Disclaimer: Only tried the original Bernard, not the McChrystals version.
As an ex-smoker who adores the scent of natural tobacco, this is the closest I've found so far to that experience. Very classic, ye olde smoke shop kinda taste. I also appreciate the medium grind and drier consistency, as I can take this much more regularly than a schmalzler. It doesn't overwhelm me with flavour and it doesn't drip as much. Absolute must-have!
Though name is Virginie I suspected it to be yellow, but it is dark brown. Very pleasant snuff. Dominating taste is earthy, strong enough for nicotine, long lasting. I called it Schmalzler-light. I recommend it to beginners, to prepare them for original Schmalzler.
Top quality stoved Virginia tobacco with a nice nice kick. It's a bit smokey fine grind with just the right amount of moisture. I like it and I'd recommend it for everyday use. It reminds me of 6 photo MG Madras with a courser moist grind and less smokey. There's no back trip to speak of it's easy to take even for noobs I imagine but I may not be everyone's cup of tea. It's an excellent candidate for blending.
As the name implies, this is 100% Virginia tobacco, and on the back of the pack it says (translated from German): "Snuff tobacco produced according to a tried and tested recipe using high-quality raw tobacco from arable farming areas of the best provenance, aromatically packaged" Tin notes are charcoal, smoked hardwood, leather, sweet grass, and earth. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's been "stoved", not dark fired in barns, which allows the tobacco flavor to come through a little more clearly. Although this is produced by Bernard's it is NOT a schmalzler, there's no paraffin oil and one can tell the differences right away. It reminds me of the Sharrow-made Viking Dark Rappee somewhat, but is far easier to take without the hellacious burn. In the nose, the sweetness dissapates and the earth, grass and leather come to the forefront. Unlike a true "dark fired" the leaf taste still comes through in a big way. Nicotine is there but not overwhelming, and it is safe to chain-pinch. I'd give it a 6 or 6.5 out of 10 in strength on the Squinty scale. I don't feel it's as strong as the Bernard schmalzler I have on hand. If you are a fan of dark snuffs and rappees, this is a must try.
Bernard's Gekachelter Virginie is an unscented snuff comprised solely of Virginia tobaccos. Out of the pouch, this snuff appears dark brown and offers strong earthy, woody, smoky scents. Once it hits the front of the nose, it delivers a wonderful blend of earth, smoke, leather, charcoal, caramel, cocoa, hay, and wood scents that are underscored by hints of pine needles, mushroom, raisin, grass, straw, butter, and molasses. Sometimes I also get an herbal scent reminiscent of peppermint or a slight lemony note as well as a subtle creaminess. The nicotine content is more or less moderate. It isn't overpowering and takes a while to show itself. The grind is medium coarse. Moisture content is moderate for a snuff of this style. It doesn't come across as being oily or sticky and sits in the nose fairly well. If you're looking for a great introduction to plain snuff or an unscented snuff that you can take all day, look no further.