Tin tobacco aging

[triprolo]

I bought some Samuel Gawith Firedance flake Tobacco in a tin a few months ago. I didn't really like it so I put it up. I pulled it out today and tries it again. I still don't like it but I notice that the flakes looked like they were starting to get some white on it. Didn't look nothing serious, but I thought I'd ask. I threw it out and the tin had started to oxidize on the sides. Does any of that sound normal?

 

[igloo]

White is alright , a hint of green or blue is bad for you .

 

[surfmac211]

Just like cigars white is good. Actually white on cigars means that they were aged and kept at just the right humidity level. Like igloo said just don't smoke the green stuff. Blue is only good on cheese.

 

[chuckw]

If the white appeared to be tiny crystals, that was the natural sugars. If they were strands or appeared to be a flat white coating, that was mold and you were right to discard it.

 

[triprolo]

It looked to be a flat white coating actually. Thanks for the responses.

 

[ohin3]

I'm with Chuck and everyone else on this. I have never seen actual white mold grow on tobacco, I guess I have been lucky. But I have often seen the appearance of sugar crystals on aging VA flakes and even in some freshly popped tins of VA heavy blends. I never use tins for storage. As soon as I pop a tin I take the label off, drop it into a mason jar and then fill with the tobacco.

 

[cortezattic]

Ditto Phil,

I never use tins for storage. As soon as I pop a tin I take the label off, drop it into a mason jar and then fill with the tobacco.

Best practice, IMO.

 

[python]

There is white mold and I have seen it grow on cigars. Like Fred said, If it is fuzzy it is mold.
However, with that being said; Samuel Gawith flake tobaccos are famous for getting the white streaks running down the grain of the flakes. This is normal and shows up more and more the longer that they tobacco ages. I have quite a bit of aged SG flakes and they all have it on them. It is integrated within the tobacco. I have noticed this on a lot of flakes from all different manufacturers, but it seems more predominate on SG. I am not sure why this happens more with SG flakes than with other manufacturers flakes.
You can use a strong magnifying glass or a jewelers glass and look at the white marks. If there is structure like webbing to it, it is mold. If it looks like crystals it is sugar, ploom, or whatever the heck it is that happens to well aged flakes and it is safe to smoke.
You can always err on the side of caution and go by the adage, "When in doubt, throw it out". But I suggest that you learn the difference between mold and sugar crystals (if that is what it really is) because if you throw out everything that you are unsure of, you could be missing out on some truly tasty, aged tobacco.

 

[python]

Actually you can look at this review that I did of
Samuel Gawith Sam's Flake - Pipe Tobacco Reviews
That has photos of the aged flakes with the white "sugar crystals" on them.

 

[pstlpkr]

Thanks Bob,

That's good to know.

 

[triprolo]

Bob, That's exactly what it was and exactly what it looked like. I wasn't sure so including the fact that I didn't like how it smoked, I just threw it out.
I guess it would also help to say I should know what mold looks like simply on the fact I am an exterminator. I spray for fungus and molds quite often. And it wasn't fuzzy like your saying it would be. It looked just like the pictures.
I also threw it out after having me a smoke, so I was kinda hoping for the better, lol.
Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[admin]

So, Kev did you throw it out in a bad way, or a good way?
I have several SG Flakes that Bob gifted me, and they all have the good yummy sugar coating.
When in doubt, mail it to a brother ... just not me, 'cause I got so much tobacco I have to buy a house just for it. LOL.

 

[triprolo]

I didn't like it anyhow, so I threw it regardless if it had mold or sugar crystals. So to me it was in a good way.