Spark Plug... Plume?

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Val

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 18, 2019
141
331
Just cracked open a tin of spark plug that has a Year's age on it and wasn't expecting to see any type of plume in that short of a Time! I have no experience with aged tobacco so I'm just assuming this is plume! It smells fantastic and looks sparkly, just need confirmation from you who are in the know!
I would hold off on smoking it just yet. There was a gentlemen who asked about plume on full Virginia flake in a recent post and I feel 99 percent confident that his was plume. This one I’m not so sure. Particularly the upper portion. I would grab a jewelers loop or some magnifier and look for any kind of fuzz. If you only see crystals you’re good to go.
 

Chaukisch

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 31, 2021
535
3,568
34
Northern Germany
I just heard about "plume" in a recent thread but I do know my mold and this round spot in particular reminds me of what I've seen on my raw tobacco leaves many times before. Mold.

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Besides that I can't make out any crystallization on any part of the pictures but I do see fuzz.
If you observe the same with your bare eyes up close, I'd say it's mold.
 
Jun 23, 2019
1,854
12,847
Agreeing with the suspicious crowd on this one.

Would probably like to see more pictures, but the localization and how it's spread across leaf types in the first picture is a concern. Similarly, the top left corner in the second picture is also interesting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOHN72
Aug 11, 2022
2,374
18,712
Cedar Rapids, IA
Imo, you could fire off an email to SP and C&D with pics and a pic with the date sticker on the bottom to get their opinion.
If they indeed think it is mold, I bet they will send a new tin to replace it.
Better to give them a chance than to slag on them down the road and not of given them a shout.
Engineers like me see it as their duty to submit a ticket when they see an issue! 🤓
 

Masterblaster

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 23, 2021
153
604
45
Evans, GA
Sent an email to smokingpipes.com and C&D. We'll see what they say. Only been at this for about a year and just started building my celler, I've read other posts about mold problems in the past, and knew it was a possibility, just didn't really think I would run into it this soon in my journey! Has me a little freaked out about putting tins away for long-term storage and having to worry about mold issues!
 

captpat

Lifer
Dec 16, 2014
2,300
12,214
North Carolina
If it looks "sparkly" it's likely plume, if it is furry its mold. You may need to a magnifying glass to get a better look. Mold may also have an off-putting scent.
 

gervais

Lifer
Sep 4, 2019
2,083
6,980
39
Ontario
I want to take a fucking bite of that thing. Doesn't look bad to me. Jewellers loupe it if you're worried
 

Homer

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 7, 2020
260
842
44
Finland
The white part looks like mold.
Same thing happens easily to cigars.
If cigars get white mold that can be easily whiped off they are good to smoke. I don’t know if pipe tobacco has different kind of mold.