Expert: James Yee - 8/22/2009

Question
A week or so ago my cigars started to have an odd flavor. The flavor is the same as the one that you get when using plastic model glue.The humidity in my humidor has been in the ideal range the entire time.I pulled all the cigars out placed them in zip lock bags & put them in the freezer over night. There is no visible mold on the cigars although I did find mold in the humidistat.

I am going to clean the humidor per your recommendations & replace the humidistat.

My question concerns the flavor of the cigars. Could this be caused by the mold from the humidistat? Also, is placing the cigars in the freezer a way to kill the mold? Or is it too late & the cigars are no longer any good?

PS My humidor is about 1 month old, holds 100, & was seasoned as you described in another answer. Its brand name is Don Salvatore.

Your advise would be appreciated.

Answer
Hi Albert,

The first thing you should do is smell your humidistat.  Does it have a strong aroma of plastic hobby glue?  If yes, mold has definitely affected it and it needs to be sterilized or replaced.  (A plastic glue aroma/flavour can also mean that your humidistat/humidification device is low quality and should be replaced with a premium, more reputable brand.)  If you are using Propylene Glycol in your humidification device, you will need to replace it as stale or low-quality Propylene Glycol can also cause cigars to have a plastic-like aroma/flavour.

Freezing your cigars will not kill mold.  To kill mold, you need to delicately wipe the mold off the cigar with a damp paper towel (dampened with distilled water) and then delicately wipe the cigar down with a light amount of Isopropyl Alcohol. The alcohol will kill the mold.  Next, rewipe the cigar with another damp paper towel to dilute the alcohol and then place your cigars in a Ziploc bag or tupperware container and let it sit in your refrigerator for at least 1 week.  Monitor your cigars closely during this time.  If any mold reappears, repeat the cleaning process.  If after a week, mold has not reappeared, your cigars are safe to be returned to your humidor.

By storing your cigars in your refrigerator, you are slowing down the mold growth but still allowing it to reappear if mold spores are present.  This is the only safe way to be sure that mold is thoroughly eliminated from your cigars.  Freezing is not effective for treating mold and is only recommended for treating cigars with tobacco beetles.

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

Regards,
James