Is mold an issue when cellaring? How to spot it?
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Finally, for the first time in my life, I was finally able to snatch 2 tins of Esoterica, they are on their way. I've heard these are prone to get moldy. Anyone has any suggestions in case I needed to cellar? Seems even one of the experienced guys was having issues.
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Embers has plume, I have mold. Big difference. Plume good, mold bad. There was no treating it other than the garbage. Fuzzy fuzzy mold. I got a new Tin of tobacco no problem, but what they couldn't refund me was the 2 years of age I had on it.
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Same company, same tobacco, years apart, same mold. Except this time I could see the tobacco before I opened the package.
I wouldn’t sweat it too much. If it happens, it happens... it’s all part of the hobby. Generally, you won’t have issues. Most manufacturers go to great lengths to ensure a quality product. But on rare occasions there are issues. And usually the manufacturer will make it right.
Tobacco is an organic product and subject to the vagaries of nature. But common sense and some of above mentioned tips will reduce the likelihood of mold.
I have a lot of tobacco cellared, many blends and manufacturers, and in 30 years I have not had any issues. A dark, dry, cool basement, that is normally around 60-65 degrees year round is ideal
Tobacco is an organic product and subject to the vagaries of nature. But common sense and some of above mentioned tips will reduce the likelihood of mold.
I have a lot of tobacco cellared, many blends and manufacturers, and in 30 years I have not had any issues. A dark, dry, cool basement, that is normally around 60-65 degrees year round is ideal
Same.
The only problem I've ever had was a manufacturing error with Bijou in 2016 when tins arrived with mold.
Could be, I know they are taking different measures now, but since that last pound I returned, I have had any issues. I've purchased 4 lb since then.
I too have indulged several of the suspect blends since the red Virginia issue with no incident.
I just am afraid to buy tins from them now, safer in clear pound packaging. Atleast then I'll know right away.
They tend to lose their seal and many companies changed to the round tins for better sealing.
Makes sense, from my exhaustive research I came to the conclusion that anyone who stores them in square tins should immediately put the tobacco in a jar. And then donate, or sell their square tins. Especially OGS, man those things are super unreliable.
These tins weren't intended as a means for long term storage. They're good for a number of years, and then they start to fail. Frankly, I don't believe that many of them are 100% sealed, ever.
You want long term storage? A cutter top tin or a mason jar.
The aging/cellaring phenomenon is relatively recent compared to pipe smoking. When I started out smoking a pipe, 47 years ago, very few people cellared and aged blends. You went to the tobacconist and bought waht you needed for a couple of weeks or a month, then dropped by and bought some more. The blends you bought were already aged before being made available for sale.
It wasn't until the '80's that a few people started cellaring and talking about the benefits of prolonged aging, and the practice grew. Cellaring didn't really become widespread until the early 2000's. And with all of the oncoming regulatory BS, many more of us stocked up.
Mold is just one of those risks that you take.
I've never kept pipe tobacco for a long time (I smoke it too quickly), but I have about a hundred cigars, some of them several yrs old or better. Rule of thumb with cigars is 60 to 65% humidity, below 75 degrees and you'll never have a problem, and I never have. Frankly, unless you are storing a huge quantity, I would keep it in a large humidor just like you would cigars, with lids on loose so air can get to it. If cigars don't mold, I don't know why pipe tobacco would under those conditions.
That's interesting. I believe you. My dad was a dunhill fan when I was a baby. But I never saw a cellar. The above comment was my sarcastic response to Embers to get him to send me an orlik square tin. I'm looking everywhere for them, I want one.
That's because for the most part no one really needed one. Shortages weren't common and even if the pipe store was out of a blend, you'd just buy something else. The aged tobacco concept wasn't something the average smoker thought much about until Pease popularized it. I'm sure there were always blenders and tobacco experts that knew the benefits of aging, but your average smoker just smoked it from the tin or pouch and didn't give it a second thought. The biggest threat was that you might forget an open tin in a drawer and your tobacco would dry out.
Truthfully the cellaring fad is as much a curse to availability as anything the FDA has done.
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