Box set aside for aging develops white mold...what do you do?

[ReturnFreeRisk]

Checked in on a box of Cohiba Exquisitos from 2017 and tiny bit of white mold developed on the edge of the cedar separation piece inside the box. And bit of the white stuff on one head. Btw, I am a brush off and smoke guy with white mold. I won’t pitch it, but fully admit it irks me to see.

 

I wanted to experience what these do over 5-10 yrs, but when I’ve gotten white mold in the past it never seems to remain just a tiny bit over time. What do you do in this situation if you intended to keep aging? I am inclined to just move them into the smoke now pile.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bijan]

I'm not an expert on mold in cigars, but what is your humidity and temperature? High (or higher) humidity and high (or higher) temperature are the combo that results in mold. Cold enough and dry enough and you don't get mold. At least that is my understanding of mold. I don't know the exact temps and humidity levels for cigars.

Edit: This calculator will give you days to mold for any temperature and humidity, however I believe it's for paper and not cigars. Gives some idea though:

http://www.dpcalc.org/

[ReturnFreeRisk]

I'm not an expert on mold in cigars, but what is your humidity and temperature? High (or higher) humidity and high (or higher) temperature are the combo that results in mold. Cold enough and dry enough and you don't get mold. At least that is my understanding of mold. I don't know the exact temps and humidity levels for cigars.

Monitor like a hawk with SensorPush. Yearly average is 66F 65%. Currently 60.9F 64.6%. Never above 70F 67%


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fuzz]

Are you using a wineador or other type of refrigeration humidor? If so, put the sensor where the offending box is and monitor the RH & temp there. Sometime you can get a spot where the humidity/temp is higher than other places.

[mprach024]

Like the chaps above said, make sure you check humidity.  After that, I’d take them out of the box and brush the cigars down.  Grab some rubbing alcohol and paper towel and wipe down the box.  Let that dry over night.  Put cigars back in and resume your aging process.  Depending on how long it’s been since you checked them, you may have had a spike in temp/rh for a day or 2 a while ago and that’s when it was formed.  Or your hygrometer isn’t calibrated properly.

[Jason55555]

I've had the same problem with my cigars and 95% of my cigars are for aging I keep a religious 65 - 62 RH.

As members said check the RH and adjust it, the humidity in the humidor it is probably to high. Then salt test your hydrometers in your humidor it doesn't matter digital or analog many times this could be the problem. Over the years I found that every time anytime I replace a battery etc etc a simple salt test shows...Wow this is wayyyy off.

Next brush down cigars and keep on keeping on. I've had D4's - 2011  25 cab with the same problem white "mold" on caps and even more on the bottom row of cigars. I brushed them off kept them then just adjusted humidity....and this year I had one and gotta say one of the best cigars I've had in awhile it reassured me why I age all these cigars I've horded. The only time you should be scared to smoke cigars is if the mold is on the foot of the cigar, from what I've been told when there is mold on the foot of a cigar it means mold can be on the inside the cigar that you cant see and probably shouldn't smoke.

Is it Mold or Plume? Its every cigar owners guessing game just double check RH and go from there.

[Bijan]

1 hour ago, ReturnFreeRisk said:

Monitor like a hawk with SensorPush. Yearly average is 66F 65%. Currently 60.9F 64.6%. Never above 70F 67%


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

High precision sensorpush sensor humidity accuracy is +-1.5% on average and +-3% maximum. The regular one is +-2% typical and +-4.5% maximum.

Edit: temperature is within 1.8f maximum on regular sensor.

[PuroDan]

.

[TobaccoRoad]

Received a box of Montecristo Edmundos back in November from a vendor (not FOH) that had a light dusting of white mold. The vendor offered to take them back, but it wasn't bad so I decided to keep them. The vendor posted some credit on my account due to the issue. I wiped them down and repacked them (kept one out to smoke) and they've been in storage at 65RH ever since. After reading this thread I went to check and found a few more tiny spots of mold. I hadn't realized that they would be prone to mold since the original occurrence. The one I smoked was OK but they definitely are needing some more rest. Guess I'm going to have to keep a close eye on these. 

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm still learning here. 

[ReturnFreeRisk]

Thanks for all these suggestions guys. Glad to know there’s positive results with aging after spotting this—I’ve never had the inclination. I keep 6 of those extra large weathertight bins with about 15-25 boxes in each depending on # cabs/10 counts. SensorPush in each + throw in 1-2 Caliber IV hygrometers so I can sanity check numbers all around. All those get tossed in together to be calibrated once a year with a handful of bovedas. Been long term aging boxes for 10+ yrs and this white mold issue has probably popped up like half dozen boxes. I personally think a lot of instances are inherited from vendors like mentioned. I know spores are already “everywhere” but not sure if anyone feels strongly about quarantining a box like this in ziplock? I might just ziplock it with a boveda 65


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Yellot00tr]

I started to seal with 62% bovedas for aging.

[CaptainQuintero]

  You hit the nail on the head when you said spores are everywhere. If in the past five find that there a tendency for mould to creep back then it suggests that there's an issue with your setup.

  It could be something as simple as there's a warm draught near one point or the sun hits one part of the room, a corner of the humidity is a little bit further away from beads etc etc

  I wouldn't worry too much just so a yearly check up, or more frequently if you think there's an issue. You're going to run into bits of mould, wood more etc along the way regardless of what you do

[ReturnFreeRisk]

The takeaway for now is that I will take the aging bins down to 62. Will start getting stock in ziplocks. Gotta have more things to tinker with and more n=1 experiments to do, you know....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk