowledgement of the fantastic cognac that is part of the casing. @n9inchnails - no worries:)

It was all reading so well until GERANIUM!!! Arrrgggggghhhhhhhh but just checking on Ambergris I have to say that doesn’t sound like my thing either. Probably not one for me but I do hope it turns out as well as possible.

It does sound odd but geranium was the fragrance used in the original Fribourg and Treyer Prince’s mix - an iconic snuff of the Regency period, it’s quite like rose.

I do like the Geranium smell. I just don’t seem to like floral or musky snuffs any longer hence my predilection for things like Havana Toast or the desert type snuffs. It still sounds interesting enough to want to try. Maybe it might suprise? Since it’s a one off though it might be a struggle to not have it again for those that really like it. I guess that’s just part of snuff. To date not an experience I’ve had thankfully.

I suspect the new Abraxas creation will be something I only want to take occasionally, as a treat. But that’s the trouble with Lundy Foot and Havana Toast – so easy to go through big piles of them. But whatever, anything new by Abraxas or SWS is worth getting hold of and trying once at least, just for the privilege of seeing what new directions the makers are heading in.

I do wonder what the snuff scene was like before Abraxas and SWS brought out their creations over the last couple of years, before I took it up. Now I’m not a fan of every single one of those snuffs but there certainly are enough that I like very much and can only think that snuffing was really missing these beforehand and was a much bleaker place. I do like snuffs that I want to use a lot of but defintiely need a constant rotation regardless. No one snuff does it all.

I could very well be wrong, but doesn’t St. Omer No. 1 have ambergris in it?

It’s quite a weird substance - looks like a small stone. Prince Regent (the name has now stuck) has been maturing away - hopefully doing it’s stuff - for getting on for four years. I owe the ambergris to Johnny Scott who acquired some, I think, from New Zealand. Using it for PRgnt. seemed like the natural choice somehow because the tobacco I used was just sublime. I believe that ambergris is used widely in the high-end perfume industry more as an aroma enhancer/fixative than for any distinct flavour of it’s own. I did read though that Charles the Second of England enjoyed it sprinkled on his goose eggs! This had better turn out well now that I have bigged it up severely;)

I don’t know if Fields of Juniper came out in the last year, but while we’re on artisan snuffs, I think I should say that this one seems to be seriously under-rated. At least, compared to the praise that gets showered on the other SWS snuffs. It’s a lovely dry, fine snuff with some rustica, I think, and a quite subtle scent of juniper. It would go superbly with a GnT or any other gin-based cocktail. Small tins are discounted at MS, or were when I last looked. Maybe more on the medium side of fine and dry, on reflection. Certainly easier to take than a toast. Low burn, but satisfying nicotine content.

@stogie: For St. Omer No.1 and the Bon Bon we use ambroxan, which an artificial replacement for ambergris, which is priceless for use in snuff. Jaap Bes.

@JakartaBoy I was thinking of ordering up some FOJ, does it have the moisture / grind of Mull or Oa and Trice brewed?

@Derek_007 - Worth a punt FoJ definitely, it’s closer to Havana Toast or Lundy Foot grind wise, more on the fine side.

I don’t know if Fields of Juniper came out in the last year, but while we’re on artisan snuffs, I think I should say that this one seems to be seriously under-rated. At least, compared to the praise that gets showered on the other SWS snuffs. It’s a lovely dry, fine snuff with some rustica, I think, and a quite subtle scent of juniper. It would go superbly with a GnT or any other gin-based cocktail. Small tins are discounted at MS, or were when I last looked. Maybe more on the medium side of fine and dry, on reflection. Certainly easier to take than a toast. Low burn, but satisfying nicotine content.

It has been praised often by myself and others in the past. Try adding a little Firedrac (1/4) to it. Really nice.

Ambergris was in Clarice Starling’s hand cream sent by Dr Hannibal Lecter…

@Derek_007, it’s been a while since I tried it, and I’ve never tried Mull of Oa. I remember it as fine and dry – something like Abraxas St.Casura, maybe.