Beardies & Mould

[simong]

Bit of an ‘elephant in the room’ when you consider the numerous & never ending posts concerning mould in mostly American tins & jars. Having noticed the penchant most American pipesmokers have for large beards, I wonder if the two are connected?

Beard swabs yield 'disturbing' results

Some were as dirty as toilets, microbiologists says.

www.usatoday.com

I should say that about 10 years ago I bought a large variety of aged American tins from pipestud. McClellands, C&D & GL Pease, no trace of mould in any of them. The only time I’ve discovered mould in a freshly opened tin or pouch was in two consecutive pouches of Germain’s brown flake, several years ago. Most cases of mould forming after the tins being opened & transferred to jars, can be justifiably blamed on the smoker themselves or their surroundings. Dirty hands, jars or airborne bacteria etc. There does seem to be a disproportionate number of cases of mould in freshly opened tins though, which makes you wonder. Do ‘beard nets’ help prevent the spread of bacteria in the workplace? Do bearded tobacco blenders wear such things? If they don’t, perhaps they should? Copied these photos off the internet, showing lots of beards at C&D, but no beard nets.

 

[woodsroad]

A very good question, but there are so many other variables.

• Contaminated building.
• Contaminated HVAC system
• Contaminated equipment
• Contaminated packaging.
• Failure to adequately treat with anti-fungal agents
• Worker(s) with sinus/hand/foot fungal infection(s)
• Poor worker handwashing discipline

There are more, feel free to add on.

All untreated leaf coming into a pipe tobacco production facility is filled with mold spores. Keeping them that way, and not letting them fruit, is the goal.

Mark Ryan was smart. He just dried his products down to the point that did not support mold fruiting and reproduction.

 

[Auxsender]

Not saying you’re right or wrong but I will say these pics are very old.

 

[woodsroad]

Not saying you’re right or wrong but I will say these pics are very old.

So is mold.

What we don't know is what is the actually incidence of mold growth in tinned pipe tobacco. The incidence is grossly exaggerated by social media and the tendency to complain more than to compliment. And the tendency to pile on.

 

[renfield]

Tobacco is an agricultural product. It’s been processed in various ways but it’s been about as “dirty” as something can get. The mold is already there. It just needs the opportunity to reproduce and spread. I agree that social media probably creates a distorted impression of the frequency of mold.

Flour would freak people out if they thought about it. Wheat comes out of the field, through the combine, into a truck, into a silo, into another truck, then though the mill, into a bag and then into your house. The only thing keeping it from becoming a microbiological nightmare is the fact that it’s kept so dry.

 

[Hillcrest]

Reading the above comments, I rhetorically ponder: How much does the initial light and continuing ember kill most of that ? I suspect quite a bit. Like cooking meat or boiling vegetables. I imagine a completely sterile environment is not conducive to developing immunity.

 

[renfield]

In another thread (too lazy to dig it up) I posted a reference to some research done by one of the British tobacco companies. They showed that viable spores travelled through the smoke stream and conjectured that some of the throat irritation in smokers might be microbiological in nature.

What percentage of the mold/spores are killed by the ember is unknown but apparently far from 100%.

 

[proteus]

Perhaps this is the reason the FDA might be regulating tobacco manufacturing and production facilities more so. See my other post on the subject.

In food service beard nets are required. In many non-food service applications gloves, proper clothing, PPE, masks and aprons are necessary. It's called good manufacturing practice (GMP). The manufacturing process must prevent FOD. Foreign Object Debris. The cleaners and chemicals need separation from the product. Over the years I've seen pipe tobacco being made in different places and under different conditions - some good and some not. I'm not sure how the quality and consistecy is maintained in some of those places. Rodents are everywhere in a warehouse. Think about what gets on your shoes when you go to the restroom and then walk out on the production floor. In large manu operations there are LOTO and confined space rules and many other requirements I can't imagine being so haphazard about operations and QC around the product.

At any rate, I'm sure the lawyers and insurance companies are doing well...

 

[kcghost]

Looks like you have a somewhat misguided relationship with most American pipe smokers. We have no more facial hair than the general population of Americans. Probably your trope against us might have been more accurate had you of said the blenders of pipe tobacco and might something. I don't think the facial hair of Americans has much impact on the tins after they are sealed.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Not saying you’re right or wrong but I will say these pics are very old.

Their beards are now longer!!

 

[didimauw]

C&D could advertise, "Only one beardhair per tin!" And I'd still buy their tobacco.

 

[captainsousie]

C&D could advertise, "Only one beardhair per tin!" And I'd still buy their tobacco.

Two is a bonus. Wasn't there a beer that was brewed using the yeast int the brewers beard once?

 

[captainsousie]

Bit of an ‘elephant in the room’ when you consider the numerous & never ending posts concerning mould in mostly American tins & jars. Having noticed the penchant most American pipesmokers have for large beards, I wonder if the two are connected?

Beard swabs yield 'disturbing' results

Some were as dirty as toilets, microbiologists says.

www.usatoday.com

I should say that about 10 years ago I bought a large variety of aged American tins from pipestud. McClellands, C&D & GL Pease, no trace of mould in any of them. The only time I’ve discovered mould in a freshly opened tin or pouch was in two consecutive pouches of Germain’s brown flake, several years ago. Most cases of mould forming after the tins being opened & transferred to jars, can be justifiably blamed on the smoker themselves or their surroundings. Dirty hands, jars or airborne bacteria etc. There does seem to be a disproportionate number of cases of mould in freshly opened tins though, which makes you wonder. Do ‘beard nets’ help prevent the spread of bacteria in the workplace? Do bearded tobacco blenders wear such things? If they don’t, perhaps they should? Copied these photos off the internet, showing lots of beards at C&D, but no beard nets.
View attachment 299542View attachment 299543View attachment 299544

As a bearded man, I take offense to your "beardie weirdy" stance!

 

[ThermionicScott]

Their beards are now longer!!

Jeremy's is shorter as of late:

 

[MattRVA]

Here’s a podcast where mold on tobacco is discussed, someone may find it interesting.

032: How to Prevent and Recognize Mold - Houston Pipe Cast

The Houston Pipe Cast covers everything pipe and tobacco related in the Houston area and beyond. The Houston Pipe Cast's mission statement is to grow and support the Houston Pipe Club. If you are interested in the Houston Pipe Club please visit us at http://www.houstonpipeclub.com...

pca.st

 

[Old Smokey]

As a bearded man, I take offense to your "beardie weirdy" stance!

As an also bearded man, I can say we are a bit weird. Most of us use special products to keep our ruggedly handsome facial hair in pristine condition.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

First off, no one has to introduce mold spores. The plants grow out of the ground already containing the exact spores need to create mold, just as we are all born with the exact spores and bacteria that will disintegrate our bodies when we die. Putting the tobacco in a jar and exposing it to more spores should be no more of a problem than when the original manufacturer put it in a tin to begin with.

What tobacco manufacturers do is try to prevent those mold spores from sprouting. You can do this in a few different ways. One, pack it as dry as possible, because mold needs moisture to sprout. They can add something to reduce the PH, which will make it more acidic... but after being on here for years, I know that many of you have bitch mouths sensitive to acidic tobaccos, ha ha. (sorry, I couldn't help myself). Or, they can add something to the mix that inhibits molds... and this is the tricky part, because how much, which one, and what does it taste like becomes issues. Plus, what does it do to us when we smoke these. If the stuff has a taste, maybe this requires more things be added to mask the mold-inhibitor, like casings with more or different flavors. This all leads to all sorts of variables.

Me, I prefer the manufacturers to add less additives that interfere with tastes. So, I will risk mold occasionally. It doesn't bother me. However, I have never experienced mold from C&D, which is unusual siting how every time a random person gets mold from them they post it on here like they won the lottery, and C&D makes up the majority of my cellar and what I smoke. I pop a new tin or jar of C&D a week, at least. I have however, had a few Esotericas mold on me. So, I will take the risk. Others can just do whatever they prefer.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Reading the above comments, I rhetorically ponder: How much does the initial light and continuing ember kill most of that ? I suspect quite a bit. Like cooking meat or boiling vegetables. I imagine a completely sterile environment is not conducive to developing immunity.
View attachment 299873

Had this discussion a minute ago with another member. I was thinking the same as you posited, but it was pointed out that the puffing to get the charring light and the initial light going could draw spores lower in chamber loosened up by cutting, rubbing, handling, and packing the pipe into the airway and then into lungs.

I ain’t skeered, but I’m not looking to acquire avoidable problems either. I maintain and clean storm drains for a living, so breathing funky damp crap is a part of my daily routine. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna ingest or inhale obviously nasty stuff on purpose.
Do what you like, but expecting microprocessor manufacturing or surgical theater cleanliness in an agrarian product will lead to disappointment.
Not to mention that sterile pipe tobacco wouldn’t be tasty pipe tobacco.
Common sense should apply, and as a guy whose goatee is middle aged I wouldn’t mind practical limitations on facial pubes introduced into my tobak

 

[cosmicfolklore]

facial pubes

What? What is... uuuuuuuhhh, not sure I want to know.... ha ha.

 

[woodsroad]

Let’s just take a moment of silence here in memory of all who’ve been struck dead by moldy pipe tobacco.

Please take the time to list their names here, so that we may all mention them during kaddish…