McChrystals - Vintage Velvet

Another go to snuff for me. Has a very floral, perfumed fragrance. Not overpowering though, and can still pick up on the earthy tobacco. Decent nic content and great for a nightcap!

Maybe I'm accustomed to strong florals in Indian snuffs, but I kind of wish the violet scent was stronger in this. It's possible that would put off some people and why it's not done. The scent is nice though, and the tobacco is prominent. I'd say the scent is 50/50 tobacco and violet, unlike Indians snuffs where floral would be more like 90/10 or 80/20.

I like McChrystal's but this one is not for me. I don't pick up flowers or lavender. It reminds me a little of hand soap.

This was a snuff that I was champing at the bit to try. I am a huge fan of anything violet, so a violet snuff was something on which I could not pass. And I am happy to report that this snuff was worth the wait. It delivers a huge wallop of very floral, candied violet aroma. It is not a natural scent, but considering that it simultaneously reminded me of any number of old-fashioned perfumes and Anis de Flavigny Violette Pastilles, I didn't really mind. This snuff also displays qualities both creamy and soapy, giving it an interesting and not at all unpleasant juxtaposition of textures in the nose. The grind is fine with moderate nicotine content and moderate moisture, making it very easy to take. I enjoyed this snuff so much that I plowed through an entire tin in only a couple of days. While it likely will not be for everyone, this snuff is very much worth a try for anyone looking for something unique and different to put up their nose.

I am a fan of suburban strip mall barber shops. Not the hipster locales that look like Victorian apothecaries, but cheap places with linoleum floors, chipped laminate furnishings and flickering neon lights. Barber shops run by old Italian men who have stubble stuck under their nicotine-stained finger nails and shave you with a shavette rather than with a proper straight razor; places that smell of Barbacide and hot shaving cream from old electric dispensers. Admittedly it is a particular fetish, as is the case for Vintage Velvet, whose distinctive flavouring triggered the memory. A little dry and of medium grind, its nicotine levels are on the low side. Clean tasting, it offer’s a happy trip down amnesia lane.