@dgriego, if you want to flavour your Rustica with orange peel, spread the snuff on a piece of paper. Then squeeze the orange peel to spray the snuff with the juice from the peel. If you can get hold of some orange blossoms, place it in a glass jar with the snuff and seal. Leave it for about a week. The tobacco will absorb the aroma from the flowers.
I’ve “treated” some Rustica for 2 days and today I’ve ground it. Super strong snuff, huge nic hit but still very roughneck like. I’ve mixed an airline size bottle of brandy, 2 teaspoons of pale dry sherry, 4 teaspoons of water, half a teaspoon of honey and half a teaspoon of bicarb of soda and added this mixture to 100g of Rustica. I had the tobacco sitting in a clear pyrex casserole for 2 days, turning it every 2 hours. Today I’ve placed the casserole in direct sunlight. It’s been a very hot day, 39 celsius, and this afternoon the tobacco was dry enough to grind. I removed all the stalks according to Roderick’s advice. I will now leave it to mature because I know from past experience that it will soften up with time. I have a small amount, to which I’ve added a pinch of Toque Cheese & Bacon, in a snuff box. Guess what it tastes like!!
Royal George?
@Xander, NO!!! It’s more like Royal George’s arse.
Spanish Jewel of course!
I mixed some home-ground TR 50/50 (my home grind is kind of a mix of fine and coarse) with Standard Scotch. It is a very pleasant mixture. Great texture, easy snuffing. The Standard adds flavor without too much smokiness, plus a silky texture, and the TR contributes sweetness, nicotine, and that interesting “outdoor” or wild note. I find it very easy to take, interesting and satisfying.
My Toque Rustica had been sitting for a couple months (ground) in a recycled Wilsons tin until yesterday when I decided to re-hydrate it following instructions I found here @ snuffhouse. I put the snuff into a plastic tin, then put the opened container into a 4x8 inch tupperware container with 1/4th inch of water on the bottom of the tupperware. I put the lid on the tupperware and I left it for about 12 hours, stirring at hour 2, 4 and 8. It’s been given a new life. It holds together enough now to snuff nicely and I was really impressed by the the delivery, even despite taking a little pinch. I probably would have left it for even longer, but I didn’t want a mold farm in my snuff! Thanks, guys, for the tips!
I picked up a stainless steel toothpick holder that looked like it would make a good press, filled it with de-stemed Toque Rustica flakes, then put it in a C-clamp. Opened it up 24 hours later to check, I had to use a knife to get the brick out. It looked like a good crumble cake but was a little dry for my intention of a perique style anaerobic fermentation/oxidation, so a little 18 year single barrel bourbon was mixed in to moisten. This pressing excreted black syrup which I happily took as a sign that I may have achieved a near optimal condition for my plan to work. I will be “stirring” once a month in accordance to my theory of processing which will also allow me to examine and sample my work as it progresses. I understand that whole de-stemed but uncut leaves are used in the real perique technic but I am hoping that there is enough inherent natural oxidizers remaining whole cells of the material that I am using to make this work. I also understand that only partially cured leaves where used and certain tobacco, and then there is the hickory barrels and the oak blocks and the blee, the blah, and the blue, whatever… I’m not expecting perique tobacco from this but I do expect to effect some kind of aging. I will comment on this thread for those interested in following the results.
Alright! This tobacco is officially on it’s way. Today was the first monthly aeration of this beautiful crumble cake. I’m certainly inspired to get a few more presses going. I sieved off a little pinch and was quite pleased with the direction this project is headed. Although the addition of the bourbon limits this tobacco as a control sample I have no regrets, however I now do not think it was necessary for the moisture level has waned back to the constant. Can’t wait for the coming months ahead. I’s exiting that I can pinch off as much as I want at the time of aeration. Cheers!
@Juxtaposer, congratulations on your achievement!! Rustica is a very interesting tobacco and I know that your snuff will mature nicely. Experience tells me so. I have 100g, which was treated with brandy and honey and another 100g just pure Rustica snuff sitting in glass jars since 17th of February. I’ve taken a pinch of the brandy/honey snuff now and I’m happy.
It’s that time again. Time to pull out the plug from the clamp and give it some air. Things are looking good here. The tobacco is practically grinding itself as it falls apart from this processing. I think I’m getting a little fig, raisin hints but it’s likely scents from the bourbon. Still, the tobacco mass is smelling a lot more mellow. The make shift press is starting to fall apart from the pressure. Nothing that will stop me from seeing this through though.
It’s nice to experiment with snuff making, isn’t it? I made my own in a wooden mortel adding whole clove pods in grinding process. there was some serious tobacco dust in the air while grinding. . and the grinder was high from it, what a boost for a grinderman 
I think the result is good, strong and fresh clove adds nicely to rusticas wild nature, burning and intoxicating snuff. after I made another variation adding cardemom to my fresh clove snuff and put 1/3 snuffstores cafe noir to it and sim sala bim! there is Cafe Masala Mix! still . . . need to make more good snuff. . . next in line will probably be camphor snuff. we’ll see how that works out. thank you toque for that rustica! do not know where else is possible to buy that stuff.
All is well out of the press after three months. More mellowing is noted and the Bourbon topping is becoming quite clear. The tobacco is a little drier and the color remains brown. The tobacco strength remains very high. The sour note is subtle but thank goodness it is still there. I am tempted to leave it out of the press for the remainder of aging but alas the press may not withstand a fresh batch as it has become deformed by the pressures. At this time I feel that I could skip a few checks until the first of september. The tobacco does not smell as if it has used up it’s oxygen as desired for this project. At that time I will try to take out the block as a whole and seal to store as a brick with as little air as possible. Looking forward to using the Thouc Lao provided. That tobacco seems in no need of processing and is ready to grind and go. It does not have the same unnerving components the rustica has (that rustica aggravates my anxiety).
I’ve added some baking soda to a bit of Rustica snuff. The nic kick is much better but the “freshly cut lawn” smell spoils the taste.
I’ve tried my Rustica snuff, which has been sitting in a glass jar since 27/02/10, today. It is turning into a very decent snuff with a good nic kick. Makes my nose run a bit, otherwise it’s OK. I have two batches, one straight Rustica, which is very good. This I will leave to develop some more. For the other batch I’ve added some brandy to the tobacco before grinding. This one is not so good and I think I will add some strong smelling pipe tobacco snuff to alter it a bit.
Reading through these old threads made me stop to ask myself: why is everyone mixing the R. and trying to make something different with it? I just received my 50 gm bag of Roderick’s fine ground rustica and am enjoying it straight. To my taste, its quite mild, greenish flavor, fine the way it is. I don’t find it unpleasant at all. In fact I like its plainish character. However, its easy to overdo it for me anyways, because its so mild I snuffed 3 or 4 big pinches, then had to lay down as the N coarsed through my head. I hope Roderick continues to make it available. As of this writing(2013) he has it on the Toque website. Perhaps since the OPs he has refined the snuff, as mine is a finely ground, smooth, slightly moist product. I guess I can see how everyone was writing about mixing it. I like it more than the White Elephant, not so powdery…
Update: I am now making rustica/ marijuana snuff! I live in Colorado where M is finally legal for general use. I made about 2 quarts of “Green Dragon” tincture with grain alcohol as a base, plus cinnamon and fresh raspberries. Dark green in color, high in THC, pleasant green taste. I added a few drops into a small amount of Toque Rustica fin, the result was a mind blowing explosion of nicotine combined with the psychoactive properties of cannabis. Not something to put in your pocket as you venture forth into the civilized world, but at home, with a cup of tea, or something to smoke…I may have stumbled upon something fantastic.
You just answered a question I have been wondering for a while now! So a green dragon will retain the properties of the THC when used to flavor a snuff?! You deserve a damn medal or something!
At some point I hope to make a black Rabbee out of it.
Update: I am now making rustica/ marijuana snuff! I live in Colorado where M is finally legal for general use. I made about 2 quarts of “Green Dragon” tincture with grain alcohol as a base, plus cinnamon and fresh raspberries. Dark green in color, high in THC, pleasant green taste. I added a few drops into a small amount of Toque Rustica fin, the result was a mind blowing explosion of nicotine combined with the psychoactive properties of cannabis. Not something to put in your pocket as you venture forth into the civilized world, but at home, with a cup of tea, or something to smoke…I may have stumbled upon something fantastic.
I wasn’t aware THC was water soluble, ie in mucus?