Pipe Tobacco Heartbreak

[drrock]

As I reached for the jar I noticed this:




With magnification it's fluffy, not crystal-like. I've used the contents as a blender for a long time, opening it infrequently. It's never even been obviously damp. It's been many years since I had mold in jarred tobacco & I remember it well - I was a jar of Gallaher's Rich Dark Honeydew!

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

 

[blackpowderpiper]

My condolences. Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

 

[mso489]

Aw shucks. I think C&D offers an acceptable blending Perique, or it has in the past.

 

[clynch]

Educate me please. Those white dots are mold and it means the contents are trash?

 

[PA Piper Mike]

Aw man...give that thing a proper burial.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

Educate me please. Those white dots are mold and it means the contents are trash?

Yes, mold. Pretty much trash at this point, unless you want to risk introducing mold particles/molecules into your mouth and possibly lungs. Better to err on the side of caution and dispose. Unfortunately, it happens from time to time.

 

[clynch]

Yes, mold. Pretty much trash at this point, unless you want to risk introducing mold particles/molecules into your mouth and possibly lungs. Better to err on the side of caution and dispose. Unfortunately, it happens from time to time.

Thanks. Gotta go and check the stash

 

[Scottmi]

My condolences. Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

once upon i time i really resented that statement, but true indeed. iykyk.

condolences indeed.!

 

[mortonbriar]

Sigh....

 

[Zamora]

Can't imagine a worse than to get mold than a McClelland blend

 

[FurCoat]

Hopefully you won't find anymore.

 

[kcghost]

Some days are tougher than others.

 

[greeneyes]

As a scientist I'd say that there is a good chance that those white fluffy specks are in fact salt crystal blooms, the product of sublimation. The crystals of some salts are fluffy and not "crystal-like" at all. Mold and fungi tend to like to grow on organic substrate (though, not always) and in this case these appear to be on glass (non-nutrient) and there are no fungal hyphae connecting the lumps to the paper or tobacco.

 

[MattRVA]

I’ve always wondered if putting the tin wrapper inside of the jar is a good idea, no idea if that’s the cause but my condolences on the loss, good perique is common, great perique is rare.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

As a scientist I'd say that there is a good chance that those white fluffy specks are in fact salt crystal blooms, the product of sublimation. The crystals of some salts are fluffy and not "crystal-like" at all. Mold and fungi tend to like to grow on organic substrate (though, not always) and in this case these appear to be on glass (non-nutrient) and there are no fungal hyphae connecting the lumps to the paper or tobacco.

Perhaps, but in my most humble opinion, is it worth the possible health risks for a small jar of smoking tobacco? One's health is a precious thing and the cost of medical care has never been higher. Trust me, I hate to throw away tobacco but in cases where I can't conclusively determine the nature of the substance, I'm going to eliminate any possibility of a negative outcome and simply toss it. When I compare the cost of tobacco with the cost of medical treatment and a possible hospital stay, the choice, at least for me, is an easy one.

 

[craig61a]

McClelland bought their Perique from Sutliff or some other vendor, so it’s not a big deal.

 

[craig61a]

There’s something on the outside; what’s the stuff on the inside look like?

 

[greeneyes]

Perhaps, but in my most humble opinion, is it worth the possible health risks for a small jar of smoking tobacco? One's health is a precious thing and the cost of medical care has never been higher. Trust me, I hate to throw away tobacco but in cases where I can't conclusively determine the nature of the substance, I'm going to eliminate any possibility of a negative outcome and simply toss it. When I compare the cost of tobacco with the cost of medical treatment and a possible hospital stay, the choice, at least for me, is an easy one.

It's a matter of personal choice, I suppose. But if it's worth creating a thread about "heartbreak" then I'd say it meets the threshold for following up with actual examination under a microscope. There are lots of "mold or plume" threads here and were it not for further inspection lots of good tobacco would've gone into the garbage.

What I'm saying, in other words, is that it seems to me that what the OP has observed does not yet meet the threshold for proof-positive mold infection.

 

[renfield]

I feel your pain. I had the exact same thing happen with the same tobacco several years ago.

I used the tin for occasional blending over several months and then one day it was covered in mold.

 

[mingc]

As a scientist I'd say that there is a good chance that those white fluffy specks are in fact salt crystal blooms, the product of sublimation. The crystals of some salts are fluffy and not "crystal-like" at all. Mold and fungi tend to like to grow on organic substrate (though, not always) and in this case these appear to be on glass (non-nutrient) and there are no fungal hyphae connecting the lumps to the paper or tobacco.

They look like they on the paper, not the glass. They rather look like eggs to me!