So has anyone tried Wilson’s Grande Cairo “Red Rappee” snuff. If so, do you have a description.

Is this the same as the Tranters one, as Wilsons make theirs? Ive got an old Tranters Cairo which is deep red and powerful?

@snuffster, Well I had since acquired a can since I made the post back in Jan. Comparing the tobacco colors with the other Wilsons, it matches pretty close in color with Tom Buck but the Cairo seems to be just a tiny bit finer than Tom. And an absolute exact color match with Tranters #20 if your familiar with that one. It has a velvety smooth feel, easy to take but if used continuously throughout the day it tended to irritate the back of my nose. The scent reminds me most of Jockey Club with a lot of Bergamot added. Its not an every day snuff for me but one I will pinch from on occasion. Never tried the Tranters Grand Cairo but I would imagine its the same?

Sounds the same, definately a heap of bergamot in there

I’ve put in an order for some of this I’ll write a review when I receive it. Stefan

Any more follow up on this from those who have tried it? Was intrigued by a description I read of it and was thinking about giving it a whirl. It doesn’t seem to be available at very many online stores. Wilsons’ own web site doesn’t even mention it.

Spyro they call it Cairo on the Wilsons site. Brunswick is the black rappee I believe.

Ahh, thanks. Have you tried this one?

I like the Brunswick. Just realised I have yet to add my thoughts on it to my site so I’ll do that this evening. I’ll also add them to Al’s reviews site.

Blah, I still don’t see ‘Cairo’ on the WoS web site. I guess my question would be, which of the four categories does it fall into? Has anyone tried their clay pipes? Are those just for novelty or are they functional tobacco pipes? I use Meerschaum and Briarwood pipes for my occasioanl puff.

Its heavy on the bergamot, so if you like strong bergamot you’ll like this one. Wilsons has a lot of snuffs they don’t list.

I think they smoke fine. A little hot but not too bad. The thing with clay is it breaks so easily.

I value the briarwood above all others. The Meerschaum will smoke ‘true’, but it also burns hotter and faster so I have to smoke it differently. Still going to try one of these little clay contraptions tho. If nothing else then just for the academic curiosity.

I think once you’ve smoked a Petersen Meerschaum (?) clay pipe, you will change your mind about those pipes. They are expensive but very nice.

I love Petereson pipes. I had a really nice one but the local gestapo (POLICE) took it because they they thought it was used for illegal substances. I only use pipes about once a week but my briarwood churchwarden is my favorite so far.

Thats kind of what I thought regarding the clay. Just wanted one for collector purposes and was wondering if they were even useable for serious smoking.

OK, broke down and oredered some Cairo. I’ll let you guys know my impressions once it arrives.

Clay pipes are good for taste testing since they don’t color the smoke. They get too hot and they’re too fragile to be used for normal smoking.

Yeah, neat until you burn your fingers off!

The wet tobaccos burn hotter than dry tobaccos. Use welding gloves!

I’ve never seen a pure clay pipe and always thought meerschaum is a kind of clay. Isn’t meerschaum a kind of fossilized clay? If not, what is it then?

“Meerschaum is formed of fossilized, prehistoric sea crustaceans that lived millions of years ago.” Found this definition in “Pipes and Tobaccos” magazine Winter 1996 Vol. 1, Number 1. IMHO briar is the best pipe material. The longer you smoke it the better it gets as long as you have even cake build up and don’t let it get to thick. The cool thing about meerschaum is how it colors as you smoke it. Also different tobaccos taste different in different pipes. Moist tobacco smokes hot because of the steam that is created so you have to smoke it slow. I really love the occasional pipe.

Well, I’m learrning so much from this forum. Thank you all for explaining to me the difference between claypipes and meerschaum.

Anybody ever tried ‘Hardcastle’ pipes? They were a kind of budget pipe that I’ve not seen new for a few years but a beautiful smoke. And if you are looking for something to colour up, try a calabash, I think they are from your neck of the woods Pieter?

Ok, tried the Cairo today. Very interesting blend. Has a complex flavor that sort of starts off like citrus then shifts quickly to pine or juniper. The grind was agrreable to me as I don’t care too much for powdery types. May have a shot of menthol in there too but I’m not sure. One of the more unique blends I’ve sampled so far. I liked it.

The gourd calabashes are being made by Strambach in Austria. I think they use gourds from Africa, but the Meerschaum is from Turkey.

I like Grand Cairo a lot! It’s one of my favourites. Easy to take and with a well-balanced flowery scent. Reminds me a lot of F&T Bordeaux, which I also love!

Hey guys, I smoked my first pipe when I was seventeen, I’m now sixty. I’ve tried them all, and each has its merits. Meerschaum is my favourite, I like the way it smokes so clean and cool and does not color the taste. I also love the way they look. They predate briar. Briar probably doesn’t need any more opinions from me. Clay smokes the coolest of all, and is used by some professional tasters because it also does not affect the taste of the baccy. The reason it smokes cool is that its thin and conductive walls release more heat to the outside than either of the others. You only have to learn to hold it properly and it will not burn you. In days of yore, often pipes were sold already loaded with baccy. In pubs, the long stems provided by the keeper were smoked by different customers in turn, each new smoker just busted off a wee bit of the bit to get a clean one. Naturally it doesn’t travel well, but in the Buckskinning game I’ve seen guys packing them around stuck in the band of their hats. They were the only pipe anybody knew of in Europe or settled America for a couple of centuries. They are worth having around but I’ve never met anyone who uses them exclusively.

Just wanted to add that one shouldn’t be alarmed if when smoking a clay you notice a strange odor. The hot clay is responsible for that, and it is not a smell I’m particularly fond of or I’d smoke them more often.

And one last thing I remembered, it is important in buying Meerschaum to be sure it is block meerschaum. Some less expensive efforts are made from reconstituted meerschaum powder, a very inferior stuff that doesn’t last. This is especially true with calabashes.

I love my meerschaum. However, the briarwood is more tolerant of older or lower quality tobacco for me. Briar gives me a more consistent smoke and doens’t burn as hot. If I have fresh, moist pipe tobacco them meerschaum is the way to go for me. Getting back to the original thread; Grand Cairo is my all time favorite snuff. Despite the attacks upon my posts from certain lurking trouble makers, WoS is my my favorite snuff producer. If I had to choose one and only one snuff for my very last sniff it would be WoS Grand Cairo.

I like the off topic better…I love brier myself, the way she embraces her blend in that every smoke brings out more and more of his character. O.K. Grand Cairo is awesome I’ll give it that, I guess I’ve just been distracted by all these other fantastic offerings.

Had Wos Grand Cairo a few months ago but didnt take to it. A bit of a sting in the nose. Interesting flavour which I couldnt fathom out.

I love Grand Cairo; it’s spicyness, grind and moisture are all at the edge. Great snuff.

Well sound good enough that I’ll give it a try. I like patronizing Wos because their customer service is so good.

I’m more of the Gold Label man, myself. Although Grand Cairo is great, I find the grind too fine for my sensitive beak.

I have to admit, I never had the chance to try Gold Label so my opinion is probably not complete. From what I have read, Gold Label sounds like an awesome experience that I would love to try. There are just so many good snuffs out there. I truly pity those who haven’t experienced a good whiff of quality snuff. Myself included it seems.

Grand Cairo is a good snuff which has grown on me recently, but I find the grind inconsistent - sometimes it’s reddish and fine, sometimes it’s deeper brown and coarser. I prefer it coarser, and it works well in a snuff bullet. The same problem afflicts the Gold Label - the grind and tobacco seems to vary from tin to tin.

I also find Wilsons snuffs quite inconsistent in tins and it’s not just moisture level! Better get bulk in my opinion.

Nothing is better than bulk. Can’t really comment on the inconsistency, I just know that Grand Cairo is good.