FOH Mould Study


Ferrero

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 285
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

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 ciga

Time to update the FOH definition: PLUME/PLOOM/BLOOM noun  plüm / blüm What people think are the crystalized remnants of oils left on a cigar wrapper.... but really it's just mold.

I can see the next trend: Hey guys do you think it's Candida Parapsilosis or Aspergillus? Dude, that's Penicillium ascomycetous! You're joking that's obviously Wallemia sebi!

Thanks Rob.

As you say the sample size is too small to provide statistical significance, but I can't find any other references online to any real investigation into the existence of plume on cigars - so that  means you are now the leading authority :teacher:!

Look forward to further tests.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Smallclub said:

I can see the next trend:

Hey guys do you think it's Candida Parapsilosis or Aspergillus?

Dude, that's Penicillium ascomycetous!

You're joking that's obviously Wallemia sebi!

:clap:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Simply fantastic work, gentlemen.  My sincere thanks.  The fact that you carefully verified what I've always believed to be true gives me some satisfaction.....B)

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, luvdunhill said:

I suppose the one question unanswered for me is... "who cares what it is, does it taste better or mark the sign of a properly aged cigar"? Thoughts?

Personally I think mold is a sign of cigars stored in high RH (over 70).

My own aged stock has always been in 64-67 RH and shows no signs of mold.

This off course doesn't mean I know jack about aging and mold.

The moldy ones I got was inherited from old-school over 70 propyleneglycol storage.

What is properly aged? I have no idea. I just know what I like, and taste varies as much as there is cigar smokers...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another log on the fire of the mold/plume debate. In my time smoking cigars, I've only come across two examples that could remotely been considered plume that I have physically touched. On one of them, I took a thin point Xacto  blade and a jeweler's loupe and knocked off a few crystals that were spaced throughout the cigar...no concentrated areas of whatever this was anywhere on the cigar. There was very little in the way of a mark on the wrapper once we scraped a few off. We had no microscope to further view this crystalline entity. They were sort of a amber-ish white in color...and to me, they reminded me of a brown sugar crystal...but super tiny....and not white-white by any means. This was over 20 years ago and the cigars were about 20+yo at that time...so we're talking criollo/corojo tobacco. Since then, all I've ever seen was mold....and I have been in a few private high end humidors in my day both here in the US and abroad. 

This will get VERY interesting as the sample size grows over time. To those of us in the US, we should also look to find non-Cuban cigars for further testing if said cigar is touted to have plume. It makes no difference where the tobacco originates from...if it's mold, it's mold. If it's plume...let's verify it's composition.  

Great start fellas...thank you for doing this for the entire cigar community at large.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brilliant stuff!

One question I do have is is there any causation between certain types of mould we see and where it comes from.

Ie does a certain type of structure, say spotty, point towards the mould being fecal in origin or vegetative etc

It would help to know if a certain cigar has been part of a journey from a roller who likes to pick his arse and continue rolling

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Fugu said:

Gents could you please answer this in PM to the Captain. I for one am NOT interested to learn about things to this detail. Thank you!  :potty:  :no:  :lol:

I think you're right, I'd rather not know....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't speak too soon bro. It's not over yet. 

Science does not prove or disprove a single thing. 

It simply supports or does not support any given hypothesis or theory. 



Hypothesis are falsifiable.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Community Software by Invision Power Services, Inc.