Is this mold? @izzi

[izzi]

Hello everyone, I'm izzi. I live in the Netherlands but I am from Spain. I found myself in a tight spot as cigarette prices went over the moon so I decided to begin rolling my own. A couple of days ago I received my first order of tobacco leaves, mixture of Virginia Gold, Burley and Oriental Samsoun, but as I was taking the stems off I noticed a lot of spots on the leaves, spots that look like mold. As I am completely new to this I have no idea if indeed this is mold or if I am just being paranoid. I'm also not sure this is the right the category for this post, so please excuse me if not, I just could not find a better one. If anyone can help out I would very much appreciate it.

The pictures are from the Virginia Gold. By the way, if I try to scratch it off with my finger nails it does not go off.

Thanks in advance!

PS: The leaves were shipped just in a cardboard box which I found pretty crappy. Only the samsoun was in a plastic bag, I guess so not to be confused with the burley. Already looking for a different provider but not so easy in the EU. Every help and advise is more than welcome.

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum.

It's always difficult to identify mold from standard photographs. My impression is that the gray areas are mold in the first image. The well-circumscribed spots in the second image do not look like mold. In general, use in cigarettes does not present a hazard, since whatever mold might be there will be entirely combusted, and not toxic. If, with some moisture added, it smells like mold, then remove and discard those parts. Mold on tobacco becomes a toxic risk with smokeless preparations and with cigar wrappers.

Perhaps other members will render their opinions on the photos as well.

Bob

 

[Sergey Ukraine]

It's hard to tell from the photo... sometimes color reproduction distorts the actual color. If the spots in the first photo are green, they could be chlorophyll residues, if they are gray, they are most likely mold... if you wipe them with hydrogen peroxide and they wash off, then they are definitely mold... I haven't checked myself, so I can't say for sure whether this is true or not. In the second photo, there appear to be brown spots, most likely from moisture/water droplets during drying, which is not a concern. There may sometimes be a white coating on the veins - this is crystallized salt, which is also not a concern.

 

[Old Gasman]

I've bought similar leaves as yours possibly from the same supplier. My leaves also had the same markings but I don't believe it's mold, the tobacco tastes just fine. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[izzi]

Thank you for your replies guys. Very much appreciated all the input. In response to @Old Gasman I don't know. I got it from supposedly a french supplier but it came from Germany so go figure (I don't think I should talk about this publicly so if you like I'd love to have a private chat about it). I have only found another supplier so there is not much offer around here. I am beginning to wonder about importing and taxation.

 

[izzi]

@Old Gasman I tried sending you a chat but it seems I can't

 

[Old Gasman]

@Old Gasman I tried sending you a chat but it seems I can't

Sorry I'm away on hols at the moment so I'm not sure if its a phone issue that I didn't get your chat. If I remember correctly I bought my tobacco from Tabakblatter in Germany if that's any help.

 

[izzi]

Thanks @Old Gasman , I checked the site but they have a very small offer of leaves. At the end I decided to give Eurotabak a try

 

[izzi]

Update: got the leaves today. The virginia orange came as dry as the Goby desert (humidity between 7 and 9%), while the burley is nice and humid (humidity over 20%). So removing the stems from the V. Orange is just nearly impossible without destroying the entire leave, not to mention putting it through the shredder, which turns them to dust. The burley I guess I will have to let it dry a bit as it is too moist atm to roll anything.

Lets see how they want to fix the V. Orange issue because otherwise I have 2kg of tobacco dust

 

[deluxestogie]

Lets see how they want to fix the V. Orange issue because otherwise I have 2kg of tobacco dust

Mist the leaves with water, then allow to rest overnight in a sealed container.

Bob

 

[izzi]

@deluxestogie thanks for the tip! I will try that. I'm just a bit shocked as to how the product is delivered. The previous order was from tabak-kopen.nl and it was the same story with the Oriental Samsoun and some of the burley, but the virginia gold was really nice.

I will try your tip and let you know. Thanks a bunch!

 

[izzi]

Just wanted to share the little jig I made for the cutting machine (I'm into wood as well since recently)

 

[deluxestogie]

Use some thinner wood to create a rectangular-shaped funnel that can rest securely on top of the shredder. That may prevent your fingers from being injured. Motorized shredders have no mercy.

Bob

 

[izzi]

@deluxestogie nice tip! I was thinking about that, I guess one step at a time

 

[Sergey Ukraine]

Just wanted to share the little jig I made for the cutting machine (I'm into wood as well since recently)

12-volt motor from a car window regulator, motor cooling with a 12-volt snail fan.

 

[izzi]

12-volt motor from a car window regulator, motor cooling with a 12-volt snail fan.

WOAH, that's some next level machinery you got there

 

[izzi]

Use some thinner wood to create a rectangular-shaped funnel that can rest securely on top of the shredder. That may prevent your fingers from being injured. Motorized shredders have no mercy.

Bob

I did what you suggested and it definitely helps big time. Not just with safety, but also with grinding smaller broken leaves. It is still not the factory from @Sergey Ukraine but it works ... super simple jig