…I just received this today and I have to say that I don’t get it. I read comments about it being somewhere between a toast and scotch with subdued smokiness and thought it would be right up my street, but it isn’t what I expected at all. It seems quite moist and not as fine as I would expect for a toast. When I do snuff it I don’t really get a lot of flavour at all…not smokiness, not Elijah Craig (which I do drink sometimes, so I know what it tastes like). If had to compare it to anything it would be Old Paris with the volume turned way, way (way) down! I am not familiar with toque snuffs so I ordered a few. Whiskey & Honey is excellent and I am enjoying Camphor & Clove too. Spanish Gem took me by surprise but I have a feeling it will grow on me, but this one just doesn’t ring my bell. I expected this to be my favourite of the batch so I am reluctant to say it’s not for me. I’ve heard that sometimes toques are super-fresh, so could it be that it just needs significant airing out to open up? Any advice would be appreciated…I have even been wondering if something else found it’s way into the tin by accident!
@TheBoggart Have had this discussion with Roderick as I just received 100 gm each of his Bourbon and Sp. Gem. This is the freshest snuff I have ever had. Problem was with the Bourbon getting clumpy. The snuff is somewhat moist as shipped and and should be aired out. This will stop the clumping and also improve the flavor. Mine is fine now but be sure to not let it dry out too much. Better to have the snuff a little too moist than to have to re-hydrate. JP
@TheBoggart This is the freshest snuff I have ever had.
Right on. Getting tins that have sat on a tobacconist shelf for too long gathering dust is something I am used to, but I never saw anything like this before! I filled a smashbox and let it air for about an hour. I think it has had a positive effect but it still seems moist for a toast and would probably stand another half hour with more improvement. I suspect my Spanish Gem would benefit from the same treatment, as you suggest. I shall try the bourbon again tomorrow with a fresh nose and report back…assuming I can keep my nose out of the Whiskey & Honey long enough!
is there a very slight smoked cheesyness? im hoping mine was ruined by the cheese and bacon it shipped with, but its the only one in the delivery that seems to have done this if so. wondering wether to order another tin and try again…
Toque Bourbon always reminds me more of bacon than whiskey…which is not a bad thing, as I am quite fond of bacon.
toque suprises me a lot. Some of the ones I think I’ll love are my least favorites and some I expect to think whatever are some of my favorites. Go figure.
Order straight from Toque for the freshness. Check the “economy bags” at left, lower page under categories. No regrets. To explain that I am not biased, my favorite daily snuff is Wilsons Princes + SP mix JP
Yes, sounds like it needs some airing. Its a good thing to try and fluff it up too, as they are packed in the tins pretty tight.
could be a smoky bacon im getting then, it just reminds me of the cheese and bacon a bit, which is stronger in cheese. i ordered straight from toque, its cheaper than mrsnuff if i just want toque, which was the point of my order. ill air mine, see what happens.
I’m actually quite biased towards Toque, but I find that most of them live on the edge. I personally don’t need to air them out because I like the ammonia, but if they are in the air too long, even in a storage container with too much air, I feel they lose their scent really fast. I never portion out more than I can use in 2 days of any Toque flavor for this exact reason. I love Toque snuff, but it takes some careful handling.
I gotta report back and say that in the end I probably aired that smash box for about 2 and a 1/2 hours. Something I would never dream of doing with most snuffs! That bought the moisture level down to something more toast like and made it pretty darned good. It still isn’t what I was expecting - both the scenting and the tobacco flavour are quite subtle to me. I agree with @bob that it is more bacon than bourbon, and I don’t really get the comparison to scotch style snuffs. It is moreish though…very moreish! I started into my smashbox at about 10am…by 3pm I had pretty much finished it! 
someone else said it’s bacon like. Never tried it. And I still think toque champagne should be toque grape. Awesome snuff but it’s grape. Then again I hate champagne so.
@bob You know that champagne is a famous grape growing region in France right? By the way Toque Champagne is awesome, one of my favorite snuffs.
Champagne is made of grapes!
I would never say it’s made from grapes. I’d say grapes are ruined by being turned into champagne. The snuff is one of my favorites by the way. I’am just happy that too me it doesn’t smell like champagne which too this day I don’t consider Dom Perignon the blind wine making monk to be the creater of happy accidents, but the ruiner of grapes. As well as waster of yeasts. Also @ Juxtaposer not sure how you knew that I knew that about regions of France.
I have sworn off drinking or I would get another bottle too. I did save an empty though and took a big sniff just now and then a pinch of Toque Bourbon (Toast). It’s aging wonderfully! The snuff I made with the Elijah Craig 18 year single barrel is a completely different animal. I never did expect a Bourbon scent but more of an effect. @Roderick, in my opinion, did capture the scent. It can be elusive though and only every now and again does it rise above the grips of the tobacco its bound with.
@TheBoggart fill your smash box and add a couple drops of Elijah Craig; shake or stir and enjoy
From my experience alcohol scents are changed dramatically when added to snuffs.
@Juxtaposer - I can see what you mean. I have been snuffing the toque with a glass of the Elijah Craig on the side. There comes a point where the aftertaste in the mouth melds with the scent in the nose, especially on the blow. It’s elusive, but it’s there! @basement_shaman - I like how you’re thinking!
I just came back from Portland Oregon where I found the new Toque USA Kentucky Bourbon. Very smokey and has a nice scent of bourbon, fine, fairly dry, nicely made just like all the Toques I’ve tried. Also, the local head shop ordered my a bunch of 10gm tins of the Toque USA Spanish Brandy, which I like more than the Spanish Gem, quite similar, but not the same. Oh, almost forgot…tried the Black Cherry USA Toque too. Really nice, with no menthol(or maybe a tiny bit), but another real nice one.