Changes in my St. Bruno tobacco

[JOHN72]

Yesterday I opened a new bag of this tobacco, my surprise was that some of the strands have a whitish color on their surface, I don't know if it is sugars or some kind of mold. I have emptied about 5 bags and kept them in a glass jar. I don't know if it is due to the temperature changes, the high temperatures inside the house and the humidity, which sometimes reaches 90%. I don't think it is a problem of this brand, or mixture. Has anyone had the same problem? I notice a more muted aroma, than when I started smoking this rich blend.

 

[TheWhale13]

I think it looks like mold. If it is harmful to smoke, I don't know. Some people say that it is very harmful and others say it's harmless.

 

[JOHN72]

I have several kilograms, which I bought in bags of 50 grams. I pray that the rest will not have this problem. However, I do not have this problem with Condor and Amphora Full, they are in perfect condition. That is what makes me think maybe the type of saucing of this mixture is more prone to have changes. But I speak from ignorance. I don't know what the real cause may be.

 

[LotusEater]

If you have several kilos I hope it hasn’t all been affected.

 

[Chasing Embers]

If it sparkles its plume. I don't see any mold there, that stuff's fuzzy.

 

[simong]

@JOHN72
Although the humidity won't help, I'm pretty sure that's not mould but a reaction to as you say the sauce / flavouring 'sweating' in the pouch. I started noticing this in the RR pouches about 5-6 years ago. The pouch will be fine for a year or so & then start to decline & lessen in flavour. You've done the right thing in jarring them & try & keep them in a cool dark place.
If you're not happy with how it smokes, email your photos to Mac Barens & put in a complaint. They will respond.
If you're feeling adventurous, you can improve the 'muted' flavour yourself, by adding vinegar. I dilute 'white malt vinegar' in a drop of water & spray over the tobacco.

 

[hugodrax]

As a man who has recently broken into modern Blackjack and Marlin Flake, you scared the piddle out of me: I thought the bastiges had changed my Bruno!

Honestly, I think your tobacco is fine. Looks crystalline to me. Of course, I'm no expert but if mine looked like that it would be smoked.

 

[JOHN72]

Maybe it is more like "fungus". Dare I say, it is a process of tobacco sweating? Because of its sauciness. It smells vinegary and chocolatey. I mean, it smells like the characteristic smell of this tobacco. It is not an unpleasant smell. It smells like the smell of St Bruno, that mixture of sweet and vinegary. Here maybe you can see it better in this new photo.

 

[JOHN72]

@JOHN72
Although the humidity won't help, I'm pretty sure that's not mould but a reaction to as you say the sauce / flavouring 'sweating' in the pouch. I started noticing this in the RR pouches about 5-6 years ago. The pouch will be fine for a year or so & then start to decline & lessen in flavour. You've done the right thing in jarring them & try & keep them in a cool dark place.
If you're not happy with how it smokes, email your photos to Mac Barens & put in a complaint. They will respond.
If you're feeling adventurous, you can improve the 'muted' flavour yourself, by adding vinegar. I dilute 'white malt vinegar' in a drop of water & spray over the tobacco.

Yes, it is as you say, a sweating. My cellar is dust free, all sealed, and unlit. I am sure that the 5-packs of bags, which I have stacked, are just like these bags that I have discovered with this whitish stain.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Maybe it is more like "fungus". Dare I say, it is a process of tobacco sweating? Because of its sauciness. It smells vinegary and chocolatey. I mean, it smells like the characteristic smell of this tobacco. It is not an unpleasant smell. It smells like the smell of St Bruno, that mixture of sweet and vinegary. Here maybe you can see it better in this new photo. View attachment 164635

Does it sparkle when you shine a light on it?

 

[JOHN72]

Does it sparkle when you shine a light on it?

I wouldn't know for sure, I don't think so. But you can see a strong white. I don't see a sheen, just a strong white matte.

 

[JOHN72]

If it sparkles its plume. I don't see any mold there, that stuff's fuzzy.

View attachment 164631

Mold is clearly visible. But the tobacco color has good color. Maybe you discovered it in time. Were you able to smoke it? I mean, were you able to save the tobacco and use it without problems of aroma, taste etc?

 

[simong]

Yes, it is as you say, a sweating. My cellar is dust free, all sealed, and unlit. I am sure that the 5-packs of bags, which I have stacked, are just like these bags that I have discovered with this whitish stain.

I'd smoke it & have been smoking pouches of RR like yours with no ill effects (apart from less flavour).
However, If you're not happy with it how it tastes John, email Mac Barens & they will do their best to help you. They might want you to send your pouches back to them in Denmark for an exchange maybe but they will help. Go onto their website & find 'Customer Service' to send an email.

 

[JOHN72]

I'd smoke it & have been smoking pouches of RR like yours with no ill effects (apart from less flavour).
However, If you're not happy with it how it tastes John, email Mac Barens & they will do their best to help you. They might want you to send your pouches back to them in Denmark for an exchange maybe but they will help. Go onto their website & find 'Customer Service' to send an email.

Yes, that's a good idea. I will send an email to Mac Baren &. It is true that the aroma has dropped considerably. Anyway, I will smoke it in different pipes. But it is very noticeable loss of aroma, when I started smoking this blend, it was overwhelmingly delicious. Thank you Simong.

 

[sablebrush52]

I think it looks like mold. If it is harmful to smoke, I don't know. Some people say that it is very harmful and others say it's harmless.

The people who say tobacco molds are harmless are in deep denial and full of shit. It takes just a few minutes to look up tobacco molds and see just how toxic they are.

I can't tell anything from the photograph, but if the whitish material isn't fuzzy, or growing strands, like a beard, it's not likely mold. It could be mineral deposits that have migrated to the surface. If there's an off odor, that's not good.

When in doubt, throw it out.

 

[Meerly John]

I am not a super experienced smoker, but every pouch of St. Bruno I've ever had had this stuff on it. I am confident for myself that it is plume and it is normal. I have had this plume on other tobaccos but I expect it in St. Bruno.

I also had my first mold recently, in a jar of Germain's Bridge Old Brown Flake. It was fuzzy just as in @Chasing Embers photo, and there was an unmistakable 'off' smell.

 

[sablebrush52]

Maybe it is more like "fungus". Dare I say, it is a process of tobacco sweating? Because of its sauciness. It smells vinegary and chocolatey. I mean, it smells like the characteristic smell of this tobacco. It is not an unpleasant smell. It smells like the smell of St Bruno, that mixture of sweet and vinegary. Here maybe you can see it better in this new photo. View attachment 164635

Yeah, that doesn't look like mold.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Mold is clearly visible. But the tobacco color has good color. Maybe you discovered it in time. Were you able to smoke it? I mean, were you able to save the tobacco and use it without problems of aroma, taste etc?

Once it's in that state, the tin is contaminated with spores. I lost ten tins to it.

 

[kcghost]

This looks like mold to me and the best advice I can give you is throw it far, far, away. Don't ne tempted to just throw out the mold and smoke the rest. It's all bad.

 

[simong]

Yes, that's a good idea. I will send an email to Mac Baren &. It is true that the aroma has dropped considerably. Anyway, I will smoke it in different pipes. But it is very noticeable loss of aroma, when I started smoking this blend, it was overwhelmingly delicious. Thank you Simong.

De Nada, Tio!