Whilst having a glass or three of red wine last night, I was also picking through various snuffs. I’d noticed that some snuffs (mainly coarser/moister) really make my nose gush, and though they’re easy to take they get flushed out, whilst the others (dry ones) just seem to miss my nose altogether, though I have found a couple of techniques detailed in these pages that do help. Then I thought “What if …?” I grabbed my Scotch Black sample and had a good pinch both sides. True to form the hydrant turned on, but instead of reaching for the tissues I reached for Toque Toast and Marmalade. Perfect! No throat hit or streaming! The moistness caught all the fine flour, which in turn absorbed the excess moisture. OK, maybe the flavour combo wasn’t the greatest recipe, but now the hunt is on for some perfect “wet and dry” partnerships Anyone else do this? Any combos to recommend?
hmm. this makes me want to try scotch black followed by a dry scotch. maybe a moist citrussy one will work nicely with t&m? or kb special? though its not so moist.
SG Black Rappee makes my nose cry(with joy of course), follow it with some McChrystals O&G(medium-dry moisture) and I can give a good sniff without the O&G making me feel like I have to sneeze, I think its a pretty nice combo. If/When I try some finer/dryer snuffs, I will probably employ this method. Edit. I should add that the Black Rappee is an incredibly coarse and moist snuff, so ties into your Wet& Dry Combo 
Well, the learning curve continues - who’d have thought there was so much involved with sticking powdered tobacco up my nose! Last night this wet and dry routine wasn’t working as well as before and I think I might know why. After @horus92 alerted me to the phenomenon of the nasal cycle, I have become more aware of how this has affected my snuff taking. The coarser snuffs work well in either nostril at any time. The finer dry snuffs work ok in my “dormant” nostril if taken with care, but not my “open” nostril. If I have taken a lot of moist coarse snuff in my open nostril, it seems to give enough turbulence and catchment for the finer snuffs to be acceptable. Without that I would go as far to say that taking finer snuffs with my open nostril is downright unpleasant irrespective of the technique used (I’ve tried every one I’ve seen mentioned) - and what’s the point of doing it if it’s unpleasant, right? So the next thing for me to play with is to try running them tandem instead of subsequent/building. In other words the finer snuffs in the closed side and the coarser in the open. I could just stick with the coarser snuffs knowing I’ll enjoy them I suppose, but that is cutting out a lot of the available snuffs. I have placed an order for another 3 tins of coarse snuff in new flavours, plus one finer snuff, but I’ve decided I’m going to hold off buying any more fine snuffs after that until I have either found a technique that works for me or decided not to bother with them. What is it that people enjoy about these finer and more difficult snuffs? Is it the “nose feel”? The nic absorption? The flavours not being available in other grinds? I have avoided buying any toasts at this stage, as I just feel they would be a waste of money for me - maybe it’s a simple as they’re just not compatible with my snout :-? *sigh*
Mastering the use of fine snuffs is a skill well worth having. Most users enjoy the quick release of nicotine that they provide, but the flavors can also be very appealing, particularly the toasts. Practice and persistence with various methods will pay off. Don’t bother with these crazy ultra-fine ones that get a lot of hype nowadays (although they are enjoyable). Toast should be enough for now as a beginner. The most loved ones here (according to our only poll) are F&T High Dry Toast and WoS Irish High Toast #22. Every snuffer should have at least tried these two in their career.
A trick that works for me is to alternate between finer (e.g. SP’s and toasts) and coarser and/or moister snuffs (KB, Gekachelter, Princes, Santo Domingo). It seems a cake develops in my nose, and that a base of one snuff enhances (and prolongs) the scent of the other, v.v. If this clogs me up, I take some Kailash or a Schmalzler, blow everything out and start afresh.
@Matou I guess that’s what my whole “wet and dry” thing is about. Having that adhesive (moist coarse) layer in there as a foundation for the finer snuffs. And yeah. it reaches a point when I have to wipe the slate clean and start again. My first toot on Hedges came into play earlier today to help clear the way for a new start - wow that stuff is potent! @Xander I’m not altogether sure it’s a skill thing. I have tried a few different options, and quite frankly I think I’m missing the point. They are hard to take, hit the throat instead of the nose, and are therefore (for me - right now) not enjoyable. I’m finding that a very fresh WoS snuff works just fine, but as soon as it starts to dry it becomes more difficult than it’s worth (not sure how that compares with a toast - your opinion would be appreciated on that) It’s fine if I have a partially closed (or blocked with other snuff) nostril, but otherwise it seems my nose is like a straw that fire straight at my throat. That said, as I’ve started taking the moister stuff more and more my nose has stopped gushing quite so much - maybe it’s a desensitisation thing :-? I appreciate that my tastes may change, just like our tastes evolve when we first start partaking of alcohol, but right now I can’t decide if I’m simply not compatible with the drier stuff, I’m being a complete imbecile despite following peoples guidance, or I’m just not ready for it (i.e. my nose needs to get more used to snuff). I’m certainly not going to let what I’ve got go to waste though, and I’ll find a way of using it, even if I end up sticking to the moist chunky stuff thereafter. At least it seems I got the “quick nic” and flavours theory right
@50ft_trad I’m sure it is indeed a skill issue. We’ve all been there, everyone who’s tried a fine grain snuff that is. If you look around the site, one of the most asked questions here (if not the most asked) is “how do I get the snuff to not hit my throat?” or some such variation. You will read dozens of answers and they may or not make sense to you, but what it really comes to is practice. Bob likes to say “pain is a good teacher.” In other words, if it hurts- you’re doing something wrong. As far as my opinion on WoS snuff grinds; the standard WoS snuff is medium fine, but coarser than GH or Toque. Its true they can become a little throaty when they begin to dry out, but the same is true of any snuff. Look up how to rehydrate snuff and you can moisten them up again. They do produce excellent toasts though which are finer ground than their standard. A little about the toast grinds they make if I were to rate them according to fineness from coarsest to finest: 1. Irish D.H. Toast #20 (confuses a lot of people because its not really a high toast. Its more of a toasted SP and probably about the same coarseness of their standard grind) 2. (tie) Irish Toast #21 and Lemon Toast 3. F&T High Dry Toast 4. Irish High Toast #22 Good luck!
Any plain moist snuff mixed with any scented fine snuff gives excellent results. I do it often and if you like add a plain menthol. I just made a batch of ntsu black with McChrystals violet, the violet scent had no staying power when I added 1/3 ntsu it had improved then I add 1 spoon of WoS dynamite now it has a powerful scent and I can breath easy. A year of using snuff your nose will know, Some snuffs still clog me up and one or two actually make me sneeze.
bryanikon - I just discovered that combo today. Except I mix them. My standard mix is F&T prince or santa dom. with Dhok. ganga with a dash of O&G. The latter in that menthol activates the continine in tobacco. For which info I am most grateful to Horus.
As always, many thanks for your comments, guys. I have a cunning plan (as Baldric used to say) for rehydrating, which I’ll be trying out this weekend. Mixing may possibly be a better move for me at first as it will help me get through some of the stuff that’s sat dormant in the drawer. I could always try weaning over via gradually altering the mix on two “neutral” snuffs like a plain SG and Toque Quit. I will try one of the toasts though - although I have acquired a stupid (for me - very modest for others 
) amount of snuff at the moment, and want to start working my way through that lot before going off on another tangent again 
Thanks again folks!
bryanikon - I just discovered that combo today. Except I mix them.
How does that work? They are so different in terms of moisture and grind. I guess I could give it a try and find out, huh? 
I blow my nose a little before a pinch and get all the moisture I need.
Well I’ve just been watching the first two episodes of Columbo with a cold glass of fizzy beer and a small pot of Toque Toast and Marmalade. I’ve tried gently sniffing a pinch, boxcar and spoon smelling, plugging and yawning with a follow up pinch and rub, and I’ve been incredibly successful in getting a healthy coating in my throat and down my front but very little where it should be. So, it’s back to getting my snout full of Scotch Black and then having another sniff and letting the coarse stuff filter it out before it hits my tonsils. Love the flavour of the Toast and Marmalade, but not a fan of the associated tedium, frustration, mess and throat tickle. I will persevere for a while, but unless the enjoyment kicks in soon I’ll be sticking to the “enjoyable” snuffs