Old or Mold?

[Chalaw87]

Sparkly ==> Plume ==> Good

Fuzzy ==> Mold ==> Bad

Do you/anyone have a picture of plume?

 

[JJ_JJ_JJ_JJ]

The answer is "Its always mold"

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.fohcigars.com

 

[bullet08]

That does look like mold. But, don't you know what mold looks like? I'm still puzzled there are grown man who can't tell mold apart from something else.

 

[B.Fee]

Mold. Toss it and try again.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Do you/anyone have a picture of plume?

I've seen some posted here, but don't know which thread.

The better word is "bloom". Plume comes from the cigar world, and it describes shape, not content.

 

[peteguy]

When you say aged, how old is the tin in question?

 

[kcghost]

I'd say if you are in doubt about it throw it in the trash.

 

[Tbaggins]

Looks like mold. Especially that flake on the right with the discoloration.

 

[gervais]

A higher resolution closeup might help us out more to identify it. Must be pretty aged though. It's almost black!

 

[Andriko]

I always see people talk about bloom/plume, but it doesn't seem to ever actually happen. I dare say it's mould, though it's hard to tell from the photos (it also looks like talcum powder).

 

[eljimmy]

A while back I bought some aged FVF that is very dark. It had similar white marks but when I let the sun hit the tobacco it definitely sparkled. I personally wouldn't chance this one.

 

[Chalaw87]

That does look like mold. But, don't you know what mold looks like? I'm still puzzled there are grown man who can't tell mold apart from something else.

Im sorry to disappoint you with my mold identification skills. My initial thought was mold, and I still think its mold. My hope, however, was to have someone say "o no thats just a normal process of aged/aging tobacco". I was just hoping to get lucky.

 

[Chalaw87]

When you say aged, how old is the tin in question?

I really am unsure. There was no date on the tin. I suspect its several years old, just from the wear on the tin.

 

[craig61a]

Bloom/Plume… whatever

 

[eljimmy]

I really am unsure. There was no date on the tin. I suspect its several years old, just from the wear on the tin.

So no set of 5 numbers anywhere on the tin?

 

[Chalaw87]

So no set of 5 numbers anywhere on the tin. I suspect its several years old, just from the wear on the tin.

Ill double check when I get back home and get back to you. Thanks

 

[eljimmy]

Ill double check when I get back home and get back to you. Thanks

Sounds good. You're welcome

 

[craig61a]

Rub your finger across it. If it brushes off, then it’s probably bloom. If it smears it’s probably mold.

 

[TheWhale13]

There is no way to know if "plume" is mold or not. Fungus can take countless forms, and there is really no way for us to quickly know if it is mold, and if it in that case is dangerous. Just because it isn't stringy or foamy, does not mean that it is not mold. I would just smoke it I think, because you really can't be sure either way. In that case you shouldn't smoke any old tobacco.

 

[Andriko]

Having read the FOH 'Plume' study thread, I'm pretty sure 'plume' is always mold or bacteria. The good news seems to be that if you brush it off, you'll probably be fine - the pipe tobacco samples seemed more prone to bacteria, which our immune system seems able to deal with.

Maybe if you can clean off one of those flakes and have a go!

Of course, I take no responsibility for what happens to you if you do!