monbla256
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Was reading thru Pipes Magizine and in Greg Peases May 2012 tonight and found this interesting item about "additives" or "casings" if you will in his blends and others. Guess Yak was right, every one adds something !!
"From Chrono: Hi, Greg. I was recently at a pipe club meeting that included a couple "industry" people. We were discussing the moisture content of tinned blends, and how Propylene Glycol can be unpleasant in tins from companies that use it. I stated how nice it was that you and C&D only use distilled water, and I was told that can’t be true, and the blends made by C&D definitely have PG (even though your website and theirs state only distilled water is used). I didn’t argue, but essentially I was told everyone uses PG and/or vinegar in their blends today, otherwise they’d have a mold problem. Can you address this? Do your blends or C&Ds have anything other that water? Is a separate mold inhibitor used? And what other companies, if any, do you know of that don’t use PG? It would be really nice to know what’s in our tins besides tobacco. Thanks!
A: It’s amazing how many things people "know" without having any actual inside knowledge at all. I can’t speak for other manufacturers, and wouldn’t feel right about discussing their methods even if I knew. I can tell you that I do not use PG in my blends, as there is simply no reason for me to do so. If I produced aromatics, or bulk tobaccos that might dry out too quickly if improperly stored, I might find a reason to change that, but in my current range, there’s no need for this or similar humectants, so I don’t use them.
On the other hand, PG has a far worse reputation than it deserves. Yes, it can be over used, and a lot of the goopy blends on the market probably have a fairly high percentage of the stuff, but used carefully, subtly, and only in the minimum amounts necessary to do its’ job, it’s hardly the liquid devil that some think it to be.
As regards mould inhibition, vinegar is often discussed, but the fact is, it simply does not work. I did a lot of experiments addressing these issues years ago, and it was fascinating to watch huge cultures of fungus grow on every tobacco sample treated with different concentrations of vinegar solutions. On the other hand, the industry standard, food grade inhibitors (fungistatics) that are used routinely in not only the tobacco industry, but in baked goods, cheese and so on, were very effective at checking outbreaks, even at very low concentrations. For several years, we’ve used this product at the lowest effective levels to minimize the risk, without imparting impurities to the taste or aroma of the tobacco, or effecting burning or aging characteristics. Nobody wants to find fuzzy, stinky tobacco in that tin they’ve been cellaring for years, so it’s a good tradeoff."
Guess there is really NO st. Va or otherwise !!
"From Chrono: Hi, Greg. I was recently at a pipe club meeting that included a couple "industry" people. We were discussing the moisture content of tinned blends, and how Propylene Glycol can be unpleasant in tins from companies that use it. I stated how nice it was that you and C&D only use distilled water, and I was told that can’t be true, and the blends made by C&D definitely have PG (even though your website and theirs state only distilled water is used). I didn’t argue, but essentially I was told everyone uses PG and/or vinegar in their blends today, otherwise they’d have a mold problem. Can you address this? Do your blends or C&Ds have anything other that water? Is a separate mold inhibitor used? And what other companies, if any, do you know of that don’t use PG? It would be really nice to know what’s in our tins besides tobacco. Thanks!
A: It’s amazing how many things people "know" without having any actual inside knowledge at all. I can’t speak for other manufacturers, and wouldn’t feel right about discussing their methods even if I knew. I can tell you that I do not use PG in my blends, as there is simply no reason for me to do so. If I produced aromatics, or bulk tobaccos that might dry out too quickly if improperly stored, I might find a reason to change that, but in my current range, there’s no need for this or similar humectants, so I don’t use them.
On the other hand, PG has a far worse reputation than it deserves. Yes, it can be over used, and a lot of the goopy blends on the market probably have a fairly high percentage of the stuff, but used carefully, subtly, and only in the minimum amounts necessary to do its’ job, it’s hardly the liquid devil that some think it to be.
As regards mould inhibition, vinegar is often discussed, but the fact is, it simply does not work. I did a lot of experiments addressing these issues years ago, and it was fascinating to watch huge cultures of fungus grow on every tobacco sample treated with different concentrations of vinegar solutions. On the other hand, the industry standard, food grade inhibitors (fungistatics) that are used routinely in not only the tobacco industry, but in baked goods, cheese and so on, were very effective at checking outbreaks, even at very low concentrations. For several years, we’ve used this product at the lowest effective levels to minimize the risk, without imparting impurities to the taste or aroma of the tobacco, or effecting burning or aging characteristics. Nobody wants to find fuzzy, stinky tobacco in that tin they’ve been cellaring for years, so it’s a good tradeoff."
Guess there is really NO st. Va or otherwise !!
