Mold in tobacco jars.

[U-235]

Hello,

One of my favorite tobaccos is Gawith & Hoggarth and Dark Flake Unscented. About 18 months ago, I purchased a pound, split it in half, and placed the tobacco into two jars with a rubber seal. I finished one of the jars recently. When I went to open the second jar, I noticed a little white mold on the tobacco. Lately, I have been smoking G&W Dark Flake Unscented quite a bit (almost exclusively) and so I ordered two pounds of it. The two pounds are currently still in the original box but I will need to transfer the tobacco to jars pretty soon before it dries up. I have two questions...

First, once mold has grown on the tobacco, is it safe to smoke? Has it become spoiled?

Second, is there anything I can do to prevent mold from growing on the two pounds I just ordered? The tobacco is somewhat expensive and I don't want to lose it to mold. I ordered two pounds because I heard that the aging process refines the tobacco.

BTW, I tried the search before posting these questions and I could not find much. Just wanted to let you guys know that I tried to do the background work first before posting.

Thank you,

U-235

 

[idbowman]

It is possible that what you think is mold could possibly be sugar crystalization that can occur during the aging process. It could also be bloom, such as you would see on a cigar that has been aged as well. In either event, these would be good signs and suggest that your tobacco is aging quite nicely. Mold is certainly a possibility, but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion right away, especially if the coloration is white.

Got any pictures? That could be helpful.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

I agree with Ian, it's most likely sugar crystallization. That's a good thing.

& w/o pics it's hard to tell what you're dealing with.

 

[U-235]

idbowman,

Thanks for your reply.  I have seen sugar crystals before when I opened up an old tin of Marlin Flake and it does not look like that - it sparkled in the light.  It still may be sugar, but it did not look crystalline as it did with the Marlin Flake. It looks like a thin layer of white material on the surface of the outer flakes.  There is very little of it, but I am worried that, if it is mold, then a little may grow and spread.  I will post a picture when I get a chance.

At the time that jarred the G&W Dark Flake Unscented, I also purchased many different Virginia flakes in bulk also.  I inspected those jars and they still look fine.  I did smoke a flake of the G&H Dark Flake Unscented that had a very little of the white material on it and I did not notice any change in taste and aroma.  You mention something about a bloom.  What is a bloom?

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

What is a bloom?

This is a good explanation, even though it's cigar related. I have some Penzance with bloom all over it. At first I too thought it was mold.

http://gartrader.com/index.php/topic/39-mold-or-plumebloom/

 

[Briar Spirit]

To avoid mould there are a couple of things to do before jarring your tobacco, first and foremost ensure your hands are absolutely spotless prior to touching the tobacco, hands are dirty filthy things at the best of times, harbouring all manner of nasties under finger nails and the such. Secondly and almost as importantly ensure you thoroughly clean the jars with hot soapy water and dry them 'thoroughly' with a 'clean' tea towel before jarring up the backy. If jarring in hot weather make absolutely certain you get no sweat on the tobacco, may seem a strange to say at first but if any sweat gets on the tobacco it will definitely turn on you, even freshly washed hands and faces excrete nasty impurities through sweat glands.

Best of luck with future jarring and I truly hope the 'mould' on your already jarred backy turns out to be glorious crystals.

 

[Carlos]

The only time I have actually seen mold on tobacco in a jar, it was like bread mold. There was absolutely no doubt what it was. That little bit of white dusty looking stuff you often see on flakes and well aged tobaccos could be sugar. Or perhaps even salt. We really do not know what all may be added to our blends. But I have no fear of that little bit of white stuff.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

The rule is if it's crystalline, it's sugar and ok; if fuzzy, it's mold and not ok. But I don't know what "bloom" is, and it occurs on pipe tobacco as well as cigars. Bloom is ok, but I don't know how to differentiate it from mold. I'm sure there is information about it on the internet. Most of the time it seems we are too alarmed by such growths, but caution is a good thing.

You might need a magnifying glass to see better just what you've got.

 

[Hermit]

Does it look like this?

Not mold on some FVF.

 

[Brewdude]

The rule is if it's crystalline, it's sugar and ok; if fuzzy, it's mold and not ok. But I don't know what "bloom" is, and it occurs on pipe tobacco as well as cigars. Bloom is ok, but I don't know how to differentiate it from mold. I'm sure there is information about it on the internet. Most of the time it seems we are too alarmed by such growths, but caution is a good thing.

You might need a magnifying glass to see better just what you've got.

This.

I once thought I had mold on some SG Navy Flake, but after close examination under a magnifying glass it didn't appear to be fuzzy. Mold will be fuzzy. In fact it rather looked like the pic Hermit just posted.

HTH


Cheers,

RR

 

[Brewdude]

idbowman,

Thanks for your reply.  I have seen sugar crystals before when I opened up an old tin of Marlin Flake and it does not look like that - it sparkled in the light.  It still may be sugar, but it did not look crystalline as it did with the Marlin Flake.  It looks like a thin layer of white material on the surface of the outer flakes.  There is very little of it, but I am worried that, if it is mold, then a little may grow and spread.  I will post a picture when I get a chance.

Sure sounds like sugar crystallization to me after re-reading that.

Again, get yourself a magnifying glass and look at it in bright light. Mold will be fuzzy.


Cheers,

RR

 

[monbla256]

The only time I have actually seen mold on tobacco in a jar, it was like bread mold.  There was absolutely no doubt what it was.  That little bit of white dusty looking stuff you often see on flakes and well aged tobaccos could be sugar.  Or perhaps even salt.  We really do not know what all may be added to our blends.  But I have no fear of that little bit of white stuff.  

It's probably salt :twisted:  If it was red it would be crystalized ketchup, but that's only found on 'bacs blended in KC. :twisted: :twisted: 

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

It's probably salt :twisted:  If it was red it would be crystalized ketchup, but that's only found on 'bacs blended in KC. :twisted: :twisted: 

Monbla forgot to mention that it could be crystalized Oscar Del La Renta. This is a Gawith flake afterall.  

 

[U-235]

Hermit, it looks exactly like your photo. Thank you for posting it. Is it something I should worry about? I guess there is nothing I can do about it. As I mentioned, I just got 2 pounds of it and I became a little worried that I would lose it to mold also. I thought that by drying the flakes out a little before jarring would reduce the moisture content and help prevent mold from growing, but there's something inside me that says I shouldn't mess with it. I'll be sure to sterilize the jars and my hands before jarring it as suggested. Well I suppose only time will tell. It smokes well now and I guess that's what counts.

 

[Hermit]

Is it something I should worry about?

It's something you should celebrate.  

 

[idbowman]

^that.

If it looks like the photo, you have some tobacco that is aging quite nicely. No reason to think there's anything going wrong at all. Smoke and enjoy, or leave it alone and let it keep aging. In either case, put your mind at ease - all is well.

 

[U-235]

Thank you very you guys. My mind is at rest. I appreciate your help.

 

[ZeroContent]

The rule is if it's crystalline, it's sugar and ok; if fuzzy, it's mold and not ok. But I don't know what "bloom" is, and it occurs on pipe tobacco as well as cigars. Bloom is ok, but I don't know how to differentiate it from mold. I'm sure there is information about it on the internet. Most of the time it seems we are too alarmed by such growths, but caution is a good thing.

You might need a magnifying glass to see better just what you've got.

Just for reference "bloom" also called "plume" is similar to sugar crystals but it's actually the oils from the leaf that have left behind residue. It's a good thing and looks similar to sugar crystallization at a glance but looking closer it looks more like a powdery residue instead of crystalline. I'm not sure HOW often you'd see that in pipe tobacco since I don't know how often high(er) oil content tobaccos are used for pipes vs cigars.

 

[Natch]

Does it look like this?

Not mold on some FVF.

Great pix, it shows it perfectly.  I've had a similar situation on several of my Lakeland Flakes, especially the Sam's Flake.  Under a strong lens, it's obviously not mold.

Natch

 

[fishnrust]

Does it look like this?

Not mold on some FVF.

Damn, my mouth is watering. I bet that was tasty. I have a cold and haven't been able to smoke for a few days.