Two of My Favorites Moldy
- Thread starter theediabeticman
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Yup, that's the video I was talking about. C&D replaced his tin and his replacement tin was full of moldy tobacco. I'll be staying away for awhile.
I didn't even really consider this but I bet you're absolutely right. I'm sure a lot of newer folks think they have mold on their tobacco when it's really just a wonderfully aged leaf.
That's kind of where my worry lies. If I buy tinned tobacco, it's usually to age them, and I don't plan on opening a lot of these tins for 10-15 years from now. Who knows where C&D will be by then (hopefully still around) but I will assume if it's moldy 15 years from now I'll just accept it as a loss.
Mold spores are everywhere. What mostly determines growth is moisture content and temperature. Keep your stuff on the dryer side, keep it as cool as possible and you greatly lower the chance for mold growth. Your cellar should be dry. If bought in tins, you have the choice of opening, checking and altering as needed, then moving to jars. At least with jars you can "look in." As to the dangers of mold, some molds can produce highly potent toxins. Rye mold (ergot fungus) causes hallucinations and severe bodily effects. That is where LSD comes from. It only takes a few dozen micrograms of ergotomine tartrate to give you a "trip." I would take mold seriously. If you find moldy tobacco, throw it out, unless someone possitively determines that the fungus on tobacco is fairly benign. Anything with a strong blue or green or red color, that is a sign of it being very dangerous. Chances are that even in other parts of the jar/container not visibly affected, the spores are present there as well. You are playing with fire handling or smoking anything that has been contaminated by mold. Your best bet is to keep small quantities in individual containers so that if contaminated, you risk losing little, and if one jar goes bad in a blend, that is a good sign to open all the others, inspect them and let them dry out a bit.
C&D is making it right everywhere. Hail to them... that's a difficult business decision but I think they made the right call, and in celebration of that, I plan to order plenty of their tobacco to offset the loss. TAD rules me!
It's awesome how C&D/SPC is handling this, and the responses from Ted and GLP bring much respect.
I'm curious to know though - my impression is that blenders like Sam Gawith primarily use water as an additive, and I don't think there's much else in the way of PG or fungicides or what else have you. Am I wrong about this? Why have I never had SG blends go bad despite how wet they are? I would think I would have run across a moldy can or box here or there, but the only mold I've ever gotten was a long time ago from a can of Kajun Kake, maybe back in 2006?
I'm not trying to cast aspersions at all, I just always assumed that blends as wet as SG would should mold like the dickens given the moisture content, and wondering what's in the stuff that it doesn't. Maybe they do and I've just been lucky.
I guess talking %s, it's rare enough that I just haven't had it happen to other cans (including C&D), but when it did happen, it was C&D. I seem to recall that when they first launched that blend it wasn't unheard of, perhaps due to what GLP said above re: perique.
I'm curious to know though - my impression is that blenders like Sam Gawith primarily use water as an additive, and I don't think there's much else in the way of PG or fungicides or what else have you. Am I wrong about this? Why have I never had SG blends go bad despite how wet they are? I would think I would have run across a moldy can or box here or there, but the only mold I've ever gotten was a long time ago from a can of Kajun Kake, maybe back in 2006?
I'm not trying to cast aspersions at all, I just always assumed that blends as wet as SG would should mold like the dickens given the moisture content, and wondering what's in the stuff that it doesn't. Maybe they do and I've just been lucky.
I guess talking %s, it's rare enough that I just haven't had it happen to other cans (including C&D), but when it did happen, it was C&D. I seem to recall that when they first launched that blend it wasn't unheard of, perhaps due to what GLP said above re: perique.
They at the very least use less PG than certain commercial blends, not to mention less of other unknown substances.
If they'd just send me all of their Burley Flake #1 I'd be very happy!
If they'd just send me all of their Burley Flake #1 I'd be very happy!
FishingandPipes: It hasn't happened to me, but I remember one guy getting a tin of St. James Flake and it had mold. I've seen a Dunhill tin with mold, too. Anything can happen, and given the large amounts of pipe tobaccos sold by various companies, the over all mold rate is very small by percentage.
Moldy tobacco is something I hadn't even considered until the red cake disaster. I'm a newbie and have been reading on this site for 2 years.
I'd read about 'bloom' and seen some on samples sent to me from members.
I hadn't even give mold a thought. That's what I pay the blender to do.
Sure, I want a natural product free of additives, and I know that this can lead to product failure through natural causes.
I would expect nothing less than a refund AND an explanation.
Repeat sales is what producers are in business to accomplish.
I've only got a few tins in my cellar and most of those came from C&D.
I've also got a few lbs of their bulk.
I guess I'll be on the look out for mold now. sheesh. I didn't sign up for THIS.
I'd read about 'bloom' and seen some on samples sent to me from members.
I hadn't even give mold a thought. That's what I pay the blender to do.
Sure, I want a natural product free of additives, and I know that this can lead to product failure through natural causes.
I would expect nothing less than a refund AND an explanation.
Repeat sales is what producers are in business to accomplish.
I've only got a few tins in my cellar and most of those came from C&D.
I've also got a few lbs of their bulk.
I guess I'll be on the look out for mold now. sheesh. I didn't sign up for THIS.
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