Expert Review★★★★★ Click to read Tap to read
Havana Toast feels like taking a Cuban cigar, breaking it down, and capturing its essence in powdered form. From the tin, you're immediately met with a bold, unmistakably Cuban tobacco that the toasting process has transformed. This is not a layered or perfumed snuff; what you get is the tobacco itself, enriched and deepened by the toast. The natural sweetness usually present in fresh leaf is replaced by a warm, hearty roasted note that fills the nose with character. Lightly toasted brown, with tan flecks, this is a no-nonsense snuff.
This snuff provides a heart dose of Vitamin N, with a mild nasal burn, and the nicotine is robust. As a toasted snuff, there is no moisture in the tin, and the grind is fairly coarse, though not as much as a Rappee. The dry, coarse grind demands a careful hand when taking it up the nose: the dry nature, paired with the coarse grind, makes this snuff difficult to place in the nose, and the particles are subject to a wind that blows the snuff off your hand without warning.
With a bit of practice, though, Havana Toast rewards you with a pure, rich tobacco experience that few others match. Though I typically lean toward fruit-forward or mentholated blends, I've found something uniquely satisfying in this straightforward presentation. Sir Walter Scott has taken a great base leaf, toasted it just right, and delivered a simple yet beautiful tobacco snuff that earns a place in my regular rotation.
