Let’s face it, there isn’t anything much more relaxing than settling back with a stogie in the evening. But, there’s one thing that can spoil the enjoyment of a good cigar and that’s mold. Thankfully, there are ways to identify it, prevent it, and a way to remove it.
The first thing to do is to identify whether the spots are mold or something called “bloom” or “plume.” Bloom is harmless and is caused by the cigar’s oils rising to the top; it looks like a white coating. To identify mold, look for fuzzy patches on the cigar wrappers; that’s a telltale sign of it. The second way of identifying it is to check the cigars and the humidor for white spots. Once that’s done, check the appearance of the white spots; if it’s hairy or fibrous, it is mold. Also, look for white, blue, grey, or green spots on the humidor and wrapper. The stogies that have white mold on them can still be smoked, as long as the it’s only on the surface.
The second step is removal of the mold. In order to do this, separate the moldy cigars from the rest so the mold can’t spread. Keep the moldy cigars separate for 36 hrs, or put them in the freezer. Then use isopropyl alcohol to clean the inner surfaces of the humidor; the alcohol will kill the mold. The cause of this, which is a fungus, is an unstable humidor humidity level; if it’s higher than 80%, that’s how it forms.
Thus, the third step is done by regulating the humidity level in the humidor to about 72%. The ideal range is from 66 to 79%.
Every cigar smoker has to identify, remove, and prevent the recurrence of mold. But it’s worth it because once all this is said and done, one can return to the enjoyment of a good cigar. There’s not much more relaxing in this world.
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