Would this bother you?

[El Presidente]

Let's see if we can get a gauge on members mould tolerance. 

Use the poll ⬆️

Firstly, yes it is mould. I know it is represented as plume/bloom by some.....but it is mould. 

Your box arrives. 

It is a pearler of a box

but.......

 

 

How much would this bother you?   Poll 1. 

 

Would it bother you enough to return this box?  Poll 2. 

 

I came across this box yesterday in the warehouse. It arrived in last weeks shipment.  I would estimate that 3-5% of all boxes received would have some visual sign of mould spotting if you really took a look. This is one of the more extreme examples. Interestingly, the mould was on the best box of the mastercase only. 

 

 

[Islandboy]

Can’t say it wouldn’t bother me at all, mainly because some level of unwanted moisture intrusion has taken place. So I chose “a little”. But I’d just carefully wipe the sticks clean and get on with life. Been there, done that. 

[nKostyan]

This is not uncommon. Tobacco is natural and not treated with chemicals. Usually this plaque is removed by wiping with a dense cloth and serves as a signal that it is necessary to check the humidity and storage temperature. 

The taste or burning of the cigar is not affected.

[Burningman]

As long as it's not near the foot I would wipe it off and move on. I have been lucky and only received cigars that looked slightly dusty. Not a big deal.

[Cayman17]

The only annoying part is wiping down each stick and putting them back in the box. No big deal. It happens 

[SwissPEP]

9 minutes ago, Cayman17 said:

The only annoying part is wiping down each stick and putting them back in the box. No big deal. It happens 

Same here 

 

12 minutes ago, Burningman said:

As long as it's not near the foot I would wipe it off and move on. I have been lucky and only received cigars that looked slightly dusty. Not a big deal.

Same also here

[Deano]

I'd wipe them down but then I'd smoke them soon.  My experience is that once moldy they are prone to redevelop it.

[99call]

not a jot, especially when those cigars look so tasty. 

That said, it is understandable if newbies freak out if ever seeing this for the first time.  I can remember that feeling of feeling, like you've been sent seconds or something, until you learn it's no biggie. 

[Piligrim]

not much. I would just keep them a bit more after wiping to decrease possible high humidity.

[shlomo]

Depends. If the vendor has told me that they have inspected the box, as you do with "hand picked" etc..., and charge a premium for that service, then I would be annoyed. That's a significant amount of mold and very unlikely to develop in a couple days of transit.

If I am buying blind, then shit happens. Wipe and smoke.

[topdiesel]

If they are that oily, it would not bother me.  

[CaptainQuintero]

I'd probably be a little disheartened/disappointed if I opened up a box that I'd been looking forward to receiving and saw it. But it's not like they are ruined, when I'd cleaned them up I'd most likely feel ok aim with possibly a lingering thought about the possibility of there being mould hidden inside somewhere. But realistically that could apply to any cigar you buy, you can't have x-ray vision.

Yeah I think I'd be fine, it would just be an initial bit of disappointment that is a by-product of when you buy something new you expect it to be pristine, even though that can't really apply to a natural product.

It's only really that second from the top stick that bothers me, the rest I wouldn't think twice about wiping and getting giddy to light up

[golf4less]

It’s part of the game, wipe down, lather, rinse and repeat. 

[BarryVT]

I say wipe them off and smoke those babies!?

[THEMISCHMAN]

The only annoying part is wiping down each stick and putting them back in the box. No big deal. It happens 

My thoughts exactly. I have a little brush that’s for rifle scopes that I use to sweep away the mold (mould) and it works great.


Rob, this may seem like a silly question but I’ll ask anyway, when there is mold present on cigars like this, is that just a sign that they’ve been stored at a higher RH/temp and the conditions were right for it to grow? If so should the 60-90 day acclimation period be extended?

[SOFLO88]

I havent had this happen yet but Im sure it would bother my OCD a little.

[BrightonCorgi]

I'd be disappointed if this was a box that was "inspected" and they did not mention it.  Other than a very slight amount of mould, that does look like a great box.  I know I can wipe it off and they're usually fine after that, but sending that out as if they are fine is kind of lame.  Vendor could've wiped that off before sending and I'd have no idea.  If the mould reappeared weeks later I would have no problem with it (since it was perfect when I got it).

All that being said, I have smoked plenty of cigars with mould and as long as it's not near the foot of the cigar, I don't have much of an issue on it.  It adds to the cigar for better or worse.

[JGD]

If I was at a B&M I would grab a different box. However, mold is part of the game when ordering boxes from overseas. That amount wouldn’t bother me. If it was more, or if it was in the foot, then I would send a polite e-mail to the vendor asking for an exchange. 

[egoo33]

Wipe them down and you’re good to go. It happens but it’s nothing too egregious. I had boxes with the majority of sticks were damaged in transit I would have rather had them caked in mold at least that’s an easy fix 

[Shelby07]

If course it would bother me but I’d handle it. Typical first world problem. ?

[Puros Y Vino]

At a B&M it would bother me.  They should know better.  If it was from an e-tailer and it was sent without it present, but sprouted during the trip; it would bother me a little. More so if it was crawling its' way into the foot.

 

 

[lordlister]

I find that boxes that mold is a sign of a good box of cigars. It does tend to come back when wiped away. It is unsightly and I understand why it's off putting and, even with my previous stated experience with mold, it's not something I look for in a box. I'm surprised that no one has noticed that the moldy boxes tend to be the better ones.

[Fugu]

28 minutes ago, lordlister said:

I'm surprised that no one has noticed that the moldy boxes tend to be the better ones.

Yep, that's also what my vendor always tells me. By the way, he calls it plume, not mold...

[Cayman17]

26 minutes ago, lordlister said:

I find that boxes that mold is a sign of a good box of cigars. It does tend to come back when wiped away. It is unsightly and I understand why it's off putting and, even with my previous stated experience with mold, it's not something I look for in a box. I'm surprised that no one has noticed that the moldy boxes tend to be the better ones.

The owners of my favorite store in the Caribbean get excited when they open a box with light surface mold. They are quite vocal about it being a good sign, and I’ve seen them shrug when someone requests a different box.  They are happy to wipe the mold off for you and repack it for you. 

They keep their walk in at 75 humidity so it doesn’t shock me that they occasionally have moldy boxes.  But to be honest, I have only seen them open a handful with surface mold, and the sticks looked very tasty after they wiped them down.  

 

[lordlister]

5 minutes ago, Cayman17 said:

The owners of my favorite store in the Caribbean get excited when they open a box with light surface mold. They are quite vocal about it being a good sign, and I’ve seen them shrug when someone requests a different box.  They are happy to wipe the mold off for you and repack it for you. 

They keep their walk in at 75 humidity so it doesn’t shock me that they occasionally have moldy boxes.  But to be honest, I have only seen them open a handful with surface mold, and the sticks looked very tasty after they wiped them down.  

 

Before Rob published the findings from his plume studies, we all coveted plume. So why the bias on the type of plume?