I’m very intrigued by what I’ve read about black rapee, as I ussually like strong dark flavours in everything else like coffees and teas. I am unable to get professionally made snuffs where I live and so have been making everything myself out of locally available tobaccos and essential oils. What actually makes it black? Anybody have any pointers for the method if I wantex to try my hand at making some? I am a big do it myself type and I love the idea of traditional crafts, so making my own black rapee might be right up my alley. Rolled carrots? Any info very welcome.
@ matero: Dark colour can be achieved by fermenting the snuff or by colouring with a dark dye such as bone black. Jaap Bes.
I would suggest using a snus recipe with half the amount of salt to effect the Maillard reaction on the tobacco. This will give you a dark rappee type result. You may want to experiment with other types of “cooking” using very low heat settings. Unless you have a large enough mass to let the tobacco cook itself in a manner very similar to composting.
Black rappee is made by pounding dark tobacco (often from Kentucky and Virginia) in brine like cut tobacco. It is then left to ferment - sometimes for several years - in cool rooms after being compressed into batches of several hundredweights each. Thereafter it is pulverised and remoistened with brine. Traditionally it is gros (coarse) and moist. The method of production is known as the Paris Method because of its one-time associations with France. Samuel Gawith in England still make black rappee, which is unscented and one of the few remaining natural snuffs. Brown rappee is made using the same technique only with different tobaccos. London Brown, also by Samuel Gawith, is possibly the only remaining example of classic brown rappee. It is very similar to genuine French Morlaix (not to be confused with several current brand names). Unfortunately the rappees can only be appreciated when bought by the drum as the tap-box contents are ruined by dehydration. Other examples of black rappee (but slightly adulterated) are Princes by Wilsons of Sharrow and Santo Domingo by Fribourg & Treyer, who also used to make unscented black and brown. The violet flavoured Santo Domingo is very good but also very expensive. One wonders where you live if postal delivery of snuff ordered on the internet is not possible.
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I think he lives in Qatar.
Yes, I live in Qatar, where for some odd reason snuff is banned from importation although cigarettes and pipe tobacco is not. I’m sure my experiment is nothing compared to the product described by PhilipS, however I did just grind up some good tobacco and cook it with salt for a while and sealed it up in ceramic. The result is moist, sweet, and dark, already a greatly improved aroma to that of the original tobacco. Can’t wait to see in a couple of days. Thanks to all who posted.
By the way I realize now that it’s rappee, not rapee as I wrote. Thanks for not ganging up on me about it.
Its ok. The word is an English corruption of the Spanish/Portuguese word: rapé. They use the word to mean any snuff in general, but in English as you know it means course ground snuff. The carotte was a tighty wrapped long carrot shaped roll of tobacco which was grated on a snuff rasp into powder, hence: rapé. I wonder if Qatar’s laws may be banning oral tobacco and mistakenly include snuff with that. Ask Roderick if he has shipped to Qatar before with success. He’s shipped most everywhere. Would you get in much trouble if you tried to order some? One could merely write “tobacco” on the customs declaration, and be telling the truth.
Im not worried about getting in trouble as much as simply not getting my merchandise. It would probably just wind up being intercepted and sitting somewhere and I would be out of the money.
I don’t know, Matero, read THISKinda scary.
hmmm…Wow. Suwaika is more of a chewing tobacco though, and the fact that they were selling large amounts probably had more to do with it. Besides them being “asians”, probably Pakistanis or Bangalis, who are pretty much slapped around here. Being a US citezen, I’m probably not in that kind of danger. Just the way things are. My psuedo-rappee is coming along nicely though. I like the aroma on its’ own, as well as an additive to my other snuffs. i find if I add a bit to the jar and shake it up vigorously it adds a nice bit of moisture and body.
Goes great with my chocolate, which I made by taking chocolate cough drops from Switzerland and just letting them sit in the jar whole, infusing the snuff with their flavour. I’ve had succcess with honey and menthol flavoured losenges as well. Purists are probably wrinkling their noses at this, but I’m out in the desert.
Not wrinkling my nose matero - I am thinking how delicious chocolate cough drops sound! Never heard of those!
Yes, the swiss take their cough drops very seriously. Coffee. chocolate mint, and I’m not sure what else. As long as they don’t go bacon cheddar on me I’m all for it.
It would be great of someone who actually has some brown or black rappee could post a photograph of the stuff so I can see what kind of consistancy I’m going for. What I have now resembles hashish (not implying any of us have ever seen that contraband substance).
Have you ever seen Copenhagen Snuff (fine cut)? It is just about that texture, maybe not as coarse, but very close.
and the moisture? the stuff I have now is moist enough to leave a stain on your fingers and nose, but withing minutes it dries and will roll off if i rub my fingers together.
@matero: Rappee should be very moist.
Black Rappee from SG is fantastic. Scotch Black is even better. I feel for you, matero. If you have US citizenship, get a US friend to order for you APO? Embassy?, or get a PO box in UAE or Bahrain,army base? whatever it takes. You need this snuff!
DEATH PENALTY??? I’m sitting in my shop surrounded by jars of my experiments, successful and otherwise. Wow…hope I don’t get raided. All the materials I use are legally available in the market though, so I don’t see why grinding them up should suddenly change it into a heinous crime.