Afraid to ask - plume? Or other

[Erikis35]

Ok so I have had this T52 for a month or two. Don’t know how long the B&M had it in a box. It is pretty spread out and uniform. Thoughts? Mold or plume? It rubs off with ease leaving no spots and humidor conditions are 68-70% maybe up to 71% very rarely since I am in it at least once a day.

I wiped some off a few times and took some more pics



Hoping for the best.

 

[Glassman]

Plume is, for the most part, a myth.
It's mold. Its always mold. One of many possible types.
Segregate it. Wipe it off and smoke it.

And never trust your hygros. Test and calibrate occasionally.
If possible, try to balance at somewhere between 65 and 68.

 

[Boudie]

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/131757-foh-mould-study/

May be worth a read

 

[BenS]

Looks like white mold. Should be OK though once wiped off. Plume does not appear as spots. Plume is not a myth, just rare. But mold is more rare on properly stored cigars.

 

[Glassman]

Looks like white mold. Should be OK though once wiped off. Plume does not appear as spots. Plume is not a myth, just rare. But mold is more rare on properly stored cigars.

Every photo I've seen yet of "plume" is mold.
It hasn't been proven to exist in testing yet. Sometimes common knowledge and conventional wisdom is wrong.
The only thing I would consider to be something akin to plume is the faint crystallization you can see on a wrapper with a magnifying glass. But that doesn't grow or spread. And it wouldn't really show up in most photos.
Even mostly properly stored cigars can get mold, or bacterial growth due to any number of contaminants that could be on the wrappers.
But you're right, it's probably most often because it ended up overly warm or humidified at some point.
I also have a hunch that lack of air exchange can be a contributing factor. It certainly is with problematic mold and undesirable fungi in fungiculture.

 

[Fusion555]

 

[ApeSmokes]

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/131757-foh-mould-study/

May be worth a read

Remember reading that awhile ago. Looking at the thread, still no one able to claim the prize. If true plume is real, it's so rare/valuable that no one is willing to part with a single cigar that has it. So even if it does exist, I'd say that makes it a rare enough sub-species of unicorn that I don't expect to encounter it.

 

[Boudie]

I liked the most recent images where the flecks where gold and purposed to be mold. Everyone said it was flakes from the gold band!

 

[Glassman]

I liked the most recent images where the flecks where gold and purposed to be mold. Everyone said it was flakes from the gold band!

Haha, I've definitely seen a lot of gold flakes from the bands.

 

[WatchmanUSA]

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/131757-foh-mould-study/
From the Post - "There were two cigars that showed potential for being something other than mould. That proved to be a false hope. All 10 cigars in this sample testing proved to be one of four mould types.

The positive to be taken from this testing is that we now have the system set to test into the future.

With that in mind I will put up a store credit of $250 USD $350 AUD for any member who provides a cigar for testing that proves to be of crystalline substance and not mould. If you believe you have that cigar, take a photo or two and e-mail them to Greg or myself and upon review we will give you the shipping details. We will only take one to two cigars for testing at a time. We only need one cigar for testing from any individual.

Many thanks to all who have contributed to this exercise!"

 

[Nacho Daddy]

well answered, guys.........

 

[BenS]

We do what we can

 

[Erikis35]

Well I guess I will have to sign up. I bought some sticks from a place in Mississippi that claimed they had found some boxes from the late 90’s. they were still in the cello but the ‘plume’ had crystallised.

It was nothing special that got put away by accident. It was an ok smoke and I truly believe only a great smoke will age well. This was a cigar made at the height of the cigar craze in the 90’s. it definitely was a different kind of smoke. It was super pungent and had a very deep aroma like I have never smelled before. It was just a mellow smoke that definitely did not have the flavor that the smoke tried to say it should have. If any of this makes sense. I will have my brother pick some more up from down there. I may want to send it in for testing. But supposedly it had crystallised to shiny little pieces on the stick. Maybe I can send one in. Unless that is mold that crystallised? Anyone have any ideas?

 

[WatchmanUSA]

Well I guess I will have to sign up. I bought some sticks from a place in Mississippi that claimed they had found some boxes from the late 90’s. they were still in the cello but the ‘plume’ had crystallised.

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/131757-foh-mould-study/
From article: "Wallemia sebi is a dry fungus of the phylum Basidiomycota. It is commonly found on highly sugared or salted materials, such as jams, bread, cakes, sugar, bacon, salted meets, and salted fish. It is also found in indoor air, house dust, and soil. One distinctive feature of W. sebi is its relationship with water activity. Most fungi are profoundly affected by the availability of water. The ability to tolerate environments with low water activity has been found mostly in Ascomycota, but rarely in Basidiomycota. However, W. sebi. can adjust its morphology and physiology to adapt to different environmental conditions and survive osmotic stress. Wallemia sebi have lower limits for growth below water activity of 0.75aw (water activity), while most microorganisms are limited to 0.95 and above. Wallemia sebi has been isolated from hair, hay, textiles and man. It can grow slowly without additional solute in the growth medium, and form small, reddish-brown, powdery colonies."

 

[Glassman]

Well I guess I will have to sign up. I bought some sticks from a place in Mississippi that claimed they had found some boxes from the late 90’s. they were still in the cello but the ‘plume’ had crystallised.
View attachment 110107 View attachment 110108
It was nothing special that got put away by accident. It was an ok smoke and I truly believe only a great smoke will age well. This was a cigar made at the height of the cigar craze in the 90’s. it definitely was a different kind of smoke. It was super pungent and had a very deep aroma like I have never smelled before. It was just a mellow smoke that definitely did not have the flavor that the smoke tried to say it should have. If any of this makes sense. I will have my brother pick some more up from down there. I may want to send it in for testing. But supposedly it had crystallised to shiny little pieces on the stick. Maybe I can send one in. Unless that is mold that crystallised? Anyone have any ideas?
View attachment 110109 View attachment 110110 View attachment 110111

Wouldn't hurt to spend the $15 shipping to send it to them if they'll accept it. I've had some like that and to me it looks like particles of mold that dried and were preserved by the secreted oils.

 

[ApeSmokes]

Wouldn't hurt to spend the $15 shipping to send it to them if they'll accept it. I've had some like that and to me it looks like particles of mold that dried and were preserved by the secreted oils.

Wife: "Watcha doin?"
Me:"Sucking on this smoldering bunch of fermented leaves"
Wife:
Me: "Really excited about this bunch, it's covered in dried out mold particles, preserved in secreted oils!"
Wife:"Boys are dumb"

 

[Glassman]

Wife: "Watcha doin?"
Me:"Sucking on this smoldering bunch of fermented leaves"
Wife:
Me: "Really excited about this bunch, it's covered in dried out mold particles, preserved in secreted oils!"
Wife:"Boys are dumb"

 

[navyvet]

I would have seperated that one and seen what would have happend after some more time. Plume is rare but people find way more sticks that are moldy as opposed to being plume. When i discribe it i tell people it is usually evenly spread white and sometimes looks like you smacked a stripper with it cause its sparkly

 

[Erikis35]

I would have seperated that one and seen what would have happend after some more time. Plume is rare but people find way more sticks that are moldy as opposed to being plume. When i discribe it i tell people it is usually evenly spread white and sometimes looks like you smacked a stripper with it cause its sparkly

I think I will do that. I did however change my humidity setting in that humidor to 67% with cigar oasis and running one 69% boveda for about 100 cigars. They were smoking badly. I guess they finally got to 72% recently and I am just noticing the effects of it. Bitter burn and just not any good now. So adjustment done. I thought they had already adjusted to 72 but I guess it was going to take longer than I thought with cello on.

 

[Burnaz16]

Plume is, for the most part, a myth.
It's mold. Its always mold. One of many possible types.
Segregate it. Wipe it off and smoke it.

And never trust your hygros. Test and calibrate occasionally.
If possible, try to balance at somewhere between 65 and 68.

@Glassman speaks the truth. Always a different strain of mold. Plume is BS. Just keep it quarantined and smoke it when you're ready. Shit light that fucker up now, why wait!?