I started at 16 firstly with 4 5g wilsons of sharrow samples (after this there was no stopping me), two weeks later 10 10g of Toque 1 week later 25g Mcchrystals O&G, SG black coffee and finannaly Pöschl Gletsher Prise. Its now a loving hobby/habit. Another question if you were underage in your country: how did you get it? when i was 16 (British law 18) i simply used my debit card online.
- Then due to parental dictat I stopped and re-started at 16. Where I come from no shop keeper could care less anyway - we used to buy single cigarettes with our lunch money.
- Then due to parental dictat I stopped and re-started at 16. Where I come from no shop keeper could care less anyway - we used to buy single cigarettes with our lunch money.
7 pretty young, however when i was 5 i stole one of my grandads fags and lit it, put me off trying it again for 7 years…
I started at the young age of 45.
10, at that time on planet earth; parents sent their children to the store to buy tobacco products for them. My folks didn’t use tobacco, but I used this tactic for all tobacco items. There were no debit cards or internet. And some schools had smoking lounges for students. Back then kids would have jobs,like delivering newspapers,cutting lawns,running errands for old people,shinning shoes ,selling pretzals,washing windows,walking dogs,baby sitting,and other means like fur trapping, snapper turtle fishing and catching copperhead snakes. Times they are a changing!
I tried it once when a buddy offered it to me when I was 16 but I didn’t get really into it until I was 18. My tobacco use was pretty occasional until I could buy it regularly. Plus my folks didn’t have a tobacco cabinet to raid.
Just started today actually, at 30 years of age. Started smoking cigarettes when I was about 12 and have tried quitting a few times, but it’s looking like snuff will be the cure for that. So far only one cig today. That’s a huge accomplishment.
14, WE Garrett Scotch. Straight to the throat twice, forgotten(well, not the pain) for 13yrs. Legal age 18 for tobbaco.
I started smoking at 26, quit smoking at 38, started snuff at 38.
16 when I first had snuff (J&H Wilsons Top Mill), but didn’t start ‘properly’ untill I was 20.
about 10 months ago at age 42. Wasn’t a smoker. I was curious about an old English traditional use of tobacco 
16, when the law was you could buy baccy at 16 in the UK. It was O&G. Stefan
48
I was about 15. Couldn’t afford cigs (which I started on around the age of 13) so bought a little tin of (I think) Top Mill No 1. Started on the pipe the following year. All rather a long time ago…
16 when I tried cigs, pipes, cigars, and chew.
@ermtony I’d be interested to know how many people on here started with Top Mill. It certainly seems the most common for the British contingent.
@Koba22 - most of the northern Brits anyway I should think. When I was young every newsagent that I went in carried Top Mill No 1 and Medicated 99 in the little blue tins. Some also had the SP No 1 though I have heard that the latter was more popular in the south. I didn’t discover the rest of the UK snuff manufacturers until much later, after coming across Pöschl and Bernard when I lived in Germany in the mid-70s. Of course I also knew of the J&H Wilson’s snuffs because my granddad used Medicated No 99 all the time. I still have his last 1oz tin, now empty as I couldn’t resist finishing off the tin myself after he died. That was in 1983. I also have my other granddad’s snuff box, a plain flip top box, though I don’t know what he used to snuff as he died when I was only 2 (1958).
Tried snuff, cigs, cigars, and pipes when I was 15-16. Smoked a pack of cigs (and the occasional cigar and pipe) from 18 to 40. Finally got off the cigs for good 7 months ago, after close to a year of full-time snuffing.
Not long ago… started with Gawith apricot when I was 33 and 8 months later I have 50 other snuffs…oh my TAD! Edit: Started cigs at 17 and still on them 
but reducing the quantity thanks to snuff
I was around 33 when I first tried snuff. It was W E Garrett Scotch that a friend gave me. Fast forward 10 years I rediscovered snuff to help get me off cigarettes and am having a great time with it.