Expert: James Yee - 2/18/2008

Question
Greetings James,

I'm pretty new to the cigar world, but I have some questions regarding pluming cigars.  Do you have any information regarding the time it takes, the ideal temperature, ideal humidity based on different brands or type of tobacco?

Are certain type of cigars more likely to plume than others?  Does the region where the tobacco is grown make a difference, for example Nic, Hon, Conn?

I'm hoping you could provide me with a breakdown based on a particular brand, A. Fuentes, OpusX, Avo, Sancho Panza, Punch, Pardon, etc.

Any knowledge shared would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Steve

Answer
Hi Steve,

Cigar plume/bloom typically occurs on cigars that have very oily wrappers.  The natural oil in the tobacco leaves is what causes plume.  Over time, as a cigar is properly stored, the humidity in the humidor will cause the oils to exude from the wrapper leaves and crystallize; thus creating the dust-like substance on your cigars known as plume.  Depending on several specific conditions such as quality of tobacco, type of tobacco, amount of natural oils and humidor conditions, plume can take anywhere from 3-6 months (in a well-maintained humidor) to appear on a cigar.  Not all cigars however, are guaranteed to plume and some cigars many never grow plume at all.  It really depends on a combination of the above conditions that I mentioned.

Cigars that have a velvet-like exterior are more likely to promote a healthy growth of plume while cigars that have a “waxy” or “papery” wrapper leaf are less prone to plume growth.  Also, to maximize your chances of promoting plume on your cigars, make sure that you buy dark shade cigars such as those with Double Colorado, Maduro or Oscuro wrappers.  Typically, darker cigars that are visibly shiny or slightly glistening with oils are the best candidates for plume.  Extremely lighter wrapper shades such as Claro and Candela do not promote plume very well.  Region of tobacco also does not affect plume growth.  Plume can form on cigars regardless of brand, region or size.

Cigar brands such as Arturo Fuente, Opus X, Avo (Domaine Maduro) and Padron are excellent candidates for creating plume on their cigars; especially the darker shade cigars from these brands.  The non-Cuban versions of Sancho Panza and Punch (such as Grand Cru) have been known to have lighter shade, waxy wrapper leaves and are less likely to develop plume.

When storing cigars in your humidor, the ideal humidor environment is 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 70% humidity.  Remove all cellophane wrappers (if any) from the cigars.  This will allow the cigars to be fully exposed to the humidity, which will help promote a healthy coat of plume.

Plume is a natural occurrence involved with long-term cigar aging so if you maintain your humidor properly and age cigars as you normally would, you will eventually see plume.

Hope this answers your question.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I’ll be happy to help.

Regards,
James.