Received a 10g plastic box of Samuel Gawith Cherry a few days back. Really full of clumps. Easily 1/4 of the 10g consists of clumps ranging from perhaps 1mm in size to a few that were easily 4mm x 10mm. They do break up reasonably easily. I decanted into a smash box so I could better separate and break the clumps up. Is this unusual? Is this an indication of the snuff drying, perhaps old stock?
Snuff that’s moist tends to clump in my experience. My F&T Old Paris has boulders in it sometimes but then again I try to put the whole thing in my nose.
Even the scotches I have have clumps in them, I bought them at a local indian reservation so I am not sure about the age but I believe it is just the moisture clinging to itself. Snuff is still good in my experience. Vince
One of the reasons Dholakia Black has not appealed more to me is the clumping. I thought it was moisture so I spread some out on a piece of paper and let it dry out overnight. I put it back in a smashbox and it still clumped. I would like to know the answer to this riddle as well. Clumps tend to fly past the nose too easily for me to enjoy them.
My F&T HDT has snuff boulders, so I don’t think its a moisture thing. Just mash 'em up and sniff 'em!
I refrigerate my snuff in plastic freezer bags and this makes it clump. I snuff off the back of my hand so I just squash the clumps with my finger or a snuff spoon. It doesn’t hurt the snuff. Maybe your snuff has been refrigerated or gotten cold in shipping.
I’ve taken to storing my snuffs in the freezer lately. Does anyone happen to know how this affects the snuff quality or what the average storage life would be before the quality of the snuff degrades? This probably is more an issue regarding flavor rather than just texture and I suspect it varies depending on the type of snuff.
@Spyro, I’ve had snuff sitting in the freezer for almost a year and it comes out as fresh as the day it was made.
I have noticed that snuff exposed to excessively cold temperatures for sustained periods does tend to clump. I never understand why some people think it necessary to freeze it or keep it in the fridge. Is this because they are coming from the snus world? I really believe that process degrades the snuff more than anything else, and I’ve never heard a snuff manufacturer recommend that it be kept in the fridge or frozen. In fact, I once wrote to Wilsons of Sharrow asking about this, and they replied that exposing snuff to temperature extremes was definitely not recommended. Store your snuff at room temperature in glass jars that contain a tight rubber seal –– Kilner jars or bail closure – and your snuff will keep indefinitely, with no loss of moisture or flavor (and no clumps either). That method has worked well for hundreds of years, is cheap and hassle-free. Snuff stored in this manner will maintain its original quality and is going to outlast snuff stored in the freezer.
@Pieter, Thanks for the info. I suspected it probably wouldn’t hurt it. However, have you had any problems with flavor loss? I know some of the SPs can be sensitive at times. I’m a bit OCD about using things up and it stresses me when I have snuff in the freezer for too long. For example, I have an unopened can of Toque Pomegranate thats been frozen now for about 3 months. I’m just curious as to how long it could stay in the freezer before I would notice any depriciation in its flavor. Scotches are an exception. I have a few cans of them sitting in a pine box and I honestly believe they will remain just fine for the next millenium.
Scotches will also lose flavor over time if not stored properly. The 1.15 ounce Conwood cardboard tube canisters are especially vulnerable. They are not a problem if you use up the contents within a couple of months and humidity/dampness is not a concern. Otherwise, if you wish to retain full flavor, transfer the contents to an air-tight container. The Swisher/Helme “Flav-R-Gard” plastic cans (and the very similar plastic cans used by US Smokeless) are a little better, although not adequate for long term storage. I am still wondering why some of you are freezing snuff. A culinary rule of thumb is never to degrade food by changing its state (freezing/thawing/heating/etc.) if you don’t have to. Unnecessary freezing and thawing of snuff only results in detrimental textural and flavor changes, and there is absolutely no reason to subject snuff to any of that.
Well, aside from the freezing/thawing aspect, sounds as though this is simply a fact of life with snuff. The construction of the Sam G. container doesn’t lend itself to the pinch, so I was taking from the back o’ the hand, breaking the clumps as I went. I’m sure you can all guess what prompted me to post the original question. That one little clump with the 4 sharp corners that I didn’t see. Smarts when it hits the ol’ shnoz! And that freezing came up, it’s a good thing it’s not really needed snuff. She’s not really thrilled as it is with the amount of space I’ve taken over with the snus cache!
@kjoerup I picked up one of the Oxo Good Grip line of storage containers for my snuff. They do seem to make a nice seal!
I wonder if it could be a static thing with all those particles moving around when the snuff is moved, shipped, or what have you.
Well, maybe I’m so used to the Scotches I buy off the shelf here having sat for so long that they are already degraded so I didn’t notice a difference. Great info tho kjoerup. Unfortunately you’ve just added to my OCD worries and now I’ll be using up my Scotch collection.
@Spyro: Sorry. I wasn’t trying to get anyone worried. It’s not that big of a deal. There is no need to panic or O.D. on scotch snuff. All I’m saying is that if you don’t finish your Conwood cardboard tube snuffs within a year or so, you might want to move the snuff into an airtight container. I do that, but it’s not absolutely necessary. The Swisher/US Smokeless plastic cans are better, and will keep the snuff fresher, but no matter what the snuff won’t go bad; it may just lose a little smokiness. Hell, I’ve found that I prefer Rooster that has lost some of its smokiness.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a tin of snuff for over a year so I guess I don’t have to worry about freshness if they are fresh when I get them.