What To Do About Mold In Unnamed Manufacturer Tins

[jon11]

Hawky- from my experiences, no a swollen tin does not mean mold. I have opened quite a few swollen tins from a certain manufacturer and everyone was excellent.

Now my opinion on the mold issue is isolated to a certain timeframe. Take it for what it is worth, I've read every mold thread and talked to a few different people, I don't have faith in certain tins produced from June till August of 2016. Other than that time period I'm confident in all of the tins. Problems were recognized and fixed after this time frame. Before the said time frame the mold inhibitor that the original owners of the company used were in place. I'm not an expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Select last night!

 

[andrew]

Before the said time frame the mold inhibitor that the original owners of the company used were in place.

There are problems with mold and certain blends by the unnamed manufacturer going back to around 2012, 2013. This may have been what caused them to change to the new anti-fungal agent which is now causing more problems.

 

[mackeson]

Andy, don't be afraid of swollen tins.

I got several ( a couple different blends), and the 3 I've opened have been fine - even for weeks. In fact, they've been delicious!

 

[hawky454]

Thanks guys, the vinegar suggestion is a good one and I think I might give it a go. You're right, I have blends up to ten years old from all different manufacturers and none of them are swollen. I thought it was weird that it would swell up so soon. It was produced in June of 2016. I saw some other posters post pictures of said blend with swollen tins but they didn't seem to have any problems so I'm guessing I have about a 50/50 chance of there being mold on my baccy. Guess I'll open it soon, I was hoping to get a little more age on it but oh well.

 

[mayfair70]

I am by no means an expert, but I have read several threads on this very topic regarding some red virginias and their predisposition to get all moldy. A blender stated the issue had been dealt with as mentioned by Jon11 and others. I'm not one to return items either. Though I have not cellared any blends from a random company, I have noticed blends have what I consider a high moisture content compared to McBaren and others. My solution, in addition to UV rays, Microwaves, etc. would be to open the tin and allow it to dry a bit before placing in a jar. The reduced moisture should retard the mold growth. I have always let those tins air out a couple hours after opening and before re-sealing them. I also tend to smoke them within a week or three. I will put my money where my mouth is and try this approach, cellaring them for an extended period of time and posting results in the future to offer a glimmer of hope/horror to those who come after.

 

[jon11]

Andy there have been reports of mold going back to 2012 but very isolated....not near the problem had in the 3 months mentioned

 

[cossackjack]

For these suspect blends, upon opening the tin:

- Place the tobacco in the smallest volume canning jar in which it fits; I use wide mouth half-pints (if not in stores, can be found on Amazon)

- Microwave without the lid for 30 seconds

- Immediately place lid & tighten

- The vacuum that occurs upon cooling should have enough O2 to initiate aging, but the mold/mold spores should be eliminated by microwaving
I have done this with several Brazilian ropes which developed small amounts of mold that I cut away prior to microwaving.

No recurrence in the sealed jars or later upon opening to smoke.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Here's something, are all of the mold issues the same strain of mold, or different varieties?

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Mycologists among us? You'd think we would have heard from one by now.
It's probably not many different varieties of mold - but the select ones that prefer the specific biosphere of a tobacco leaf in a blend. Can't be many.
Again, I hope they solve it soon. I'm frankly surprised it's been such a struggle, considering how small the industry is and how few anti-fungals must be in use currently.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

The vacuum that occurs upon cooling should have enough O2 to initiate aging, but the mold/mold spores should be eliminated by microwaving

Interesting microwave science - to conclude that that specific amount of time will kill mold, but NOT the beneficial bacteria that promote aging. Sounds like wishful thinking, but if it's the best ya got...

 

[sablebrush52]

I sent mine back with no regrets. It's not like there aren't a lot of great blends available. And when I read up on the types of mold that grow in tobacco, the decision became a no brainer.
But, if having this worrisome weed is of paramount importance, then there is a method that will address the mold, at least according to a well known tobacco blender and supplier whom I met at the WCPS. Spread the tobacco out and spray it with alcohol. Once the alcohol has evaporated, jar the tobacco. It will affect the flavor a little, but the mold will be finito.
I'll still return worrisome weed. Too many other great choices.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Yup. I'll always be a fan of what they are trying to accomplish, but I don't have the money to gamble. They'll get my support (read: money) on a lot of SKUs, but, selective I'll be. I'll risk some, but 20-21 tins? Not committing that much just yet.

 

[oldtoby]

Well..... I'm not going the microwave route or the vinegar douche just to save a tin or twenty of supposedly high grade tobaccos that are marketed to "age well".
I wouldn't waste a good Mason jar on any blend from a company with that kind of Q/C issues. I've had several problems throughout the years with *******&**** tobaccos, several which were contaminated with Tobacco Beetles.
That being said, if you absolutely feel the need to buy and age the bar, I wish you all the best. As for myself, I agree with Sable 100%. Too many wonderful blends out there to go through the fuss. YMMV, IMHO, and all that.... :?

 

[newbroom]

I've been buying bagged bulks for about the last year and a half. I haven't seen any problems, yet.

I leave it in the bags....put the bags in coolers for storage separated by their genres...perique, latakia, and Burleys and Virginias.

I've got tins aging from a variety of houses, but I'm not hoarding tins. Luckily, these bulks provide me and my limited expectations plenty of tasty variety at relatively minimal cost.

To recap: I smoke old estate pipes, corn cobs, and mostly bagged bulk tobacco. I am happy reading about all the grails we search out, both pipes AND tobacco, but my initial enthusiasm for acquisitions has abated, for now.

Long live Social Security Insurance.

 

[jerwynn]

 

[bigpond]

Right, so active mold is easy enough to remove the trouble comes from the byproducts that stay behind. One of the points of concern is aflatoxin which is very commonly produced by mold spores that survive on tobacco. Aflatoxin can be lethal if it is ingested, thus any tobacco that is to be chewed that shows any sign of mold needs to be destroyed.
The good news is that aflatoxin has an extremely low rate of transmission through smoke.
From a 2005 study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University:

Previous studies have found that AFB1 [Aflatoxin] does not transfer to the mainstream smoke. AFB1 was not detected in unfortified cigarettes. A transfer experiment, fortifying cigarettes at 1 microg/cigarette determined that AFB1 was transferred only slightly from the burning cigarette to the sidestream smoke. The mean percent transfer was 0.087%.

for those inclined: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16078698
My take:

My day to day is pretty hectic as it is. Pipe smoking is all about taking time to relax. Adding worry about the contents of the tin is not something I'm willing to take on.

 

[samcoffeeman]

The main problem is that the spores are already there, even if they haven't started growing yet. Mold is very difficult to get rid of.

 

[hawky454]

Tobacco beetles?

 

[clickklick]

Have you found a can of moldy produce lately?

I've been closely following this hobby daily for over 30 years and this is the only outbreak of mold I can recall. IMO this is an issue that needs to be discussed openly. I understand that the company is making good on their moldy tobacco but the fact that a once well regarded brand that was family run without issues other than some guys don't like their mixtures has been moved and turned over to a bunch of hipsters who seem more interested in expanding the catalog rather than doing what worked for the Tarlers for years.

With the endless silly and off topic post padding threads the fact that an on topic thread that directly effects the hobby in a way I have never seen before gets shut down does not make me happy. 8O

This 100%. I don't have 30 years but close to 14 years and completely agree. I have the same concerns and thoughts. Unfortunately the cellar I have amassed with said unnamed brand will no longer be growing with anything from that brand unless I buy vintage tins from the OG era. Which, regardless of which side of the fence you land on, is sad.

 

[woodsroad]

Sam is correct: The spores are already there, mixed in with the tobacco. What we actually see on the tobacco is the fruiting body, not the mold spores themselves, which are very, very (did I say very?) small. No amount of microwaving or vinegar or wishful thinking will kill them. The only way to effectively kill the spores is to autoclave them. The next best thing is to keep them from reproducing. That's what tobacco producers do, adding antifungals like calcium proprionate.