Condensation In My Jarred Tobacco

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d4k23

Can't Leave
Mar 6, 2018
426
672
Texas
Something happened to my jarred tobacco I hadn't noticed until my brother came over to show me his stash of Sutliff Christmas Spice. It looks like there was a condensation/foggy film that coated the inside of the jar. I hadn't seen this before so I decided to check out my cellar.
Same occurrence happened to my Mac Baren Old Dark Fired. I opened the lid and it wiped away pretty easy. Is this moisture from the tobacco? Should it be a cause of concern of future mold growth? Other jars looked fine.

 

midwestpipesmoker70

Can't Leave
Nov 28, 2011
431
433
IL
Might want to air out for just a bit. Sounds like the storage are might have gotten too warm. I keep my cellar where the temperature stays reasonably consistent and out of direct sunlight, preferably in the dark for jars especially. I have had condensation in the past. I wiped dry, let sit out for just a bit and back to storage. No problems.

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
If you take a pinch of tobacco between your thumb and forefinger and rub it back and forth, you can get a feel for the moisture content. It's hard to say how to tell if it's too wet or too dry, but I would say you're looking for a reasonable amount of moisture, not so wet such that it remains clumped after releasing the pressure, not too dry such that it comes entirely apart.
I am not one of those who espouse the position that maximum flavor is had by tobacco smoked very dry. The above is, I think, close to the amount of moisture in Pease's tobaccos, about 12%. Find what moisture you prefer and either add or subtract moisture before jarring, remembering that fermentation requires some moisture to produce aging magic.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
I’ve never had this happen in my main ball jars but this happened to me in a large jar that I had used for multiple tobaccos in one big jar. I had the tobaccos separated by their own baggies (bad idea for the record) when I noticed that the jar was all foggy like that, my first thought was, “mold”! Sure enough, there was one bag in there that had sprouted out white fur and stunk like all get out. In the end, I have no idea what caused the jar to go foggy, I have thousands of ball jars in the same closet and all of those were fine. I just chalked it up to one of the mysteries of tobacciana. I would love to know why this happened though!
I personally don’t think it had anything to do with moisture content though. Like I said, none of my other jars did that and it looked more like a white film than actual condensation.

 

panamacharlie

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 13, 2016
228
27
Some of my jarred tobaccos develop a haze on the glass, some don-t, doesn-t seem to be related to moisture levels. The haze isn-t wet, but a little oily. I think it might be caused by the flavor enhancers leaching from the tobacco to the jar.

 

oldtoby

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 7, 2011
798
341
Can't really remember where, but I've heard the "fog" on the walls of the jar is the result of a binding agent some blenders use. Several of my Germain blends (Penzance, Kingfisher and Stonehaven especially) have that cloudy look.

Don't take this as actual fact as I have no way to prove this. Seems there was a long ago thread on another forum about this. Whatever it is, it hasn't affected the tobacco or taste. Smoke it up. :puffy:

 

d4k23

Can't Leave
Mar 6, 2018
426
672
Texas
It is more of a fog than condensation, definitely no visible wetness. I didn't think if I said it looked like a hazy fog, you guys would understand. But alas, yall knew what I was talking about!
I'll monitor it closely, but am also cool if it remains a mystery. I have had mold in my humidor and had to trash upwards to 100 dollars worth of cigars. Houston humidity is great for skin, not for tobacco.

 
Jun 27, 2016
1,273
117
I have noticed this sometimes on some of my jarred stuff. I don't think that it is anything to worry about. A haze on the inner glass. My Dunhill Flake jar probably has it the most. I basically never have moldy tobacco, and I check the jars often enough. :puffpipe:

 

tobaccojoe

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 30, 2016
220
0
USA
I always have around 40 blends put into mason jars to sample from and have not had this happen even once! It very well be the humidity, as you've commented. I used to live in Florida, but made damn sure while I was there to always keep the A/C at a decent setting. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

dethmutt

Can't Leave
Sep 14, 2018
376
8
I use both mason jars and the type with the metal flip lock. I have the fog in one of my flip top types. It has C&D Black Duck in it. its the only jar that has it and they all sleep in the same cabinet. Seems strange for only one blend to do this.. I guess Ill open it up and let it air out a bit and see if that helps.

 

panamacharlie

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 13, 2016
228
27
That is common with aros, not so much with non aros. Don't dry it more, you will just be letting the flavoring escape.

 
Sounds like your jars are getting over 100F. I wouldn't suggest that you wipe the insides, as to spores are everywhere, and you are most likely adding them when you wipe.

It isn't going to hurt anything, but it isn't ideal. I keep mine at about 70F, with a stand alone central unit just for that part of the house. I now have a pipe room, but the jars are overflowing from the cabinets, so I have boxes of jars stacked in the bottoms of the closets in that whole side of the house. I will get more cabinets built... after all of my wife's needs are met, which means that it will get done after a couple of reincarnations, ha ha. :puffy:

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"...after all of my wife's needs are met,"
By that you mean you allow her some space in a small drawer for her sewing kit whilst your tobacco mountain takes over every square inch of the house. Michael, your generosity knows no bounds :rofl:
Regards,
Jay.

 

bryguysc

Can't Leave
Feb 4, 2015
355
20
I have a few cellared jars that exhibit the same characteristic.
I was doing some stoving experiments a year or so ago, and saw the same thing inside the jar (except significantly more).

After several days at room temperature, the tobacco had reabsorbed the moisture.
So, the condensation is probably from a slightly higher temperature; I know MY house is warmer in the summer (I live in SC).

Your tobacco may reabsorb that moisture as the temperature comes back down a little.
I'll be checking my jars again mid-winter to see if the condensation is gone.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Or you could start a terrarium in there. I'd let it dry out (leave it open) for about 12 hours, and as several have implied, keep it in an area where the temp is moderate.

 

dethmutt

Can't Leave
Sep 14, 2018
376
8
I'm not actually sure its condensation. It seems to more of a coating. Maybe sugar? Hell I dunno. It's not really looking wet, just kind of a white haze on the glass. I opened the bottle for about 12 hours . No help. Maybe infected?

 

sasquatch

Lifer
Jul 16, 2012
1,683
2,862
I've seen this, I don't think it's water, it has a slightly oily texture. My suspicion, backed up by nothing, is that it's glycol which has come out of the tobacco and stuck to the side of the jar. Almost all tobaccos have a little PG on them for moisture management.

 
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