Soapy pipe tobacco?

[LeFlaneur]

No, I didn't store my pipe tobacco in an old Truefitt & Hill tin.

This is an issue that has been plaguing me for years and I can't get a straight answer from the tobacconist.

I only have this problem with bulk blends, not the more expensive tinned blends. After a few months I start to detect an unpleasant "soapy" taste.

Almost all of the bulk I buy is McClelland but this isn't the vinegar-scent that some people complain about. And it is not just a smell but a definite taste. It has occurred in everything from English blends, to straight VAs to semi-aromatics.

I'm wondering if this has something to do with more glycerin being used in bulk tobaccos. Or it could be a storage issue. I'm often bad and leave the bulk tobacco in the plastic bags it comes in.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[jwhite]

I've never really encountered that particular problem. Most times you hear people talking about soapy tobac it is in regard to some of the traditionally scented Lakeland offerings from SG or G&H. You said you often store them in their bags, you don't store them in a cupboard that once held any thing strongly scented. A cupboard that has once held mothballs, potpourri, scented candles, cleaning agents, or perfumes can strongly affect tobacco that is stored in bags.

 

[RichGem]

I wonder if you aren't smelling/tasting a humectant of some sort.

 

[mparker762]

When you say "after a couple of months" do you mean you buy a big bag and after a couple of months the stuff in the bag starts tasting soapy? Or do you buy it in small amounts every few weeks but after a few months of smoking it you start to detect a soapy taste?

If it's the first case, then I suspect storage is a problem. If it's the second then I've got no idea. I've never heard of anybody being able to smell or taste humectants, generally that soapy taste is a flavoring (especially Samual Gawith or Gawith & Hogarth) and you can sometimes pick up a soapy note in Latakia blends. But it seems more likely that you've picked up a yeast or bacteria or mold that produces that flavor once it's had a chance to get propagated from your other bags of tobacco, or the air, or the cabinet or wherever it's coming from. Tins would have better seals so it will be harder for them to get infected, and it's possible your tins are consumed more quickly meaning they'd have less time for the infection to develop to the point where you can taste it.

One thing you might want to try is to put up your bulks in 1/2 pint, pint and quart mason jars (a pint jar will hold ~4oz of ribbon-cut tobacco) and screw the lids down very tight. Make sure you do this away from your tobacco pantry to minimize the chance of your jars getting infected. If it's really some sort of infection that's causing your problems then this should solve the problem, albeit at some cost in convenience. Also after consuming a jar make sure to run it through the dishwasher before reusing it, in order to ensure you aren't putting your fresh new tobacco in a pre-infected jar, and also use a brand-new lid - don't try to wash it and reuse it because you want a fresh rubber seal.

 

[LeFlaneur]

Thanks for the replies.

What I mean is I buy a bag and it sits around for months in the orginal bag. Even typing that I'm aware of how it sounds. I think I need to be better with storage. Next shipment I'll immediatley try transferring from bag to sanitized jar to see if that doesn't help.

I don't smoke every day and I am still trying different mixtures (but narrowing it down). But since this same off-taste regardless of mix -- latakia, Va, oriental -- and since it's really a bad taste, not a clean floral note or anything, I don't think this is an intended flavor emerging from the tobacco over time.

 

[ouch]

If you don't think tobacco can taste like soap, here's a review I wrote almost six years ago.

http://tobaccoreviews.com/blend_detail.cfm?ALPHA=C&TID=1100