Wilson's Best SP

Wilson’s website informs that Best SP has been a best seller for over 250 years. There is a good reason for this. It’s damn fine snuff. After ordering and enjoying several large tins of this I figured out I truly like this blend and finally ordered a pound from Mars. It arrived on a very warm day. Upon opening the white plastic tub, my nose was assaulted with ammonia fumes. I removed a half teaspoon or so to a glass saucer and let it air out. In 15 minutes, all traces of ammonia smell had dissipated. Bringing the saucer up to my nose I could clearly detect the scent of bergamot. I took another ten minutes brewing up a pot of Earl Grey tea, also flavored with bergamot. This is a fragrant oil refined from the peels of bitter oranges. The grind is very smooth between the fingers - and slightly moist like most of the Wilsons products. Upon taking the snuff there is a sharp feeling for a few seconds. The olfactory trip begins with a strong scent of bergamot followed by something floral - maybe rose or violet, but it is very subtle. I find I can amplify this scent a bit by breathing in the steam from a hot cup of tea. After four or five minutes, the scent subsides considerably and the tobacco flavors become more prominent. A very well mannered tobacco indeed. At ten minutes, I’m ready to blow out my first shot and take couple really respectable pinches. Very “moreish” and good anytime, it’s good choice for all day use. I had no difficulty consuming the remainder of that half teaspoon over the next couple of hours. The flavoring in this snuff is pretty much the same as tom buck and queens’s extra strong. But it is not quite as highly flavored - bringing the tobaccos more to the fore. They are all about the same in nicotine.

There is a fragrant oil made from the flowers of the bitter orange called neroli oil. This is the scent in F&T’s Seville. What is bergamot ? I know of a bergamot mint. Is that what this scent is?

I thought bergamot was a type of orange. The bergamot (Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia) is a small and roughly pear-shaped citrus fruit originating and grown mainly in Calabria, Italy. Bergamot grow on small evergreen trees known as bergamots, which are produced from a cross of the pear lemon and the Seville orange or grapefruit. Shoots of the bergamot tree can also be grafted into similar citrus trees to produce the bergamot fruit. The flowers of the bergamot tree blossom during the spring. (from wikipedia) Monarda didyma is a flower also known as bergamot and is said to have a similar scent. So I guess it could be either really in snuff.

Bergamot is of the citrus family. There is also an herb called bergamot but they are not related . This herb got its name because it has a similar scent to the bergamot orange. ( I think thats what juxtaposer was thinking of when comparing to the mint family). Also neroli oil & citrus bergamot have a similar scent.

Oh… wow? Now I’m really confused! I never even considered but what was in my small little brain. Thanks for the information. It looks like I have a little homework to do. P.S. After a little googling around it does not seem to me as if bergamot (the herb) AKA bee balm is not used for any flavoring but for a home brew tea called Oswego tea. It seems more likely that anything flavored as bergamot would be from the orange peel oil as discussed. I hope I got it right. I do enjoy bergamot snuff and snus. I think this will put a new light on my palate.

Great review Stitch. If you have any Royal George try mixing a little bit in - say two to one - this is now my all day snuff along with Tom Buck and RG

So far the SP is one of my very favorite snuffs. I would dearly love to have a pound of it. FANTASTIC!

I think I might have a cup of Earl Grey, with my Best SP. Tasty tasty stuff :slight_smile:

Best SP beats everything - I love it, and use it daily. For a stronger version with the same character try Queen’s Extra Strong.

Reviving another old thread. We had such good posters at this forum. No need to start a new, but continue their story. My first meeting with Best SP was back in 2009 when I ordered my first Gift Pack with 6 tins. I loved it, but as a beginner back then I found it difficult to take. Now I’m working my way through a pound drum directly bought from Wilsons. Citrus. Earl Grey tea. Fresh hay. And a mild sweet tobacco base. Nowadays so much easier to take as 6 years ago. Believe me: keep snuffing and you’ll gain experience. I wonder if this bestseller for 250 years, can be called a true folk-snuff?

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786  Much love for this snuff!  I bought a pound of this just before the PACT act was passed because it is one of my favorite WoS snuffs.
Even though the containers into which it is decanted have a nasty habit of vanishing from the face of the planet, I still haven’t used half of it.

https://youtu.be/JO4VYRnfEGY

I’ve been meaning to get around to doing a side-by-side review of all four of Wilson’s current SPs. I have a sealed tin of each tucked away somewhere for that very reason.

I like Best SP real well. My favorite SP is J&H Wilsons Top Mill but the Best SP is a close 2nd.

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I have had Best SP lurking here unopened for quite some time, and only just opened it up. I find it a very subtly scented SP compared to the usual SPs I reach for such as Tom Buck, Toque SP Extra, McC Mild Lemon, and Grand Cairo. However, that subtlety is very pleasant too. It’s a lovely tobacco base, with just a hint of condiment, rather than the scenting being the primary attraction. I’m a big fan of all day snuffs, ones that you can keep pinching from without the nose feeling weary or unsatisfied, and this snuff certainly falls into that category. It is a winner, as so many WoS snuff are, and despite already having an obscene amount of snuff that I’ll never work through completely, I can see myself buying more of this in future.

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^^ Yes! I’ve got a lb drum of it here. It’s a great all-day snuff.

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I like the Best SP better than Tom Buck. But find I would like something just in between them both. As Tom Buck is too much Bergamot for me, and Best SP is a bit on the mild/bland side.

So I have been mixing a bit of Tom Buck into my Best SP to suit my needs. Have been using this while I get some more of my favored McChrystals SP. Also ordered some more SP’s to try from Toque and WOS, as like the SP style of snuff.

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