I just opened a new 1 oz tin of F&T Princes. There are all sorts of white flakes inside and the inside and outside of the tin on the chrome threads is all either corroded or crystallised with hard, snot-like flakes. Is this ruined? I seem to remember someone saying to take wet snuffs out of the F&T tins straightaway but I don’t have anything to put this in and I don’t know how to get the flakes out. I’ve taken out the big pieces with a pipe tool spoon. Small shiny bits either silver or white remain, they’re too small to remove. What should I do? Thanks.
I can’t help you with the white flakes in your F & T Princes, I’ve never ever found any in mine. As to why anyone would want to decant the snuff out of the F & t tubes is beyond me. They and the Toque tins are the best airtight containers the snuff comes in.
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They are great tins but I’ve read the porcelain flakes off from the wet snuffs. Princes is very moist and maybe this is what happened. I hope someone knows what to do.
I noticed something like this in a tin of Princes I got about a year ago. I thought they were sugar crystals. you get that on some pipe tobaccos too. But I’m not sure. Maybe better look again, I haven’t taken any Princes in a long long time.
I think the first thing is not to use it, the second is to send it back. Whatever snuff comes in should be fine to store it in and you shouldn’t have to decant, moist or not, and F and T tubes are second to none and don’t flake. The simple fact is that the flakes shouldn’t be there and therfore could be any kind of contaminant. New Princes definately doesn’t have this in it. Although there is a good chance the flakes are harmless - oxidised flavouring, salt or the like - there is also a chance that they are harmful so I advise contacting Wilsons and letting them know and taking it from there. Ive used FandT on and off for about 25 years and never had this, so play safe.
Maybe It’s Cocaine 
Yuck.
Maybe its whats known as ‘bloom’ that cigars are known for getting. Caused by the oils in the tobacco rising to the surface as a result of aging? The bloom is white dust that accumulates on top of the tobacco. If allowed to sit & bond together for an extended period of time, then the can is agitated as it would by being in the mail, they could break apart into flakes. Now if it is bloom, it is harmless. I’ve had fresh Princes & it never had this.
I wouldn’t mind snuffing some 'baccy bloom. I guess that would be a reason to keep snuff in a humidified environment. I bet some of us would pay top dollar for some pure bloom snuff. Someone talk to the cigar aficionados to see if this can be arranged.
Thanks guys. I thought about bloom but it doesn’t look like any bloom I’ve seen on cigars or pipe tobacco. I’ll try to get a pic as soon as I can and post it so you can see what I’m talking about. It’s rock hard and flakes and chips off more like quartz.
You got to remember, if this is the snuff from p&c.com, chances are its been sitting for many years. That would give something a chance to really build up & solidify like a stalactite.
LOL maybe it’s coal that turned into diamonds over the past few million years…
LOL, one way to find out. Rub a flake on the window & see if it scratches the glass.
Damn now I need to replace my office window! My boss will not be happy 
You can just polish the scratch out. Your boss will never know. Or you could blame it on global warming.
I have a once oz tin of Princes, and it has small white particles, which I took for tobacco bloom. I got this tin about a year ago.
Guys I was joking about scratching the window playing along with Trout. Yeah it’s not very pleasant thinking about snuffing metal shards. I will try to get a closeup pic in the next day or two. If the flakes were only in the snuff I wouldn’t be so concerned but the threads are covered with this corrosion. It’s like a car battery terminal that’s corroded.
yucky o.k sounds norhing like the flakes I’ve seen. Which where more crytaline and rainbowish actualy
sounds kind of like aluminum oxide (the byproduct of aluminum corrosion). do they make their containers out of aluminum?
Seems so. They seems very aluminumy.