RH% is this mold or some kind of sugar on my Penzance?

[shotokun16]

WEll--ive been slowly converting to cigars and forgot about my pipe tobacco collection. I have 2 tins of penzance and one in a mason jar. After 2-3 months of storing it i forgot to give my tobacco some 10-20second air.
The smell is still a penzance and amazing, but i noticed a white haze(see picture B) fogging the inside. Is it due to high humidity? To answer that i placed my hygroset II digital hygrometer which is calibrated (36-hours). Anyways after 15-20 minutes i noticed (see picture B) the RH is 77% and temp is 79F.
So is it mold? sugar? the white stuff kinda has a shining/crystal like effec
I guess ill air it out tonight just in case.
A

B

OR MOLD =(

 

[fred]

Mold will display a blue hue and will stink remarkably. What you're looking at

is referred to as 'sugar crystals', although this is a misnomer. With age, a

blend can show this bloom, which is desirable since it improves a blend's performance

in the Pipe. Greg Pease has written about this, and it's been the subject of

discussion for years. One thing tho, the RH sounds high, if you can trust the

performance of an analogue hygrometer. The moisture will condense on the inside of

the glass jar. I suggest that you let the Penzance dry out, or you will get mold.

An RH of 13%-18% is more commonly recommended for Pipe tobacco storage. The glass-on-glass

bail top jars in my cellar provide a good seal, but the blends will still dry out

with years of storage. This is OK with me, as I can always hydrate the blend when

I'm ready to smoke it, but with mold there is nothing I can do but throw it away.

You will recognize the mold 'beard' growing on a blend and it will smell foul.

More in depth discussion of this can be found here...

http://www.glpease.com/FAQ.html

 

[admin]

You are switching to cigars?
That makes me want to cry. :-(

 

[surfmac211]

I still occasionally smoke cigars in social settings with my buddies that due, but honestly ever since I made the full switch to pipes I don't enjoy cigars quit as much. And I don't smoke cheap cigars so the cash isn't as easy to throw out when I think I can smoke a big bowl of tobacco for A LOT less.

 

[igloo]

Make sure it is not fuzzy , no blue , no green . If it looks like cotton throw it out . Humidity should remain below 70% .Even lower is better . I dont like to see any moisture building up on the glass inside of the jar . Hope this helps there are others here who are more knowledgeable .

 

[shotokun16]

Kevin,
No need to be sad im still a fellow pipe/tobacco collector. I simply love the concept of aging tobacco and with that said i tried up cigars. Ive frequently been on cigar international and spend my days on joes jambalaya. The hype can sometimes trap you but with some self-control and research you can find the right cigar for you.
WHen i get a new job i think ill invest on Padron 1964s some day. but anways thank you for all the help you guys. And the tobacco does not have any indications of blue, green, or fuzzy like texture. Seems good, smells good, and ill test it out this weekend.
OFF TOPIC: does anyone use a hear rate monitor while working out? Ive noticed smoking once or twice a week a cigar or pipe my Heart rate has increase significantly. I measure my heart rate while running 2-miles at a 8:32 mile pace. I wonder if tobacco has something to do with it. I use to be in the 160-171BPM reange and now i reach the 170-181BPM zone. I weight 173LB and i'm 5'11. HMMM

 

[admin]

Smoke more. Run less. ;-)

 

[igloo]

Just remember that James Fixx [ The Running Book ] died while running down the street . lol

 

[ohin3]

I have been exercising on a regular basis since I was a wee lad and have been smoking a pipe for 14 years. I did notice that my heart rate seemed to go up after I started smoking. I have tested the theory several times by quitting smoking for a month or more and then resuming. My heart rate decreased during times of nonsmoking and increased again when I started smoking again. It's not a drastic increase but it is noticeable and seems to be correlated to pipe smoking.