forgop Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 No pics taken, but an interesting situation when I looked into my singles drawer a couple of days ago. I have an Aristocrat M Plus with a singles top drawer. I have a new set it and forget it system and keep it around 68%. In one section of singles, I have a variety of sticks, but in particular, I have 3 single BCG's from '98 resting on top of a number of other sticks. These 3 singles had a growth on the wrapper and it appeared to follow the wrapper leaf outlines, but was also in the foot. From my understanding, plume won't appear in the foot, but I'm left puzzled as to how in the hell only these 3 cigars resting bare on top of 25 other cigars (not to mention a couple hundred other singles and dozens of boxes) would possibly be hit with mold, but not so much as a speck on any others. I placed them in a singles bag to contain and will try to get some pics, but thought I'd try to get a consensus as to how such a thing would happen.
LordAnubis Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 If they were on top maybe they were exposed to the highest amount of moist air? As in the forced airflow was directed to them? 1
Kbb Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 Probably just the BCG's were exposed to mold spores sometime since 98. It would take a little time for that to migrate to other sticks after the mold started to show. Those other sticks would then need the right moisture for you to see growth on them too. I think Mus has the right idea, since it simply is just the right environmental conditions. Tough to know exactly unless you said something like they are right next to the water supply etc. I would wipe them down and possibly clip a bit off the foot. Quarantine them. You could consider lowering your RH by a percent as an additional step.
Colt45 Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 I've had it happen a number of times with loose cigars in a desktop - never really gave it much thought. Kind of like a loaf of bread. 1
KB24 Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 Any time I have small mold outbreaks, it occurs in my single's drawer in my Aristocrat Plus. I also have the set and forget and keep it closer to 65/65 but if/when it happens, it's always in the drawer that's located at the top. LordAnubis might be on to something with the moisture rising to the top. I'm actually considering removing the singles drawer and adding all singles to old boxes to fix this issue. 4
raymond5737 Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 Any time I have small mold outbreaks, it occurs in my single's drawer in my Aristocrat Plus. I also have the set and forget and keep it closer to 65/65 but if/when it happens, it's always in the drawer that's located at the top. LordAnubis might be on to something with the moisture rising to the top. I'm actually considering removing the singles drawer and adding all singles to old boxes to fix this issue. Great idea. That way you will always have your singles dry boxed and ready to smoke.
Scardinoz Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 It sounds simplistic but I once heard someone say, "If you have to ask, it's not plume." While exception can be made for someone who has just never seen either, the "rule" seems to be pretty accurate. 2
PapaDisco Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 I think all of our sticks (just like the entire world) has mold spores all over them. Those three bloomed (not plumed ) because they were exposed to tiny amounts of liquid water. Since the two aristocrats in this thread show the same symptom (top drawer singles with occasional mold), most likely Mus is correct; rising, moist air condensing at the top into tiny micro droplets. The cigars in boxes won't be affected because they'll see less temperature, and therefore moisture, fluctuation with the door opening and closing. 1
soutso Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 If you got 4 or 5 quality hygrometers and placed them around your humidor, you'd be shocked to see the variation in temp and RH. You get wet spots, especially in units that don't dehydrate. Wipe the cigars down and snip the foot
KB24 Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 Great idea. That way you will always have your singles dry boxed and ready to smoke. I meant removing singles drawer, adding the singles to old cigar boxes I have saved and putting the boxes back in the Aristocrat. By having the singles in boxes even if located towards the top where the problems come from, might make the difference in mold vs no mold.
PigFish Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 Mold. You keep your cigars too wet. Set and forget (have had) poor activation logic control. I know, I have owned a half-dozen of them. Aristocrats are notorious for poor circulation. Not speculation, I own one. Water vapor is lighter than air and rises. That is why we have clouds! Fix those, problem solved. -the Pig 2
Lotusguy Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 Mold. You keep your cigars too wet. Set and forget (have had) poor activation logic control. I know, I have owned a half-dozen of them. Aristocrats are notorious for poor circulation. Not speculation, I own one. Water vapor is lighter than air and rises. That is why we have clouds! Fix those, problem solved. -the Pig Wait, did you just speak out against the holy grail of cigar storage? HERETIC!
Orion21 Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 The Pig speaks cigar gospel! Humidity rises and depending on where you sensor is placed it will read higher or lower. I have seen 5-6% differences between the top of my humidors and the bottom. Air circulation is very important if you are having a mold issue. After years of tinkering, and getting white hairy mold on occasion, I have decided drier is better and fans are as important as active or passive rh management. 1
PigFish Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 The Pig speaks cigar gospel! Humidity rises and depending on where you sensor is placed it will read higher or lower. I have seen 5-6% differences between the top of my humidors and the bottom. Air circulation is very important if you are having a mold issue. After years of tinkering, and getting white hairy mold on occasion, I have decided drier is better and fans are as important as active or passive rh management. There is some prevailing thought that too much circulation is bad for cigars. I would like to see that proven. I run fans in my systems 24/7. If you don't you get environmental 'pockets.' Not that, that is necessarily bad for cigars, but it is inconsistent. It all depends on what you want and expect from your storage. Consistency is very important to me. Consistency in the humidor is the only card that I hold to control and manage a consistent smoking experience. That is my philosophy in a nutshell. I certainly did not consider that I was speaking against Bob's products. But when one such as myself puts his results on display for all to see and judge, I do believe it is fair to "justly" analyze what others are doing when people are asking for, or potentially asking for solutions to problems. Many, many people have contacted me regarding fixing problems with the humidors made by others. I am not putting anyone down, just providing a fair and accurate analysis. I don't deride other peoples' products or projects. However I do believe that we should be able to talk about them honestly. There is not much point in speaking at all if we cannot politely discuss the pros and cons of cigars and cigar storage systems. While I have taken a post above with jest (as I believe that was the intent), it brought to light an ethical point that I wished to address. Cheers all! -the Pig
Habano Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 (edited) Buddy of mine emailed ***** about a lot in the upcoming auction and asked if this was plume or mold and he said it's clearly plume. Edited November 11, 2015 by LordAnubis I'm guessing thats a source... hidden it for good measure.
LordAnubis Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 Pluming so hard i think there's water damage on the box !! 1
PartagasIV Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 Pig, any tips on making the fans run 24/7? I've also had mold issues in my Aristo singles drawer. Maybe a rechargable battery-powered fan in the top portion?
PigFish Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 Pig, any tips on making the fans run 24/7? I've also had mold issues in my Aristo singles drawer. Maybe a rechargable battery-powered fan in the top portion? Do you have a refrigerated unit? If no, you need to be careful about running fans 24/7. They cause heat and depending on the time of year that could be a plus or a minus. A timed system is also an option. Anything electronic placed in a humidor causes some heat. You have to look at all of your needs and wants and quantify the affects of all of your components and what effect they will have on the humidor as a whole. I have been building these (see below) for guys but an Aristo may be better severe with a ducted, yet simple system that returns warmer air to the bottom of the humidor and allows simple convection to return it to the top. There are devilishly simple solutions and then more costly and complex ones. You have to balance that in your system, your ambient and your wallet. If you want to run your systems current fans 24/7, get me some pictures of what you have and I will be happy to tell you what to cut and reconnect where. https://www.dropbox.com/s/e2np6d8qnsi32he/MVI_0009.MP4?dl=0 Cheers! -Piggy 1
BBS Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 At the suggestion of another member of this forum, I've been running a tiny amount of colloidal silver in my humidification cans (cooled Staebell cabinet). I'd occasionally find an Anejo or other maduro wrapper with a tiny wrapper spot. Haven't found one since..... Also, he suggested that a gentle wipe with the Ag / H2O solution will kill most surface mold on contact. Here's what I bought:http://www.amazon.com/Nano-Silver-Colloidal-Ounces-Market/dp/B00DQIEDWY 2oz per gallon of distilled water is the suggested mix...... 1
aushy Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 At the suggestion of another member of this forum, I've been running a tiny amount of colloidal silver in my humidification cans (cooled Staebell cabinet). I'd occasionally find an Anejo or other maduro wrapper with a tiny wrapper spot. Haven't found one since..... Also, he suggested that a gentle wipe with the Ag / H2O solution will kill most surface mold on contact. Here's what I bought: http://www.amazon.com/Nano-Silver-Colloidal-Ounces-Market/dp/B00DQIEDWY 2oz per gallon of distilled water is the suggested mix...... Nanosilver has good antimicrobial properties so it will kill the mold, however I would be cautious about using it. Nanomaterials is a relatively new field in the retail consumer world and the jury is still out on how toxic they are. There is still a lot which is unknown about the toxicity mechanisms, and not too much research on the long-term effects of exposure. Just a word of caution not to overdo it thinking it is 100% safe and harmless.
Duxnutz Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 I've often found that my drool can leak onto cigars and cause mold to grow. No matter. 1
finecigar Posted November 12, 2015 Posted November 12, 2015 Buddy of mine emailed ***** about a lot in the upcoming auction and asked if this was plume or mold and he said it's clearly plume. Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 6.21.31 PM.png That's disgusting! 2
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