Expert: Bill Finck Jr. - 12/23/2010

Question
HI i have bought i box of Cohiba Esplendidos Julieta 1 Churchill Style.great cigar iv enjoyed a few all ready i want to save the rest to age some more , i have them in a humidor and have the humidity ay 70 and temp to around the same . now my question is that i have noticed what i think is plume/bloom but im not 100% shure iv takin some pics at the link please let me know what im dealing with ? thanks :) http://s1182.photobucket.com/albums/x450…
ps. i was planing on saving them for at lest two more years and will the get better wit age or is it better to smoke them now with some plume on them ?

Answer
Kevin,

I can't open the image you sent, but I can tell you that plume does not look hairy, and mold does. If the cigars are moldy, then wipe them off and smoke them soon before the mold spores re-grow and give the cigars a musty taste. If you're sure it is not mold and you want to age them, they will likely improve with time. In reality about 6 months of aging after manufacture is all that most properly made cigars need to age, but sometimes the anticipation of waiting a year or 2 seems to add to the enjoyment...

Hope you continue to enjoy them!
Bill