As the title says, Wilsons of Sharrow’s Irish High Toast #22 stuffs up my nose so bad I can’t breathe within a matter of seconds.  But Fribourg & Treyer’s Irish High Toast does not.

Fribourg & Treyer snuffs are actually produced by Wilson’s of Sharrow, so I’d expect their process to be extremely similar.  And neither of these (as far as I know) have any additional flavorings added.   And they’re both toasts.

Most snuffs stuff me up quite badly; it’s the rare few that don’t.  I figured these two might be so similar that it’d be possible to narrow down the key difference.  Any ideas from the more knowledgable members?  Type of tobacco?  Method of production?  

Damn good question. I’ve never tried IHT so I don’t know if there’s any other discernible differences. However (and at risk of killing the conversation) snuff is such a personal thing when it comes to what works for you and what doesn’t. Keep what works and ditch what doesn’t. My sinuses are generally wide open, and I tend to need some congestion to snuff Tom Buck or the JHW SPs, otherwise they go straight to the back of my throat, no matter what technique. McC Mild Lemon doesn’t seem to give me as many problems though despite the similar grind. I mixed up several snuffs that didn’t work for me, including many that made me cough badly, and the resultant blend works really well. I stay well clear of scotches and other superfine snuffs. I can’t use mentholated snuffs, as these burn like someone’s thrown acid in my face. It’s not just the interior, but also the outside of the nostils that suffers (burns) from contact. That said, I’m fine with Anarkali and Kailash, and even the occasional pinch of WoS Crumbs of Comfort and Honey Menthol … maybe a different batch of the same snuff would have a different effect. I avoid trying new menthols. Some snuffs (particularly from artisans) give me a horrendous back drip which makes me heave. Similar snuffs from other makers don’t. I still find it frustrating now that I can’t use any of Sir Johnny’s snuffs. They smell fantastic, but my face revolts for one reason or another. I had the same issue with a couple of the Chef’s creations, and so had to stop sampling his offerings. Some of Jaap’s gave me unbearable back drip issues too, and had to be used very sparingly. There are MANY snuffs I can’t use. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with these snuffs, I’m just not compatible with them and had to steer clear. When I first started snuffing I got really frustrated with it, and with myself, and some of that frustration unfortunately spilled out onto the forum. I have simply learned to understand and accept the limits of what snuffs I can enjoy, and stay within them.

@50ft_trad You’ve hit it right on the head. Everyone reacts differently to different snuffs. I realized after a lot of buying and collecting and trying different snuffs that my sense of smell is just not that great. I do not get subtle nuances and such very often. That’s why I’ve never bought any artisan snuffs. To me there is absolutely no way to justify the cost when most of the experience will be lost on me. That doesn’t mean they’re bad snuffs. I just know that for me there is no point. So I stick to plainer snuffs that have a nose-feel I like and a brief, direct scent that is agreeable. @smm as 50ft pointed out it could be anything. The best advice I can give is to note that no.22 doesn’t work for you and stick with HDT and then try another toast like Irish D Light or Toque Natural Toast and see if it works for you and keep on like that until you have a lot of snuffs you love or decide on a handful you love. In the end you’ll either be like @lunecat or @basement_shaman and have 100’s of snuffs you enjoy and cycle through or you’ll be like myself or (I’m assuming here) 50ft and have a relatively small stable of favorites that you know work. Both are great ways to enjoy snuff.

Such is the diversity in the world of snuff, my “relatively small stable of favourites” was well over fifty in number before the EU TPD started taking it’s toll. I have well over a dozen snuffs in bulk (200g +), and a goodly range of other tins, tubs and smaller jars, despite my aversions to everything mentioned above. There’s lots to discover

Well you’re a giant compared to me 50ft. I keep 3 in what I call Ultra-bulk (several years worth) as well as a dozen or so favorites in smaller amounts for the few times I feel I need to break it up. There is a lot to discover and I still add the odd tin of something completely new to my orders.

Here’s a thread I started a while back with my Top 50. Maybe I ought to go through that again, and see how many have bit the dust. http://snuffhouse.com/discussion/11095/my-top-50

I speculate the batch of 22 that clogs you has some irritant in it, could been something in the packaging process. Wait a few months and get some fresh 22 and see if it still clogs you up. I can just imagine 300 yrs of dust in the wilson mill. No one every cleans the ceilings.  It must smell amazing when they are blending. 

@basement_shaman I’m quite allergic to pollen.  I wonder if batches processed during the spring contain accidental pollen? 

Some batches seem to be different than others, within the same brand and type. For example, sometimes I buy #22 HDT from Lil Brown Smoke Shop. Even though it comes from the same manufacturer, it always seems more “toasty” than the same snuff which I usually get from Mr.S. Can’t explain it, but it seems that way. And the same goes for Dr. Rumneys…the stuff from Lil Brown seems to have a lot more eucalyptus than the former type carried my Mr.S. Now all the Dr. R’s are newly named, red, blue, brown. The blue seems like WoS SM Blue rebranded…? Who knows? There seems to be a lot of inter-manufacturer trading of recipes, names, etc.

@mrmanos Well spotted! Wilsons new website actually describes SM Blue as the Sharrow version of Dr Rumneys Blue. I’m assuming there’s more to the price difference than just a different label though…

I think it’s moisture the f and t holds the snuff better then a tiny tin.

I bought quite a bit of the new WoS Dr. Rumney’s blue. I’m out of SM blue atm so I can’t directly compare. But as memory serves it seems the Dr.'s is much coarser and has less menthol and eucalyptus and more camphor. In fact it seems to be more of a camphor snuff than a mentholated one. It’s quite excellent actually. As for the price difference, maybe because it’s an introductory batch…