Plume or mold? The great debate!
- Thread starter HillbillyPyro
- Start date
HillbillyPyro
that's what she said
I could be wrong but those look like sun spots. ???
HillbillyPyro
that's what she said
I agree. But wanted others opinions. I'm getting these in trade. So i haven't seen it in person.
AlohaStyle
BoM Sept '12 & Aug '13
It's hard to tell from pictures, but from the picture, it doesn't look like the typical mold to me and I agree with JFire above. It's way too much crap, whatever it is, to be plume from a 2010 cigar IMO. If it were a 1970 cigar I would be okay saying plume, but it still pretty thick. I think it's definitely some other substance that has collected on the cigar.
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
This.
From the new pics, that sure looks like mold.
I wouldn't trade for it. Too young for plume and it appears green in some pictures.
Here are things you can look for when trying to determine whether it's plume or mold:
Some common misconceptions about mold and plume:
Mold is green. Mold comes in many colors. Blue, green, white. Anecdotally in my experience mold is most often white.
Plume wipes off, mold does not. I'm not sure where this started from, but mold often wipes off just as easily as plume.
Just wipe off the mold and smoke it. You want to exercise caution here, inhaling mold spores could potentially be hazardous to your health.
- Is it located on or in the foot? Classic mold sign.
- Is it clumped together, or are there circles of it on the cigar? Classic mold sign.
- Is it a relatively young cigar? Classic mold sign. Plume doesn't develop on a cigar for years.
- If you hold the cigar at an angle does the substance appear to be higher than the surface of the cigar? Classic mold sign. Mold will have a distinct 3 dimensionality to it, plume will look like fine powder or very fine sugar crystals.
- Is it extremely hard to photograph? Classic plume sign. Plume is crystalline and is not easily photographed.
Some common misconceptions about mold and plume:
Mold is green. Mold comes in many colors. Blue, green, white. Anecdotally in my experience mold is most often white.
Plume wipes off, mold does not. I'm not sure where this started from, but mold often wipes off just as easily as plume.
Just wipe off the mold and smoke it. You want to exercise caution here, inhaling mold spores could potentially be hazardous to your health.
HillbillyPyro
that's what she said
So its moldy plume then? Hah! Jk. I may have to reject them when i see them in person. I'll get some better photographs once i get them.
Jfire
BoM 9/9' 9/11' 8/12'
I wouldn't even entertain the idea of a trade. Probably because I have the same cigars stored properly and they do not look like that. FYI to the guys that say mold is always 3 demential. That is a misnomer. These lost cities have most likely been stored very wet for a short amount of time. I'd bet a fiver those are mold spore covered. Another words enough time for spores to cover the whole cigar. Due to having very favorable conditions. But not stored long enough to have a full blown lab experiment yet. Once again I would not trade for these sticks. It's a loosing trade on your end brother.....
Jfire
Jfire
Looks a tad moldy..I've had sticks with some mold on them from time to time. Some were able to be cleaned up by wiping them off with a tissue or make up brush. If you snip it and take a drag and has a musty nastiness.. I would donate it to the mulch pile. Not that tossing an Opus or any cigar that is rare/limited is an easy thing to do.
HillbillyPyro
that's what she said
Well this puts me in a shitty spot. We had already agreed on a trade. He then sent me the picture and said look at the plume. I believed him at first and still agreed on the trade. then i got suspicious. Hence why posting here. He already sent them out and they should be here Tuesday. We had already agreed that i wouldn't send my end till i got his. What do i do? I already agreed to trade so i can't back out.
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HillbillyPyro
that's what she said
But i agreed to trade even after seeing the picture. I should've questioned it when i saw it. I just didn't figure it was mold being that evenly distributed on the cigar
Craig Mac
BoM 4/10 7/11 12/14
This should be a fucking sticky!!! Great post here and would easily end the reoccurring/never-ending question
King Kill 33
BoM Dec '13
I was at a B&M that was over humidifying recently, and it definitely discolors the wrapper in a similar fashion. It turns the wrapper on some Oliva Melanios a lighter, blotchy and less attractive shade, much like what you are showing in terms of appearance in your pic.
IMO, I would say that it's been sitting in high humidity conditions for a while. If you do receive these, I would send them back with a cordial note that begin, "After careful inspection of these..." Also let this person know that $xx is a lot to spend on a cigar and you would only expect to fairly, get what you pay for. I'd also be worried what lies beneath the cedar on the one next to it.
IMO, I would say that it's been sitting in high humidity conditions for a while. If you do receive these, I would send them back with a cordial note that begin, "After careful inspection of these..." Also let this person know that $xx is a lot to spend on a cigar and you would only expect to fairly, get what you pay for. I'd also be worried what lies beneath the cedar on the one next to it.