A good read on the myth that is plume…

[Emaresee]

https://www.cigarrants.com/blogs/blog/theres-no-such-thing-as-plume-on-cigars-lets-stop-this-nonsense?fbclid=IwAR0yruLtimtlWcWPXZILpX6D8_4bmZnYct_PyABtBABxrJxqYKK5E8jnUDk

[Dorsetman]

Interesting read, thanks for posting

[Vitola]

Thanks for posting - I’ve always thought plume was a croc of….. the great myth perpetuated by those who should know better

[Simon Bolivar]

So these photos presumably come from a merchants stock, where they have too many to physically check themselves. It's bit like the photos on packs of cigs or cigars showing horrendous cases of cancer or rotting teeth due to 'smoking'. They are extreme cases that aren't normally found in Western society, I for one several hundred cancer patients in hospitals & never saw one resembling those photos because unless you live on the street & refuse to go to our free health service, you would never degenerate to those states. People can die of cancer looking 'pretty normal.'

Similarly, I have been storing Havana' for 25yrs+ & can honestly say I have never seen as much mould on any of my cigars. Yes, I have had some mould but by maintaining <65% it's going to minimal & growth slow. By checking all my stock every 3-4 months & spot a few dots & brush them off, then smoke that stick up. Anything white & fluffy is mould, anything green is mould but there was a thought yrs ago that sometimes you can see a glint in the sunshine of crystal like pattern on old & often sweeter than avge sticks & that's what we though was an indication of a good cigar. The oils had migrated out ( as visible on the wrapping paper in cabs ect) & these dried crystals might not be the same plume as mould. I believe the Australian investigation showed these crystals to be forms of mould/ spores so I am not saying there aren't some form of mould, just pointing out there was something far less obvious than white fluffy bits that your merchant can't be bothered to brush off or turn down his humidifier to prevent occurring.

[Tomm783]

[QUOTE=Simon Bolivar;n743075]So these photos presumably come from a merchants stock, where they have too many to physically check themselves. It's bit like the photos on packs of cigs or cigars showing horrendous cases of cancer or rotting teeth due to 'smoking'. They are extreme cases that aren't normally found in Western society, I for one several hundred cancer patients in hospitals & never saw one resembling those photos because unless you live on the street & refuse to go to our free health service, you would never degenerate to those states. People can die of cancer looking 'pretty normal.'

Similarly, I have been storing Havana' for 25yrs+ & can honestly say I have never seen as much mould on any of my cigars. Yes, I have had some mould but by maintaining
If you do find it, just brush it off and sacrifice it to the fire gods right Simon? 😂


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[Simon Bolivar]

[QUOTE=Tomm783;n743238]

So these photos presumably come from a merchants stock, where they have too many to physically check themselves. It's bit like the photos on packs of cigs or cigars showing horrendous cases of cancer or rotting teeth due to 'smoking'. They are extreme cases that aren't normally found in Western society, I for one several hundred cancer patients in hospitals & never saw one resembling those photos because unless you live on the street & refuse to go to our free health service, you would never degenerate to those states. People can die of cancer looking 'pretty normal.'

Similarly, I have been storing Havana' for 25yrs+ & can honestly say I have never seen as much mould on any of my cigars. Yes, I have had some mould but by maintaining
If you do find it, just brush it off and sacrifice it to the fire gods right Simon? 😂


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Indeed Tom, brush of light mould, but I'd think twice if on the foot, If you insist on smoking them, then cut an inch off, the growth will go at least that far inside.

[puff o'wind]

Im trying to work out WHY oils would migrate out of a cigar: uniform temp and moisture, so why migrate...to what? I'd have thought after time any liquid movement would be to homogeneity throughout the stick, not outwards. Mold on the other hand...

[ha_banos]

Im trying to work out WHY oils would migrate out of a cigar: uniform temp and moisture, so why migrate...to what? I'd have thought after time any liquid movement would be to homogeneity throughout the stick, not outwards. Mold on the other hand...

surely as part of drying out? cigars are wet when making. as they dry out to 70 or 62 or 60%RH wherever they are stored as you say they will stabilise so perhaps as they dry the oils as with excess moisture tend to the outer dryer edges? As you said to achieve uniformity.

[puff o'wind]

Yes I see that but it doesnt make sense...they dont dry out in a humi do they? Thats the point surely. I suppose if the oils are volatile and the cigar is well above 65pc they might leach out and end up on the surface but whethr that would encourage fungi Ive no idea. I suspect the mold spores are independent of the oils and just bad luck or bad storage. Brushing them off by hand next to the humi might be a bad idea...millions of spores floating ariound!

As you say...

[Kickback]

Should be real easy to identify what mold is the issue and therefore the likely source.
sample, Petri dish, microscope, microbiologist.

Could be contaminated during production, transit, storage, airborne, manual handling, something we introduce here.
Knowing what it is will tell a lot and whether to be concerned.
Surprised no one in the industry has researched before.

[ha_banos]

FOH did a mould / plume study - always mould

search foh mould study - nice close up photos and a lab involved. But folk STILL try to sell you bloom/plume!!!

[puff o'wind]

Should be real easy to identify what mold is the issue and therefore the likely source.
sample, Petri dish, microscope, microbiologist.

Could be contaminated during production, transit, storage, airborne, manual handling, something we introduce here.
Knowing what it is will tell a lot and whether to be concerned.
Surprised no one in the industry has researched before.

Yes I was thinking that...petri dish, agar...wait a bit...job done.

[Simon Bolivar]

Im trying to work out WHY oils would migrate out of a cigar: uniform temp and moisture, so why migrate...to what? I'd have thought after time any liquid movement would be to homogeneity throughout the stick, not outwards. Mold on the other hand...

How it happens who knows but we know oils do come to the surface, perhaps squeezed out when the surface of the wrapper dries. Check out any 20yo paper wrapper around a cab of 25 or 50 cigars & sometimes the oil stains are clearly visible, & the sticks can still feel oily.
Microbes are on every surface it just needs the right conditions for spores to produce mould growth, the two most important factors being temp & moisture, control those two well & mould will be prevented or at least minimal. Temp is hard to control, unless buying wineadors but not I have been there & gavi to up. too expensive when you have a 'decent' collection. So keep the humidity <65oC, end off....