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What is added to tobacco to keep it moist and cool smoking?

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thomnas

Might Stick Around
Jul 10, 2015
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0
What additive is applied to tobacco to keep it moist and cool smoking? What's it called and where do you suggest i get some? When should it be applied to tobacco; before pressing?
Thanks!

 
cortezattic

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
Preservatives known as humectants, which include various kinds of gels and sugars, also honey, keep food moist by binding to water and locking it into the rest of the ingredients. Propanediol is a natural solvent and humectant that can be used to replace petroleum-based propylene glycol or glycerin in a variety of food and beverage products.
Moisture carries heat from the tobacco to your tongue very efficiently, so drier tobacco usually smokes cooler.
From an "Ask GL Pease" article of about a year ago:
Arno writes: A fellow pipe smoker I know owns a tin of Germain’s Special Latakia flake which he has open for 2 years now. And still the tobacco inside has not dried out and is perfectly smokeable. I also experienced this with McClelland’s Blackwoods Flake. I think this is because of propylene glycol that is used to keep the tobacco moist. But does this stuff diminishes the quality of the used leaves and can it be hazardous to health in this quantities?
A: First things first. PG is not the only humectant used by tobacco producers. The addition of sugars, often in the form of molasses, honey, or invert syrups, as well as glycerin, can also keep a tobacco from drying quickly. If you’re not in an arid climate, cased tobaccos can hold on to their moisture with the tenacity of a terrier. In fact, I’ve often heard from smokers in humid climes that they have the opposite problem, finding it nearly impossible to dry their tobaccos sufficiently to smoke optimally.
I once researched the relationship of relative humidity to tobacco moisture content, and found that at 55-65% RH, many tobaccos will equilibrate very close to the 12-13% moisture content that we like for smoking. Not too bad. If the tins are kept tightly sealed, and the RH of your environment is within that range, the tobacco won’t dry very quickly, or very much. So, there very well could be other reasons besides PG that are responsible for the apparent immortality of these tobaccos.
Where PG is most often used is in aromatic tobaccos, as it makes an excellent carrier for flavoring and aroma components. Whether or not it diminishes the quality of the leaf is subject to much discussion. Personally, I don’t particularly like the taste of the stuff, or the way it affects burning characteristics, so I don’t use it. As to any potential health risks, I can’t really say. It’s generally regarded as safe for use in foods, but I haven’t found data that discuss its safety when burned, but the amounts used in all but the goopiest tobaccos are probably not high enough to worry about.
Click to expand...

 
T

thomnas

Might Stick Around
Jul 10, 2015
66
0
How is something like a humectant applied? Can it be mixed with regular water an sprayed onto tobacco or?

 
J

jitterbugdude

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 25, 2014
993
8
I use PG when I make dip. Just take about 1 T of PG, add a few ounces of water and mix. I apply with a spray bottle.
From what are you making your pressed tobacco? If you are using whole leaf there is no need to add a humectant. Even with commercial tobacco you do not need to add anything. Spritz your tobacco with some water before pressing.

Keep notes, there is a learning curve. The tobacco I press and/or blend is usually about a 12-16% moisture level.
If you do not have a moisture meter you can try the following. You want your tobacco to be about medium case. It would be better to err on having it too dry as opposed to too wet. To determine the proper case take a handful of tobacco and squeeze. If shredded tobacco it should remain in a ball and then unfold within a few seconds. If it stays balled up for more than about 5 seconds the tobacco is too moist. If using whole leaf, do the same thing.
Also, start out a little light on the pressure you use. Most people start out and put as much pressure as they possibly can. What they end up with is a brick of tobacco that can't even be cut with a diamond tipped blade.. :)
Like I said... there's a learning curve!

 
T

thomnas

Might Stick Around
Jul 10, 2015
66
0
I'm spraying it onto shredded tobacco and then pressig it. I have mixed glycerin usp with some distilled water and sprayed it onto my baccy until slightly moist. It's in the press now. the solution was slightly sweet as i have read glycerin is.
What do you think about glycerin as opposed to pg?

 
T

thomnas

Might Stick Around
Jul 10, 2015
66
0
Out of the press, I am going to let it air dry for a bit to get it to the right moisture level before jarring it. I want to avoid steam burns on my tongue.

 
J

jitterbugdude

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 25, 2014
993
8
You know what.. I must have had a brain fart when I posted this morning. I have PG ( a big gallon container) but I've never used it. I use Vegetable Glycerine. Sorry for the confusion. For making a pressed block I really don't think you need any humectants. Experimentation is the the though. You may find you like them.

 
T

thomnas

Might Stick Around
Jul 10, 2015
66
0
my logic is that the flavours will meld more loosely if the baccy is more moist. i also shredded it before spraying to scatter the various flavours.

 
disinformatique

disinformatique

Lifer
Jun 10, 2014
1,763
42
44
Bangalore, India and St. Petersburg Florida
Distilled water with some vinegar would suffice. When you press tobacco their oil and other juices come out of the leaves and mix together providing enough moisture for them to blend. Adding glycerin of any kind if its not an aro is a big no no for me. You can just use molasses or maple mixed in lots of distilled water. Here is a video of how Greg Pease's Union Square is made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzb-Evz3Ju0

 
lucky695

lucky695

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 2, 2013
795
143
I must have had a brain fart when I posted this morning. I have PG ( a big gallon container) but I've never used it. I use Vegetable Glycerine. Sorry for the confusion
Click to expand...
I was going to say...PG is what makes anti-freeze

 
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