How do you know what pipe tobacco has additives?

[co11apse]

Hey everyone,
I am brand new to smoking pipes. I chose pipes considering they are much healthier than cigarettes. But I'm curious as how to know which pipe tobacco has additives. If its flavored does it mean it has additives? I have bought my tobacco from my local tobacco shop.
Also, does anyone smoke cigars in addition to their pipe? I want to try a cigar.
Thanks!

 

[tanless1]

CAO Gold is a nice first cigar.won't over power you, and you can decide from that point how you wish to persue. I do still enjoy cigars as I find it difficult to keep a pipe lit on the golf course.

 

[puffintuff]

Good question. I'm thinking they all have additives. Anybody want to chime in ?

 

[igloo]

Padron is the cigar I keep coming back too . Casano makes a very good cigar bundle as well and fairly cheap .

 

[caliguy]

While my first love is the pipe, I do enjoy cigars as well. I find the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real to be a good smoke. Not too strong and not too mild, at least in my humble opinion. A very solid cigar, always. I keep several in my humidor most of the time. You might also try the Brickhouse brand. A good medium bodied cigar at a very reasonable price.

 

[papipeguy]

I smoke about 4-5 cigars a day. My go to brand is Camacho. I like a full bodied smoke. Much like pipe tobacco there is something out there for everybody.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Additives come in many forms, perhaps Greg will chime in with more definative answers. I think of two types of additives, one for flavor in the case of aromatics and another for preservation (shelf life). Most bulks have some preservative in them. With the winter, I've been smoking out in the garage and one of my favorite tobaccos has remained moist despite the fact that the bag has opened itself on multiple occasions over the past 2 months. Tobacco without preservatives would have turned to saw dust after 2 months out there. Most England originated blends don't have preservatives in them that I know, and English tobaccos no matter their origin as a whole generally have less preservatives in them, At least that is my experience. Aromatics always have additives in the flavoring sense, whether they are naturally flavored or artifically.
Cornell and Diehlis a blender who doesn't use preservatives to my knowledge. I don't think McClelland does either.

 

[admin]

I think, generally speaking, that most mass-market brands like you would find in Walmart, CVS, or other similar retailers, have additives.
Captain Black, Sir Walter Raleigh, Half & Half, Middletons, Paladin and others.
This is my speculation and not first hand knowledge.
I know that Cornell & Diehl, which also makes G. L. Pease, Two Friends, and Captain Earl do not use any additives that are not 100% natural.
I have been in the factories of C&D, Mac Baren, and Orlik, which probably covers 75-80% of all tinned pipe tobaccos on the market, and they do not use any unnatural additives. They use things like sugar & water, licorice, honey, vanilla, fruit - all things that you would possibly eat.
I imagine that McClelland is probably the same. They do not allow factory tours, not even for the media. (I asked and was declined.)

 

[hobie1dog]

But alot of the 499 chemicals in cigarettes have some really nasty stuff in them like benzene, acetone, formaldehyde, Hydrogen Cyanide, that are in the chemicals they spray on the tobacco out in the field for pesticides, from what I've been able to scrouge up.
Anyone know more about that end of it?

 

[co11apse]

Thanks for the responses everyone! Cornell & Diehl sound good to me if they dont have unnatural additives! I have a pack of Super Value, and it says all natural tobacco, but I dont know if that included the vanilla flavoring.

 

[python]

Do not confuse additives with chemical additives.
Here is the definition of Additive:

something that is added, as one substance to another, to alter or improve the general quality or to counteract undesirable properties.

Almost all tobacco will have additives. Anything that is put onto it is an additive, even if they are all natural. This includes sugar. So sugar, flavorings, preservatives, etc. are all additives.
Chemical additives are a whole different thing. They are mostly used in mass produced cigarettes.
There are some safe chemical additives such as propylene glycol more commonly known as PG. It is non-toxic and used as a preservative. It is also used in food and is safe. The definition of it is:

A colorless, viscous liquid used in antifreeze solutions, in hydraulic fluids, and as a solvent. Unlike ethylene glycol, it is not toxic and is also used in foods, cosmetics, and oral hygiene products. Chemical formula: C 3 H 8 O 2 .

Most pipe tobacco manufacturers do not use chemical additives, with the exception of PG, even though they use additives such as flavorings, sugar, etc.
So don't get confused with all of the anti-tobacco propaganda that all additives are bad. Most chemicals are bad, but not all additives are.

 

[co11apse]

Thanks Bob, that's a very clear and informative answer!

 

[photoman13]

Someone mentioned there being preservatives in most bulk blends. What about blends they tin like Dan Tobacco Blue note and also sell in bulk. Do they put preservative in the bulk, but not the tins? Does this affect taste with the bulk?

 

[admin]

@cleanbaccy

PS Cornell and Diehl tobacco use MicroBan which its contents are unknown!

Yes, I imagine there is a lot you do not know about pipe tobacco production.
Your conspiracy theory, melodramatic rhetoric shows it.
Cornell & Diehl does not hide the fact that they use Microban. If you take time to watch the C&D Video Tour, you will see that Chris Tarler openly states it in the first minute or so of the video.
There is no reason to have this be a secret since there is nothing wrong with it. You probably consume it in several other products, unless you don't eat cheese and baked goods.
Here are some other products Microban is used in to prevent bacteria -
Air filtration

Appliances

Bathroom fixtures

Bathroom products

Cleaning products

Flooring

Food storage

Hvac

Kitchen fixtures

Kitchen products

Luggage

Office & school products

Paint

Personal care

Pet products

Pool & spa

Sealants & grouts

Sporting equipment

Towels

Vacuum cleaners

Water filter/storage

 

[blendtobac]

Kevin, you don't think that cleanbaccy has an agenda, do you?

 

[captainbob]

Good answers have been given here. About all I can add is that the anti-fungal agent used by C&D is necessary especially in Flake tobacco due to the high moisture required to press and slice. Other than that, C&D uses distilled water and food-grade flavorings.

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[admin]

Thanks for paying attention Russ, and Captain Bob.

 

[cigrmaster]

Kevin, you should just ban his sorry ass. I hate anti smoking nazi's.

 

[photoman13]

anyone have an answer to my question?

 

[mluyckx]

Photoman: All kidding (and banning anti-smoking dudes) aside...
Some tobacco's have some anti-fungal in minimal quantities. Some will have Propylene Glycol to preserve moisture. It is more dependent on the blend and blender than it is on whether it's tinned or bulk.
I think Sutliff Reserve tobacco's, which come in a tin, may have some PG added. Some bulks, such a Kendal's Kentucky, does not.
Some of the articles Kevin referred to in this and the other post may help. Personally, as long as it's not a goopy mess (which doesn't mean PG but could be just too much casing or topping), I really don't worry about it too much. As a 35+ year nail smoker, I'm convinced pipe tobacco contains less crap than cigarettes do.
EDIT: And I found this quote out there on Dan Tobacco, but a different blend

The cut is very fine ribbons which makes for easy loading and minimal relights. No propylene glycol, no goop. The taste is simply Virginia tobacco and vanilla, no more nor less.