My First Cabinet of Cohiba's and its Mouldy!

[TJCoro]

Good Advice?

They match the colours of the wrappers to 60 different shades so that every box has the same colour of cigars.

One sure way to tell fakes is to look at the colour match of the wrappers. If they are not all perfectly the same shade ---FAKES!

Well, maybe senor StNic, but be careful what you tell knewbees to the Wonderful World of Puros.

Ofter there are very slight shade differences between puros within a box, which is why each layer is packed from lightest to darkest shade (or visa versa). This is quiet obvious if you view a real box of puros

Of course, you wouldn't have noticed this before muchacho, because you only smoke Triny Reyes, and those peckerwoods are so small that it would be nearly impossible to notice a difference in the shade of those pet....pet....err, tiny puros.




Names Boy, Bag Boy, and I've been enjoying fine Habana puros since most of you were suckin' on yer mum's tit.


Careful, Bag Boy....you know how sensitive knewbees can be.

[patrickspark]

i know all this "should've" advice is frustrating after the event but for my money, if i'm purchasing an expensive product such as CoRo's i like to inspect them in the tobacconists and satisify myself before i hand over my cash - i know location etc can prevent this but if its' at all possible its' the way to go.
hope you get it sorted before the holiday.

[monkey66]

i know all this "should've" advice is frustrating after the event but for my money, if i'm purchasing an expensive product such as CoRo's i like to inspect them in the tobacconists and satisify myself before i hand over my cash - i know location etc can prevent this but if its' at all possible its' the way to go.
hope you get it sorted before the holiday.

They were probably fine when they left but the combination of humidification, vac-packing and extreme temp swings is almost certainly what caused the mould.

However you are right that nothing beats selecting your 'own' box, especially if you can pick from several

[Mo_Robusto]

Thanks to eveyone for the advice.

As for trusting the vendor this is the 1st time i have used them but i have read somewhere else that they were good, so decided to use them.

I phoned the vendor but got no reply only an answering machine stating they had limited time to answer calls, which doesnt help, so i emailed them.

Hoping that i get a reply soon

Mo

[Mo_Robusto]

Just got reply from them and this is what they had to say

"HI Mo,

This look just like plume to me, please read below.

Following are some pointers to help you understand the facts regarding mould and plume (bloom) that can occur on cigars.

They are taken from ?Rudman?s complete guide to cigars fourth edition?.

Page 379

Mould has a blueish tint and will mark the wrapper. It can also be removed like plume, but is a sign that your cigars are being stored in a too hot/and or humid conditions. If you allow mould to remain and do not reduce the humidity in which your cigars are stored, the cigars will begin to smell musty thus seriously affecting your smoking enjoyment.

Page 381

Sometimes cigars develop a plume, also called bloom, this is a whitish dust on the surface of the wrapper and arises from the crystalization of oils in the cigar tobacco. Plume which can evolve over a long period in the dark, moist confines of a humidor, is not harmful and can be brushed off with a soft brush, a dry tissue or sponge. Some smoker even believe it is beneficial to a cigar?s taste.

Can you tell me does it wipe off, without leaving a mark and is it white as it appears? Mold is actually very rare, plume is not so rare.

Regards,

XXXX" [Name edited to comply with source rules on the forum]

Does anyone think i am being fobbed off?

Mo

This is what i wrote to them:

"Dear xxxxxxx

I received my order yesterday but there is something seriously wrong with it.

The cabinet is infected with mould! As you can understand i am very disappointed and concerned about this. As you will see from the pictures attached the mould is everywhere.

In addition, i have concerns regarding the authenticity of these cigars as the bands do not match and have been cut in an manner that in my opinion Cohiba would not do. You will see from the photos that on some of the bands the top 'black section' has been cut crudely leaving half a white box left. Whilst on other bands the 'black section' is intact and looks more professional.

I enclose photos as evidence of my findings.

Please reply as a matter of urgency

regards
Mo"

[tippexx]

Just got reply from them and this is what they had to say


... plume is not so rare.

On a 1999 box maybe.


I'm pretty sure that's mold Mo!

[Seriesteve]

Mould v Bloom ?

The easiest way to tell, Mold v Plume is with a very strong magnifing glass.

Mold will appear fuzzy, and spore-like.

Plume will appear almost crystalline.

Whether they are fake or not thats another matter, Ive had all sort of shapes and sizes of bands, some fakers and others not.
The cap looks well constructed, the colour looks correct, but you may not know until you try em.
Ss

[Seriesteve]

Found this on a another Site a very good souce.

White Mould

White mould is a less aggressive form of the blue-green mould, and can generally be wiped-off if only slightly affecting the wrapper. However once it gets into the foot of the cigar, it may have terminally affected the cigar's taste. White mould is not reflective under UV black-light.

[Mo_Robusto]

This is mould....

I think you guys are right, this is mould and NOT plume as its very fuzzy and not pure white. It has a green/blue tinge to it. I wiped one of the cigars with a soft brush and it left some dark spots on the wrapper.

Before brush












After brush [due to the bright flash on my camera its very hard to see the spots than with the naked eye close up]











Mo

[Mo_Robusto]

I have been also going through the whole cabinet and have noticed that the quality of the bands is very very poor in general. Some are creased, some ripped and some have glue on them!

Some cigars are dented, mis-shaped and one dosent have the wrapper stuck down properly.

Mo

[bigbarneyhotdog]

bloom happens all over a cigar, not just in consentrated areas.

[bigbarneyhotdog]

picture 12 of 15 is astonishing, that looks like a stick from a tree. send 'em back mate.

[Mo_Robusto]

Sent them another email:

"Hi xxxx

thanks for the reply.

I have asked a few friends that are more experienced cigars smokers than myself and they have told me tha this is mould and NOT bloom.

The fuzz/spores are not pure white, but has a blue/greenish tinge to it. My camera flash is very bright, so it is making them come out as white. See the pics enclosed.

i tried wipping one of them and the fuzz came off but left spots on the wrapper.

I have also now inspected the whole cabinet and in general the bands on majority of these are extremely questionable. Some of them are torn, creased, have glue on them. In addition, some of the cigars are dented and one is pierced and anothers wrapper is coming off.

I am not satisfied at all with these and would like a refund or replacement.

regards
Mo"

This is the 2 reply's i got

"Hi Mo,

Many friends that know about cigars does not equate to science.

This is not mold. Mold lays down like the stuff on bread.

For mold to occur you need warm conditions. Our humidor is industrial and kept at a supper cool 16-17 degrees.

If you wipe this off it will not leave a mark. Mold leaves a mark.

Please send them back for a full refund. Use USPA not a courier comnpany. Send completely regular mail

Sincerely

xxxx"

and

"Sorry use not USPS (US customers) use royal Mail."

[Smallclub]

In the Cohiba factory some of the best paid and most experienced staff work in the final grading stage before the cigars are boxed.

Cohiba's, including the Robustos, are rolled in almost every factory in Cuba?
Don't think they're not able to screw up a whole batch ; they're still rolling overfilled Lanceros that are almost unsmokable?

[Smallclub]

Some cigars are dented, mis-shaped

This is normal in a cabinet. In an other hand, I don't like what I see on your pictures and I think a refund is the way to go?