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Egg Shen

Lifer
Nov 26, 2021
1,073
3,569
Pennsylvania
Organic Tobacco for pipes. Does it exist? If not, would anyone want it? I’m thinking aromatics might not be an option due to the flavorings, but all of the pure styles could come in organic. I was watching How it’s Made on tobacco and I was surprised at how much fungicide and insecticide is used. I know they make organic cigarettes. I’d like to try some organic pipe tobacco or cigars. Any suggestions aside from growing my own?
 

btp79

Can't Leave
Jan 27, 2018
436
711
Sugar Land, TX

Egg Shen

Lifer
Nov 26, 2021
1,073
3,569
Pennsylvania
You could make 100% organic tobacco, even aromatics by using organic honeys, rums and other natural sweeteners. But, the price to have the word organic on the package would make it 4 times the price. Lol
You’re correct- I just found a discontinued brand that achieved the label but was an aromatic- they used vanilla, honey & prune. Yeah of course the price would be bad. But so is the price of all the organic food I buy. You just cut expenses in other areas if buying organic is important to you.
 

pantsBoots

Lifer
Jul 21, 2020
2,132
7,517
Terra Firma
Organic Tobacco for pipes. Does it exist? If not, would anyone want it? I’m thinking aromatics might not be an option due to the flavorings, but all of the pure styles could come in organic. I was watching How it’s Made on tobacco and I was surprised at how much fungicide and insecticide is used. I know they make organic cigarettes. I’d like to try some organic pipe tobacco or cigars. Any suggestions aside from growing my own?

If you ever want a scary rabbit hole, check out the source of raw phosphate they spread on the fields of Virginia tobacco - much has been found to be slightly radioactive and those little morsels are pernicious.

I know a bit more about cigar (black) tobacco growing methods than cigarette/pipe tobacco. Cigar tobacco, at least in the DR and Cuba, essentially could qualify as "organic" tobacco, primarily fertilized with decomposed animal manure, and de-pested by handpicking. The last thing a producer wants is some persistent chemical altering the flavor of their premium leaf. I do know they chembomb the hell out of Virginia leaf, and burley to a slightly lesser extent. I shudder to think what goes on in Africa or India, which don't have squat for environmental regulation.

Same goes for wine - organic wine is a bit of a hustle and excuse to charge more as most large, established growers cannot risk ending up with inferior product due to the products they use during the season. Unfortunately, a lot of the popular pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers do not attenuate readily, but live on in the plant matrix.

As mentioned above, the USDA has claimed dominion over the word "organic" and made it a high-priced brand. Unless you're doing very little business, you have to pay dearly and deal with a boatload of hypocritical red tape to obtain the right to use that word. This is why so many farmers' markets have side-stepped the powers that be by inventing their own terms, such as "eco-ganic," "certified naturally grown," and the like. Farmers are one short conversation or pamphlet away from winning over customers who want chemical-free produce, but don't know how corrupt the "organic" movement has become.
 

Laurent

Lifer
Dec 25, 2021
1,448
15,426
44
Michigan
You’re correct- I just found a discontinued brand that achieved the label but was an aromatic- they used vanilla, honey & prune. Yeah of course the price would be bad. But so is the price of all the organic food I buy. You just cut expenses in other areas if buying organic is important to you.
And you’re correct also sir, but some of the guys around here put nail polish on their lose tenons, which I’m sure is not organic lol.
 
Jan 30, 2020
1,850
6,086
New Jersey
An organic retail product? Considering all retail products have some combination of casings, preservatives and antifungals at least…..you’d have to maintain that chain of integrity in it all. Would it even be allowed to be processed on the same equipment as the rest of s companies portfolio? I’d think perhaps not to truly hold an organic label.

It wouldn’t turn me off but I wouldn’t pay for it either.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,675
29,392
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
But it has already been made in cigarette tobacco, so I assume it's possible to do it for the pipe.
cig smokers are many times more likely to be brand loyal. I've met more smokers that it's camels or reds or whatever and never buy anything but the one brand or style. With pipes that's way less common. That makes a difference. If they found that there are people serious enough about organic to only smoke that and every tin they buy is organic then it's got a chance.
 
Jun 9, 2018
4,012
12,927
England
Mcclelland produced a straight Virginia blend called Organically Grown flake.

From tobaccoreviews.com :

The Virginia in this organically grown tobacco is of the finest quality.

Notes: Pipestud had mentioned the problem McClelland had with this tobacco. My understanding is that they were NOT forced to stop production; they chose to. Mike had procured this wonderful organically grown Virginia leaf and planned to tin and sell it as "organic tobacco," which it is. The problem arose because McClelland had processed it using the same machinery as was used to process non-organic tobacco. This is a no-no. No organic product may contain any trace of non-organics. So, Mike sent this out as organically-GROWN, which it was, but was so disappointed and disgusted with the Federal nit-picking, he decided not to pursue the issue further.

download (2).jpeg
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,675
29,392
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
but was so disappointed and disgusted with the Federal nit-picking, he decided not to pursue the issue further.

View attachment 123002
yeah I hate when their nit picking actually allows the consumer to buy what they think they're buying. That said I do wish some of their rules where changed. For one you can't give animals antibiotics ever. Sometimes they need them and they certainly shouldn't allow for prophylactic use of antibiotics but the fact is if a cow gets really sick with infections and treated by the time it's slaughtered there could legit be zero antibiotics in the final product. But hey that's just one mans opinion.