FOH Mould Study

[Ferrero]

The idea behind the mould study was to shed some light into the world of mould and plume.  

Earlier in the year we asked for examples of both from members and then selected 10 representative cigars for testing.

Testing was undertaken by the team at Australia Biotech Laboratories.

In the event that a substance other than mould was detected, that substance would be further tested by Biotech laboratories or their partners in order to determine the nature of the substance.

Let us begin.

 

Lot 1 - Candida Parapsilosis

Romeo y Julieta Mille Fleurs

 

Candida parapsilosis is a fungal species of the yeast family that has become a significant cause of sepsis and of wound and tissue infections in immuno-compromised patients. The immune system is a major player in Candida parapsilosis infections. Candida parapsilosis is not an exclusive human pathogen, having been isolated from nonhuman sources such as domestic animals, insects or soil. Candida parapsilosis is a normal human biological relation and it is one of the fungi most frequently isolated from the human hands

 

Lot 2 / Lot 8 - Penicillium ascomycetous

Bolivar No. 2

 

Penicillium ascomycetous fungi is of major importance in the natural environment as well as food and drug production. Some members of the genus produce penicillin, a molecule that is used as an antibiotic, which kills or stops the growth of certain kinds of bacteria inside the body. Other species are used in cheese-making. According to the Dictionary of the Fungi (10th edition, 2008), the widespread genus contains over 300 species.

 

Diplomatico No. 2

 

Lot 3 / Lot 4 / Lot 5 / Lot 7 / Lot 10 - Aspergillus

Partagas Lonsdale

 

Aspergillus is defined as a group of conidial fungi - that is, fungi in an asexual state. Members of the genus possess the ability to grow where a high osmotic concentration (high sugar, salt, etc.) exists. Aspergillus species are highly aerobic and are found in almost all oxygen-rich environments, where they commonly grow as moulds on the surface of a substrate, because of the high oxygen tension. Commonly, fungi grow on carbon-rich substrates like monosaccharides (such as glucose) and polysaccharides (such as amylose). Aspergillus species are common contaminants of starchy foods (such as bread and potatoes), and grow in or on many plants and trees. In addition to growth on carbon sources, many species of Aspergillus demonstrate oligotrophy where they can grow in nutrient-depleted environments, or environments with a complete lack of key nutrients.

 

Por Larranaga Petit Corona

 

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial

 

 

Lot 6 / Lot 9 - Wallemia sebi

H Upmann Magnum 50

 

Wallemia sebi is a dry fungus of the phylum Basidiomycota. It is commonly found on highly sugared or salted materials, such as jams, bread, cakes, sugar, bacon, salted meets, and salted fish. It is also found in indoor air, house dust, and soil. One distinctive feature of W. sebi is its relationship with water activity. Most fungi are profoundly affected by the availability of water. The ability to tolerate environments with low water activity has been found mostly in Ascomycota, but rarely in Basidiomycota. However, W. sebi. can adjust its morphology and physiology to adapt to different environmental conditions and survive osmotic stress. Wallemia sebi have lower limits for growth below water activity of 0.75aw (water activity), while most microorganisms are limited to 0.95 and above. Wallemia sebi has been isolated from hair, hay, textiles and man. It can grow slowly without additional solute in the growth medium, and form small, reddish-brown, powdery colonies.

 

Montecristo No. 4

 

Conclusion

There were two cigars that showed potential for being something other than mould. That proved to be a false hope.  All 10 cigars in this sample testing proved to be one of four mould types.

The positive to be taken from this testing is that we now have the system set to test into the future.

With that in mind I will put up a store credit of $250 USD  $350 AUD for any member who provides a cigar for testing that proves to be of  crystalline substance and not mould.  If you believe you have that cigar, take a photo or two and e-mail them to Greg or myself and upon review we will give you the shipping details.  We will only take one to two cigars for testing at a time. We only need one cigar for testing from any individual.

Many thanks to all who have contributed to this exercise!

Rob & Greg & Jer

 

BioTech Report - Biotech Report 713806.pdf

[Fuzz]

Time to update the FOH definition:

PLUME/PLOOM/BLOOM

noun  plüm / blüm

1. What people think are the crystalized remnants of oils left on a cigar wrapper.... but really it's just mold.
2. Mold on a cigar
3. A term frequently used on cigar forums to polarise the membership into one of three camps; Believers, Sceptics & Undecided
   • "Hey! Check out the plume on my cigar!" "You idiot! That's just mold!" "I'm not sure about that.... does it wipe off easily?"

verb blooming

1. To create plume/bloom
   • "Feel and see that? That gritty sparkling sheen is proof this cigar is pluming."
   • "Your temp and RH is too high. Those cigars are blooming."

adjective blooming

1. "You think that is bloom?, Well, you're a blooming idiot!"

[boopdeep]

Fantastic study and extremely interesting results. Thanks for all of the work here and to all that contributed. 

Rob, you need to offer something to or make a wager with other vendors if they can produce a sample with something other than mold... put their money where their mouth is.... 

I was a skeptic. Now I am a non-believer.  But, there's intrigue and maybe even hope that something is still out there. I stay tuned. 

[El Presidente]

Great work Greg and Jer!

For the record I am a believer that plume exists. I just need to find the right example to test. 

That example will turn up and those crystalline structures will possibly be salt or sugar or yeast. 

We will find out! It is great that we now have the ability to test. 

[ChanceSchmerr]

Wow that is awesome, well done mates! 

I wonder if my Partagas Lonsdales was one of the two that had "potential"....I am very interested to know now that it's mold!

* Feverishly runs down to humidor to wipe off my remaining Lonsdales * 

 

Are any of these mold species of concern or toxicity if ingested by humans? Besides the Penicillin obviously

 

So now the last question - did any of these fine specimens get smoked and enjoyed by the Czar crew?  I'd hate for them to go to waste!

[El Presidente]

Just now, ChanceSchmerr said:

Wow that is awesome, well done mates! 

I wonder if my Partagas Lonsdales was one of the two that had "potential"....I am very interested to know now that it's mold!

* Feverishly runs down to humidor to wipe off my remaining Lonsdales * 

 

So now the last question - did any of these fine specimens get smoked and enjoyed by the Czar crew?  I'd hate for them to go to waste!

The Party Lonsdale indeed was one with "potential" 

Most people I know would have called that plume. Tight structure. Looked potentially crystalline at normal view. 

I have no idea where the cigars are now.  One for Greg to answer 

[Smoking Ninja]

This is a great report!!  Now I have to borrow a decent camera to zoom in on one of my Partagas E2s.  It definitely has some crystalline shine under a bright light!!

 

[ChanceSchmerr]

2 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

The Party Lonsdale indeed was one with "potential" 

Most people I know would have called that plume. Tight structure. Looked potentially crystalline at normal view. 

I have no idea where the cigars are now.  One for Greg to answer 

Thanks Rob. I too had always thought it was plume - it looked crystalline to me.  
At least i can say they still smoke like a dream, 15 years of age has done them well, slight aspergillus aside 

[archosaur]

Damn science, ruining everybody's fun  

 

 

[Lotusguy]

I knew it

[joeruby]

All samples turned out to be mould!

So do we still value  aged cigars with 'white powder' on their surface, which now have a very high chance of being mould, any differently now?

 

[El Presidente]

12 minutes ago, joeruby said:

All samples turned out to be mould!

So do we still value  aged cigars with 'white powder' on their surface, which now have a very high chance of being mould, any differently now?

 

10 samples is a small sample set. Mind you we had 30 to choose from. However there was an obvious double and triple up in obvious examples of mould. 

We will continue on this. 

[PatrickEwing]

Really interesting. Thanks for doing this. 

[ayepatz]

Fascinating. Now we know it's mould, we need to set about finding the exact cause.

High moisture content or rollers' dirty hands? ?

[El Presidente]

6 minutes ago, ayepatz said:

Fascinating. Now we know it's mould, we need to set about finding the exact cause.

High moisture content or rollers' dirty hands? ?

I was intrigued reading about the different type of fungi. 

Moisture, salt and or sugar (glucose) is required for most of these. 

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, ayepatz said:

Fascinating. Now we know it's mould, we need to set about finding the exact cause.

High moisture content or rollers' dirty hands? ?

I don't believe they have these signs in Cuban cigar factories...

[JoeyGunz]

But then explain this....

[Colt45]

Well done guys - thanks for taking this on.

[JohnS]

Great Work Greg and Jer! (Like Rob, I still think there's plume out there somewhere! )

[joeruby]

The hunt is on for the holy grail, genuine Plume..

Rob, did the team at Australian Biotech give any hints as to what genuine plume might look or feel like, up close or to the naked eye from their findings?

Or is it that the only way to be sure is via scientific analysis in every case

[LordAnubis]

Watch out for all the "plume" cigars being sold off in bulk quantity

[joeruby]

25 minutes ago, LordAnubis said:

Watch out for all the "plume" cigars being sold off in bulk quantity

Sale on cigars with "plume" 

[Fugu]

Well done! Thanks for the report. 

The Candida parapsilosis being of some concern. We didn't really want to know about that, did we?....

[Smokin Joe]

This is a great project Rob. I'm amazed it hasn't been done until now.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[ned]

This has been an amazing read and I appreciate all of your efforts immensely. Thank you for helping to get to the bottom of this.