Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Categories
Please consider helping to support the Snuffhouse forum.
USSR snuff
volunge
Member
old Russian snuff from Snuffhouse member @lieho, who found some brand-new looking
packs amongst his grandfather's belongings.
I knew snuff was
produced in USSR and had seen several images of this and some other brands
previously. It aroused my curiosity, especially after doing some investigation
on the subject and finding out Soviet snuff was made of Nicotiana rustica
species. So I was more than excited when lieho created that thread:
http://snuffhouse.com/discussion/11778/old-vintage-snuff and agreed to do a
trade.
Indeed, the package
of the snuff I received from lieho looks fairly good, bearing in mind it was
made back in 1975. Ought to be quite moist while fresh, containing 25% moisture
in total weight of 50 g as indicated on the label, the snuff is inevitably
bone-dry now, weighing 41 g (foil-coated paper wrapper and label included).
On the bright side,
I detected no mold or other signs of decay inside which could have stopped me
from trying a pinch, so I dived into it.
The snuff is pale
brown, medium-fine, though rather inconsistent grind. Some tiny crystals of
salt, potash and sodium carbonate are visible among the particles of tobacco. There's
still a faint, but distinctive smell of rustica left, that hayish scent of air
cured makhorka. Unfortunately, not a slightest hint of ammonia, though
initially it was present here.
Despite the dryness,
this snuff is very easy to take. It gives a mild burn. The scent of hay becomes
more pronounced in the nose, there's some rather pleasant sweetness to it. The
back drip is potashy-bitter, but not harsh. And yes, some nicotine (of original
1.4/1.8%) is still there. Nothing to write home about, but enough to keep me
going. I have tried it as a morning snuff few times, it did the job.
I could use it as
all day snuff, too, but I am not sure about content of TSNAs, which generally
tend to increase during prolonged storage, so I wont include it in my daily menu,
but I was very eager to try this vintage snuff.
Overall, it's quite nice plain snuff. I just wish I could try it fresh.
Comments
As far as I know, no snuff currently produced in Russia. Imported snuff is available, though, at least some Poschl and Samuel Gawith snuffs. For instance:
http://cigar66.ru/index.php?cPath=40_19
http://premiumtabak.com/tabachnaya-produkciya-optom/tabachnaya-produkciya/snuff-snus/
i dont know of any polnish or czech snuff either though
also china
india seems to be big on snuff and has its own producers
OK, it's a capital. But you can find snuff at smaller towns, too. For instance, no problem at all getting it in Suwalki (population 69 K). I would say, it's easier to find snuff (and more sorts) there, than in some UK towns, say, Darlington (population 92 K). Back in 2006 there was only one tobacconist who carried snuff - Hedges, J&H Wilson Med.99 and WoS SP100. All the newsagents directed me to that single High street vendor.