Mold???? what to do??

[kirscovitch]

just got a box delivered about a half hour ago. i was thrilled untill i opened it. (the box was still sealed) ive got about 13 or so sticks that have a "substance" on them. i think its mold. its not really bad, but bad enough to tick me off. what should i do? send them back?? wipe em down and quarentine them?? the box is from Oct 06. any input would be appreciated!



http://www.botl.org/community/forums/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=180

 

[Jwrussell]

Looks like light mold to me. Brush them off and quarentine them. You should be fine. I've seen my share of this and I've not had problems after getting rid of the mold. Just make sure it isn't growing out of the foot.

 

[Headbanger]

You should be able to wipe that off with a slightly damp paper towel or gently brush it off. Then quarantine in a separate Tupperware container so not to spread to other sticks or your humidor. Be sure to let the sticks dry out some before adding any more humidification. Also noify the vendor and e-mail them the pics. Good luck and be glad you caught this early on.

 

[Headbanger]

DOH, I type too much and a customer called me.

 

[caudio51]

Definitely go with Steve's route....once they dry out a bit you should be good to go.

 

[kirscovitch]

thanks for the input guys. about how long should i keep em seperate from my other sticks?? a few weeks?? a month?? more????

 

[jkim05]

really once you wipe off the mold, unless it's really penetrated the wrapper, no more mold should grow as long as you maintain a reasonable humidity where mold doesn't normally grow. A few weeks should be plenty long to see if mold continues to recur in which case you should try to return them to the vendor or just smoke all the moldy ones. Keep them apart until you're sure the mold isn't growing back.

 

[Jwrussell]

Basically until you are satisfied they are at the humidity you typically keep your smokes. If you keep your smokes at 65%, give it 2-3 weeks and then smoke one. If it feels like it's at 65 then you should be good to go. Mainly what you are doing by seperating them is making sure that they are dried out enough not to start growing mold again.

 

[Headbanger]

Basically until you are satisfied they are at the humidity you typically keep your smokes. If you keep your smokes at 65%, give it 2-3 weeks and then smoke one. If it feels like it's at 65 then you should be good to go. Mainly what you are doing by seperating them is making sure that they are dried out enough not to start growing mold again.

Ditto what Jason said (and Jkim). That goes for the box they came in as well. Make sure the box is not too wet if you keep the sticks in the box. If you store the sticks as singles, I would keep them in a zip lock baggie to further ensure no additional mold is spread once you lower the RH and stabilize them.

 

[kirscovitch]

really once you wipe off the mold, unless it's really penetrated the wrapper, no more mold should grow as long as you maintain a reasonable humidity where mold doesn't normally grow. A few weeks should be plenty long to see if mold continues to recur in which case you should try to return them to the vendor or just smoke all the moldy ones. Keep them apart until you're sure the mold isn't growing back.

so if i wipe em off, let em sit for a few weeks and discover theres still mold, will the venfor even take em back after that long?? or will i be stuck with a box of moldy sticks and out some cash?? :dunno:

 

[Headbanger]

Thus the notification and pics today as I suggested. Do not wait to notify them for any time at all. Let them decide to replace now if they want, but from the pics you posted, the advise given above is what they more than likely will reply with.

 

[kirscovitch]

ive notified them with an email and even called them. (only to get a voicemail service) i havent heard back yet, but i figure if they know about it now, there shouldnt be a problem returning them. (if theyre still moldy)

 

[Trumpetchris]

It's white, looks like plume. I thought the green stuff was what we had to worry about. Especially if it comes off with your finger.

 

[kirscovitch]

i was hoping it was plume, but as i keep looking at them, the fuzzier and fuzzier they get.

 

[TexaSmoke]

It's white, looks like plume. I thought the green stuff was what we had to worry about. Especially if it comes off with your finger.

Not all the time. Fuzzy white stuff equals mold. Check out this link: http://www.vitolas.net/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=1

 

[cvm4]

Be sure the water is distilled and a damp rag too.

 

[jkim05]

so if i wipe em off, let em sit for a few weeks and discover theres still mold, will the venfor even take em back after that long?? or will i be stuck with a box of moldy sticks and out some cash?? :dunno:

ime, the vendor should probably take the sticks back immediately and replace them, but I was talking more in the situation where you just wanted to salvage them and not send them back. The choice is really up to you. With the amount of mold I see in the pics though, you really shouldn't have much of a problem. I've had sticks shipped with mold on them that I didn't discover for weeks because it was underneath the cedar sheath and I wiped it off and isolated it for a few weeks and stuck it back in the humidor at 65% and the mold never came back. good luck.

 

[Jwrussell]

ive notified them with an email and even called them. (only to get a voicemail service) i havent heard back yet, but i figure if they know about it now, there shouldnt be a problem returning them. (if theyre still moldy)

This is one of those personal opinion issues that can get very different reactions from different people. My personal opinion is, being the type of cigars they are and coming from the type of vendor they do, I'm going to do my best not to increase costs by sending something back or demanding reperation in some form unless it is really, really necessary: broken or seriously damaged sticks, not packaged well or severe mold (growing from the foot, obviuosly inside as well as outside the stick).

From what I've seen, you are dealing with just a touch here and there. I've dealt with mold multiple times, it's really just a fact of life with cigars unless you get really really lucky. And as I've had issues with my wine cooler in keeping the humidity down in certain areas I've probably had more issues than some. Every time I've wiped down smokes with mold (clean, dry cloth), seperated them into ziplocs and put them in a part of the humi I know to be between 60-65% I've never had a problem with those cigars.

My personal advice on the matter is, don't worry so much about it, you'll be fine. When dealing with a vendor that does not open and inspect first you are going to have this happen now and then. If you don't care about the box being sealed, then make a note when dealing with this vendor to specifically ask for them to crack open the box and check for mold/damage before shipping (if they will).

Good luck!

 

[kirscovitch]

My personal advice on the matter is, don't worry so much about it, you'll be fine. When dealing with a vendor that does not open and inspect first you are going to have this happen now and then. If you don't care about the box being sealed, then make a note when dealing with this vendor to specifically ask for them to crack open the box and check for mold/damage before shipping (if they will).

one other thing i dont quite get though is why the other box that arrived in the same package was open and inspected and the Partagas werent??

 

[TexaSmoke]

Not sure why, but they probably only check certain boxes or random ones?