The Marschall Schnecke is a twist tobacco made by German company Grimm & Triepel - coiled up in to a "snail" or "schnecke" - I got this unusual tobacco from Mr. Snuff in vacuum sealed packets of five snails (50g of tobacco per snail). These coils are a very dark brown - almost black colour and when opened the tobacco is moist enough to be pliable.
a picture of the "snail"Smell:
The main smell reminds me of chocolate and leather ... it's very reminiscent of Ettan snus (especially the smell of the portions). There is also a background aroma that I just can't quite put my finger on ... it smells a little "gamey" - if that's not a ridiculous thing to say about tobacco - occasionally this background smell reminds me of proper fermented pickles too. It's quite clear (thank God) from the smell - that this tobacco is NOT FIRE CURED like the Samuel Gawith and Gawith & Hoggarth plug twists ... although I suspect it is fermented.
So what is it like as a snus replacement? Well ... you need to cut a bite off the coil which is easy with a knife or sharp scissors. The width of the coil is perfect at about 1cm (3/8") to make a bite about the same size as a portion. It is soft enough to mould in to shape and pop under the upper lip.
Taste:
The taste is instant and my goodness it's bold! - although if you want the nicotine to come out quickly you need to give it a light chew with the molars to start with. The taste is like the smell - but even more like bitter chocolate - in fact to my senses it tastes almost exactly like a prilla of Ettan Los, just a much stronger flavour with less salt. The background notes of leather and that slight gameyness are also there - but the taste on the tongue is more bitter than any snus I've had - like chocolate with no sugar in it. The blurb from Grimm & Triepel says that the nicotine content is "strong" but if a comparison is possible - I'd rate it as somewhere between a regular strength snus & a stark.
So that's my impression of the taste of the tobacco on it's own. But the directive from the G&T website suggests that one should add a flavouring (they suggest a spirit like rum or brandy) ... I can see that working - but there's also no reason you couldn't just make up any sauce you fancy and soak a snail in it.
Conclusion:
This is strongly flavoured, intensely dark tobacco. I suspect it's fermented, but can't be certain. The flavour is definitely adult ... no added sweetness here! Despite the lack of any added flavour - I'd say this product might be too strong in taste for some people ... but the taste is pure Ettan ... just more so!!! It's easy to use as a snus replacement and the nicotine released is OK but not very hard hitting.
I just wish I knew how the TSNA count is compared with snus ... I suspect it's higher but don't know for sure.
a picture of the "snail"
The main smell reminds me of chocolate and leather ... it's very reminiscent of Ettan snus (especially the smell of the portions). There is also a background aroma that I just can't quite put my finger on ... it smells a little "gamey" - if that's not a ridiculous thing to say about tobacco - occasionally this background smell reminds me of proper fermented pickles too. It's quite clear (thank God) from the smell - that this tobacco is NOT FIRE CURED like the Samuel Gawith and Gawith & Hoggarth plug twists ... although I suspect it is fermented.
So what is it like as a snus replacement? Well ... you need to cut a bite off the coil which is easy with a knife or sharp scissors. The width of the coil is perfect at about 1cm (3/8") to make a bite about the same size as a portion. It is soft enough to mould in to shape and pop under the upper lip.
Taste:
The taste is instant and my goodness it's bold! - although if you want the nicotine to come out quickly you need to give it a light chew with the molars to start with. The taste is like the smell - but even more like bitter chocolate - in fact to my senses it tastes almost exactly like a prilla of Ettan Los, just a much stronger flavour with less salt. The background notes of leather and that slight gameyness are also there - but the taste on the tongue is more bitter than any snus I've had - like chocolate with no sugar in it. The blurb from Grimm & Triepel says that the nicotine content is "strong" but if a comparison is possible - I'd rate it as somewhere between a regular strength snus & a stark.
So that's my impression of the taste of the tobacco on it's own. But the directive from the G&T website suggests that one should add a flavouring (they suggest a spirit like rum or brandy) ... I can see that working - but there's also no reason you couldn't just make up any sauce you fancy and soak a snail in it.
Conclusion:
This is strongly flavoured, intensely dark tobacco. I suspect it's fermented, but can't be certain. The flavour is definitely adult ... no added sweetness here! Despite the lack of any added flavour - I'd say this product might be too strong in taste for some people ... but the taste is pure Ettan ... just more so!!! It's easy to use as a snus replacement and the nicotine released is OK but not very hard hitting.
I just wish I knew how the TSNA count is compared with snus ... I suspect it's higher but don't know for sure.
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