I've Never Had Tobacco Mildew Till Now

[saint007]

I'm about halfway through a tin of one of my favorites, C & D Kajun Kake. I smoke about two bowls a week. I just open and already opened tin to load a pipe and it is covered in mildew.
I can't imagine what happened. My tobacco stays in an air-conditioned house. Humidity outside has been high but not in the house. My other opened tobaccos seem to be fine.
What gives?

 

[gtclark]

I'd quarantine that tin ASAP to prevent spread...I'm not sure by what mechanism mildew propagates, but I wouldn't take any chances.
In response to your question, I've been a pipe smoker in the humid south for over 10 years, and have yet to encounter mildew - maybe your tin got a dose of bad fungicide before leaving the factory?

 

[saint007]

Kajun Kake is a very moist tobacco and I usually have to leave some out on a tray for several hours before I smoke it. I'm thinking that maybe with this blend it might be wise to place the unopened tins in the oven at 170 degrees for an hour or two to prevent this happening again. I haven't had this problem with other tins of Kajun Kake.

 

[cortezattic]

What does mildew on tobacco look like? Got any pix?

 

[bonehed]

There's a video or two on YouTube showing some KK with mold issues... perhaps you received some of the same run with the less than stellar anti-microbial additive...

Here's an older pipes.org post complaining of the same.
Edit: Not KK, but Opening Night and there's another post by the same fellow but it's Bayou Morning that time...

 

[saint007]

Cortez, give me 5 minutes and I'll get a picture up.

 

[phil67]

I haven't had this problem with other tins of Kajun Kake.

Then it would seem as though this problem was contained within the tin and the cellular filaments of the mildew were already in the tobacco when you purchased it. It might also be mold which is also a fungi just as mildew is. Mold normally has a fuzzy appearance whereas mildew has a somewhat powdery appearance. Either way, if I were you I would simply toss it and consider it a loss.

 

[bonehed]

Oh... it was KK, not Opening Night in that video linked above.

 

[saint007]

Would placing my cellar tins of KK in the oven stop this or keeping it in the frig?

 

[northernneil]

Saint007, I don't know what your concern is. That is just plume....
Seriously though, that is pretty insane. Was it a fresh tin, or had it been aging?

 

[saint007]

The tin has been open for a month and it aged about a year and a half before opening.

 

[lostandfound]

Holy shit.

 

[northernneil]

Damn man, I hope this is a one time kind of thing!

 

[beezer]

The subject of moldy Kajun Kake came up on another pipe forum a few months back. I read recently there was a recall of certain C&D blends due to quality control issues as well. I'll have to go find where I read that. I think it was posted on Pipes and Cigars.

 

[beezer]

Here's the blurb from P&C I was referring to:

Due to quality control issue with our last received shipment, we have pulled our stock and will not be able to ship product until we receive a new shipment.

http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipe-tobacco/72653/cornell-diehl-kajun-kake/

 

[saint007]

I really enjoy Kajun Kake! In the future when I pop a new tin, I'll make sure to dry the tobacco out in the oven and get most of the moisture out. I also smoke Opening Nigh and Sunday Picnic. I'll do the same with them.

 

[phil67]

Apparently 'plume' (if that is indeed what it is) can appear on cigars just as well as on certain blends of pipe tobacco. Supposedly, if it can easily be brushed off it's more likely than not plume and is safe to smoke. As for me, the only plume I want to see is a plume of smoke whilst smoking my pipe and nothing else, but that's just me and I've yet to see it on any tobacco. However, if you by chance see any sugar crystals on your tobacco quickly send it to me so that I can safely dispose of it. :wink:
As for drying out the tobacco in an oven that seems rather extreme to me. Nothing like smoking a desiccated tasteless dust to make one give up pipe smoking!

 

[saint007]

In the oven just enough to dry it out, then jar. I mentioned earlier how moist it was, more then any of my other blends.
Anyway, I don't want to take any chances so I pitched it and opened a tub of Daughters & Ryan's Rimboche SJ.

 

[derfatdutchman]

That really sucks, I had a mold out break in one of my humidors. I learned that if it is white, yellow, gray or green and fluffy/hairy it is mold. If it look like it was dusted with fine sugar/salt crystals it's plume. Lost a box of high end smokes to mold, they end up in the trash the humidor is now a storage box. I also had a box of non Cuban La Gloria Cubana cigars develop plume, they looked like they were lightly dusted with very fine sugar/salt crystals. You could brush it off, they were fantatic smokes.

 

[aristokles]

Ugh...just when I was building a nice stockpile of Opening Night and Red Carpet. Sigh...