Crystals Ahoy...

[Casual]

an interesting thread in a cigar forum that seems to discount the idea of plume totally. FOH Mould Study

Read that one the last time this came up. Looks to me like the study design had flaws that I would consider fatal to drawing a firm conclusion. I commend the guy for trying, though; I certainly don’t have the cash to burn on such tests.

 

[craig61a]

Also, please enjoy and let us know how it smokes!

Well, if I can remember that far into the future. Several boxes ahead of this one in the queue...

 

[3rdguy]

Great pics!

Looks like marble rye bread.

 

[craig61a]

I just figured I’d post this to get the never ending plume vs mold debate going. Been several weeks since the last one. ?

 

[craig61a]

I’ll have the Gawith Hoggarth Dark Plug Biscotti and a Double Latte to go...

 

[magicpiper]

Looks delicious no matter what it is.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I just figured I’d post this to get the never ending plume vs mold debate going. Been several weeks since the last one. ?

It's bloom, not plume. Plume comes from the cigar world, where the shape of the cigar, when it has bloom, is in the shape of a p

 

[rushx9]

It's bloom, not plume. Plume comes from the cigar world, where the shape of the cigar, when it has bloom, is in the shape of a p

Can't we just agree that the words are interchangeable? From my experience, I hear pipe smokers refer to it both ways.. about a 65/35 split with most saying plume. Probably because our culture overlaps so much with the cigar world and B&Ms mostly catering to cigar smokers. Personally, I prefer when folks just say crystals, or even sugar (even though it's not sugar), just to avoid this debate!

 

[3rdguy]

We need to talk about less contentious matters...like politics.

 

[anotherbob]

That's arrantly incorrect.

Plume is NOT mould. Never, ever, whatsoever. Plume are sugar crystals, not fungi.

that is what I have heard before.

 

[jpmcwjr]

While mold is not bloom, regarding sugar, the nature of the crystals hasn't been established very well. What Craig61a wrote sounds right:

Actually, not sugars at all, crystallized oils.

The oils are in suspension in the cellular structure of the leaf. As the leaf ages, the ph of the leaf changes, and the oils accumulate and crystallize. The slower this process, the more evenly the accumulation spreads out.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Craig, I work for the CDC and I'm gonna need you to package that back up and send it to me for testing. That may be the cause or cute for coronavirus.

 

[Gubbins]

I just figured I’d post this to get the never ending plume vs mold debate going. Been several weeks since the last one. ?

If everyone bought themselves a simple microscope then there wouldn't be any debate ?‍

 

[cortezattic]

Greg Pease has written that the silvery, crystalline stuff is probably not sugar since it does not dissolve in water, and is probably dried/oxidized resin or oil, as Craig suggested.

 

[rushx9]

If everyone bought themselves a simple microscope then there wouldn't be any debate ?‍

I have one and that's partly why I'm not scared of the stuff. Fungi are pretty easy to recognize.

 

[davek]

He said he looked at the crystals with a jewelers loupe. I've had mold which I was not sure about. Under a jewelers loupe it was very obvious what it was. There were actually tiny mushroom like structures.

 

[B.Fee]

Just opened a tin of Solani aged Burley Flake and it's covered with sugar crystals. I'm going to put it on e bay for 1 million dollars. Moo ahh haa.

 

[jpmcwjr]

If it's pure brown cane sugar crystals, it'd be worth $2,000,000 or so. The sugar will slightly reduce the alkalinity of the tobacco.

 

[mingc]

If anybody has pictures of crystals close up, like more than 10X, please post. I don't believe they exist. If you think I'm wrong, prove it.

If everyone bought themselves a simple microscope then there wouldn't be any debate ?‍

Loved your pics.

 

[condorlover1]

I found one of these growing on my Condor Plug. I don't think its a crystal