It seems that this white stuff is common on Esoterica tobaccos, from what I’ve seen others post. This Stonehaven is from 2019. The other flakes do not have this. So is it plume or mold?
Stonehaven: Plume Or Mold?
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The debate is too great to say one or the other, as some have concluded that anything that grows on tobacco is mold...that being said, the stuff I see in the picture looks “normal” for Esoterica and also Gawith...so, as long as the tobacco smelled appealing, it’d be something I personally would smoke. I know that’s not too helpful, but my Penzance has that and so does my St. James Flake, and I’m not quite dead yet...
I'd smoke that in a heartbeat... no questions asked. I'd even reach for that ahead of Stonehaven that does not have that 'feature.
If it's sparkly and looks like crystals it's plume. If it looks like a fuzzy webbed beard it's likely mold. Stonehaven will develop plume like nobody's business. You don't want to smoke mold as tobacco mold is highly toxic.
I have some 9 year old Stonehaven that looks just like that. I am going to brake open one of the jars over the holidays and give it a close examination. I look at it under a magnifying glass. Here is some Esoterica with mold. No plume there, just fuzzy mold.
Not mold. What's more interesting to me, those flakes look nothing at all like the Stonehaven I'm used to, which is a densely compressed (and I mean DENSE) but almost paper-thin flake.
If you have a loop or a powerful magnifying glass give it a look. If it look like crystals then your good. If it looks like fuzz then it's mold.
If by that you mean smoking moldy tobacco, it doesn't. You're just delivering nice steamy toxins into your lungs.
Ah, the age old conversation once again.
I recently jarred a bag of Stonehaven, I believe from 2017, (possibly 2018) and it had almost that exact same plume on it. Yes, I believe it to be plume and not mold, however I have not looked at it under a small microscope yet. I agree this is the best way to identify what it is. I also agree with spartacus, mold is fuzzy, not sparkly.
I recently jarred a bag of Stonehaven, I believe from 2017, (possibly 2018) and it had almost that exact same plume on it. Yes, I believe it to be plume and not mold, however I have not looked at it under a small microscope yet. I agree this is the best way to identify what it is. I also agree with spartacus, mold is fuzzy, not sparkly.
The pics don’t really say mold to me. Is it Fuzzy? Is it Sparkling?
Sure looks like bloom to me. Did you assume it was fresh when you bought it earlier this year? It looks several years older.
And, Alaska, is your flake newish?
Yes, huge, but maybe he has tiny hands....
And, Alaska, is your flake newish?
Yes, huge, but maybe he has tiny hands....
I never noticed that myself, but now that you mention it I have a jar with 4 ounces of Stonehaven that I got this summer from the same B&M, and they do look different; they are dark and thin flakes. The flakes in the photos are thinner than they appear in the photos, but they do look different from the second batch I got. Fair point.
They are from this year. I got them from a trusted B&M who cuts open the bags and sells them in two ounce portions. When I bought some more Stonehaven later this year, they actually had just cut the bags open when I walked in.
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