I’ve read the reviews of this and it sounds like my stuff. Am thinking of buying a large tub. Anybody have any feelings about this stuff?

No, but it is on my wishlist. I would get a tin first though. The reviews indicate that it is nothing like Dean Swift Dr. Johnson, for those that are wodering. I’ve been very pleased with the handful of Tranter’s snuffs I have tried though.

Xander. The description of plain brown, non metholated snuff medium moist medium grind reminds me of some similar snuff I had from SG smith many years ago. I am hoping this is it

SG Smith’s? Frederick Tranter are made by Wilsons of Sharrow, so they bear more resemblance to the Sharrow snuffs. Samuel Gawith have quite a few plain medium snuffs though.

Samuel Gawith plain brown Kendall sounds about right. Might give it a go. I have some F&T Kendall Brown and the milling seems abour right for me - disregarding the heavy scent. Have some Sam Gawith London Brown which is extraordinary. Very moist almost black, hard to keep up.

F&T Kendal Brown is absolutley nothing like Samuel Gawith Kendal Brown. SG KB is almost as course and moist as the London Brown.

Not what I’m looking for then. Think I must give the Tranter Dr Johnson a shot. Small order though. Perhaps some SP as well. Which Tranters have you tried? What is your ‘take’.

I’ve tried the SP, Cotswold, Regency, Finisterre, Otto De Rose, Citrus. My overall take is that they have near, though not identical counterparts in Wilsons regular line. Except for the Rose, all of the ones I have tried have some measure of citrus scenting, be it bergamot, lemon, citron, etc. or a combination therof. I’m hoping Mr. Snuff stocks some more varieties in the future, since Tranter’s won’t ship to the US. The SP is a pretty plain and straightforward SP. It has only minor scenting compared to Wilsons Best SP. Its quite nice though. You can’t go wrong with SPs most of the time. Have you read the reviews on snuffreviews.com? There are not too many Tranters reviews up there, but its a good place to start.

yes. The review of Dr Johnson was what made me think it might be for me. I live close enough to get to Smiths. Was thinking of going up there on Monday and then on to Davy’s in Covent Garden. But would not be able to get the Tranters on this journey I think. years ago when I took snuff I had some pretty fancy varieties but I recall it was the plain and workaday JH Wilsons that strangely kept me coming back. I think I will have to place three separate orders to get JH Wilson, Davy’s ,Tanters and Smiths - SPs and plain mostly. I have enough fragrance with F&Ts. Will keep me away from my pipe with SGs full virginia flake hopefully.

Well, Smith’s has switched back to Gawith Hoggarth as their contract miller. The Smith’s I started on back in the early 90s was GH, then in the interim up until last year or so Samuel Gawith was the miller. I’ve heard they have reduced their selection significantly, but the popular blends are still available. Mullins & Westly (Davy’s) is Wilsons of Sharrow contract, like Fred Tranter. I dearly miss Jock’s Choice that I had a bit of not long ago, its quite strongly scented though. M&W Particular might be what you are looking for. Its very plain and medium grind, darker brown. They also have an SP (the name escapes me) but I have not tried it. Not a thing wrong with J&H Wilsons SPs. However there is a world of difference between the little pocket boxes and the large vacuum sealed tins. Go with the big tin and you’ll be happier. I really wish their Top Mill was available in the big tin someplace. Well, good luck with your selections, and let us know what you turn up.

Ordered Davy’s Particular, Jock’s Choice and Mature Crumbled (SP) Tranters: Dr Johnson, Regency and SP JH Wilson SP1, Smith Golden Cardinal and F&T Maccouba Conscious that I’ve bought a lot recently. Look foward to trying the Particular and finding a plain snuff that I really want to go with. Thanks for your very informed comments.

You’re very welcome. I’m suprised no one else chimed in here. Especially those that are more familiar with the shop private labels. This thread must be the most unique in Snuffhouse history. I’d be very happy with those choices. All good snuffs. Where did you order Smith’s? Over the phone?

McGahey Tobacconist - seems to stock that and Cafe Royale only - but very expensive £7-8 per 23 grams - thought I’d give it a go. I’m used to the mind bending prices of smoking tobacco here. He also had the large tin of JH Wilson SP1. Ordered the Maccouba here as well to make the order up. Has not as yet confirmed order. The others are confirmed. Does he have the stock I wonder…

Time will tell. Samuel Gawith Bouquet is an excellent alternative to Golden Cardinal if you can’t get it.

I’ll bear that in mind. Might eventually have to make a journey up town to Smiths, - would be on the look out for the perfect plain brown. Still trying to settle this habit over my life long smoking.

"I’ll bear that in mind. Might eventually have to make a journey up town to Smiths, - would be on the look out for the perfect plain brown. " You won’t find it at Smiths (unless you buy snuff from another manufacturer at London prices). Much has been written here about the extortionate price of snuff from Smiths or the Cigar & Snuff Parlour. Both shops are mildly interesting places and it’s difficult to leave without making a purchase of some sort. Regular purchases, however, are not viable due to cost. The snuffs are just not worth it. Moreover, since the very knowledgeable Vivian Rose at Smiths departed there is no one interesting to talk to anymore. Nor are there any appealing snuffboxes. (Smiths once had an array to rival that of Fribourg & Treyer in the Haymarket or Bentall’s Department Store.) The large tins of J&H Wilson S.P No.1 and Top Mill are very good, but very expensive. However, if you like these plain snuffs you may also like the much better value snuffs available from Samuel Gawith. Irish D Light is an unscented snuff that is very fine and light biscuit in colour. The D stands for Dry. London Brown and Black Rappee are dark, coarse, moist, single base snuffs fermented in brine while others (like Scotch Black) are mixtures. Apart from strongly aromatic tobacco there are no additional flavourings whatsoever. However, being either gros or fin they might require a little perseverance to fully enjoy. Finding enhanced snuff that is satisfactory is not always easy. Bergamot, lavender, attar of roses, tonquin and the many types of geranium or pelargonium are the principle flavourings for traditional scented snuffs. The oldest surviving types are Wilson’s of Sharrow S.P, Princes (a black snuff) and Kendal Brown. These are non-proprietary names and the flavourings vary between snuffs and manufacturers. For example the version of Princes by Samuel Gawith is different to that by Wilsons of Sharrow. Kendal Brown was designed to appeal to the 1792 English market - as opposed to Irish or Scotch - and should be coarse in texture. All Kendal Browns made in Kendal are good (or foul depending on taste) including that sold by Smith’s. The Gawith Hoggarth version is the plainest. Those made by Sharrow Mill in Sheffield (including Fribourg & Treyer) are not true Kendal Browns at all. There are vast numbers of snuffs available, but those listed above are traditional and, like the weathered Pillars of Hercules, have manfully stood the test of time. Never, never, never buy snuff in a plastic tap-box. This woeful container is wormwood and gall to snuff and the boxes should be regarded with a glare to rival the fabled basilisk. Vacuum sealed tins are available and, if you like your sample, then the snuff may thereafter be bought by the pound or half-pound in canisters or drums. The value of purchasing this way is excellent value - you can buy 250 grams for £17-18 or 500 grams for £27. Compare this to just 25 grams for £7-8 bought in rip-off London.

I don’t know if this site is back up and running yet but www.thebackyshop.co.uk used to sell Top Mill in large vacuum sealed containers. I think you can contact them by phone but don’t know the number or if they will ship to the US. I’ll have a look to see if the site is back. Stefan

You can order by phone here:0044 (0) 1723 500955 Stefan

Thank you PilipsS for that invaluable information. I have already learned how unsatisfactory the tap boxes are - with fine snuffs they pour just too much, and with moist snuffs they are virtually hopeless, nothing is forthcoming, or then perhaps an oversized dollop. Walrus. I must follow up your tip on Top Mill soon. You can see from the foregoing that I’ve already splurged a bit in my hunt to find a medium moist fine to medium ground brown unscented of quality for regular use. To give you all some idea of what I have in mind the F&T Kendall Brown is about the right mill, and I should hope for a similar, though with plain tobacco ‘flavouring’

@ Walrus: Yes, I don’t know if Backyshop still has them. Anyway, they won’t ship to the US anymore. I’ve corresponded with them in the past, perhaps there are ways around the credit card issues.

Xander - for your info. McGahey didn’t have the Cardinal or Macouba. He is sending JH Wilson SP in tin and F&T Seville. It’s the JH Wilson I’m particularly interested in. May be my daily dose.

Thanks for the update. Macouba you can get most any online shop though. Seville is love it or hate it, so be prepared. To love it, it might take some getting used to it for awhile.

what ‘sort’ is it? I’m gradually getting to like the black rappee styles.

No, its fine. It has an unusual floral scent (neroli oil) which is derived from a particular orange flower. Its somewhat sweet and perfumy, and the scent stays with you for awhile. However, neroli has some potent aromatherapy aspects. For me it creates a certain feeling of ecstasy.

You make it sound very desirable. Look forward to giving it a go.

@Xander maybe they will do like Wilson’s do and accept money orders or cheques? I’ve ordered from them in the past and always had good service, but then again I’m in England and obviously don’t have the US credit card problems. Stefan

@ Walrus: they probably would. However, for one tin (or even a few) its not worth all the bank fees I would have to deal with. Its probably cheaper just to send cash.

Definately. Stefan

Xander Received the three Covent(Mullins and Westley) snuffs. To my nose all three are very nice snuffs. I Won’t attempt to describe Jock’s choice as I know you are familiar with it. All I’d say is that at first sniff I got spice rather than fruit. Delightful blend which avoids over the top floral scenting. The mature crumbled is close to perfection for a courser moister SP style. The Particular I find immediately more ‘tobacco-y’ and it seems to develop gradually in the nose in a particular way. Have used a lot of these over the past half hour. I am left with a sense that these are quality snuffs - to my beginner’s nose. I’d be happy to take any of them to work. Slightly more expensive but the quality is obvious. I will wait for the JH Wilson SP and the Tranters. But would be happy to stick with any of these in bulk.

@petersuki: I’m glad you liked them. They are good snuffs. Jock’s Choice has some neroli in it, the prime scent in Seville.

It is very tasty. These three snuffs rely on their tobaccoiness rather than heavy overt flavouring. Very satisfying. I’ve used quite a lot in the last hour. My taste buds have had it a bit. All I’m getting is the tobacco, which is my prime delight.

Xander Received my JH Wilsons and Seville. I think you are right to extol the Seville. My favourite F&T so far along with HDT. An instantly soothing fragrance. JH Wilson much more pungent than I remembered. Perhaps this is because the stuff I had a long time ago had been hanging around a long while, and this is vacuum packed and ULTRA fresh. I will use it at work over the next few days to see how I get on as it settles down. The only delivery I have not had is the Tranter - Waiting for that Dr Johnson.

I’m glad you are happy with your choices. I agree with your analysis of the vacuum tin situation. My understanding is that SP No. 1 can be found in nearly every newsstand in Britian, but only in the worthless little blue boxes. So it stands to reason that most people are only familar with it in a stale state. I suppose some actually prefer it that way since they are so used to it being that way. It will certainly settle down once opened a few times.

The bigger tins were also quite usual in tobacconists years ago (also the menthol was quite common). I’m used to snuffs being past their best, rather than too fresh to show their character. It’s settling quite quickly. I got horses when I first tried it. Took a small pinch of Jock’s Choice followed by a pinch of Seville. Complementary! Repeated the experiment and got nothing. I have a lot to learn.

Xander The three Tranters have arrived. I have snuffed a lot this evening and taste buds are a bit shot. Suffice to say that the Dr Johnson is a darker richer tasting SP style. Regency is is more flavoured, but not at all over the top, and the SP is just that. Which means good to me. It will take quite a while to settle on my favourite ‘plain’ brown. But the Tranter is considerably cheaper than Covent and can be bought in 8 oz tubs…and these all seem very good to me. I had a perfectly happy day with the JH Wilson SP. More expensive than these, but a better tin than these Wilson styles.

Thanks for the update. I’m even more intrigued by Dr. Johnsons now. I agree with you in terms of tins. For large size tins (25 or 1 oz) I just usually decant to a snuffbox anyway. I do like the Wilson’s 10g tin for ease of use though. But you are right, Tranter’s is available in bulk which is the best option of all (once you settle on some favorites). Since my best option of getting Dr. Johnson is if Mr Snuff decides to stock it, he’s only got about half the Tranter’s line currently. I must give him credit for that though, since he’s the first non Tranter store to do so. Don’t forget to check Samuel Gawith someday. They make some good plainer SPs as well and if you get them in the large tin (same as the J&H Wilson type) they are moist and fresh. They generally run a little courser than the Wilson’s types.

Will take Philips’ advice on SG Irish D light at some stage. Will investigate their SP sometime. Their London Brown is quite a shocker. Don’t think I could do that all day. Really quite a conumdrum with these 6 Covent and Tranters SP styles. Which to choose? Tranter’s SP is excellent for a traditionalist. Dr Johnson is more complex and may turn out to be the eventual bulk buy. Thanks for advice during this exercise. I’ll let you know what I decide to bulk buy (might even be Tranter’s Regency: sweeter and slightly more fragant but understated). My briars and SG Full Virginia flake are getting less and less attention.

You have plenty of time. Eventually you will just know, and not have to choose. Irish D is a toast, very yummy but a little tricky to learn due to fineness and dryness. Good luck!

PhilipS - if you follow Have just tried the SG Irish D Light (tin). Delicious. Have also tried the GH Kendal Brown (Tub). Lovely. Xander, if you are still following, to deal with those cravings for briar and and SG Full Virginia Flake, I’ve just tried Taxi Red, NTSU and Grunt. No cravings with these. The greater complexity of the two mentioned above is apparent and delightful after sampling these brutes.

@petersuki you can send me all your left over FVF, just so you won’t be tempted to go back…

Hey, you’re really expanding your horizons fast, petersuki. Taxi and Ntsu! Wow! Not gentleman’s snuffs by any means. Roughneck snuff, as Pieter Claassen would say. Anyway, yes I daresay they would quell any nicotine craving. The high moisture content and extremely course grind makes them easy just to pack your nose full. I’ve tried doing this with London Brown and other SG rappees but the South African brutes have a more potent kick.

Sorry Mark. Can’t get unhooked that easy. Still need the taste of smoke, sometimes even when I have a nose full of snuff. Xander The GH KendaL Brown - if it’s scented it must be only very very slightly, is very nice and more-ish. I like the texture and moisture. The Light D can be used as a condiment to heavier rougher snuffs. Amazingly ‘sweet’ on its own. Might be into buying an 8 oz tub of Tranters fairly soon. Dr Johnson? I bought a Zircote snuff box from snuff store, for small daily supplies. Expensive, for what it is, but attractive and functional.

Gawith Hoggarth have a scented and unscented Kendal Brown. The scented one says so on the label. I happen to like both. Samuel Gawith have actually 4 versions of KB: Plain, Scented, Original, and Special. Of these, I have not tried ‘Scented’ but of the other 3, I prefer ‘Original’. Smith’s have a very good KB as well. Its probably one of the above repackaged.

Must try the SG KB and perhaps the Smiths at some stage. Well I have good news and bad news. In that search for the niceest workaday medium brown (SP?) I have reached a pretty definite conclusion. Despite my best intentions my favourite of the 3 Tranters and the 3 Covents is… The Mature Crumbled. This is a bit of a bugger really. At £4.50 a tin it’s miles away the most expensive (over 7 bucks!). Some reviewers have described all sorts of subtleties. I find the richer tasting tobacco wins. I don’t have the physical equipment to analyse flavourings. It’s not highly citrusy, I get something very subtley scented after a while when the tobacco goes. Very distant rose? I have emailed Davy’s to enquire about larger containers. (Since I’m used to paying double for a 50 grm tin of SG flake which would last less than half as long I think I’ll be prepared to pay the premium for now.) Overpriced, perhaps, but good.

Interesting. Mature Crumbled is one I have not tried. Since all clues say that the Covent snuffs are made by Wilsons of Sharrow, I would suggest experimenting with their SPs for a less expensive comparable substitute. They have quite a few: Best SP, SP 100, SP 2, SS, SP Silver, Gold Label, Tom Buck/Queens Extra Strong

Have here a small tin of SP best. Much sharper, lighter. Not a thing wrong with it. The crumbled is darker, coarser, but silky smooth, deeper more chocolatey/tobaccoey. Would be interested in a ‘darker’ Sharrow though not so far as a heavy rappee style.

Sharrow’s darkest ones are not nearly as course as SG’s. They call one their black rappee, I think its Brunswick. Its only moderatley course compared to Samuel Gawith Black Rappee. Smells totally different too. Its scented something like an SP. Oddly, they call Grand Cairo their red rappee, and its not at all course. Anyway, Brunswick, Best Dark and Princes are the three coursest-moistest from WoS. I’m not sure which one would be close to Mature Crumbled. Maybe none of them. Where’s ermtony when I need him?

Not a million miles away

The Mature Crumbled is indeed an excellent snuff but I haven’t found one that Wilson’s sell that comes close. The nearest is probably Gold Label with a bit of age on it, though it isn’t the same. The Tranter’s version is possibly closer than the Wilson’s.

In colour, texture and moistness it’s very similar to Hedges L260 (silky and moist?) base tobacco, though perhaps SLIGHLY coarser, and without that medication…

Aha! That’s even more interesting. All of this talk makes me want to try this one all the more. The Tranters’ too for that matter.

I’m new to this as you know and your input and that of ermtony ( and philipS) are appreciated. The Tranters and the Covent’s are close. Dr Johnson is not a million miles from Mature Crumbled. I appear to find the latter slightly more complex and satisfying. All these snuffs appear to ‘pinch’ similarly to the Hedges tobacco. I wonder if there’s any family connection? I see Hedges also use the so called Wilson style 25 grm tins.

Hedges is owned by Imperial Tobacco, same as J&H Wilson.

So it is reasonable to suppose that all these snuffs are made in Sharrow. I would be interested to know where the Hedges was/is made. Is there a connection with Wilson’s that pre-dates the Imperial Tobacco days, I wonder. I am not a fan of Imperial Tobacco. I think of two destinctive, unique and lovable British pipe tobaccos: Gold Block and Three Nuns. These are now horrible impersonations of their once true selves. No doubt their production was ‘rationalised’ to extract maximum profit from their once respected names. Changing the subject, I am not a fan of mint or menthol. Last night after snuffing heavily all day, I tried a sniff of Crumbs of Comfort (Wilson’s). It was amazingly nice

J&H Wilson broke off of Wilson’s of Sharrow long before Imperial bought the former. Any similarities in tin design must be coincidental. I don’t know where Imperial does their snuff grinding, but since they are an international company, it could be anywhere. Hedges was independent once too. I’m not up on the history of that one, but it was one of the first medicated snuffs. There is a lot of info out there written about them. Hedges had other snuffs too, at that time.

Ah well…so long as these snuffs remain available. As you can see from this thred, I’ve tried a lot of different snuffs in short order. I will be holding off buying more for a while. One that I am interested in from review would be SG SP No 1 High Mill. Have you any thoughts on this one?

Yes, that’s something I think you will like, judging by above. Its richer and a bit heavier than Sharrow’s SPs. It comes in scented and unscented versions. There is also SP Scotch from Samuel Gawith, which is richer and heavier still. The scenting in the ones I have tried relies more on the tobacco rather than the citrus tones, which are light. As always, avoid the tap boxes to get maximum freshness.

O dear, two more I would like to try. Still, must exercise some self restraint. I will probably need to try these before I buy anything in bulk. Do you happen to know if these are availble in larger tubs rather than the (very good) tins?

These two shops carry Samuel Gawith in bulk. Generally you have special order them, but the SPs being popular are apparantly in stock at My Smoking Shop in both drums and half-drums. http://www.mysmokingshop.co.uk/ http://www.snuff.me.uk/

McGahey’s may also have them, but I’ve never used this shop: http://www.the-tobacconist.co.uk/

Actually Greens of Leeds may have them too: http://www.greensofleeds.co.uk/snuffview.asp?Cat=20

Greens is where I buy all my flake. This really gives me pause to think. Greens is selling SP for £16.50 for 250 grms. I compare that with £45 for 10 tins of Mature Crumbled! Perhaps I’m still looking for the perfect daily snuff. Just called Davy’s, - Covent snuffs are simply not available in any other size tins. They are thinking of introducing smaller tins though. Think I must try the SG SPs before I decide. Another order. 25 grms each of SG SP unscented and SP Scotch. Then I must settle for something and stick with it.

Xander do you think it’s worth giving the SG ‘Crest’ styles a go? I might have sample in the plastic dispensers.

Wow, I’m getting quite the education from this thread! Keep it up…this is a really good read!!

Oh, I love the Crests! I’m eventually going to get Yellow Crest and Blue Crest in bulk. I’m not in love with Red Crest. I have not tried the ‘scented’ versions. ermtony has tried them all, I think. But to answer you, anything is worth trying, really. Not everything needs to become a perpetual re-stock though.

I think this will probably be the end of my investigations for a bit The SG Crests and SP and SP Scotch on order. Only the SP available in the tin. Will perhaps have to make allowances for the condition of the others. SG is where I get the nicest pipe tobacco (Full Virginia Flake). I’d be happy to stick with them for snuff if one of the above fits the bill. All available, as you know, in drums. Perhaps one of these will resemble the plain but destinctive stuff I got from Smiths in a jar years ago…

Yes, I’ve tried all the Crests, scented versions too. My favourite is the plain Blue Crest, followed by the plain Yellow Crest. I can happily leave the rest alone.

I see they are winging their way to me as I speak. I have high hopes for these. The Crest line is very well reviewed.

Let us know what you think of them.

I will. I just read your review of Fred Tranter’s Regency. My nose is not as good as yours. I like these snuffs and should really be quite content with any one of the three Tranter’s. But I still look forward to the SGs. Happy is the snuffer with so many good ones available! My pipe smoking trails off completely towards the end of the day. Just a brief taste of smoke and I’m satisfied. And occasionally I catch a whiff of just how good some these snuffs really are. Will load my box with Regency for work tomorrow.

When I asked Imperial about selling Snuff Store Top Mill in large vacuum tins, I was told they ceased production of it due to lack of demand about 5 years ago. Similar response from Wilsons when I asked about supplying us with Dean Swift… Apparantly it hasn’t been blended for years.

@NoseBag: I think the source of Dean Swift has finally dried up, so that idea is probably a write-off. However, the demand for Top Mill clearly exists, since we the consumers and you the retailer are demanding it. They still make the snuff, and they still make the tins. Why can’t they put them together?

Dean Swift is a shame - there was some interesting flavours, made of course by Wilsons and re-badged, but all the same it would be great if they could be resurrected. ‘consumers and retailer demanding it’… We sing from the same hymn sheet Xander. Sometimes it feels like I’m banging my head against a brick wall, but I keep trying! Best news Poschl wise recently is the re-introduction of Radfords to the UK in the large tins. I’m hoping that they’ll see that snuff is taking off again and allow to import direct all their flavours. Other than that, there is of course many ‘progressive’ manufacturers out there. Of course Roderick at Toque, but also Wilsons of Sharrow - who on a regular basis launch new flavours and/or re-launch old ones. Keep the faith my friend… I think 2011 is going to be an interesting year! Kind Regards Tim

Of course there is the other problem with J & H Wilsons at the moment and SP No.1 in large tins… For some reason there hasn’t been any ‘fresh’ available since before Christmas… Fortunately McChrystals SP is a cracking replacement, similar sized tin, plus it’s slightly cheaper!

Petersuki- sorry for this late response but I thought I saw you were interested in a darker, more coarse SP from WoS- The first one that comes to mind is Gold label. I really enjoy that snuff. I’m an SP fan but i also really like the Dark, Moist, coarse tobaccos myself. Gold Label is that but an SP. Or Grand Cairo is good too. It’s a Red Rappee I do believe. Anyways, just thought I’d try to help

Thanks for the tip. Ermtony thought that Gold Label might be a contender and I must give it try. The Samuel Gawith snuffs arrived today. SP HM, SP Scotch, and the three Crests, yellow blue and red. These are pretty well bone dry and I just wonder if they started life that way or have lost their moisture in the dispenser. Are they meant to be bone dry scotch styles? Much too ‘early days’ to comment on these except I’m loving this family of snuffs. The SP is in a tin and moister. I’d say this is really a terrific snuff. Some people think it’s the best of SPs and, all though I’m a bit snuffed out, in the nicest possible way, I think I might agree. Mellow and really snuffleable. I expected the Crests to be quite plain. I’m not quite sure what’s going on here. Could swear that the first snuff of the Blue showed some very distant menthol and some other scent beyond my powers. Really great first snuff. The other two also seemed to be scented at first go. The red most. But what’s going on here is very subtle, and will take some time to figure out. Surprised to find the SP Scotch most highly ‘scented’. But what a great scent. None of the labels say that I have the scented versions -I’d have to say if this effect is derived purely from tobacco then it’s a miracle. Not really too bothered. These are a great and terrific discovery. It’s too early to say but I think the SP (just a touch of toasty, sweetness in the flavour?) will have to be my bulk buy. Just as I settled on SGs full Virginia flake after my pipe tobacco investigations a few years ago! The real thing. If the reader has not tried these, take no notice of my comments about scenting - it’s too early to say exactly what’s going on with the Crests. But it’s lovely trying to figure it out.

The Crests are indeed plain snuffs (SG refer to them as plain SPs, which is as good a description as any) and they should not have any trace of menthol in them. They shouldn’t be bone dry either. Not particularly moist either, but somewhere in between. I do agree - the SP No. 1 High Mill is excellent and one I like to have on hand. The SP Scotch isn’t far behind. As you surmise, the scented versions of the Crests do state “Scented” on the label.

Ermtony these are certainly the most subtle tobacco effects I have experienced…there’s a world in these snuffs. I’m overdosing on nicotine just trying to explore these flavours. What I took for distant menthol was an effect of the (slightly sharper) milling of the Blue perhaps. Anyway Xander, mission more or less accomplished now I think. Thanks for your advice and company along the way. Samuel Gawith still know what they are doing with tobacco.

@petersuki: Well, you were warned about those tap boxes. No, they should not be as dry as you describe. They may improve with some rehydration. The Crests to me have soft scents. Grassy, but sweet. Farm scents, but not quite as “barnyard” as say… Ntsu. Well, its been a pleasure disussing these discoveries with you and you are most welcome. I sort of envy you that you can limit yourself to one permanent snuff. Very few find the “grail.” I’ll be happy if I can limit myself to 50.

Yes the SP fits that bill. At work there is no drip front or back. Not foul if it reaches the mouth. Always nice to snuff, even on the run. Some subtle and nice frangrances pop up, - tobacco, orange? some kind of spice. Something pleasant and indefinable remains between sniffs. Each sniff somehow different, always very nice, with a good ‘lift’ . Practical and lovely. Shall I order a half tub this weekend. I think so.

500 grm Drum on order from Greens