The Educated Snuffer

Introduction

Barão is a brazilian artisan snuff from the now celebrated Império do Brasil. It is the second of their “numbered” line, which seems to outline the main product line of the snuff maker. Like most of their main numbered snuffs, this is available as both a 10g tin (which comes also in the tasting kit) and an “economical” 30g tin (that isn't that much cheaper, at just 0.3 reais/g of difference in price).
The tin has the portrait of Barão Geraldo, the historical figure who the name pays homage to, keeping with the theme of imperial Brazil, along with Império do Brasil branding and the notes “Pure Tobacco” and “Aromatic”. With saying pure tobacco, the maker is trying to differentiate the product from the common practice of mixing in other powders such as coffee, cocoa or anything else, but is not claiming to avoid casings, oils, etc.

Flavor and snuffing experience

The tin note is definitely sweet, but not in a way where it tastes like any food I can think of. Leather and wood permeate the experience throughout, and at the finish you can taste a bit of cocoa, although not in a very chocolatey way.

From the dark color of the snuff you can tell it is fermented, and that comes through in a big way on the nose. Leather and woody aromas come through first when pinching, while the sweet smell of fermented tobacco trails in slowly after the initial burn settles. If you take it in deeper into the sinus, the aroma that comes through evokes the smell of a cigar shop, with the nice aroma of Maduro cigars and cedar wood.

In regards to the pinch itself, the featured review by Snuff Brazil on the website claims it is reminiscent of a schmalzler. I have to respectfully disagree. Barão is noticeably dryer than most schmalzlers out there, and is best taken with a pinch instead of the traditional boxcar or the direct back of the hand to nose which are used with schmalzlers, and that is made easier by its medium coarse grind. It also has a very distinct burn, signaling its heavy alkaline nature, which yields it a nice nicotine content. I have noticed that as a common theme with the numbered series from Império do Brasil, most of them have a pleasant but harsh burn when first taking it. I have noticed next to no drip, and it is especially hard to clean from the nose. Repeat pinches might yield some sneezing, too, in my experience.

Unfortunately, there is no way to check the ingredients of Brazilian snuffs like we can with the German ones, so there is no way to verify what is meant by “Aromatic”. By tasting I would suspect this is not cased, but aromatized during or after fermentation by aging in an aromatic container, maybe with cocoa powder and vanilla beans inside. This would explain the subtle nature of the added aromas which serve as a support to the delightful fermented notes, and not as protagonists.

Subjective taste

Having used this as my daily driver for a few weeks now, I must say it is not my favorite for that purpose. I find the nicotine content a tad bit too high for the volume of snuff I enjoy taking, and the dark and sweet flavors can become overwhelming. This would be a nice snuff to take with a mug of coffee or some black tea, as their subtle acidity and freshness will complement the darker notes of the tobacco without fighting against them.

I should not say, though, that this is a poorly executed product. There are no noticeable imperfections in the snuff, and for fans of darker and dryer snuffs it may be a good fit with great value for money. I'd just rather take Bernard Fresco or Klostermischung for my sweet, dark kick, with much easier taking.