Expert: James Yee - 5/9/2008

Question
Hello mate
I'm still confused to whats mold and bloom! Looking at my cigars i have two differnt types of things happening, 1st: I got cigars were there is small white bits of fluff mainly on the tips of the cigars(i have seen this when buying a new box of cigars from stores) and one at the foot, when you brush it, it just comes of clean with NO stain. 2nd: I got one cigar that has dust like all over the cigar. These are all in the same humidor, humidity levels is checked daily and the highest its ever been is 72%(summer weather is here) So is it mold or bloom?
Also me and a friend have just ordered a box of Diplomaticos No2 to share and we both have never tried them! Have you tried these and if so what are your thoughts on these cigars...
THANK YOU so much for help

Answer
Hi Mario,

Mold is thick and fuzzy in appearance and appears in random patches.  Just like mold on spoiled food, it eventually becomes thicker in areas where it is most-heavily concentrated and where it has been growing for the longest time.  If left untreated, the random patches of mold will quickly grow and spread out.  Cigar mold can also resemble baking flour or powdered sugar in appearance while bloom/plume will look exactly like a thick build up of dust that appears evenly all over a cigar.

Mold can also appear on cigars that are closest to the humidification device so be sure that your cigars are not too close or touching the humidifier.

If you have a microscope or strong magnifying glass, examine the small white fluff that appears near the tips of the cigars.  Mold spores will have a round head and a long stem body; like a mushroom or bean sprout.  It sounds like this is mold that is just starting to form.  If caught early enough, mold will not leave a stain on your cigars.

In the early stages of mold growth, it can easily be mistaken as plume/bloom so it's important that you examine the substance with a microscope to see its physical characteristics.  If it looks like microscopic mushrooms clustered together, it is mold.  If it looks like a stringy webbing of dust, it's bloom/plume.

Regards,
James