Rotten Tobacco? White Layer Growing Over Rope After 3 Weeks (Pic)

[mrmachado]

I picked up this piece of rope tobacco after 3 weeks "cellaring" it in a dark place (though not vacuum-sealed), and look at what happened...

What could this be?

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Looks more like an over baked cream puff than a section of rope tobacco. :D Is it really humid where you're storing it? You say not vacuum sealed but was it in a mason jar? I would say it is clearly mold. Slice a thin piece off the end to get rid of the mold and see what it looks like.

 

[olkofri]

What does it smell like? Mould?
Looks like mould to me. Plus, given your location's high humidity and heat, I'm pretty sure it's mould. If so, toss it; don't smoke it.

 

[rdavid]

If he cuts off the end with the mold and it appears clean underneath, wouldn't it be OK to smoke?
Sure hate to see a beautiful piece of rope like that go to waste.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Spores are likely throughout even if the visible mold is removed.

 

[thefishguy]

Not likely. Mold penetrates pretty well. I wouldn't keep it and certainly wouldn't touch any other tobacco after handling the cursed rope.

 

[olkofri]

Yup, mould shoots out microscopic tendrils into stuff. Not worth it. And if it's the rope Machado bought at his local market, it's not difficult to replace. Not really worth it getting sick over it.

 

[mrmachado]

Thanks guys! It seemed something nasty indeed.
At least this other rope seems to be mould-free and is smelling a lot better! Seems to be "aging" (if you can call this aging) well.

I wonder what happened to make the other one full of mould, while "saving" this one which was stored at the same place... Any guess?

 

[cossackjack]

Machado:

I had whitish-gray fuzzy/furry mold on one piece of Brazilian rope - on the cut ends & the wrapper; I think that it was the Arapiraca Preto Super Forte. It was stored in a 4 oz (~125 ml) canning jar at 65ºF (~18ºC). The remaining Preto, & the other 3 varieties were fine. It is not surprising that something might grow on those ropes, considering their open-air processing, & then openly displayed in the market.

The growth on your tobacco looks like either yeast or congealed oils on the cut end of the rope, though it could be mold. The photo is blurry & under-exposed. Perhaps better photos would help.

(Or you could send several kilos for me to examine :: )

 

[davek]

I've had mold just like that growing on the end of ropes I've made myself. I don't know why it happens on the end only, but it does. I worry about the mycelium as well, but I've just cut 1/2" to 1" off the end and smoked the remainder without any zcvgj dsnkshf nfs,shf

 

[cajomu]

Here's some an article about mold and tobacco:
Toxic Mold in Tobacco and Cigarettes

 

[olkofri]

That article is so anti-tobacco that I'm tempted to smoke mouldy leaf just to give them the finger.

 

[cajomu]

That article is so anti-tobacco that I'm tempted to smoke mouldy leaf just to give them the finger.

I think that falls under the category of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face, but be my guest. Let us know what it tastes like.