Mold? Thoughts?

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joshoowah

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I noticed a tin of Penzance had lost its seal. I opened it to find this white, powder colored substance "sprinkled" throughout. It smelled like tobacco should smell and was not overly pungent, like mold often is. It also was not fuzzy or hairy, at least from what I could tell. I know this has been an issue with Esoterica blends in the past, but I wanted your thoughts before I tossed it. It does sparkle somewhat when an LED light is shined over it, but the white color does not look like the sugar crystals I am accustomed to seeing on aged tobacco.

As said, it smells like tobacco should and looks alright, other than the powder white substance.

Thoughts?

Pictures are below.

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Not mold. Bloom/Plume (whatever), aka "crazy delicious"

I'd be more concerned about the lost seal.
 
I can't really tell, but I had a problem with a tin of tobacco I was given. Noticed white patches at the bottom and over several weeks it ended up spreading and giving the tobacco a really fruity scent. From what I could tell it wasn't a mold that produced any toxic secondary metabolites so I went through a process of killing the spores/colony. Did change the tobacco flavor (though I've only had one bowl since then) but it did stop the mold.

What I'm getting at is that if it is a mold, you'll be able to tell pretty quickly in the coming weeks, not just visually but through smell too. Tin I had was a pure virginia blend and it got to smelling more and more like ripe fruit the further the mold spread. The color stayed white throughout before I killed it off. A note; if it does end up changing colors then you can be sure you have mold, and I'd suggest discretion in consumption if you don't toss it (since the color change opens the possibility of it being a mold that does produce some pretty nasty secondary metabolites).

I know some people toss the stuff at any sign of mold but I wonder about the effects, if any, it has after killing it off and then letting the combustion of smoking do the rest. I don't have any experience with plume but the tobacco I had was a flake also and it had a similar appearance as your pictures.

Hope that's helpful.
 
Looks like bloom/plume to me.

If you have further doubts, get a magnifying glass and look at it under a strong light. Mold will exhibit "stalks" of fuzzy looking material.

I've had this on several blends, Esoterica Stonehaven and SG FVF to be precise, and it always came down to bloom of the sugar crystals. You'll notice mold in the aroma anyway upon lighting up.

HTH


Cheers,

RR
 
I've had mold in a jar of Presbyterian and I could smell it even before I saw anything. The moment I opened the jar, it smelled nothing like tobacco, it was musty and I immediately knew there was a problem.  Had to dump 1kg of tobacco  :evil:

Therefore I don't think what you've got there is mold. But, if you don't like it, send it to me. I will be only to happy to smoke it  :D 
 
Thats bloom / plume. it is a part of the ageing process. I have a tin of Penzance with the same and it still smokes great.
 
I am beating a dead horse but I have some Pen in mason jars that look the same. I freaked out and opened one and wrung my hands over it. Smoked some and it was still good.

 :D 
 
Signs of the aging process...you're good to go. Smoke and enjoy!
 
I bought two pounds of Gawith & Hoggarth Dark Flake Unscented and transferred it to snap-lock jars (one pound in each) with a rubber gasket that formed a complete seal. I left it on the shelf to age and almost 4 years later the tobacco looked almost like yours. I could not discern whether it was mold or bloom/plume, but I tried smoking it and it I did not notice any difference between that and the jar of Dark Flake Unscented that I was currently smoking. I removed the tobacco with the mold from the jar, washed the jar well, and placed it back in the cleaned jar. This was a few months back and whatever the white stuff on the tobacco was, it did not spread. I plan on keeping the tobacco, but I have my eye on it.
 
Unless it were uncomfortable to handle, I wouldn't worry too much about smoking tobacco that showed signs of biological activity. That ember gets pretty hot after all.

I have never read or heard any warnings about burning leaves or other organic material that was partially decomposed in an incinerator or camp fire, so if there is a risk it must be so small no health official ever thought it worth warning me.

Ironically, the only tobacco I have ever had go off was a pack on RYO tobacco back in the 70s that some old timer told me to keep a slice of potato with to keep moist. It was a furry un usuable mess within a couple of days. I still see the same advice online today, sometimes its a slice of apple, and I cringe every time I do.
 
JCB":owk0yf86 said:
Ironically, the only tobacco I have ever had go off was a pack on RYO tobacco back in the 70s that some old timer told me to keep a slice of potato with to keep moist. It was a furry un usuable mess within a couple of days. I still see the same advice online today, sometimes its a slice of apple, and I cringe every time I do.
It's funny, the only time I ever had mold on tobacco was 25 years ago after following the apple slice tip. What I don't understand is how the myth still persists since everyone who tries it ends up with moldy tobacco. :scratch: :fpalm:
 
MisterE":eh53750x said:
JCB":eh53750x said:
Ironically, the only tobacco I have ever had go off was a pack on RYO tobacco back in the 70s that some old timer told me to keep a slice of potato with to keep moist. It was a furry un usuable mess within a couple of days. I still see the same advice online today, sometimes its a slice of apple, and I cringe every time I do.
It's funny, the only time I ever had mold on tobacco was 25 years ago after following the apple slice tip. What I don't understand is how the myth still persists since everyone who tries it ends up with moldy tobacco. :scratch: :fpalm:
Back in the 80's I used the apple slice method and never had mold, although if it had it might have improved the quality of the tobacco I was smoking at that time.  :fpalm: 
 
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