Mold or Plume on Your Cigar? How to Tell the Difference
As an aficionado, you must have heard of mold or plume on cigars. But what does plume look like on a cigar? What are their differences and why should you care about them? Let Cigarlands bring to you all of the information about them, along with tips to help you protect your cigars from mold harm.
Cigar Plume vs. Cigar Mold
Plume, also called bloom, is a natural process when essential oils from the tobacco leaf rise to the cigar's surface and crystallize. After being stored in optimal conditions for a long time, the oil gradually transforms into a powdery state and creates a fine coating around your cigar. Different from plume on cigars, mold is a harmful fungus that develops on cigars if they are stored in damp environment. Once your cigars are exposed to humid conditions, especially when the humidity level rises above 70%, mold starts to grow. Being stored in a humidor without proper ventilation is also one of the most common reasons that make your cigars moldy.
How do they affect your cigars?
Some smokers believe plume on cigars is mold and harmful, which may lead to price reductions when trading cigars. Let Cigarlands break this misconception, plume indicates that the cigars have been stored in good conditions allowing them to naturally age well, resulting in the oil crystalizing to the surface. These cigars improve their flavors and will bring an exceptional smoking experience. Mold, as with any other product, is harmful and can ruin the cigar. What you might have to sacrifice are the flavour, structure and even safety. Even in minor mold cases, the moldy wrapper affects the burn and alters the taste. We strongly advise against continuing to consume cigars with mold on them as the spores will cause respiratory issues and pose serious health risks.
Do you love cigars? Are you a cigar aficionado? Yes, we know that you are! Otherwise, there's no way someone would be reading these if they don't fall in love with cigars.
How to tell the differences?
The first method to differentiate between these is through visuals. Although the plume coat is thin and faint, it can easily be seen on your cigars as they are white, resembling a delicate frost and evenly distributed. What makes it difficult to tell the differences between plume and mold is that mold also spreads all over the cigars. However, looking closer and noticing some special characteristics will help you detect mold like an expert. Unlike plume, mold grows in patches and has a fuzzy form. They also vary in colors, from white to green or even blue. If looking at their appearance cannot help you in the case when mold spreads all over the cigar, smell and texture will be the next things you need to take into consideration. Take the courage to touch it! You will feel plume brings a dry touch and can be wiped away easily, while mold feels moist or in worse cases, slimy and leave a residue. Once you smell them, plume has no odor but mold surely carries an unpleasant smell.
Tips to prevent and address mold growth
Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. We believe this is true in the case of preventing mold from growing on your cigar. Too much humidity creates a perfect environment for mold, meanwhile too little dries out the cigar. We recommend you store your cigar in a humidor with a stable humidity level between 65-73% and a temperature range of 65-70°F (18-21°C). This range is commonly referred to as the 70/70 rule, which states that cigars should be stored at 70% humidity and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21°C). Another important practice that we highly recommend is always using distilled water or a propylene glycol solution in humidifiers, as tap water can introduce bacteria that is the main cause of mold development. We understand that in some misfortune situations, you still find mold in your humidor. Don’t panic! Here are the steps you need to follow to mitigate the harm: Step 1: Immediately isolate moldy cigars to prevent contamination and inspect others closely using the information above. Step 2: Empty the humidor and clean it with a mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol, then let it dry completely before putting your cigars back. Step 3: If mold has penetrated the wrapper or is widespread, the cigar should be discarded to avoid health risks.
Create a perfect environment for plume to flourish
Besides protecting your cigars from harmful factors, we believe all aficionados want to go beyond the limit of developing deeper and richer flavors. Below are our pro tips for you on this experimenting journey: Store cigars at stable humidity and temperature levels over an extended period to encourage plume formation. Rotate cigars occasionally and avoid frequent opening of the humidor to maintain consistent aging conditions. If you notice plume, you can gently brush it off or leave it in place for visual appeal and please don’t worry as this doesn’t impact the smoking quality. Plume is a natural, harmless part of the aging process, while mold is a serious problem that can ruin cigars and bring health risks. Maintaining the right humidity and temperature is an essential step to prevent mold and create a perfect environment for plume on cigars. We believe that enhancing your experience and knowledge about mold or plume on cigars will help you take proper care of your cigars and ensure a premium smoking experience.
*This article was crafted by the experts at Cigarlands, using verified information from different sources.
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Do you love cigars? Are you a cigar aficionado? Yes, we know that you are! Otherwise, there's no way someone would be reading these if they don't fall in love with cigars.
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