All Natural Aromatics

[jeff540]

For me, PG laden tobaccos also give a waxy mouthfeel and can lead to sores on the inside of my lips and roof of my mouth.
Example: I loved the taste and aroma of Lane's HGL, but it tore my mouth open worse than any other tobacco tried to date. I had to throw away the few ounces I bought.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Lane Ltd, says that there is no PG in their tobaccos. Or, at least that is what their rep says.
I get bite from some burleys and that waxy taste.
I made an aromatic from just spraying rum on a few burleys that I mixed, and got that waxy taste and bite.

 

[mso489]

This is an expansive subject, like discussing what is "natural" and "organic" on food labels. And how well enforced are those claims? But it is worth asking and discussing.

 

[woodsroad]

Unless or until tobacco manufacturers are compelled by law to disclose ingredients, you will never know what is in your pipe tobacco. I have a list of additives and flavorings that was disclosed during the discovery process in the big tobacco lawsuit some years back. There are a lot of things in there that require a PhD in chemistry just to pronounce properly.

 

[warren]

Worth asking about? Sure. Discussing? I think not as we, the consumer, have no input. Well, other than choice of blends. I'm more driven by satisfaction than ingredients though. I want a decent taste and nicotine to accompany the carcinogens. Is that asking a lot?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You are fooling yourself into believing that the more natural the tobacco is, the better it is for you. Besides if you want less crap in your tobacco, drop the aromatic crap. We know that "something" is added to those. But, even if you went with D&R or GLP, it's still tobacco. Tobacco smoke naturally has ammonia and a list of harmful chemicals a mile long in it.
I can lie to you to make you feel better by suggesting a few, but it's a load of crap. If you want to be completely safe, stop smoking.
Me? I just accept my decisions and consign to accept the consequences as they come. If you can stand to lose, don't take the gamble.

 

[briarbuck]

Cosmic you're on a roll... lol

 

[ryeguy]

Cosmic beat me to it: a "chemical" taste can come from natural stuff too.
Also, as to the taste of PG, what jfred said. One reason I will never take up vaping is that PG is cloyingly sweet. You can't make a PG based-liquid that tastes like anything other than unicorn farts.

 

[buck17]

Dam!

 

[instymp]

I remember watching a documentary on Jolly Rancher candies, and they talked about how the beaver's ass glands were used to make their flavors. I never understood why, with a name like that, Jolly Ranchers weren't a meat-based candy.
Wouldn't Beaver ass glands be organic?

 

[tradition]

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic

 

[mso489]

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic -- I really enjoy this tobacco -- is burley based, with Virginia as a condiment, and three liqueurs for flavoring. How "natural" liqueurs are is disputable, and I guess it depends on which ones. Granger has molasses flavoring, which sounds pretty natural.

 

[nunnster]

As someone with an extensive background in chemistry and organic chemistry, as well as biology, I can assure you that natural doesn't mean better. Vannlin (the vanilla flavor molecule) sorced from the vanilla bean is exactly the same in chemical structure and make up as vannlin sourced from oak or synthesized from scratch in the lab. The major difference between flavors is the ratio of the different types of flavor molecules present, as flavor is an interplay between many different types of componens. For example, places that make cherry flavor like flavor west the only real difference (besides its base, alcohol, pg etc) between them chemically speaking is the minute difference in the ratios of the flavor compounds present. That's why one cherry can taste sublime and another tastes like a chemical soup. As to your question directly, I believe others have answered it sufficiently. But I just thought I would chime in with a little knowledge as it always bothers me when people get caught up on "natural" flavors because it doesnt mean what you think it does...aka beaver anal glands.... And that flavor profile ranges from raspberry to vanilla if anyone was wondering lol

 

[danimalia]

Hearth & Home Classic Burley Kake tastes wholesome and natural to me in the sense that you can taste the tobaccos and the toppings are pretty obviously normal tasting things like booze/cocoa.

 

[trubka2]

Unless or until tobacco manufacturers are compelled by law to disclose ingredients

They are, just not in the US. The German govt has a nifty database where you can look up the additives in your favorite German-manufactured blends. This link takes you, for example, to the contents of McConnell Scottish Flake (which I happen to be smoking at the moment). Yum, PG! And gum arabic too! The database is pretty intuitive even if you don't know German (I don't). Unfortunately for us, they're a little vague on flavorings. There's also an earlier list from 2004 that gives fuller disclosure. Just Google "Liste der Zusatzsstoffe in Tabakprodukten 2004: Pfeifentabak" for the full pdf. Here are some of the goodies contained, for example, in 50 g. of early-2000s Royal Yacht, just in case you were wondering:
WASSER 7732-18-5

1,2-PROPYLENGLYKOL 57-55-6

ETHANOL 64-17-5

KALIUMSORBAT 590-00-1

ETHYLACETAT 141-78-6

AROMA verschiedene
I don't understand the numbers, but if it's got trace amounts of ethanol, I'm in!
Personally, I could give a shit about what's "natural" or not when it comes to tobacco. They could list "mechanically-separated baby Koala bear" or "nuclear cyanide" in the ingredients list for, say, Telegraph Hill, and I'd still smoke it with pleasure. But it's super fun to dork out on the poisons added to our chosen poison after it's been fumigated and fertilized in the field with god knows what. That's what makes it yummy, right?

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Given how Gawith Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith have been producing many of the same blends for over 100 years I’d say if anything is going to count as “Natural” it would be the Lakeland blends.

 

[danimalia]

Thanks, Trubka. That's super helpful.
And I'm with you. I expect most tobacco has been assaulted with chemicals (not that chemicals are inherently bad or unsafe, obviously) before it even gets to a blender. Smoking tobacco is varying degrees of not good for you depending on your method. I am OK with the risks of pipe and cigar smoking, but no longer with cigarettes.

 

[mso489]

Smoke a little and post a lot seems to be my mantra. Moderation in some things, but not verbosity. I think that's called self-deprecatory humor.