Help do I have mold?

[tooomanycolors]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AItF2vJ7dLA/ScMJDTops-I/AAAAAAAAADc/qWC_e3DC5ik/s1600-h/CIMG0043.JPG

please I need to know, Im freakin out:(

[markem]

yes, but it is a very mild case. Wipe the sticks down to get rid of the white mold and all will be okay. Wipe out the box or case they are in as well. The white mold is stuff that is in everyday air and merely indicates that the sticks got too wet at one point. Won't affect the flavor at all.

I just use soft strokes with a terrycloth towel when it happens to me. Never seems to come back.

[cort]

I am no expert but that looks like mold to me.

DONT freak out. Simply wipe them off and they will be fine. As long as there is no mold on the foot you will be okay. :tu

Also you should wipe out the humi they were in and let it air out for a few days.

[kaelaria]

You do need to closely inspect in the feet. If you see spores in them, you can't clean them. Wipe the humidor out with alcohol. I detailed my recent encounter with it as well: http://cigarobsession.com/2009/04/10/mold/

[bonjing]

what would the difference be if there is mold on the body or on the foot? isn't mold, mold?

[SixPackSunday]

what would the difference be if there is mold on the body or on the foot? isn't mold, mold?

if mold is on the foot it may have made it further into the cigar and is very bad for your health... anything else can be wiped off.

[SixPackSunday]

oh, and I vote plume hands down a great case of plume at that

[MedicCook]

if mold is on the foot it may have made it further into the cigar and is very bad for your health... anything else can be wiped off.

This struck me funny.

[kaelaria]

Not plume not by a long shot.

You can remove the mold from the outside. Once it's inside, it's non reachable. It's not just a health thing (not that it is likely to kill you any faster than the cigar LOL). The mold will destroy the stick and infect all others in the humidor very quickly.

[bonjing]

see that's what confuses me about wiping mold of the body.

from what i learned in the food service classes (what i kind of remember) is that once you have mold growth you have to at least cut off a min of 1" deep of the infected area to remove any growth/rooting and can't simply wipe off any growth.

[kaelaria]

I didn't realize they taught care of fermented tobacco leaves in food service class ;)

[bonjing]

i know i'm comparing apples and oranges, but i still figure mold is mold.


just trying ta learn and understand

:tu

[kaelaria]

Mold is mold, but you are correct - thats apples and oranges. I know how to kill it on my patio furniture too, but I'm not doing that to food or my cigars ;)

[MedicCook]

Mold is mold, but you are correct - thats apples and oranges. I know how to kill it on my patio furniture too, but I'm not doing that to food or my cigars ;)

Unless you are giving it to that in-law you never really liked. :tu :r

[kaelaria]

Oh that's so mean! (writing that down for later use...)

[bonjing]

but in order to remove the mold, you have to kill its roots. doesn't the mold on the surface of the stick also root through and into the stick?

don't get me wrong i do listened to the BOTL here and also wipe any mold that i had on one of my sticks and still smoked it.

i guess my friends are right i tend to over think chit :D

edit-

oh, on a side not as not having experienced plum, can plume be wiped off if you thought it's mold?

[M1903A1]

You do need to closely inspect in the feet. If you see spores in them, you can't clean them. Wipe the humidor out with alcohol. I detailed my recent encounter with it as well: http://cigarobsession.com/2009/04/10/mold/

If I see mold on the foot, I cut off about a quarter-inch and reinspect.

[M1903A1]

oh, and I vote plume hands down a great case of plume at that

You must work at a B&M! :r

[SilverFox]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AItF2vJ7dLA/ScMJDTops-I/AAAAAAAAADc/qWC_e3DC5ik/s1600-h/CIMG0043.JPG

please I need to know, Im freakin out:(

I would suggest it is mold, plume is almost like fine crystalline white sand on your cigars, (it is the residue of oils exuding from cigars and crystalizing) it will refract light (sparkle) and is spread very evenly over the cigar not concentrated in certain areas, check close up mold is well furry and grows in clumps.

Here is a close up of plume refracting light http://puffingcigars.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/plume.gif

Don't worry though take each individual cigar and gently wipe the mold off with a soft cloth or paper towel, repeat the process with a clean cloth on each cigar to help insure that all the mold spoors are gone.

Carefully wipe out your humidor, if you have any rooted mold, use a very fine grit sandpaper and gently sand the area to get any mold out of the wood. You can wipe it down with de-natured alchol if you are very worried but unless you have a forest in there my opinion is this is overkill.

Don't worry about flavor issues they will be just fine, inspect the feet carefully if there is mold you need to toss them, the reason is that you cannot ensure that all the mold is out as it can grow up inside the cigar whereas the mold on the wrapper has not as yet penetrated the stick.

The basis for tossing it is not about flavor (although I have never smoked mold) but rather a health issue so I am told, although how that compares to smoking tobacco I am unsure.

Hope that helps.

[tooomanycolors]

This is funny, if you were able to see the cigars in person, they are obviously coated in the fine crystalling powder you were talking about, and not in spores.

so thanks for your inputs...

[SilverFox]

This is funny, if you were able to see the cigars in person, they are obviously coated in the fine crystalling powder you were talking about, and not in spores.

so thanks for your inputs...

Then that is a good thing, can you post up a hi res closeup on your blog

[bonjing]

Don't worry about flavor issues they will be just fine, inspect the feet carefully if there is mold you need to toss them, the reason is that you cannot ensure that all the mold is out as it can grow up inside the cigar whereas the mold on the wrapper has not as yet penetrated the stick.



didn't know that.

[tooomanycolors]

Ill try for the hi res closeup, but my camera is only a 7.2MP and im not sure how close I can get without completely blurring it out

[Snake Hips]

Ill try for the hi res closeup, but my camera is only a 7.2MP and im not sure how close I can get without completely blurring it out
Put it on macro. That's usully symbolized by a tulip. It's for up-close. 7.2mp is pretty good (to me at least).

[WildBlueSooner]

Put it on macro. That's usully symbolized by a tulip. It's for up-close. 7.2mp is pretty good (to me at least).

:tpd: Macro should take a nice shot of it!

[357]

oh, and I vote plume hands down a great case of plume at that

I agree, this is a great case of plume. Very evenly distributed, not splotchy like mold. I have only seen this once in person on a box of sticks at a B&M. I was blown away at how fine the crystals are, and how evenly covered the cigars were. This is very similar to what I saw. I would love to see a closeup pic.

Mike

[troutbreath]

I would vote mold, simply because plume is more rare. But, I have seen MANY VSG's that have a "dusty" sheen to them like those in the photo. Nothing would suprise me with those sticks -- I had two which I quarantined a while back because I was suspicious. They never got any worse, so I cleaned 'em up and smoked 'em. A closer look would clear this up, no doubt.

Now I need to go check on my box of Tres Mystiqes.

[Hardcz]

Does not look like mold to me.... Though I am wrong a lot. Generally when I've encountered mold it was several small circles on the cigar, and they raised off of the cigar itself. To me this looks more of a case of plume, bloom, sexyness, or whatever you want to call it. Both will wipe off, though mold in my experience you will see raising up off of the cigar itself. Also it tends to have more texture to it, looking like a small dust bunny with crazy things in it.

Hope this helps...and if you don't want those vsg cabinets, I'll take them :tu

[karmaz00]

looks like a mild case of mold...brush them off gently and wipe out the box...you will be ok

[landhoney]

but in order to remove the mold, you have to kill its roots. doesn't the mold on the surface of the stick also root through and into the stick?


I think there is something to this. I have wiped off mold on a few sticks in a box (from vendor, arrived that way), and it reappeared on those same sticks later (a couple days). My storage conditions are fine, no other cigars had mold. So it must have still been present after the wipe down. Although after that second round of wiping it did not return. Maybe the cigars were just still too wet. Anyway, the lesson I learned was to check back soon after wiping cigars down, don't assume they're now fine because they are in proper storage conditions.

[CigarDood]

Does not look like mold to me.... Though I am wrong a lot. Generally when I've encountered mold it was several small circles on the cigar, and they raised off of the cigar itself. To me this looks more of a case of plume, bloom, sexyness, or whatever you want to call it. Both will wipe off, though mold in my experience you will see raising up off of the cigar itself. Also it tends to have more texture to it, looking like a small dust bunny with crazy things in it.

Hope this helps...and if you don't want those vsg cabinets, I'll take them :tu

I agree with this.

[acarr]

So is it mold or is it plume? What are the health concerns with mold? From my understanding the only problem mold is blue/green mold. The white stuff is harmless.

[Don Fernando]

i know i'm comparing apples and oranges, but i still figure mold is mold.



and here I was, thinking that you were comparing apples and cigars ;)

[kaelaria]

If you can catch the mold early enough they can be saved through wiping down. It's been a couple weeks now and mine are still all fine, I check daily and just rotated drawers again. That doesn't sound right...

[bonjing]

If you can catch the mold early enough they can be saved through wiping down. It's been a couple weeks now and mine are still all fine, I check daily and just rotated drawers again. That doesn't sound right...

and if you turn them inside out you can last a couple more days, so i've heard :D

[pmp]

Unless your box is very very humid that is not mold. Mold will usually appear sproradically in spots where there is higher humidity. Unless these cigars were sitting directly under a freshly filled humidification source, I'm guessing plume. It probably looks more white like mold because of the flash. I'm guessing in person these are just slightly dusty looking.

BTW, VSGs are hands down one of the fastest and most consistently pluming sticks out there in my experience.

[loki]

normally I'd say it's plum do to the even covering but the heads give me pause. microwave them for 30 seconds, wipe them off, clean the humi and call it a day if you're worried