A Brief History of Nasal, or Dry, Snuff

Nasal snuff is undoubtedly one of the oldest forms of smokeless tobacco with it’s accreditation mostly going to a Frenchman by the name of Jean Nicot. Nicot brought a dry, ground form of tobacco back to France during his travels abroad back in the mid 1500’s. When Nicot presented it to the King, he had banned the use of it unless it was prescribed by a doctor but with the French aristocracy, it immediately became a huge hit even though the King had forbade it’s use. In fact, nasal snuff was given to Catherine Di Medici by Nicot as a cure for her crippling Migraines and once the King had heard, he changed his decree about it’s use. Back then, nasal snuff was pretty expensive and was pretty much used by the rich. In England, nasal snuff was also a huge success and in the 1700’s many different snuff mills were in existence. 

In the New World, nasal snuff was brought over when the colonies were formed and became an integral part of American life. Nasal snuff was so popular that the floor of the U.S. Senate had two large snuff boxes installed so Senators could fill their personal snuff boxes without having to leave the senate floor. These boxes are still there today and are regularly filled by aids but, we’re sure it’s just done out of tradition. America had it’s share of snuff mills as well which produced it’s own unique nasal snuff that had a more smoky aroma than it’s European counterparts and a bit sweeter taste.

To use nasal snuff takes a bit of practice though. All you need to do is open the can, take a small pinch between the thumb and forefinger, place it to the nostril and sniff lightly, like you were smelling a flower. The tobacco enters the front of the nose where it falls on the mucous membranes. It’s here that the Nicotine is absorbed in the bloodstream and gives the same Nicotine rush as smoking a cigarette. Actually, the current smoking restrictions throughout the world are causing a resurgence in nasal snuff’s popularity and within this category, we will list them all by type!