Kajun Kake - plume or mold?

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hakchuma

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2014
791
77
I placed a tin of Kajun Lake in a mason jar 2 years and two months ago. Its been sitting far back in my cellar (closet). Lots of white stuff on all sides specially the sides at the cut. Could there be that much plume in 2 year and 2 months or is it most likely mold? I haven't opened it yet for a closer inspection as I suspect it's mold anyway. Might just throw out the entire thing.

 

josephcross

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 30, 2015
963
93
Check with a light, if it’s shiny then it’s plume, at least that’s what I think. I’ve got a two year old chunk ok KK and it’s so caked with crystals it looks like mold. But if it’s under a light it sparkles.

 

jon11

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2013
619
591
Do you have pictures. I’m smoking through a tin of 2013 Kajun Kake that had a dusting of white on all sides and it’s unbelievable!

 

highwaycobbery

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 14, 2015
532
1,209
North cacallaky
Plume will be white and if you shine a light on it it will sparkle as it’s really the sugar in the tobacco. Mold will be gray and have a fur like appearance to it. Be careful with C&D tobaccos. They are some of my favorites but have a reputation for mold problems. Try to load some pics. I have several jars of tobacco with plume and if it IS plume it will be amazing.

 

perdurabo

Lifer
Jun 3, 2015
3,305
1,575
I had a ton of 5 O Clock Shadow that had plume all over it. I thought it was mold but after putting it under a light and a magnifying glass I could see the crystals. The tin was three years old. So yes it could be plume

 

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
There is no such thing as plume, bloom or whatever. There is only mold and bacteria. Much of which is crystalline in structure, some of which is benign. There’s a recent thread on pipesmokersden about this and several here. Try a google search with bloom and friendsofhabanos for an enlightening post of lab results.

 

hakchuma

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2014
791
77
Thanks big pond. So all this talk about sugar crystals is a a myth. Or maybe even a lie. Hmph.

 

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
The tricky part is that dusty old tobacco is often very sweet and mellow. If it tasted like old feet there would be no dispute.

 

jon11

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2013
619
591
Dusting of mold on tobacco(or “plume”) is very common. It can be smoked with no ill effects and has been done so since before we were around. Some guys look for moldy(“plumy”) cigars at the cigar shop that I frequent and swear by them and even say they taste much better. Me personally, I think we make too much of a big deal about it. If it smells like rotten ass, throw it away, if it smells like fermentation even with a little mold or “plume” on it, smoke it. A little mold on my tobacco doesn’t bother me at all unless it smells like rotten ass, other than that a lot of times it is sweeter and smoother.

 

d4k23

Can't Leave
Mar 6, 2018
426
672
Texas
27649

This is what I call plume on some 2.5 yr old cabbies mix. Well I'll post it when I can figure out the image. Will try from the comp not my phone

 

panamacharlie

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 13, 2016
228
27
I've always believed that there is a great difference between sugar crystals and mold. Is it now the consensus that they are one and the same?

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,065
Carmel Valley, CA
Dusting of mold on tobacco(or “plume”) is very common.
A dusting of mold?? Most reports say that bloom is crystallization, and distinctly not mold. (And it is bloom, not plume, though that distinction has become tiresome to make.)
d4k23's illustration of mold is a good one.

 

jon11

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2013
619
591
jpmcwjr- bloom and plume are interchangeable words that mean the same thing in the cigar world....look it up.

Also there have been studies that show that this is actually mold. Just as bigpond has stated there is a great thread on the subject on the Friends of Habanos forum with scientific results if one would like to educate themselves on the matter.

 

jjmitchem

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 30, 2012
109
1
Bloom, Plume, Mold.... All the same thing:
"Mold (or mould) is a term used to refer to fungi that grow in the form of multicellular thread-like structures called hyphae. Fungi that exist as single cells are called yeasts. Some molds and yeasts cause disease or food spoilage, others play an important role in biodegradation or in the production of various foods, beverages, antibiotics and enzymes"
There is bad mold, that green stuff we see on old bread, and there is good mold, penicillin. The process of fermentation is on the edge of mold - it is the result of the same process but of the single cell yeast - this results in the sugers and the crystalline structure that we see on our tobacco.
I have been a cigar smoker for 20 years and have, like jon11 said, looked for bloom on cigars. it does make a difference in the sweetness of the tobacco because of the sugers produced in the fermentation process.
When you see bad mold on tobacco - that is usually the result of some sort of biological contaminant being present. If your tobacco or cigars have been stored properly (especially sealed tins) then it is probably good mold or what we like to call bloom or plume - this does not mean that bad mold can't happen as contaminants can come from the factory.
Best test is like what many of you have said - smell

 
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