Snuff (tobacco)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
'Snuff' is a type of smokeless tobacco. There are several types, used in different ways, but traditionally it means Dry/European nasal snuff.
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[edit] Moments in history
Snufftaking by the Native Americans was first described by a monk named Ramon Pane in 1493, during Columbus' second journey to the Americas.
In 1561 Jean Nicot, the French ambassador in Lisbon, Portugal, sent snuff to Catherine de' Medici to treat her son's migraines, afterwhich she became a fan of snuff.
By the 1600s some started to object to snuff being taken. Pope Urban VIII threatened to excommunicate snufftakers, and in Russia in 1643, Tsar Michael set the punishment of removal of the nose for snuff use. However, there were still some fans, King Louis XIII of France was a devout snufftaker, and by 1638, snuff use had been reported to be spreading in China.
By the 1700s, Snuff had become the tobacco product of choice, with fans among Napoleon, George III's wife, and a new Pope, Benedict XIII. It is also during the 1700s that the first tobacco warnings were published, among these, John Hill, an English doctor warned about overuse of snuff, causing vulnerability to nasal cancers. and in 1794, in the U.S. the first federal tax on tobacco was issued, of 8 cents, on Snuff alone.(As snuff was seen as an aristocratic luxury.)
[edit] Types
[edit] European
Dry snuff or European snuff is usually(but not always) scented or 'flavoured'. The flavours range from floral, mentholated(also called 'medicated'), fruit, spice, pretty much anything with distinctive scents, either singly or in blends. There is also a separate German variety called Schmalzler, which tends to be moist, and is milder than general dry snuff.
Apart from flavours, dry snuff also comes in a range of textures and moistness (from very fine to coarse, and, from toast(very dry) to very moist). Often Dryness correlates to fineness(but not always).
Some examples of the array of flavours:
- Spearmint
- Cinnamon
- Raspberry
- Orange
- Rose
- Menthol & Camphor
- Whiskey
Brands of dry snuff:
- UK
- Fribourg & Treyer - Founded in 1720
- Wilsons of Sharrow - Founded in 1737
- Samuel Gawith - Founded in 1792
- Gawith Hoggarth - Founded in 1854
- Hedges
- McChrystal's
- Netherlands
- De Kralingse
- South Africa
- L. Dingler
- India
- Dholakia
[edit] American
American snuff, unlike European, tends to be applied to the gums, rather than sniffed, similar to Snus, a Swedish tobacco product.
American snuff comes in two varieties, 'sweet' and 'salty', but also has flavours include Peach, Mint, Liquorice, etc.
[edit] Legal issues
Oral snuff, in the form of dipping tobacco and snus are banned in most of the European union (except in Scandinavia, where snus is most popular).
