Mick Hellwig is a friend to Snuff & NicotineRush.com. He is a frequent contributor at SnusCentral.org. The following was reprinted here with his blessing.

Nasal Snuff – Another Smokeless Tobacco

Nasal snuff is a finely ground tobacco powder. Meant to be inhaled via the nostrils, but not into the sinus or lungs. It just sits in your nostrils and nicotine is absorbed through the mucous membranes in your nose.

Snuff was first used, that we know of, by the Mayans. Brought to Europe by Columbus, and used at first by royalty, then slowly filtered down to the masses. Snuff was at one time as popular as pipe smoking. Kings, Queens, miners, farmers and U.S. Presidents have all used snuff. There are still, unused, snuff boxes in the U.S. Senate Chambers. Roderick, the owner of Toque Snuff has done a great deal of work putting together a history of snuff. Instead of me trying to paraphrase it, please go read it for yourself.

Snuff comes in many flavors, grinds, moisture, and preparation methods. Super fine to super coarse, wet to bone dry, fermented to air cured. The only way to find what you like is to try’em all. I suggest starting with a German snuff, Poschl or Bernards, both are easy to take and forgiving of mistakes. One good snort of an American Scotch snuff probably has ruined more new snuffers than anything else. Which brings up my first piece of advice…DO NOT SNORT! It’s not cocaine, people. Gently bring the snuff to your nostril and sniff. The goal is to get it into your nostrils, not into your sinus or lungs.

The very first time I tried snuff,  I sniffed hard and I still swear the snuff went clean up behind my eyeballs. Within seconds my eyes were watering, as well as my nose, and then I sneezed. A handful of brown snot is not a pretty sight. Second piece of advice keep a hankie or Kleenex handy when snuffing. Some snuffs need it, some don’t, again you won’t know until you try them.

This brings us to blowing your nose. Do it as often as needed. Listen to your nose. If it wants to be cleared out, do so. If not don’t force it. I sometimes can go for hours without a good cleaning, other times the snuff only lasts for a couple of minutes. Should one pick their nose? That’s up to you, but please do it in private. No one wants to see that.

Is snuff safe? Well, maybe. There are conflicting reports. Most reports I have read that say it will cause cancer are based on studies that include American moist (lip) snuff. I have never seen a case of nose, throat or lung cancer attributed to nasal snuff alone. There is a report of an Englishman getting cancer and suing back in the 1800’s but that has since been proved false. He was mad at his snuff supplier for something. Also there is the guy who got ear cancer after putting snuff in his ear for decades. So is it safe? It’s got to be safer than smoking and is generally considered as safe as Swedish snus. Just avoid snuffs made by unknown makers in small 3rd world villages.

How does one use snuff? There are many methods. The traditional methods are the pinch, where you pinch a bit between your finger and thumb. Also the anatomical snuffbox, which is when you tap a bit out on the depression formed on the back of your hand right behind your first knuckle. (Hold your hand flat, palm down, now bend you fingers…see it?) Other methods include bullets, snuff machines ( not for the faint of heart) and my personal favorite, wrap your forefinger around the end of your thumb and place the snuff in the cavity, then sniff.

One other method is practiced mainly by older Southern ladies, and is actually where we get the term dip as applied to tobacco. First get a can of American Sweet or Scotch snuff, then find a hickory tree, pull a twig off, either chew or carve with your trusty pocket knife ( you do have a pocket knife, right?) to get a slightly fuzzy end, moisten the twig, dip it into the can of Carhart’s Sweet and put it in your mouth. You can also use Scotches like Skoal and just dump some into your lower lip. I think this is why American brands are sold in 1.15 or 4.65 ounce containers; European snuff mostly comes in 10 or 25 gram containers.  Either of these methods kind of skips the whole nasal part, I don’t recommend them, but they are possible.

Finally, where to buy snuff?  There are many online snuff shops. Recently a lot of European shops cannot sell to the US, due to credit card processors declining to allow international purchases of tobacco products. 90% of my snuff dollars go to Tom at NicotineRush. Huge selection, he has most of the commonly available snuffs, and getting more all the time. Shipping is fair and quick. On another forum his nickname is “Two Day Tom”. I once placed an order on Monday morning at 7 AM. At 7:30 AM I had e-mail confirmation that the order had shipped, and the box was in my mailbox Wednesday at 1:30PM. I have never had an order from NicotineRush take longer than 3 days to my house in Ohio. Plus, Tom is just a plain nice guy and a gentleman who takes his customers seriously. He even gives a free sample of random snuff out with every order. Giving you a chance to try snuffs brands you may not have thought you might like.

Snus and Snuff both have fascinating historical connections. Being a history buff I love that facet of them. The thought of being able to sniff the same or quite similar recipes as George & Martha Washington or Ben Franklin really gets my mental juices flowing. Even Popes have snuffed. My personal heroes all lived during the founding of America as a nation, and I love having something tangible in common with them. My other passion in life, beyond tobacco is firearms. While I can’t buy one of George Washington’s flintlocks, I can buy a SP style snuff from Wilson’s Of Sharrow that is possibly made from the same recipe book as the SP snuff that Mr. Washington used.

Snuff said for now….

Mick Hellwig
WHAT I THINK at SnusCENTRAL.org

How to Use Nasal Snuff

Snuff is a form of finely ground smokeless tobacco predominantly enjoyed by the English aristocracy of the 18th century. It is an arguably healthier alternative to smoking for the user, and undeniably healthier for those in your company as you are not subjecting them to second-hand smoke while snuffing. Here is how to properly take (and enjoy) nasal snuff!

Steps

1. Purchase a tin of snuff. There are many different flavors cheaply available. Select one that has a flavor that you think you’ll appreciate, or if you’re unsure, tobacco-flavored ‘plain’ snuff is available.
2. Make sure you’re indoors or in a very well-sheltered area and take out your snuff tin/box. Tap on the lid a few times to settle the snuff evenly in your container to help avoid spilling, and slowly and carefully take the lid off your container.
3. Take the snuff. There are more than a few widely accepted methods of taking snuff. One of the most common is to simply take a pinch of snuff between your thumb and forefinger and sniff it sharply into one of your nostrils, and then into the other. It is important to remember that the snuff should only be SNIFFED into the nose, not snorted. The snuff needs to remain in front of your nose, it is not intended to go into your sinuses or throat.
   1. Other methods include tapping some snuff onto the back of your hand, onto the depression formed above the wrist near the base of your thumb when one stretches the thumb, or in the slight depression between your thumb and forefinger.
   2. Some snuff-takers prefer to use a “bullet,” a dispenser that can be held directly to the nostrils. This device eliminates the need to carry around a tin and the potential mess of dipping your fingers into it.
   3. Experiment and see what is the most comfortable way to take it for you.
4. Pause to appreciate the gentle aroma and sense of refreshment unique to taking snuff!

Tips

• Do not resist the urge to sneeze. It will most likely happen, but resisting it will only decrease the enjoyment you obtain from using snuff. The urge to sneeze when using snuff will pass the more you use it.
• Take care in how you sniff. The effects of accidentally snorting the snuff into your sinuses or throat can be very unsettling, and snuff should never have to be uncomfortable. Do not be discouraged if you don’t get it right the first time – with practice, the sharp but shallow sniff needed to get the snuff into the front of your nose but no further becomes second nature.
• Keep in mind that the use of nasal snuff is often accompanied by increased nasal discharge. It is a good idea to have a handkerchief or tissue close to hand to take care of this increased discharge.

Warnings

• Snuff is still a form of tobacco and therefore contains nicotine and is thus addictive. And while it is generally accepted as less harmful than smoking (and obviously less harmful to those around you than smoking) there are still carcinogenic (cancer) risks. Snuff is healthier than smoking, but it is by no means a risk-free alternative and not something you should do if you intend to live forever.

Article provided by wikiHow All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

From “to snuff,” to inhale, to draw in through the nose; cf. Dutch snuf, scent, Ger. Schnupfen, a cold, catarrh, and Eng. “snuffle,” “sniff,” the name of a powdered preparation of tobacco used for inhalation. The practice of inhaling snuff became common in England in the 17th century, and throughout the 18th century it was universal. At first each quantity inhaled was fresh grated, whence the coarser kinds were later known as “rappee.” This entailed the snuff-taker carrying with him a grater with a small spoon at one end and a box to hold the grated snuff at the other. Early 18th-century graters made of ivory and other material are in existence. Later the box and the grater were separated. The art and craft of the miniature painter, the enameller, jeweller and goldand silver-smith was bestowed upon the box. The humbler snuff-takers were content with boxes of silver, brass or other metal, horn, tortoise-shell or wood. The mull, a silver-mounted ram’s head, is a large table snuff-box. Though “snuff-taking” ceased to be fashionable at the beginning of the 19th century, the gold and jewelled snuff-box has continued to be a typical gift of sovereigns to those whom they delight to honour.

Snuff History:

The inhaling of snuff was first noted by Fra Ramon Pane who travelled to the New World with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1507. The habit was in evidence in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries and by the 18th century it had become universally popular. Taking snuff became an elaborate social ritual throughout the courts and salons of Europe and, just as stylish cigarette cases made by such firms as Faberge and Cartier were fashionable in the first half of the 20th century, expensive and elaborate snuff boxes were an important fashion accessory in the 18th century. These boxes not only provided a vehicle for the display of wealth and taste but also played an important role as official gifts to ambassadors, courtiers and foreign heads of state.

Dry Snuff:

Tobacco snuff is made by selecting tobacco leaf (and also sometimes tobacco stalk). Disintegrating it into a coarse powder. It is next ground in a manual or mechanical mill, and then sieved. Various essential oils may then be added for flavoring, after which it is stored in airtight containers to allow the flavor to permeate uniformity.
Dry snuff is usually (but not always) scented or flavoured and is intended to be sniffed through the nose. However new types of snuff are sometimes ingested and can be swallowed. Typically the new forms of Grizzly Snuff that came out in November of 2008 are what can be ingested. Also, shortly after the new ingested Grizzly Snuff came out, Copenhagen and Longhorn straight also came out with ingestible snuff. Typical flavors are floral, mentholated (also called ‘medicated’), fruit, scotch, and spice, either pure or in blends.