Calling for cigars with Mould/plume/bloom

[BuzzArd]

1 hour ago, Narhcoc said:

Gotta be careful with distinguishing between plume/mold.  It's hard to tell from the pictures what you've got there, but I've seen brown substance on some cigars that we're in a overly moist environment.  It looks entirely different than your average white or green mold and IME it ruins the appearance and texture of the wrapper if left unchecked.  Almost as if it is decomposing it, leaving it rough to the touch.   I've never had actual plume act this way and I have never seen or heard of Plume damaging a wrapper.  

Im not saying that is what the example above has, but it looks like it might be from the pictures.

It's not. 

[Pixa]

I know it is a bit off topic, but would be good to have the storage info of these cigars with suspected plume. Not so much the rh and temp but the media used (beads, boveda, active humidification etc) also what is used to top it up. Distiller water/ humidifier solution etc.
The reason I am thinking this I have encountered something very similar too above pics when using a humidor that had a bad seal so I was topping it up very regular and keeping in at a high rh. I was using at the time a humidifier solution and had assumed it was the pg causing the white substance. Switched to distilled water and it stopped appearing on the cigars

[Trimming]

Fine granulars on these decade old sticks, just don't reach for NCs that often anymore. Stored roughly 65%, silca beads, roughly 65-70 F when spritz is need on beads always distilled water.

 

[golfgar]

Received these from a shop in Ireland after a visit to the shop.  To me it it screams mould.  PS  The Shopkeeper insisted it is "bloom".  

[Phinz]

47 minutes ago, golfgar said:

Received these from a shop in Ireland after a visit to the shop.  To me it it screams mould.  PS  The Shopkeeper insisted it is "bloom".  

 

 

Those are painful to look at, hope you got your money back! (Kinda like looking at photos of a car wreck)

Even with a refund, it's horrid to see some PEs lost to mold. 

[Dimmers]

On 1/18/2017 at 10:57 AM, Brandon said:

70's RyJ Coronas. Not sending any out
http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/bsthe/media/Cigars/94595818-078F-466A-907E-CA6E5E622928_zpsznqy8ast.mp4.html

oooh sparkly cosmic dust!!

 

[golfgar]

22 hours ago, Phinz said:

Those are painful to look at, hope you got your money back! (Kinda like looking at photos of a car wreck)

Even with a refund, it's horrid to see some PEs lost to mold. 

Indeed they were returned and replaced.  It was a very sad sight for me when I opened the box.

[rtrimbath]

Unfortunately, I just received a box of Bolivar Tubos No. 2 ULA JUL 15 with every single cigar covered in mold. It wipes off, but I saved this one to send in for the project.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FHFinster]

On 1/17/2017 at 7:57 PM, Brandon said:

70's RyJ Coronas. Not sending any out
http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/bsthe/media/Cigars/94595818-078F-466A-907E-CA6E5E622928_zpsznqy8ast.mp4.html

Is that a cigar or a diamond covered sceptor?

[nvnvnv]

On 1/24/2017 at 9:11 PM, rtrimbath said:

Unfortunately, I just received a box of Bolivar Tubos No. 2 ULA JUL 15 with every single cigar covered in mold. It wipes off, but I saved this one to send in for the project.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same thing here with a box of the no. 3! Luckily none on the foot, wiped em off and left the caps off.

[El Presidente]

On 1/28/2017 at 7:02 AM, SenorPerfecto said:

Really, without some macro photography, it's not going to be possible to definitively rule the "dusty" looking ones as mold (though they all likely are either mold or dust).

 

Sending the sticks to Rob for him to photograph in this way will be the key here.

We have a cracker canon macro lens. No problem there. 

[tsolomon]

Just got back from a month and Florida, but before leaving for the trip I was picking out cigars and found this one stick in a box of from 01.  Should I send this one in?

 

 

[danny]

On 1/19/2017 at 11:17 AM, BuzzArd said:

Rob, I just need to remember to get you that photo of an Ashton VSG tubo that looks like it was spritzed with sugar water and the sugar crystals remained, covering the stick.  

Have seen one other example in a toro sized Opus X I acquired in 2008, but that fell victim to arson a full year ago now....  Might have an iphone pic of it from back then, but not sure I can find it.  

I have a couple VSG Estate-Reserve examples that have the same thing.  Will have to take another look

[danny]

Hmm.. the Monte looks like it may be coming from the pectin that was used to finish off the last roll of the wrapper, then applying the band.  Could be totally wrong, but just don't see how plume would be centralized just to that area and nowhere else, on the other cigars, or on other parts of the cigar.  Interesting though.

[99call]

I'm sure this has been brought up and discussed to death in seperate threads, but I've always wondered the following.

When I have seen pictures that are definitely mould as opposed to bloom, the areas worst effected always seem to be around the cap or the band. Could the beginnings of mould spores be harboured within the vegetable glue?. To me it would seem to make sense, a little well of glue with a sponge thats been sat their for months and months. Sure it may or may not get cleaned everyday??, but in seeing youtube video's of factories, those sponges look pretty gnarly. Im not a germaphobe by any means, but surely people going to dinner, going to the toilet, and effectively using that sponge as a petri-dish, has to be close to being the answer to why some cigars get struck down with mould?

It's 100% not going to happen, but maybe a glue feed that would be a bit more like a hamster water dispenser with a stainless steel tip, may effectively clean up the process a little? It would be interesting to hear some thoughts.

[99call]

Ha, looks like Danny beat me to it, toushe

[earthson]

On January 22, 2017 at 0:09 PM, Trimming said:

Fine granulars on these decade old sticks, just don't reach for NCs that often anymore. Stored roughly 65%, silca beads, roughly 65-70 F when spritz is need on beads always distilled water.

 

 

Dang, gurl - smoke those things! If not, I'm sure they could find a suitable home!

[Fugu]

On 02/02/2017 at 3:07 AM, danny said:

Hmm.. the Monte looks like it may be coming from the pectin that was used to finish off the last roll of the wrapper, then applying the band.  Could be totally wrong, but just don't see how plume would be centralized just to that area and nowhere else, on the other cigars, or on other parts of the cigar.  Interesting though.

 

On 05/02/2017 at 10:06 AM, 99call said:

I'm sure this has been brought up and discussed to death in seperate threads, but I've always wondered the following.

When I have seen pictures that are definitely mould as opposed to bloom, the areas worst effected always seem to be around the cap or the band. Could the beginnings of mould spores be harboured within the vegetable glue?. To me it would seem to make sense, a little well of glue with a sponge thats been sat their for months and months. Sure it may or may not get cleaned everyday??, but in seeing youtube video's of factories, those sponges look pretty gnarly. Im not a germaphobe by any means, but surely people going to dinner, going to the toilet, and effectively using that sponge as a petri-dish, has to be close to being the answer to why some cigars get struck down with mould?

It's 100% not going to happen, but maybe a glue feed that would be a bit more like a hamster water dispenser with a stainless steel tip, may effectively clean up the process a little? It would be interesting to hear some thoughts.

Good observation, indeed. But fungal spores tend to be ubiquitous. So that's most likely not the issue here. But what may happen instead is that those organisms like to feed on that glue (tragacanth) or use that stuff as a supplement (e.g. source of particular nutrients and micronutrients limiting growth) to their 'diet'. Also conceivable is a slightly different local surface hygroscopicity induced by the glue that may favour growth. By the same token, sometimes you can find boxes where a single cigar is affected while a neighbouring one remains totally unaffected, even in cases when the blot of mould is directly touching the adjacent wrapper. So, this is rather a matter of the particular substrate properties than a matter of the presence or absence of spores.

[El Presidente]

The first cigars have started arriving. Many thanks to all! 

[jsummers157]

Recently found two Diplomaticos No 2s from a box with some mould at the top. Strangely, other sticks in the box were not affected (at least visibly).

[Ferrero]

We've started documenting the cigars we have been sent. Thanks to all that have done so.

Heres a few shots that we have snapped so far. The upload quality is significantly less than what I can see on my screen so apologies if you can't zoom in and get close like I can.

[BuzzArd]

Thanks for the update @Ferrero.   Was hoping to start seeing some of these examples here soon.   Definitely looking forward to some more macros!

[DBNInc]

On 1/17/2017 at 7:57 PM, Brandon said:

70's RyJ Coronas. Not sending any out
http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/bsthe/media/Cigars/94595818-078F-466A-907E-CA6E5E622928_zpsznqy8ast.mp4.html

I've seen something similar to that on Tatuaje TAA's, they say it's the high mineral content of the soil.

It's mentioned in the final notes of this article from Halfwheel.

Not saying it isn't Plume, just saying I've seen something similar.

[DBNInc]

On 2/15/2017 at 1:47 AM, Ferrero said:

We've started documenting the cigars we have been sent. Thanks to all that have done so.

Heres a few shots that we have snapped so far. The upload quality is significantly less than what I can see on my screen so apologies if you can't zoom in and get close like I can.

That Plume looks delicious!

[seattledude]

It's not too late to contribute? 

I have one I can send in.