My good friend gifted me a tin of grand cairo, hence me being here. I must say this video is top notch. such wonderful history and care put into something you clearly have a true passion for. Ive been a wine salesman for 12 years, your review reminded me why i love wine and its history. This was a real treat to watch i thank you sir!
Thank you for your excellent review which I enjoyed listening to very much. Your hypothesis on an Egyptian revival as inspiration for this snuff may well be true. However, as made by Wilsons of Sharrow it is a relatively new edition which I hope will not disappoint you. It first appeared in 1984, introduced by the then managing director Mark Chaytor as part of what was called the Grand Sharrow Range. The eight new snuffs included the one reviewed and with the exception of Gold Label were more expensive than others on the list. Gold Label, by the way, is Sharrow’s highest grade snuff, still made with Kentucky leaf and (unlike S.P.) remains unchanged since the 18th century. In this respect it is probably now unique - a genuine survivor from a bygone age. But the name Grand Cairo for snuff is (as you reasoned) much older than 1984 and I have the complete recipe for an early Regency period version (c.1811) by a major London House which would have been significantly different from Wilson’s version. Without going into too much detail it is a mixture of two rappees - three parts of Polhill’s Gross to one part of Martinique (both using Dutch tobacco but liquored differently when laying down) and the final mixture flavoured with oil of Rhodium. The grain of the finished product would have been extra-coarse.
The other reason for names being... non-descriptive is the European Union's Tobacco Products Directive 2, which prohibits naming tobacco products based on "characterizing flavors." (I really have _no_ idea how Toque gets away with their product names.) Grand Cairo, by the way, is my #1 favorite SP. WoS Irish Toast #22 is my #1 toast.
I think Toque gets away with it because they are on the Isle of Man which is not part of the EU. It’s true that there were a lot of name changes because of the EU, but I think “Grand Cairo” predates the EU by quite a lot. As I recall, the name is 19th century at least. (It’s been a while since I looked into it, but I remember not finding the name in any 18th century lists. Though, if you look, you will find blend names from 250+ years ago still used today. Whether or not they were scented like their modern namesakes is another debate.)
I totally agree on the romanticism of snuff names :) They are playing on our imagination like books did in those times (and movies and games don't nowadays). Thanks for the vid!
by the way grand cairo is a reasonably modern snuff. In the 19th century most snuff were unscented. sometimes a bit of menthol or bergamot but that about it was it. It has nothing to do with the victorians interest in Egypt. Scented snuff is really something of the 20th century (apart from a few exceptions). Dont be fooled by manufacturers names. they do not want to sell you just a tin of snuff.... they want to sell you a story aswell .... and they charge for it. Some snuff makers claimed that a certain snuff they make was made from an ancient recipe and ofcourse used to be Queen Charlottes all time favourite snuff. Shopping for snuff is like going to an antique store in Scotland .........heaps and heapsof objects of which is claimed to have been the posession of either Robert Burns, Walter Scott, or Robert de Bruce.
Hi Gretchen, Yes, you are right that “natural” snuffs were more common historically than today, but we have record of historical scented snuffs also. You mentioned Queen Charlotte’s favourite snuff, which was scented with either roses or violets. (The reproduction by Sir Walter Scott uses attar of rose, but the snuff Charlotte actually used was called “Violet Strasburgh”, which makes me wonder if violet wasn’t the prominent scent.) We also have some old lists of snuffs offered by manufacturers and shops. There are violet and rose scented snuffs advertised in the early 18th century. And Fribourg & Treyer was making Seville, Morocco, Paris, Bordeaux, Morlaix, Marcouba, Bureau, and a Violet snuff at least by the early 1800s. You can find these lists in publications like “The Old Snuff House of Fribourg & Treyer”, Fairholt’s Tobacco, “The Smokers’, Chewers’, & Snuff Takers’ Companion.” Btw, I see we both have an appreciation of baroque music. You have good taste!
My good friend gifted me a tin of grand cairo, hence me being here. I must say this video is top notch. such wonderful history and care put into something you clearly have a true passion for. Ive been a wine salesman for 12 years, your review reminded me why i love wine and its history. This was a real treat to watch i thank you sir!
@iraplikeyoubreathe Thank you for the kind and encouraging comment! Really glad you enjoyed the video. Hope you enjoy the snuff too!
Beautiful video very well done
Thanks!
Thank you for your excellent review which I enjoyed listening to very much. Your hypothesis on an Egyptian revival as inspiration for this snuff may well be true. However, as made by Wilsons of Sharrow it is a relatively new edition which I hope will not disappoint you. It first appeared in 1984, introduced by the then managing director Mark Chaytor as part of what was called the Grand Sharrow Range. The eight new snuffs included the one reviewed and with the exception of Gold Label were more expensive than others on the list. Gold Label, by the way, is Sharrow’s highest grade snuff, still made with Kentucky leaf and (unlike S.P.) remains unchanged since the 18th century. In this respect it is probably now unique - a genuine survivor from a bygone age.
But the name Grand Cairo for snuff is (as you reasoned) much older than 1984 and I have the complete recipe for an early Regency period version (c.1811) by a major London House which would have been significantly different from Wilson’s version. Without going into too much detail it is a mixture of two rappees - three parts of Polhill’s Gross to one part of Martinique (both using Dutch tobacco but liquored differently when laying down) and the final mixture flavoured with oil of Rhodium. The grain of the finished product would have been extra-coarse.
Great review - This sounds delicious.
I can't wait to try it.
great info. that accent of yours is cool as can be. Good man and hello from Ireland north
Thanks so much!
Just subscribed to your channel. This is my favorite snuff. Great review 👍
Thanks Ben! It’s a great snuff.
The other reason for names being... non-descriptive is the European Union's Tobacco Products Directive 2, which prohibits naming tobacco products based on "characterizing flavors." (I really have _no_ idea how Toque gets away with their product names.)
Grand Cairo, by the way, is my #1 favorite SP. WoS Irish Toast #22 is my #1 toast.
I think Toque gets away with it because they are on the Isle of Man which is not part of the EU.
It’s true that there were a lot of name changes because of the EU, but I think “Grand Cairo” predates the EU by quite a lot. As I recall, the name is 19th century at least. (It’s been a while since I looked into it, but I remember not finding the name in any 18th century lists. Though, if you look, you will find blend names from 250+ years ago still used today. Whether or not they were scented like their modern namesakes is another debate.)
I totally agree on the romanticism of snuff names :) They are playing on our imagination like books did in those times (and movies and games don't nowadays). Thanks for the vid!
I love grand cairo. i have about 50 tins of it in my cellar
by the way grand cairo is a reasonably modern snuff. In the 19th century most snuff were unscented. sometimes a bit of menthol or bergamot but that about it was it. It has nothing to do with the victorians interest in Egypt. Scented snuff is really something of the 20th century (apart from a few exceptions). Dont be fooled by manufacturers names. they do not want to sell you just a tin of snuff.... they want to sell you a story aswell .... and they charge for it. Some snuff makers claimed that a certain snuff they make was made from an ancient recipe and ofcourse used to be Queen Charlottes all time favourite snuff. Shopping for snuff is like going to an antique store in Scotland .........heaps and heapsof objects of which is claimed to have been the posession of either Robert Burns, Walter Scott, or Robert de Bruce.
Hi Gretchen, Yes, you are right that “natural” snuffs were more common historically than today, but we have record of historical scented snuffs also. You mentioned Queen Charlotte’s favourite snuff, which was scented with either roses or violets. (The reproduction by Sir Walter Scott uses attar of rose, but the snuff Charlotte actually used was called “Violet Strasburgh”, which makes me wonder if violet wasn’t the prominent scent.) We also have some old lists of snuffs offered by manufacturers and shops. There are violet and rose scented snuffs advertised in the early 18th century. And Fribourg & Treyer was making Seville, Morocco, Paris, Bordeaux, Morlaix, Marcouba, Bureau, and a Violet snuff at least by the early 1800s. You can find these lists in publications like “The Old Snuff House of Fribourg & Treyer”, Fairholt’s Tobacco, “The Smokers’, Chewers’, & Snuff Takers’ Companion.”
Btw, I see we both have an appreciation of baroque music. You have good taste!
That seems a dreadfully expensive way of accumulating snuff. Why not just buy 500 gram canisters and save yourself a small fortune.
@@santodomingo1605 I'm quite well to do and costs of snuff is never an issue and I never look at prices when ordering tobaccos.
mike atherton doing snuff reviews !
i have a hard time recognising your accent where are you from? maybe louisiana?
Lol...a bit east of Louisiana 😉