I was watching a story about U.S. and Cuban relations warming…and the change in the rules that allows travelers to Cuba to bring back $100 in tobacco products.  And it occurred to me that we’re at least a little closer to the U.S. market being opened up to Cuban tobacco products.

From a snuff perspective, I realized I really have no idea if Cuban tobacco was known to produce an excellent snuff…or if an eventual lifting of the trade ban would make new snuff products available.  So, I thought I would ask the question here…

If Cuban tobacco is allowed to be imported to the United States, will we see new snuff products?  Was cuban tobacco use to make quality snuffs at one time?

Mark

As I understand it, before England got in on the snuff production, just about all the snuff came from Havana, and was exported to the Iberian peninsula. Once the British got snuff-mad, they sourced their tobacco from Virginia and other states of the colonies, and Cuba eventually moved toward making world-class cigars.

Presently, some European snuff/snus-makers use Cuban tobacco in their products. It’s rumored that SWS Havana Toast contains cuban leaf, and there is at least one Swedish snus that does.

When the US embargo is finally lifted, we will definitely see more, though cigar tobaccos are a better condiment in snuffs that a front-and-center flavor note.

Thanks for the answer. While I was looking for information on this, I discovered Braniff snuffs, made with Cuban tobacco.

http://snuffhouse.com/discussion/3865/braniff-snuffs

More choices is always good.  It will be interesting.  When the USA is eventually opened up to Cuban tobacco, I know that we’ll see that reflected quickly in Cigar choices here…maybe some cigarette choices.  Snuff is such a fringe market, it will be interesting to see what sort of sort of impact opening up to Cuban tobacco will have. 

Mark 

Sir Walter Scott make a Havana Toast

I can only hope for American companys to behave and not take over the island like in times long past, as that would mean a privatisation of Cubatabaco that will increase prizes and decrease flow of Cuban cigars to Eurolands. However I’m going to be positive and imagine that the end of the embargo will mean an increase of the flow of Cuban leaf to artisan producers’ hands, which would be the best possible scenario for snuff-taker.

@markstinson Quality Havana tobacco leaf was the sole source for the best Spanish snuff from the beginning.
There was also a coarse base snuff  produced in Cuba called “Polvomonte”, preserved in casks and leather bales, that was further processed in Spain to become some varied sorts of snuff.

Famous was also a cuban snuff called “Verdin”, manufactured in the island from a kind of tobacco typical of the Guimes valley, that was highly regarded up to the XIX Century. Sadly I am afraid you will meet today as many Cubans as spaniards knowing any little of their ancient snuff culture…

^^^ ‘Insightful’

Thank you, Snuff Villian.