Plume or Bloom vs. Mold

[cbsmokin]

I was doing some Internet research out of my own curiosity and I thought the following information might be helpful for others as well.

CigarBloom or Plume (same meaning) is a cigar term that describes crystallization due to the rising of tobacco oils from within the cigar to the surface. The air will then dry the excretion creating the crystallized or dusty appearance. Bloom / Plume can appear slightly different on various cigars because every manufacturer will use a different wrapper leaf, filler, curing process, etc.


Cigar bloom / plume will not effect the cigar taste. The discussion, or the need for the bloom / plume, is that the cigar must be resting for a good period of time under great conditions of temperature and humidity. Meaning aging has already played a role in the cigar you are about to smoke.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n150/cbnat/bloom.gif

Cigar mold, like any other mold, is a fungus. Mold will generally appear on cigars when the relative humidity in the humidor surpasses 80%. Please do not get confused with the common misconception that mold is a certain color; mold can be green, blue, light yellow, and even white.

Visually cigar mold is more “fuzy” or “hairy”. If the scientist in you so wishes to see the spots up close you should really notice that there is a definitive structure to the mold. There will be stalks holding up additional spores that are waiting to “jump” and contaminate anything and everything nearby (isolate the infected cigars ASAP). Growth wise the cigar mold will grow in small clusters that causes a spotted look unlike bloom / plume that will cover the entire cigar.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n150/cbnat/cigar-mold.gif

[kaisersozei]

Is it true that plume only appears on the wrapper? In other words, if there are white spots on the foot of the cigar, it's likely mold?

My Beer B&M (Total Wine) has a walk-in humidor. Pretty nice selection of sticks. Stopped by yesterday and this one box of Trinidad's had dozens of sticks that were covered in spotty mold. The cellophane was very yellowed, too, so it kinda threw me until I checked the foot of the cigars and they were peppered with white splotches. Mold, right?

[pnoon]

Is it true that plume only appears on the wrapper? In other words, if there are white spots on the foot of the cigar, it's likely mold?

My Beer B&M (Total Wine) has a walk-in humidor. Pretty nice selection of sticks. Stopped by yesterday and this one box of Trinidad's had dozens of sticks that were covered in spotty mold. The cellophane was very yellowed, too, so it kinda threw me until I checked the foot of the cigars and they were peppered with white splotches. Mold, right?

Correct.

[HK3-]

That's correct Gerard. If's it's in the foot, it's athletes foot. :D

[HK3-]

I do believe that MOLD BLOOMS, and cigars develop PLUME from the oils. I do not think the term is the same. :2

[Lee]

Great information here. I've read several times that if the spots are white then the sticks aren't in danger. I didn't know what plume looked like until I read this post. I just got a box of cigars that had small white mold spots on them. Gently cleaned each one and will watch closely to see if it reappears. Does any one know of any other needed treatment?

[WyoBob]

Here's a pic of mold on the foot of a LGC (the last time I ordered from JR's. Four boxes of LGC's, all with moldy cigars.)

WyoBob

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/WyoBob/cigars/DSCN1162.jpg

[poker]

Mold
http://home.alltel.net/jbperry/cig1.jpg
http://home.alltel.net/jbperry/cig2.jpg
http://www.vitolas.net/albums/userpics/10002/mold_or_plume3.jpg

Plume
http://home.alltel.net/jbperry/cig5.jpg
http://home.alltel.net/jbperry/cig7.jpg
http://www.vitolas.net/albums/userpics/10002/or_1996_opus_x_plume_closeup.jpg

Bug damage

http://img179.exs.cx/img179/4941/pambeetle2fi.jpg

[HK3-]

Bug damage

http://img179.exs.cx/img179/4941/pambeetle2fi.jpg


That picture makes me want to cry. :hn

[poker]

The easiest way to tell mold vs plume is with a 10X eye loom.
Mold will appear fuzzy, and spore-like.
Plume will appear almost crystalline.

[Dgar]

Mold is what happens at home in your humidor, bloom/plume is what you'll find in the B/M's just ask them....

[mosesbotbol]

This just brings tears to my eyes :(

http://img179.exs.cx/img179/4941/pambeetle2fi.jpg

[poker]

Awww just freeze em and they'll be fine. :r:r:r

[Hardcz]

This just brings tears to my eyes :(

http://img179.exs.cx/img179/4941/pambeetle2fi.jpg

gives me chills

[Yazzie]

What a great way to start a Compost Pile :)

[Volt]

This thread is very evil and bad. Somewhere the cigar Gods are not happy with someone....

[cbsmokin]

I do believe that MOLD BLOOMS, and cigars develop PLUME from the oils. I do not think the term is the same. :2

I thought the same thing, but the term bloom and plume are used interchangeably to describe the signs of aging. :confused: And yes one of the way to tell it is mold is because it does bloom off of the cigar.

[pnoon]

the term bloom and plume are used interchangeably

:tpd:

[Sauer Grapes]

Furthermore, dust is also mistaken for ploom or bloom at times.

In fact, without a close picture or an in person examination, the first picture could be dust. Of course, it could also be a wicked case of bloom or plume.

[HK3-]

Some information I did not know about mold-

Mold will stop growing and become inactive or dormant in a controlled environment, however the spores will remain viable on the host material. Increases in relative humidity or other moisture will facilitate a mold bloom.

[Sauer Grapes]

Really, the only way to truly know what plume looks like is to see it yourself. It's hard to take a picture of, and even then you really only get the light reflecting off of it.

It's one of those things that until I saw it, I wasn't even sure what it looked like.

I'm of the thought that most B&M employees have never seen it either and that's why they improperly insist that mold is plume. That and some lie so they don't lose a sale.

[tedrodgerscpa]

Not my original analogy, but 100% true.

Plume looks like well applied stripper glitter

Mold looks like poorly applied blind stripper glitter.

[ucla695]

The easiest way to tell mold vs plume is with a 10X eye loom.
Mold will appear fuzzy, and spore-like.
Plume will appear almost crystalline.

:tpd:

I think that plume also reflects like light due to its crystalline nature. The eye loop is a great tip and I have used it in the past. A must have for cigar enthusiasts.

[md4958]

Not my original analogy, but 100% true.

Plume looks like well applied stripper glitter

Mold looks like poorly applied blind stripper glitter.

this post explained it perfectly... at least for me anyway!:D




now, I better go check and make sure I remember what stripper glitter looks like!!!

[cmitch]

I found this thread interesting and thought it deserved a bump.
I've run into this discussion with my local B&M shop. I pretty much had my head took off for even suggesting that there was mold on their cigars. But, as demonstrated here, I was right. Mold is fuzzy looking while plume is crystalline. It was definitely mold I seen on their sticks though some of them were plume, as well.

[issues]

I found this thread interesting and thought it deserved a bump.
I've run into this discussion with my local B&M shop. I pretty much had my head took off for even suggesting that there was mold on their cigars. But, as demonstrated here, I was right. Mold is fuzzy looking while plume is crystalline. It was definitely mold I seen on their sticks though some of them were plume, as well.

Had the same thing happen to me recently. I went to a B&M I don't go into often and saw a bunch of La Riqueza covered in nice round mold blooms. I told the guy at the counter that he may want to get those out of the case so customers don't see it but he insisted that it was plume and not mold...

He even told me he had one of them tested chemically to see if it was mold and it came back negative.

[cmitch]

Had the same thing happen to me recently. I went to a B&M I don't go into often and saw a bunch of La Riqueza covered in nice round mold blooms. I told the guy at the counter that he may want to get those out of the case so customers don't see it but he insisted that it was plume and not mold...

He even told me he had one of them tested chemically to see if it was mold and it came back negative.
That's funny. There is no 'chemical' test you can do unless the mold has spored and become toxic. Even Stachybotrys is harmless until it reaches the 'toxicity' stage. The sure way to tell is to grow a culture. Not hard to do if you have sterile petri dishes to grow it in a humid environment. As I said, I reached the same resistance from them when I suggested they get them out of the humidor. I think the present manager will be more vigilant since he is very knowledgeable about these things. He did get rid of them.

[CRIMPS]

I feel left out. I don't expect to have enough age on anything in my humidor for a long time. For me, I expect Plume will be nothing more than a myth for the foreseeable future.

As far as mold goes... I refuse to acknowledge the possibility of this type of growth on something I put in my mouth.

Hope IS a strategy...

[cmitch]

I feel left out. I don't expect to have enough age on anything in my humidor for a long time. For me, I expect Plume will be nothing more than a myth for the foreseeable future.

As far as mold goes... I refuse to acknowledge the possibility of this type of growth on something I put in my mouth.

Hope IS a strategy...
The mold I identified on some of the sticks at another tobacco shop was hair mold. It's relatively harmless, being that it's not toxic, but it does not look good to be on a tobacco product and it will spread- rapidly. Other mold I seen was the round, fuzzy kind.