MOLD! My first.

[timt]

It's one of those things that sticks in the back of my mind when I buy bulk, especially when I'm jarring up some sopping wet Gawith flake.

 

[scloyd]

Just like a loaf of bread you can’t just throw out the moldy end.

Who knew? Not me, I've done this before. Throw out the moldy pieces and eat the rest.
Uh, oh.....

 

[jpmcwjr]

Just so you know when mold starts it spreads through the host like capillaries so the whole bag is affected whether it looks that way or not. Just like a loaf of bread you can’t just throw out the moldy end.

I've thrown away dozens of moldy ends of bread, scraped the green slime off cream cheese, cut off mold of hard cheese, and no ill effects for the efforts. Except maybe that's why my brain feels soft....

 

[jpmcwjr]

Asked earlier: Temp and humidity of storage place: Temp averages between 55-65º. While the external humidity should be irrelevant, it's between 40-60% RH.

The tobacco in the sealed bag was not very wet: ca. 75% RH @ 70º. So spores introduced from my hand, air in my house, or at the factory, in that order of probability would be my guess.

 

[seanv]

I'd be more careful with the tobaccothan bread due to the smoking aspect, but again, I am not a doctor

 

[SpookedPiper]

Just so you know when mold starts it spreads through the host like capillaries so the whole bag is affected whether it looks that way or not. Just like a loaf of bread you can’t just throw out the moldy end.

What! I just cut that crap out of the bread, toast the sonava itch and eat it! ....within reason!

 

[jpmcwjr]

I've been told from a very respected source that tobacco molds are toxic, and exist now everywhere in that bag. Darn!

I'd love to know the science behind this, though.

 

[Elric]

I've been told from a very respected source that tobacco molds are toxic, and exist now everywhere in that bag. Darn!

I'd love to know the science behind this, though.

Clearly you have not sacrificed properly to the TAD gods!

 

[jpmcwjr]

True, but my cup overfloweth. Better said, my cupboard is creaking under the weight of quite a few tins, jars and bags.

But if anyone can speak to why tobacco mold is toxic, and different from that on bread or cheese, I'd love to know.

 

[rushx9]

A friend of mine ordered an 8oz bag of Hamborger Veermaster and agreed to sell me a couple of ounces. About a week after it came in, we opened it up to find a quarter to 50 cent piece sized fuzzy white spot. Thick fuzz so definitely not plume/bloom/sugar. I said I didn't care, just take my 2 ounces from the other side. He bugged out and looked it up online all night and by the next day he decided to send it back(minus my 2 ounces). They returned him store credit plus some. I immediately jarred my take and have kept a close eye on it, assuming mold would grow back if it had infected the whole batch. Hasn't yet and it's been about 2 and half months.

 

[fightnhampster]

I would be hesitant to smoke any of the rest of the bag.

 

[rushx9]

And as far as being worse than bread or cheese molds, the wrong bread mold can be extremely toxic and cheese mold is often just penicillium/penicillin. But white mold on tobacco is likely aspergillus, which is specifically toxic to lungs.. it is part of the colony involved in aging teas like pu'erh and in that instance is folk medicine to cleanse the lungs, so the properties may change with heat and moisture, but the cases where it has infected human lungs are usually attributed to rotten paper wall and ceiling materials. All that said, I'm not tossing my pricey 'baccy unless I see evidence that the rest has been colonized.

 

[Saintwilliam]

Oh it’s been colonized alright. What you see is just the fruiting spores, there are probably miles and miles of microscopic mould “roots” in that bag. Sorry bud. I have. Tossed a pound of Union Square for the same reason.

 

[3rdguy]

 

[rushx9]

A lot of tobaccos are piled and turned during and post curing. Orientals are baled and turned in a similar manner. Controlled composting/fermentation happens in that stage and secondary anaerobic fermentation happens in the tin after it's sealed. I'm not saying molds and yeasts aren't something to be concerned about, I just wonder how often various microbiotic colonies run their cycle through tobaccos we smoke all the time.

 

[snoopy311]

If you have Bijou in a tin I would open it immediately to see if it’s moldy. If not, jar it for aging. Notorious for mold with this blend regardless of the batch.

 

[didimauw]

Other than the price factor, that's another reason I like buying my Briar Fox by the pound. The packages are clear, and I can inspect it right away before opening it. I had an 8oz tin aged for a couple years only to open it and find out it was moldy. Also had a pound brick sent to me that had mold, was able to send it back right away.

 

[diamondback]

Oh %^#+. Well guess who’s going through his mason jar cellar tomorrow?



ETA: on the bright side, it’s a good opportunity to take inventory!

 

[tobefrank]

HAH! You pulling my chain over a "discussion" I got into when I insisted "plume" was a cigar term, and "bloom" was the right term for those lovely crystals (or whatever) that isn't mold?

I’ve never seen that ‘discussion’ unfortunately. I just thought it would be funny to suggest it was plume (or bloom), because the usual ‘is this mold?’ threads have these grainy hard to make out photos, whereas in your case it is crystal clear that it is mold (unfortunately).

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yeah. Bloom is the right word.
Plume is a shape; bloom is the phenomenon of crystals forming on the tobacco.
You can have a plume of smoke, or a plume of limestone slurry in a pond. Maybe plume in a cigar, but let those folks butcher the language.