Hi just received my very prompt delivery of 100g of Thai Thuoc Lao tobacco from Toque. Being as impatient as I am I just ground up a small amount in my Pestle and Mortar for 5 mins or so, sieved it to remove the few larger bits that wouldn’t grind, took a pinch and wow! Very aromatic lingering tobacco scent, noticable nicotine with no burn, and very little made it to my throat if any. Why anyone would want to add other aromas to it I don’t know, it is just as the tobacconist’s used to smell like when I was growing up. 5g of it is sitting in an empty portion snus can, with some damp tissue paper in the ashtray lid with a few holes to add a little moisture to the snuff (homemade humidor - think thats the word. Can’t claim credit for the idea of the snus can humidor, thanks to whoever posted it on the board). Going to leave it a few days to settle, but has opened my eyes to plain tobacco snuff. Has anyone else got any Thuoc Lao snuff tips to share. Also buying tobacco like this from Toque is great haven’t seen it anywhere else on my internet snuff travels. Got another string to my stopping smoking bow, very pleasantly surprised!
Also can anyone advise me on the best way to store the Leaf Tobacco? 100g is a hell of a lot of snuff to get through for me as I snus as well, so would like to know how best to preserve the flavour/ nicotine until I am ready to make up another batch.
Steve, if it was mine, I would grind all the tobacco. Your snuff will mature with time and become better and better. That’s what I’ve done with my Rustica and I can assure you it’s worth the trouble of grinding all of it.
Ok so I am going to wait until I have some empty snus containers to put all that snuff in, but in the meanwhile I ground and rehydrated 10g (the fine grind swelled to very coarse) and left to settle, then ground and sieved, and ground and sieved, and ground and sieved again another 15g (leaf not stalk), added about 1/10 g of bicarb, then hydrated and left for about 3 days. These were batch one and batch two. The bicarb has added a bit of bite to batch 2, but not too much (I am not a seasoned snuffer so it is to my tase). Also the finer grind is apparent. Batch 2 also has a better aroma for me, more complex than batch 1. All in all, the lesson to be learned is that once ground and moisture is added, the snuff will swell, so when you think you have ground enough, grind it sme more. Also batch 2 was dried at low temp (50C for 2 hrs), batch 1 was dried at 110C for around 1 hr. Both were crispy dry to ease grinding, although the aroma of batch 2 is more fragrant. I presume I drove off less of the volatile oils at the lower temp. All in all a good introduction to the kitchen chemistry of homemade snuff for me anyway!
Warning; Snus containers are not air tight. See “how to store snuff” for other ideas.
Ok need to invest in some small airtight containers I’ll check out TK Max kitchen department see what they have in the way of glass storage boxes, possibly the ones used for herbs in the kitchen
I think I may buy a spice wheel and substitute the herbs for different snuffs. It’d look cool on the wall too, proper talking point. Also re the Thuoc Lao snuff, anyone come up with any suggestions for a name? Its a pure tobacco experience without the need to adulterate it with other aromas, so something representing its complex leather, smoke and tobacco aroma would be good
“Old Saigon”
China White
Steve, I use empty coffee jars. No need to spend money on jars/containers.
The postman just brought me a sample of this from stevematthews79. I must say it is very nice! I agree that it needs no further flavouring. It’s perfect as it is. Thanks Steve! Now I can see I may have to buy some of the Thuoc Lao tobacco from Toque to experiment for myself…
Glad you like it, I’ll see in the future about sending a few samples out get a broader concensus on it. I took some of Batch 2 and mixed 50/50 with Hedges L260, not to sure about this one, the smoky, leathery smell competes with the menthol and it all gets a bit muddy. I’ll stick to playing around with a little more Bicarb in batch 2, and let it settle for a few weeks and see where it goes from here…
Any name suggestion’s Tony now you’ve tried it?
Also, can anyone else let me know where to buy whole leaf tobacco like this for further experiments, I know I’m repeating myself but just hoping someone will know.
I quite like Xander’s suggestion of Old Saigon. (edited to correct attribution)
Sounds good to me, just had a pinch and it does fit
Old Saigon. Gets my Vote, I like the Sound of It, just floats of the mouth.
old paris old saigon makes lots sense
This is the one leaf that I thought needed no further work, although a little PH adjustment really makes it sing!
I’m going to have to go with “Old Saigon”
Old Saigon sounds perfect. Now all I need is a sample (:
I’m glad the name is so popular. I guess I have to try it now!
Roderick - I need to play around with the amount of bicarb I use (I am erring on the side of caution at the min) have you got any specific advise regarding this? I do have scales in 0.1g increments to weigh out the bicarb. Not looking for any trade secrets just a bit of friendly advice
After just having had a pinch the snuff is settling and seems to have more “feel” in the nose (in a good way not off putting). If anyone wants to replicate this snuff, the only aroma that may complement it would be a good highland whiskey, however I couldn’t risk use it due to to it reacting with some pills I’m on, even trace amounts. Even so this snuff is very good “nude” and could turn into my regular go to snuff. First 2 Uk posters to whisper me get a 1-2g sample to get your opinions, can’t run to the postage in the US sorry but its been a good introduction to making snuff for me with very satisfying results and should be easy to replicate. regards Steve
@stevematthews79 - I have found that just a small amount of Bicarb is needed. Less than for other snuffs. Just grind in a very small pinch with a mortar, too much ruins it with a pronounced burn. I am thinking up to 1%. Try small batches and that is a good way to learn about the process. Using just a little yields a great result, using more is fruitless. On a ratio bases 1/2 gram of bicarb to 100 grams leaf. A smidgen if you will.
Thanks Whalen, just to point out I used approximately 0.05g with 15g or so of snuff, not far off the 0.5% that you suggested to begin with. It has taken a few days to develop the extra “feel” as opposed to “burn”, so I see how you could be over zealous and add more than you need. As a fairly new snuffer I enjoy a snuff that is easy to snuff so too much bicarb could ruin the experince for me. I’ve also read that you don’t actually have to add whisky directly to flavour snuff, and you can use the box in a box technique, so I presume I can add the whiskey aroma without adding any alcohol. I may try this with a miniature from the off licence. I’ve got three airtight 200ml glass jars coming so I may have a little play when they arrive.
The indirect method is great for very aromatic scents. The nice thing about whiskey is that it only takes a little, and it is fairly easy to dry it back out. Wetting the mixture allows for PH adjustment as well. When I use whiskey I let the whole mixture sit compacted for about a month. Juxtaposer has several methods he uses involving compression. I only wish I could scale down an old oak snuff barrel. Messing around making your own snuff variants is a fun endeavor on its own. I was blessed with receiving some very hard earned information about PH adjustment from the masters, but I am not at liberty to discuss in detail, suffice to say that a little bit goes a long way. Just enough to freebase a sufficient amount of nicotine, it is a non linear response. A Pinch. The more you learn, the more you have to admire the blending Masters! Watch some of the You Tube videos and notice the amount of additives being used on huge batches, a relative pinch. All this being said I still never got the nicotine punch of the Jewel from my Rustica, always got too much of the burn first. But notice that almost all of the high level nicotine snuffs have a initial burn. Grunt has a sharp but satisfying burn, or hit. I prefer wood ash to bicarb, but I make my own in the wood stove, some concerns about Carcinogens though. Also the high impact snuffs tend to dry the nose, The moist snuffs are different, but ammonia is a great ph adjuster. natural occurring ammonia is part of the equation, I am sure of that. Good luck, and I suggest small batches for trials. My Rustica is ready now and I will soon be off on another tangent. I still have some wonderful Rustica toast.
Quote: I only wish I could scale down an old oak snuff barrel Would it not be possible to add some oak chips to the jar as it is left to age, or would this be a pointless task. Just a thought. Or the cork from a good bottle of red wine or whiskey? Think I could get into this, as alice would say it get curiouser and curiouser
I wish I could figure out how to scale down a old whiskey barrel. They are already charred, seasoned with wiskey, and Old and I like anything old, wow that be great.
I wish I could figure out how to scale down a old whiskey barrel. They are already charred, seasoned with wiskey, and Old and I like anything old, wow that be great. Figure it out Whalen and let us know.
I know you can buy whiskey barrel chips for the BBQ, I just don’t know how you could “capture the aroma”,
Steve I am not sure if they ship to the UK or not but you should really check out http://cornellanddiehl.com/blending\\_tobaccos.htm
After reading what all of you had to say about TL I’ve ordered some now, could not resist it any longer.
thanks roderick. I’m going invest in some 1mg increment scales. I’m also thinking of playing with my heated propagator to add moisture to snuff it is clean and controlable, i’m going to order another couple of bags and keep more accurate notes about weights, temp that i dried at, ratio of bicarb, i don’t know much about making your own snuff but this is easy to turn into something that is enjoyable even as you get to grips with making something for the first time, each step worked out better than hoped and reading many posts here has got me interested and given me the confidenc to give it a go,