"Crystals" or mold on Irish Flake?

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gilgawulf

gilgawulf

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I've sometimes heard of flake tobaccos (and the sugars therein?) developing "crystals" when left in the tin for a long long time. I have a tin of Irish Flake that I opened once a good year ago and then closed (tightly) and left closed until a couple weeks ago. The tobacco now has... well, it doesn't look *exactly* like mold (or maybe I just don't want to think it's mold), but it does have... something on it. It's mostly concentrated on the lighter colored parts of the flake. The stuff smells *great*, and it tastes even better, but I don't like the idea of smoking mold.
Is this mold, or these crystals I've heard people talking about? And if it is those crystals, what are they?
 
Sounds like sugar to me. Mold is usually spotty amd has a bluish, grey color to it.
 
tiltjlp":xkmo5pmh said:
Sounds like sugar to me. Mold is usually spotty amd has a bluish, grey color to it.
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You should also put the baccy in good light then tilt it back and forth. If it sparkles, it's sugar crystals. I've never seen mold grow on pipe tobacco which was kept in the tin. Maybe I'm lucky, but it sounds like your baccy is fine.

Posting a picture might be helpful. :)
 
tiltjlp":ts7yx672 said:
Sounds like sugar to me. Mold is usually spotty and has a bluish, grey color to it.
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This post is spot on!!! The mold can also be white and can be thready.
 
Mold will look fuzzy under a magnifying glass. On tobacco it will be blue, green, or white, and will look more crystalline. I recently got a new tin of tobacco that had blue mold on it when I opened it. It was very wet.
 
There is no mistaking mold. You will know it if you ever see it. Think bread mold gone crazy. It can fill a jar. That slight, little white dust, is a good sign. I do not know if it is sugars or salts, but it's always been good for me.
 
Thank you so much, guys! Having read your comments and looked at the picture of flake with sugar crystals on it I am safely assured that what I'm seeing on my Irish Flake is a good sign. Now I'm going to go enjoy a pipeful (or five) of sugar crystally Irish Flake. :)
 
Enjoy it--to some, those sugary crystals are like gold deposits on 'bacca. :)
 
Natch":vtb2d3rr said:
gandalfpc":vtb2d3rr said:
White and well distributed are sugars, clumpy furry and non white are molds

See image of sugars on flakes here... (picture incorrectly named mold - it is sugar crystals for sure...)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kXe-lCMR6Ug/Tuj1DZz-ZpI/AAAAAAAAASU/d8msHcGNuV4/s1600/fvf+%2527mold%2527.jpg
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I've got a jar of aged Sam's Flake that look exactly like that!

Natch
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And I've some SG Navy Flake just like that too. Kind of a bluish tinge. Thought for sure it was mold and was ready to send back, until I got out the magnifying glass and took a good close look.

Nothing furry at all upon close examination. Had it about a year and it smokes fantastic.


Cheers,

RR
 
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