Expert: Bill Finck Jr. - 5/2/2009

Question
I purchased a humidor and had a friend bring back some
cigars for me from cuba.
I seasoned the humidor properly before placing the cigars
in it.  The humidity had stabilized at around 60%.  I
tested the hygrometer with the salt test prior to seasoning
and it read 74% so it should be accurate to within 1%.
After about a month three of my cigars developed mould.  I
thought maybe it was plume (or bloom?) but when I looked at
pictures online I decided it was mould and since there was
some on the foot as well it was a sure thing.
I put that down to the fact that those three cigars were
right next to my humidifier.
Now another month later another cigar has developed mould.
What can I do to stop this from happening?  It never gets
above 60% humidity and I live in a very dry area.  I also
used the 50/50 solution provided with the humidor.


Answer
Joel,

It sounds like the propylene glycol solution you are using may be mixed too strong. if it is actually 50%/50%, then I wouldn't use it. Try The Madelaine or Xikar brands - they are mixed with a proper portion of propylene glycol and water, and I have never had a problem with mold when using these products.

Hope this helps, but if you still have problems let me know and I'll try to help you figure it out.

Bill