My Smoking Shop in Preston, Lancashire

Just a few photos taken on a recent visit to My Smoking Shop in Preston, Lancashire. Unprepossessing on the outside, being part of an old cotton mill, it is everything a good tobacconists should be on the inside.

Viking Blonde...

No, what you might think (no dodgy stuff here!) - just another new snuff from My Smoking Shop in Preston.

Viking Blonde is a classic SP style snuff. In flavour it is close to Samuel Gawith's SP No. 1 High Mill. No real surprise there as I am sure Viking Blonde is produced by Samuel Gawith. The 25g vacuum sealed tin a a bit of a give away. The snuff is medium-fine, moist and nicely flavoured with bergamot. A good, solid every day snuff and well worth a try.

It is also fairly similar to the Traditional SP from Snuff Store, though that one is darker and somewhat subtler in flavour. I bought some more of that this week, along with some of their Golden Pinch and Cafe Noir. All excellent snuffs and the 10g tins they come in are a big improvement on the old "baggies". Their service is lightening fast as well.

The Viking Snuff

Just time for a quick mention of some new snuffs available only from, and presumably produced exclusively for My Smoking Shop in Preston. Five Viking snuffs are available so far - Brown, Dark, Menthol, Peach and Spear (spearmint flavoured). So far I have tried the first three and I have to say I am impressed with them.

Clearly somebody has been listening to what snuff takers have been saying about snuff packaging. These are sold in sensible 25g vacuum packed tins. No chance of them reaching the customer dried out and stale.  

Judging by the nature of these snuffs they are almost certainly made by Samuel Gawith and I certainly don't have a problem with that.

Viking Brown is a wonderful snuff, not a million miles removed from SG's Kendal Brown. In fact I am pretty sure they are the same and that is no bad thing. It's coarse, moist and dark and has a very satisfying orange/citrus flavouring. Prefect for hefty pinches all day long and a full five star rating from me.

Viking Dark has a finer grind than Viking Brown though the flavour is similar yet lighter. While I am pretty sure this is also made by Samuel Gawith (the design of the 25g tin is a bit of a give-away) I can't think of a direct correlation between this and any of the SG branded snuffs.  Plain snuffs don't get much better than this though to my nose Viking Brown has the edge.

In appearance Viking Menthol looks a lot like Viking Brown. It's coarse, moist and dark brown in colour, with the same flecks of lighter coloured stem material. The menthol has been applied with a light touch so in effect we're dealing with a KB with a refreshing after taste. I rather like it!


I am unlikely to try the Peach and I certainly won't be buying any of the Spear (can't stand spearmint!) but I am sure those two will prove popular with those snuffers who do like those flavours.