Hi all! I’m traveling to Amsterdam next weekend. I’m planning a side-trip to the De Kralingse snuff mills. It looks like they’ll be open for tours on Saturday, since it’s the 2nd Saturday of the month. Has anyone else made the trip? Do you have any recommendations for other places to see on a 1 day trip to Rotterdam? And perhaps most importantly of all, @snuffmiller : Will you be at the mills on Saturday March 12th? I sure would like to talk about homemade snuff production if you’re available! I’m so excited. I haven’t tried the new snuffs, though A/P is one of my favorites. (edit for spelling)

Go to the coffeeshop called “the Green house” or “the grasshopper” Order “Super Lemon Haze or Amnesia Haze.” There’s my recommendation

@puffpuff: I’ll be at the mills on the 12th from about 10 till 16 and hope to welcome you. For more information about what to do in Rotterdam see: http://www.rotterdam.info/ If you are interested in modern achitecture there are things to see because the city centre is not older than 60-70 years. Jaap Bes.

Sounds pretty exciting. Post a few good pics when you get back.

@puffpuff You lucky dog…you get to go to snuff Mecca and meet Mr. Jaap in person! I am very envious!!

@snuffmiller : That’s great news! Thanks for the link! I look forward to meeting you then! @transistor Have no fear. A visit to the Grasshopper is on the agenda. The trip to the mill won’t be until day 3 of 4. I’ve been to Amsterdam before, but never to Rotterdam. That said, I was hoping that my little thread doesn’t stray too far from tobacco. @Spyro & @FischTix: I’ll have my camera, and will post some pictures when I return!

Awesome man!! I can’t wait to see em!!

Look for white elephant and I’am not talking about the snuff. looks like dirty

@puffpuff: I was in Rotterdam some time ago. I remember Oude Haven was a good part of town to have a drink or two by the water and have some dinner. Jaap is right and most of old city did not survive the war, but the rebuilt city is very charming. There are some interesting buildings right there. Its been a long time and I was into different things in those days, but you will not have trouble finding a good time. Europoort might be too far, but they may offer tours of the world’s first automated shipping terminal.

A picture with Jaap in his jumpsuit on the upper level of the windmill would be a prized possession I would have to frame and hang over the woodburner. Take plenty of photos!!

@Bart: you have just given me a new quest for my life.

I know what you mean, Xander. I’ve played it over many times in my head. Sitting with Jaap in aged leather chairs in the upper levels of the mills with old stone crocks full of beer, sampling his snuffs, as an old dog sits at our feet…the only sounds are that of the wind and the wooden cogs as the old mill grinds dutifully away at it’s job. Then we would step out on the open deck and I’d show Jaap how long it takes for your spit to hit the ground below (and/or a tourist). Jaap would think a bit and then say, “You know, Bart,…we need someone with your sense of humor and quick wit around here. That’s why we’ve decided to present you with this” Opening a velvet lined bag he gives me, there is a brown jumpsuit with the name BART on it.

@Bart: I’m sure you could have a job there anytime, its volunteer work if I am not mistaken. You’d probably have to buy your own jumpsuit, but you could at probably get complimentary snuff. At least your jumpsuit is brown. Mine is blue and shows all the snuff I spill.

@Bart : Can you confirm you _won’t_ be at the Windmills on the 12th? I don’t want to arrive as you retire to the deck. LOL. @Xander : Thanks for the tip, that’s really what I was looking for. Someplace to get a late lunch and a drink before traveling back to Amsterdam. I’ll check it out.

@Bart: You painted a nice picture, but I could only offer you the following: The second Saterday of the month at 4 pm after a days work at the mill or guiding tourists, sitting together with us volunteers and enjoying an oude jenever, or kruidenbitter or even a plain bottle of Heineken or as an exeption a coke. It is however not on the topfloor or balcony, but groundfloor. @Xander: You are right as I said above we are all volunteers, but Bart should not only have to buy his khaki jumpsuit (khaki is the obligatory colour for voluntary millers) but also his snuff, because according to the Dutch tobaccolaw it is forbidden for manufacturers to give tobacco as a present! Jaap Bes.

as a present? What about as payment?

Thanks, Jaap. Well, it will still be nice to see more photos from Puff to get a real feel for the place. Not getting in your personal business, Jaap…but how’d you ever get involved with the mill?? Maybe you explained it somewhere else.

You’re free to not say. Though do be aware that I’ll assume it’s some kind of prison release thing.

@bob: The says nothing about payment, so sieving some kg’s of tobacco might do the trick! @Bart: A long story. As a wolf cub of about 6 or 7 I visited an oil wind mill, that might have been the initial push. Then, about 50 years nothing occurred. About 15 years ago I came in contact with voluntary millers and started the “course” for voluntary miller. It took about 3 years to pass the exams and then the question arose “What are you going to do with the certificate?”. Fortunately I got a place in group of corn millers were I also did a part of the training. Besides that I heard that a miller in Rotterdam could use some assistance. That was interesting for me because it was an industrial mill and my ancesters owened parts in an industrial windmill. When I got there it turned out to be the only two remaining snuff and spices mills in The Netherlands. Regretably production had stopped some decades ago. I took up the challence to reintroduce the old ways of snuff manufacturing and spices milling. So as you see I got involved quite accidentaly. Jaap Bes

@snuffmiller And what a happy accident that was!! Not only are you preserving a piece of history, but you produce some damn fine snuff!!!

Great story, Jaap!Thanks

Jaap, that is a very inspiring story. I hope you are training some apprentices to keep this project going long into the future. If not, Bart will volunteer.

Jaap you’re a true hero of the snuff world.

Thank you all for these kind words. For a more elaborate history of the mills see the article in volume two of The Snufftaker’s Ephemeris. Jaap Bes.

I read it last night. Good show, Jaap!

Hi all! I made it to Rotterdam today, and got an amazing tour! It was really incredible to see the operations, smell the tobacco, and to learn how the snuff we enjoy is made in the traditional ways. Jaap is a fantastic tour guide and I was really impressed by his knowlege of snuff and of milling in general. I learned a lot, and have much more hope for my home grown tobacco, after having spoken with him. It’s late here tonight, so I probably won’t get a chance to post my pictures until I get home, though I didn’t really take that many. I was too busy taking it all in! Thanks again, Jaap, for your hospitality and for sharing your information with all of us! It was an incredible experience that I’ll long cherish. Pictures to come.

I’m very jealous! Looking forward to the pictures!

@puffpuff: Thanks for your kind words. It was a pleasure for me showing you around. Jaap Bes.

Great, do tell us more about your visit!

That is so awesome bro!! I’m glad you got to experience that!!

Please forgive me for my newbyness… but is this the factory that makes the molens line?

Yes sir…you would be correct @EricHill78

Glad you made it, Puff! I am jealous as well!

I really only got about 4 good photos at the mill. image 1 - De Ster, from the outside image 2 - Jaap working tightening the rope over a karotten image 3 - a karotten about to get re-wrapped in a fresh piece of cloth image 4 - if I remember correctly, this is a large sifter, to separate the snuff by how finely it’s ground. If you’re really interested in great photography of the mills, check out the pictures taken by Wired Magazine’s photographer when they wrote their article:http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/06/gallery_snuff

Awesome…Thanks, Puff!!!

I have to say, though, my favorite part of the place wasn’t the visuals. It was the scents. Jaap had fresh new bags of Virginia and Kentucky Dark fired, plus a few specialty tobaccos like cyprian Latakia and VERY dark rope. Plus, the karotten were fermenting in a container on the side, and a fresh batch of tobacco was undergoing fermentation in a bin. All in the room where all our snuff is ground. AND sifted. It just smelled wonderful. At the end of the tour, we went down to the sampling room, where Jaap had a tray of most of the snuffs and we were allowed to sample at will.

And the crocks full of beer…and the old dog???

I saw a dog. But not an old dog. And we had some coffee, but no beer. I had been drinking beer for like 3 days straight, and had skipped breakfast so we could get to the mills and back in time to try to see a local dutch street market in Amsterdam. So I didn’t need the beer just then. It was a good time, none the less!

Wow!! That’s just awesome!! made me break out my Molens and start resampling all of em! Thanks for sharing man!

Cheers!

Thanks for the pics bro sounds like ya’ll had a great time. what an epic pilgrimage

That’s amazing. Thanks for the photos

Awesome photos! Thanks for sharing. Is that karotten the legendary St. Omer in preparation?

Here’s a tip I wish I knew before I left… I took a train from Ams. Centraal to Rotterdam Blaak station, with the expectation that I’d take a taxi for the last few kilometers to the mills. However, there are no taxi’s at the Rotterdam Blaak train station. If I were going again, I’d take the train to Rotterdam Centraal, where there are taxi’s available. We wound up taking a local subway for the last leg, then walked 6-10 blocks to the mill. But that was quite a challenge without speaking any Dutch, and without a map! If I were to go again, the Rotterdam Centraal station has a taxi stand, and would have been the more painless, if a bit more expensive way to go.

puffpuff many thanks for sharing the experience. Oh! how I wish I was a little bit younger and felt like travelling again.

Thanks puff and Jaap. Great thread.

@ puffpuff: Compliments for the nice pictures! @Xander: Yes they are. Jaap Bes.

St. Omer? I remember Xander mentioning this before. Can we have a discription And is this yet another snuff to add to my ever growing order from Jaap?

If there’s a Molens snuff I missed let me know!! I’ll be placing my ‘finish up the collection’ order soon…I love that Molens!!

Jaap, when you came to the mill, was there any working interior equipment? The sifter looks a bit newer than the structure. Also, on the picture of you in the doorway…it looks like the door knob actually fits into the other side panel of the split door when it’s closed.! That’s a strange feature I’ve never seen before.

Also… you might want to check the blades on the mill… From the first picture it looks like when they are running…they chop off the tops of all the nearby trees :>)

Yes, and the white cat in the bottom right on the sidewalk in that same photo has a lazy eye. ( I used to do detective work and crosswords, so this is all second nature to me. Sounds like you have the gift as well, Snifs:)

LOL!

@Snifs: St. Omer No. 1 Take good Virginia leaves and treat them with a sauce containing Tamarind, Salmiac, Potash, Wine lees, Sugarsirup, Rose wood oil and Amber (I use the artificial type). Leave it to ferment days till weeks, depending on the temperature. Stop the fermentation by adding kitchen salt and make Karotten. Store these for at least several month to ferment further. Rasp or chop the Karotten fine and sieve. Then you have St. Omer No. 1 snuff. @Bart: Yes, the mill burnt down in 1962 and was rebuild in 1970. When I came in 1998 all the equipment was already there. The sifter is actually a couple of flat mill stones an was installed during the rebuilding. The doorknob fits indeed in the other doorpanel because this panel close over the other panel, so there has to be room for the doorknob. Could be historical, but I don’t know. @Snifs: A few trees in front of the mill were headed, but for my liking @Bart: It is not a cat, but that dog puffpuff spotted. Jaap Bes.

@bart that is not a cat @ jap that’s not a dog. It’s actualy me in one of my many disguises. I didn’t think you’d let me in the mill dressed like that so I guess next time. I’ll probably be disguised as a zombie next time. So if any zombies come by check out if they speak semi-competent english before shoting them. Thanks in advance.

@Snuffmiller Mmmmmm, St Omer No.1 sounds fantastic.

@snuffmiller when are the gingerbread and st. omers due to be ready, I have been putting off on making an order in wait of these two snuffs but if they are not going to be ready anytime soon I ain’t going to wait to place an order.

@snuffmiller: What is wine lees?

Sludge…dead yeast, I think. I’ve called it dregs if that’s what it is,Xander.

Bart has it, Lees is the deposits of dead yeast after the fermentation.

@n9inchnails: the gingerbread will be ready soon, the St. Omer No. 1 will take longer the last 10 kg batch will have to ferment a couple month longer. Wine lees: the deposit after the wine has removed from the first wine fermentation. Much of the yeast cells are still alive than and can participate in the fermentation of the tobacco.

@snuffmiller You are one hard working fellow. Kudos on ALL the gingerbreads btw…absolutely delicious!!!