Is This Tobacco Smokeable?

[youngsmoker]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

Opened this 6 year tin of escoterica tobacco Margaret and has white stuff on it seems dusty and the whole strand of tobacco sparkles, I'm not for sure if its mold or not? never had tobacco with this on it before doesn't smell bad or anything either

 

[craig61a]

That’s bloom, dried tobacco oils that wick out of the tobacco and crystallize.

Mold tends to start in one spot and radiate outward.

 

[youngsmoker]

Alright awesome makes sense, I'm excited to try it since I never tried any escoterica blends been cellering tins and bags of it for about 10 years now

 

[cshubhra]

Tobacco is for smoking. Smoke it NOW!

 

[BROBS]

Margaret sounds like a nice woman.

 

[youngsmoker]

Margaret sounds like a nice woman.

Shes aged nicely and covered in white stuff lol

 

[yaddy306]

Alright awesome makes sense,

Really?

Dried oils wicking out of a material and then crystallizing makes sense?

 

[guylesss]

Sparkly Margaret sounds good to me too. And crystallized something seems pretty normal with cellared Esotericas I've opened recently.

 

[youngsmoker]

Really?

Dried oils wicking out of a material and then crystallizing makes sense?

Think I need to throw it out than? Idk if its normal or not

 

[BROBS]

Think I need to throw it out than? Idk if its normal or not

It’s normal.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Margaret sounds like a nice woman.

Might belong in this thread

 

[yaddy306]

Think I need to throw it out than? Idk if its normal or not

Don't throw it out.
It's normal, it's just that I don't know that anyone has definitively explained the phenomenon.

 

[pantsBoots]

It's common on Germain products, especially ones that have a few years on them. Spooked me the first time I saw it. Harmless.

For reference, if it were mold, your concern is colors other than white and a funky, uncharacteristic smell. Referencing the "first time" tin above, Balkan Sobranie, I thought the smell was off until I realized that's what an aged Balkan is supposed to smell like! You live, you learn.

 

[BROBS]

Don't throw it out.
It's normal, it's just that I don't know that anyone has definitively explained the phenomenon.

Ever seen what’s left after an oil evaporates? Crystals.

 

[yaddy306]

Ever seen what’s left after an oil evaporates? Crystals.

Crystals that should melt into liquid when warmed up, right?

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I’ve heard all sorts of explanations for what plume is: sugars that crystallize out of the tobacco, oils that emerge from the leaf, products of microbes, etc. Someone with a science background and access to a GC/MS ought to see what’s really in the stuff.

 

[BROBS]

Crystals that should melt into liquid when warmed up, right?

No. Not if the carrier of moisture has evaporated. Also with plume if you touch or rub it, it goes away or back into the tobacco.

 

[pantsBoots]

Here is an attempt at classifying "plume" on cigars:

FOH Mould Study

The idea behind the mould study was to shed some light into the world of mould and plume. Earlier in the year we asked for examples of both from members and then selected 10 representative cigars for testing. Testing was undertaken by the team at Australia Biotech Laboratories. In the event that ...

www.friendsofhabanos.com

That said, I have seen cigars that have a sparkly lustre, but it appears to be few and far between. FWIW, the white stuff on Germain products in my collection looks like Aspergillus.

Now here is your rabbit hole for trying to ascertain which microorganisms help and which hurt the aging process:

Characterization of the core microbiome in tobacco leaves during aging - PMC

Microbiome plays an important role during the tobacco aging process which was an indispensable link in the production and processing of cigarettes. However, the structure and functions of microbiome have not been clarified during the tobacco aging ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[yaddy306]

No. Not if the carrier of moisture has evaporated. Also with plume if you touch or rub it, it goes away or back into the tobacco.

BROBS, what are you saying exactly? What is "the carrier of moisture"? What evaporated? What is left behind?

Are you saying plume is oils, dissolved in moisture (water?) that go to the surface, where the water evaporates and then the oils crystallize? Quite a few problems with that hypothesis.

 

[BROBS]

BROBS, what are you saying exactly? What is "the carrier of moisture"? What evaporated? What is left behind?

Are you saying plume is oils, dissolved in moisture (water?) that go to the surface, where the water evaporates and then the oils crystallize? Quite a few problems with that hypothesis.

What causes olive oil to crystallize? - Strauss Group

Refrigeration may cause olive oil to crystallize. Crystallization is not a condition for or an indication of the quality of the oil. The reason for the difference in the tendency of different varieties to crystallize is the order and location of the fatty acids in the triglycerides, in addition...

www.strauss-group.com

Control of crystallization of Fats and Oils

Control of crystallization of Fats and Oils is important in many food products, including margarine, chocolate, butter, and shortenings.

www.sonneveld.com

Yes oil crystallizes