Well Well Well MOLD!

[pipesmokingtom]

We laugh to keep from crying.

 

[tmb152]

I don't think he was saying that mold spores are always on tobacco. I think he was saying if the tobacco gets moldy, there will still be spores there no matter how much you clean it.

I think it is safe to say that there are spores on most tobacco, it isn't the spores that are of concern, it is active, growing, living mold. The spores themselves are dormant.
Everyone gets a little mold in their system, in food, inhaled, etc., all the time and the body just fights it off. But there is a fine line where the wrong kind of mold or too much is taken in where the body's defenses cannot handle, and an individual's health will vary greatly in how much a person can tolerate and fight off. If you've been sick or have had lung disease or illness in recent months, you are particularly susceptible.
I've never had moldy tobacco, and I don't recommend anyone smoking it, but if I ever get it, I guess I will have to make my own judgement call whether I think it can be saved and is worth it and how far along it is. If the visible mold can be removed and steps taken to kill any residual, well then . . . hmm. If I saved it, I'd only do so based on my limited background in chemistry and biology and mainly just as an experiment to see if I can beat it. I like a good challenge. Maybe the food for some future thread? Unless you are very sure though, just don't try.

I am not about to smoke any moldy tobacco, but why is it that the cigar guys do it quite often. Is it a different type of mold? And, if spores are always on the tobacco, as Woodsroad has said, then we are smoking mold spores all the time. Right?

No, don't EVER smoke anything that LOOKS moldy! As to cigars, what a lot of people do if they think they have mold and it hasn't penetrated the outer wrapper is wipe the spot with a damp paper towel first to remove the little plants, then spot treat with a little bleach. Or cut that part off. Anything left, if anything, is too little left to be of any danger. But you still have to watch the other nearby cigars and wipe out the humidor with 91% iso alcohol.
There are just a few main kinds of mold out there, 4 or 5, but no one kind that attacks tobacco only. If your stuff gets moldy, only a lab can be sure what kind.
And yes, we are all probably smoking (and inhaling) a little mold spore all of the time. Spores and dry, inactive mold are one thing, ACTIVE mold is another. The best way to deal with mold is to take away the conditions favorable to its growth in the first place. Cool and dry rather than damp and warm.

 

[zitotczito]

I smoke both cigars and pipe tobacco. I don't smoke either with any signs of mold. My health is way more important than any dollars I might save trying to deal with moldy tobacco. Throwing away $10.00, $20.00 or what ever is still way cheaper than the dollars I might spend on health care.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Wouldn't the mold spores get K.O.'ed as they're incinerated in the burning chamber?

 

[tmb152]

Yes, but as you draw in, you likely also draw in unburned mold plants off the tobacco and as the mold is incinerated in the flame, you merely oxidize the toxins created by the mold, the real enemy, and suck them in with the smoke as well, and god only knows what burning that shit might turn it into!

 

[tmb152]

Mycoban (calcium propionate) is the anti-fungal that Chris Tarler has stated C&D used at one time.

I wonder why they would stop using that? This is one of the most widely used anti-fungal agents out there and widely tested and considered very safe. It's possible that over a long enough time the effectiveness wears off which might happen if tobacco is stored for a very long time. This makes me really wonder the stresses placed on the current tobacco industry and whether companies are being forced to cut corners in order to try to remain profitable in an era of decreased sales.

 

[ericusrex]

To further TMB's response; yes, the mold at combustion is incinerated, but the smoke is pulled through the non-burning, lower section of the tobacco and may pick up mold bits there.

 

[aldecaker]

Just checked my entire supply of Carter Hall and Prince Albert. No mold! Whew!

 

[perdurabo]

I have to thank Adam And Mark at Smokingpipes.com. They to care of the situation. I got a photo of the mold in the jar, no gonna open that sucker. When I figure out the photo tech, I'll post it. Got a lot going on right now, post later. Just not trying to open a thread and leave it burning. Have a good one guys.

 

[sallow]

It is just a shame that something like this could turn an enjoyable pastime into an unhealthy and dangerous habit.

 

[briarbuda48]

My Penzance got a little fuzzy towards the end of the jar...yes, yes I did. I'm not advising to nor condoning smoking tobacco in that condition, just stating that I did and noticed no difference. Reflecting back I most likely won't do it again.

 

[jpmcwjr]

In other threads on the subject, comparisons have been made- or distinctions- between mold and bloom.

 

[shanelktown]

Yeah my experience with penzance and really any esoterica is bloom sugar crystals. Once touched the easily rub off the leaf.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Yup, looks fuzzy, won't smoke it!

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Eek. Is that Bijou as well?

 

[Chasing Embers]

That was one of mine that I found a while back.

 

[mayfair70]

"Don't Smoke Mold" should be the title of a tobacco book.
I want to see a horror movie where a guy smokes a moldy cigar and it makes him eat people. The mold gets in their system and they eat people and so on. The movie ends when the protagonist builds a gigantic tanning bed, killing all the mold. I'd like my $100,000 now please.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

According to international copyright laws, posting on a forum is insufficient establishment of intellectual property.
I'll take MY $100,000 now, please.

 

[mayfair70]

Let's celebrate with these cigars (with suspicious white patches on them).

 

[thebadkitty]

You guys can have the 100 grand, I'd be happy to be an unpaid extra in that movie. ::