WTF IS In My Tobacco?

woodsroad · May 4, 2014

Not just tobacco.
I've been doing a bit of research on pipe tobacco composition. Thanks to the good folks in the Danish Government, there is some good data on the blends produced there. Without exception, all of the tobaccos produced in DK have humectants and sweeteners added. But that is just the start. Peruse the following links for some more eye-opening information:
Composit List of Ingredients Added, Swedish Match 2005
Pipe Tobacco Composition: STG 2010
Pipe Tobacco Composition: Imperial Tobacco 2008
Pipe Tobacco Composition: Mac Baren
.

mso489 · May 4, 2014

Impressive that the Danish government can shake loose that information. Many things are possible in Europe

that you will never see elsewhere.

woodsroad · May 4, 2014

Of course, the ingredients that are of most interest, the specific flavorings, are not listed for the individual blends. However, it is interesting to note that even Holy Grail blends like Orlik Golden Sliced. contain a few unexpected extras like Propylene Glycol (2.2%); Glycerol (1.6%); Gum Arabic (2%).
Click Here for Orlik

edgreen · May 4, 2014

I'm following my hot dogs with a nice smoke. I shouldn't worry,...right?

woodsroad · May 4, 2014

I can assure you that there IS PG in those hot dogs!

Probably not much tobacco, though.

kalvort · May 4, 2014

I noticed alot of ethanol / ethyl alcohol in these blends! Just a bit worried as I shouldn't be having any (due to religious reasons). Can anyone explain it's use? I know its mostly as a solvent to deliver the top flavors, and I have been told it evaporates during packaging, but would be nice to be sure!

phil67 · May 4, 2014

Maybe that explains why THIS guy smokes animal dung.

woodsroad · May 4, 2014

Can anyone explain it's use?

Maybe Russ can chime in here.
My guess is that it is a kind of flavor homogenizer. It extracts flavor components from the tobacco and redistributes them throughout the batch. Since tobacco blends usually go through a redrying process, my guess is that the alcohol is evaporated off. I'm also sure that the manufacturers are not insensitive to customers issues with alcohol. But it remains a good, albeit unanswered question.

papipeguy · May 4, 2014

You can thank the ISO requirements for this stuff.

ithelouniverse · May 4, 2014

Woodsroad hit the nail on the head. I use it when breaking down essential oils for my homemade aftershaves... Makes your orange lime smell like your patchouli and your patchouli smell like you orange lime...
Pretty sure it would work for marrying favors as well as scents

woodsroad · May 4, 2014

You are welcome!

If anyone comes across anything interesting, please post a link.

condorlover1 · May 4, 2014

They add all sorts of crud to tobacco these days. I have always thought that some of things they add to aromatics cannot be altogether good for one. I suppose tobacco has become a little like the US food industry with all preservatives they put in things these days. Ghosh I am so worried I am going to have a bowl full to take my mind off things and crash due to jet lag!

woodsroad · May 4, 2014

But are you offended?

condorlover1 · May 4, 2014

About the crud added to tobacco? Not really as I am a very one dimensional smoker as you well know chum! I have often wondered what they did with the stuff back in the 1860s until the advent of tins. I assume you purchased your length of pig tail and rehydrated in your own way. I know that glycerine was used as somewhere on here I told you about the ancient flake blocks from the 1920s that came back to life once sprayed with water and glycerine. Adding the other stuff concerns me if I smoked the stuff as some of the flavoring agents might not be the best things out there to smoke. Sort of makes you wonder about Condor! BTW loved the pictures of your cellar.

woodsroad · May 4, 2014

I posted this not to horrify or alarm, but more as a bit of insight for those of us who blend. I'm amazed at all of the blends that have cocoa and licorice, not to mention prune juice and rum!

yaddy306 · May 4, 2014

I noticed alot of ethanol / ethyl alcohol in these blends! Just a bit worried as I shouldn't be having any (due to religious reasons).

Are you allowed ripe fruit, or do you have to eat it before it ripens?

shaintiques · May 5, 2014

These look more like experiment lists too me. Casing experiments? At least for the MacBaren one. Perhaps I'm wrong though.

dottiewarden · May 5, 2014

I noticed alot of ethanol / ethyl alcohol in these blends! Just a bit worried as I shouldn't be having any (due to religious reasons).
Are you allowed ripe fruit, or do you have to eat it before it ripens?

I fully respect anyone's religious convictions, but I would be surprised if smoking a product that had been treated with alcohol was some type of violation. Many religions prohibit alcohol consumption, but to use it to clean a wound couldn't be compared to drinking it.
I believe that the purpose for prohibiting alcohol consumtion by any given religion would be out of concern for a person not being in right mind, therefore it would be a stretch or even fanaticism to believe any contact with alcohol was somehow wrong. Alcohol is used as a solvent for cleaning, fuel for vehicles, etc., and I can't see how driving a car with alcohol in the tank could possibly infringe on a religious belief.
If you read your scriptures deeply enough I think you'll find that alcohol is prohibited for specific reasons, mainly drinking.
However, if you feel better just avoiding alcohol altogether, try pure and natural untreated tobacco leaf, its widely available.
All due respects kalvort!

latbomber · May 5, 2014

I would LOVE to see the captain black ingredient list haha.
In Cuba I've seen the entire production chain for making cigars. Not a single additive or mechanical device ever even touches the tobacco. Even the boxes are hand nailed together and finished with vegetable glue. I would love to see a blend produced with that level of transparency.

woodsroad · May 5, 2014

@Shain, the long lists are ingredients used by a manufacturer across their entire line. The majority of the chemicals are flavorings. Not an experiment.
@Latbomber, you're a fortunate man to have watched cigar production in Cuba! What plant was this? Cigars ARE a different item altogether, but rest assured that the plants were sprayed with pesticides and fungicides. Most likely they use chemicals that are not allowed to be applied in the US or EU.
If you are looking for additive- free blends, there are a few possibilities for you. The best route is to grow and blend your own. Next would be to blend your own, and use organic tobacco. Presently, there are two varieties of organic Virginia available in whole leaf form. Or, you can blend your own from base tobaccos, which are widely available. Keep in mind that there are US brands that don't use a lot of crap in their non-aro blends. H&H and C&D come to mind. They don't list their ingredients, but I'm fairly certain that their non-aros are humectant and crap-free. Remember that pipe tobacco is a manufactured product, and is susceptible to a multitude of possible problems like mold (can happen at any point from the plant stage to the tin), and crumbling (if it gets too dry). Keeping tobacco at the right moisture level for processing isn't always a simple task. These are realities that manufacturers have to deal with.

WTF IS In My Tobacco?

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