Propylene Glycol - Virginia Tobaccos

[cosmicfolklore]

Carter Hall is my favorite PG flavored blend.

 

[Dublin Old Man]

So if you can dry the tobacco to a crisp, there isn't any/much PG in it.

My understanding is that if you dry tobacco to a crisp then the water is gone but the PG remains.

 

[bullet08]

Unless you live in Brazilian rain forest away from furthest reach from the civilization, probably, breathing the city air might be more harmful then swishing the PG applied pipe smoke on occasions.

 

[Winnipeger]

A lot of people think some blends have a "coconut" topping when it's actually just PG. It almost smells like sun tan lotion to me in some blends.

Don’t ask me why, but it reminds me of the taste of buckwheat.

 

[anotherbob]

It's used everywhere, to different degrees. You won't know whether what you buy has some PG content, unless it's substantial, and if you're looking for PG free flakes, you won't get a straight answer there either.

If you're really concerned about potential health issues, don't smoke.

or eat anything you didn't grow and prepare.

 

[sandollars]

and causes tongue bite.

This ^^^^ This right here is why I stay away from blends with noticeable amounts of PG.

 

[craig61a]

I wouldn't be concerned about it period.

But, but… what would there be to gripe about?

 

[Searock Fan]

It is easy to spot the ones that are saturated in PG, bu probably harder to figure out when it is used subtly...

Buying whole leaf, and growing your own are both fun options if you want to be sure.

I'm not doubting what you say about PG being easy to spot, but I for one don't have a clue how to do it. Would you explain?

Also, I don't keep up with the latest British tobacco legislation, but I seem to remember that it is, or was, illegal for them to put additives in their blends. Anyone know for sure?

 

[craig61a]

Don’t ask me why, but it reminds me of the taste of buckwheat.

O-Tay!!!

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

But, but… what would there be to gripe about?

That never seems to be a problem I think.

 

[PipeIT]

I’m curious, PG is typically found, mostly in cheaper Aro blends?

 

[PipeIT]

There was an article done on Pipesmagazine that Russ Ouellette mentions this about PG;
————————————

If tobacco is overly moist, PG is the cause– I often get complaints from people regarding excessively high moisture in tobaccos, especially with aromatics. With my own blends, I get the opposite complaint (being too dry) because I add no additional water or humectants, but when a blend is damp, pipe smokers love to point fingers at propylene glycol. I’m not a fan of PG, but it has its place, especially with mass-market tobaccos that may sit on a retailer’s shelf for a year or more. Additionally, there are times when PG isn’t the reason for goopy tobacco. Flavorings, water and other humectants (like sorbitol) are added to some tobaccos, and can, in turn, make the tobaccos too wet.

 

[craig61a]

That never seems to be a problem I think.

Yeah, Peterson Pipes, chamber coatings, C&D blends,the list goes on ad infinitum...

 

[PipeIT]

If crackling, sizzling, popping is a sign of PG, I had a lot of this in EGR. hmm

Maybe that’s why Jim can smoke a lot, he’s well preserved from PG smoking all that EGR LOL

 

[judcole]

I've read GL Pease saying the opposite. Component tobaccos shipped to high-end blenders can already be treated with PG. Then they may have more applied by the blender. Yes, the drugstore aromatics are known for overdoing the PG, but there's not much in the way of truly 100% untreated pipe tobaccos.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[jguss]

…it reminds me of the taste of buckwheat.

And smells like…victory.

 

[drastic_quench]

There was an article done on Pipesmagazine that Russ Ouellette mentions this about PG;
————————————

I’m not a fan of PG, but it has its place, especially with mass-market tobaccos that may sit on a retailer’s shelf for a year or more.

This part right here is one of my gripes with drugstore tobacco: they opted for loads of PG because they were too cheap to use affordable tins instead of dirt cheap plastic pouches.

 

[Briar Lee]

This part right here is one of my gripes with drugstore tobacco: they opted for loads of PG because they were too cheap to use affordable tins instead of dirt cheap plastic pouches.

I will say the old timers were loath to give up the pocket tin of tobacco.

But even fifty years ago when I started smoking only Prince Albert and Velvet still came in a pocket tin. Soon Velvet went over to a foil pouch, and then Prince Albert dropped the pocket tin but for several years had two different foil pouches. One of them read THIS POUCH REPLACES THE TIN or words to that effect.

For a brief time after that Half and Half tried pocket tins that looked like they were using the old machinery that Prince Albert quit using. It was a short lived experiment.

Our Advertiser, Country Gentleman, Bull Durham and Old Hillside used to come in cotton sacks. Old Hillside was the last to go.

Our Advertiser was sold for years after the sack was discontinued in a foil pouch.

I don’t know, but I suspect every bit of commercial tobacco I’ve smoked since 1972 was treated with PG to keep it moist and palatable.

My old sack of Old Hillside is over twenty years old, still moist and tasty.

I like the new plastic pouches, because they carry flatter in a suit coat pocket.

 

[agnosticpipe]

I'm not sure this is relevant to this conversation, but I've been using propylene glycol and distilled water for my cigar humidors for years. Keeps the correct humidity without the risk of mold, and I've never noticed it made a difference in the way they taste. I'm sure there are better ways by now, but you know, if it ain't broke don't fix it...

 

[mso489]

Some people can taste and smell PG. I can't, but I do have a small jar with 1-Q that I smoke every few years, and it remains moist on a permanent basis.