First CC Purchase ~ MOLD!!

[JimmyC]

Well my very first CC shipment arrived today. Box of 10 R&J Short Churchills. The first thing I noticed after opening the sealed plastic bag they arrived in was the seal had been removed and replaced on the box. Once opening the box about half the cigars had mold on them. Now I have heard of seals being replaced but the mold I did not expect... cigars arrived 5 days from vendor advising shipment. Pix attached... are they ruined?

Never had a mold issue before... can they be saved?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Fitze55]

Grey market smokes, no big deal.

The mold, can't really tell. I'll defer that to someone with more knowledge.

Regardless, congrats on your first order.

 

[KPP]

Man....that sucks for mold on your first order. It's pretty obvious that's mold...

Just brush it off and put the box in a ziploc bag in your humi. They should be fine, but check on em' every once in a while.

I'd say go back to the vendor for replacement/reimbursal, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle for you on a 10 ct box. If you're upset enough about it though, never hurts to ask and see what they say. A good vendor should replace em'.

 

[astripp]

As long as the mold isn't on the foot you are fine. Wipe it down with some alcohol like a high proof vodka.

 

[The EVP]

White mold can be brushed off unless it's in the foot of the cigar. If it's on the outside, just brush it off and keep an eye on them. If you have a spare humidor, you could put them in there and keep an eye on them.

 

[Deemancpa]

Totally unacceptable! Call those guys!

 

[sonarman]

I would call as well. Plus what is up with the paper on the inside of the box? It looks like it got wet and the glue started to release.

 

[njstone]

Mold for sure. I'm guessing the box got over humidified at some point in it's life. IMVHO, it's not worth the risk to return this box ... not for just a 10-count. I'd email/call though and let them know, maybe they can give you a discount or some free singles with your next order or something.

The mold doesn't appear to be too bad from these pictures. It happens, and although it's obviously disheartening on a box of cigars you just received, it should not ruin the cigars, no. A cigar can really only be unsmokable due to mold when the mold grows into the foot of the cigar, infecting the filler. If it's just on the wrapper, it can be cleaned off (though it may discolor the wrapper depending on the strain of mold).

I've had cigars arrive with mold a number of times. So far, all the previously-moldy cigars I've smoked have been just fine!!

Step 1: Wipe off the cigars with a slighly damp cloth (don't use a paper towel as they tend to leave little bits of themselves all over the cigars). Make sure you keep rotating the towel as not to put the mold back on the cigars, lol!

Step 2: Wipe down the inside of the box/paper as well

Step 3: Dry off the cigars and box

Step 4: If you use storage bins (i.e. whole-box storage of cigars), go ahead and put the box in there. If you use traditional humidors, though, I'd suggest storing these in a ziplock bag instead for a few weeks (with a small humipack or something). You can do this either way, of course, if you're paranoid about the mold spreading.

Step 5: Check them every few days to make sure there is no return of the mold. After a few weeks they should be fine for long-term storage.

 

[Le Buzz]

It wouldn't hurt to ask if they can replace or reimburse you partially. All they can say is no.

 

[mthhurley]

BTW, a lot of grey market stuff comes with the seal cracked already so don't let that shock you.

 

[JimmyC]

Yup... sent vendor a email will wait and see what they say... thanks for the replys/advice guys.

 

[njstone]

Just remember that you take a big risk yourself SHIPPING cigars such as this in the US. The penalties for sending/selling/distributing them can be far worse than purchasing/importing them. IMVHO, it's not worth it. But of course it's completely your call.

 

[keinreis]

Does not look that bad with the mold. I also received some cc's with mold once, wiped them down, dry boxed them for a week, then put them into my humi. Have checked them several times in the last year, and no mold has returned. Every case I have read about people returning moldy cigars turns into a pain in the ass. The vendor sometimes will not ship out new box till they receive the old one back. You take the chance of them not making it, and loosing out. I would just keep them.

 

[JimmyC]

Well the vendor replied as follows:

"As regards mold on the cigars, we noticed on the pictures you sent us
that it is bloom - a fine white powder that forms on the wrapper of
the cigar caused by the oils that exude from the tobacco. It can be
gently brushed off with a small camel hairbrush, though there is no
need to do this. Bloom indicates the cigar is alive, maturing as it
should inside a well-maintained humidor. Bloom should not be confused
with mold. Mold is a bluish-green and stains the wrapper. Mold usually
indicates a humidor is too warm or has excessive levels of humidity."

Sound reasonable? The "stuff" was white and wiped right off leaving no stain... but plume from a box with a Aug 2010 box date?

 

[keinreis]

nope... they always say that. it is not bloom/plume. I have seen photos of cigars guys have got that were moldy like old bread, and got the same e-mail. I am sure that works in most cases. Like I said, most vendors will require the box back before sending new one. Not worth the risk.

 

[njstone]

I've been in several cigar shops that had obvious mold on the sticks in their cases, and when I pointed it out they said it was plume. I told them they were unequivicolly wrong, that it was mold and they shoud take care of it. They told me that they knew more about it than I did. They were fools.

I've recieved moldy cigars before, and each time I've been old it was plume. Each time it was really mold. Thats' just the standard line that companies with BAD customer service give you.

Cigars don't plume when they are that young, period. Also, what's in these pictures is so obviously mold that it's laughable. If you look at it very closely, you can see that they are tiny "tree" or "mushroom" shapes. He's also wrong about mold always being colored. Haven't you ever seen white mold on some food that is too old?

Plume is very tiny crystals, often looking like powder. It tends to be more wide-spread as opposed to isolated "colonies" like mold (notice in these pictures the substance is in tiny circles here and there .. those are mold colonies). Mold is also much taller (sticks out farther) than plume.

I recently dug out a cigar that was covered in white stuff. My first thought was that it was mold, but when I looked closely it was definately plume. It was thin powder, not raised up off the wrapper. It dusted off very easily (and the cigar was great!).

In any event, just wipe the mold off like has been discussed and the sticks should be okay.

 

[jayro75]

Well the vendor replied as follows:

"As regards mold on the cigars, we noticed on the pictures you sent us
that it is bloom - a fine white powder that forms on the wrapper of
the cigar caused by the oils that exude from the tobacco. It can be
gently brushed off with a small camel hairbrush, though there is no
need to do this. Bloom indicates the cigar is alive, maturing as it
should inside a well-maintained humidor. Bloom should not be confused
with mold. Mold is a bluish-green and stains the wrapper. Mold usually
indicates a humidor is too warm or has excessive levels of humidity."

Sound reasonable? The "stuff" was white and wiped right off leaving no stain... but plume from a box with a Aug 2010 box date?

That's a BS answer and insulting to your intelligence. You should send the cigars back for a refund and cross the vendor off your list. I'm pretty sure I know which vendor it is and these types of answers are par for the course with them which is why I and many I know refuse to do business with them.

Of course the whole thing could've been avoided in the first place if that ass hat would open and inspect the boxes before shipping.

 

[TommyGunz]

That's a BS answer and insulting to your intelligence. You should send the cigars back for a refund and cross the vendor off your list. I'm pretty sure I know which vendor it is and these types of answers are par for the course with them which is why I and many I know refuse to do business with them.

Of course the whole thing could've been avoided in the first place if that ass hat would open and inspect the boxes before shipping.

Agree with you on some fronts, but they are still fine from the pic's. I would simply wipe them off, and choose a new vendor.

You found out a valuable lesson about this vendor's customer service practices and that is a win-win; the cigars are still perfectly smokable, and this is a small dollar purchase.

This is a perfect example for anyone buying to make sure they place small orders first. Imagine if this was a cab of Gladiators, or a box of Phonecios and you got that type of a response?

Best of luck,

TG

 

[Alwayslit]

This is mold. It has structure to it, plume doesn't. Kindly tell the vendor this since they are clueless. Overall it doesn't look bad just wipe it off and dry box the cigars for 48 hours and s-can that dress box it looks like it's been in a pool.

 

[BEN(SWEDEN)]

Bro just brush it off and you are good!!!


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- / Ben Bockbrännarbolmers