Will this type of mold wipe off?

[El Presidente]

Wipe off with a tissue. All good.

I would estimate close to a third of all boxes opened will have some level of white mold spotting on at least one cigar.

Of course we could call it "plume"

[LutzSpearo]

Thanks everyone for the input. I just received these from a vendor, and one that I appreciate and value. So I won't be sending these back. Anyway I agree it's not a big deal, I probably wouldn't return these to any vendor.

I'll just wipe them down with a tissue or soft brush. I may wipe down the inside of the box as well just to be safe.

Out of curiosity I went through the other boxes in my coolerdor, all is well.

Thanks again for all the advice.

[Fugu]

Yes, seriously. I would at the very least contact the vendor.

Of course you may send it back, Shlomo, and you might even successfully make your supplier replace that box. But what’s the avail of that then, I ask?

If we were all adopting a practice of claiming such little infestation with harmless mould (I am not talking about thick green blots), we’d end up with retailers painstakingly removing any signs of mould prior to shipping. Do we really want that? I for one would prefer the “honest” box and be able to judge myself on the previous conditions and history of a box. And in particular: I want my cigars as untouched as possible by retailer’s hands. Prefer to decide myself what to do about it.

Claiming that box, you may even receive the same box or a similar one in return, wiped down by your dealer, instead of you doing it carefully yourself– prefer that?

[Lotusguy]

Yes, seriously. I would at the very least contact the vendor.

I would stop selling to you, if I was that vendor - or, as stated above, wipe off the sticks and send you the same box back.

It's nit-picking IMO.

[bigharpoon]

You can't sent back a box for a light occurrence of white mold. Do you realize that in Europe, certain merchants (sometimes famous) don't even wipe these light spots of mold, as they see it as a proof of good "health" of the cigars?

Really? How do they equate mold spots as proof of good health of the cigars? I'm not a mold snob by any means but I'm curious if this is true, a reference to plume/mold misidentification or what. Thanks.

[ThePolskiOgorki]

As others have stated dont stress about little spots like that. I have had this happen to me before too. I just wiped them on Kleenex and kept an eye on them for a couple of weeks but nothing ever came back.

[Guest scsi]

Wipe off with a tissue. All good.

I would estimate close to a third of all boxes opened will have some level of white mold spotting on at least one cigar.

Of course we could call it "plume"

oh no... you had to bring up plume lol

[shlomo]

I would stop selling to you, if I was that vendor - or, as stated above, wipe off the sticks and send you the same box back.

It's nit-picking IMO.

Funny, if a vendor has a problem, then I would stop buying from that vendor... works both ways.

[Lotusguy]

Funny, if a vendor has a problem, then I would stop buying from that vendor... works both ways.

I think the issue is what we consider a problem. We have different definitions.

You will run out of vendors pretty quickly, I think.

[SCgarman]

That little bit of white mold is NOTHING! Wipe off with your fingers or a soft towel gently and you are good to go.

And yes, sending a box back to the vendor which is basically fine is nit-picky and is one of the reasons vendors raise their prices.

If the box was infested with beetles, or sticks were covered in mold like paint, well then you have a reason to sent the box back.

[sactochris]

That little bit of white mold is NOTHING! Wipe off with your fingers or a soft towel gently and you are good to go.

And yes, sending a box back to the vendor which is basically fine is nit-picky and is one of the reasons vendors raise their prices.

If the box was infested with beetles, or sticks were covered in mold like paint, well then you have a reason to sent the box back.

Agreed

[El Presidente]

Given that white mold can manifest itself in shipping, it is hard for a vendor to control. Every box should be checked before leaving the vendor.

If a client wished to exchange a box because of minor white mold then we would certainly take the box back and refund them. It is unlikely however that we would ship again as the same situation may occur. It is not a case of being spiteful, simply that we would not be able to guarantee the expectations of the client. There are plenty of other vendors in the world as their are clients. Long lasting and rewarding relationships between a vendor and a client are based on each fulfilling fair expectations.

[TomF]

The only way I would ship a box back because of mold is if it had progressed to the point where it had gotten into the foot of the cigar. That would mean it probably left the vendor without being checked because it normally takes a fair amount of time for mold to progress to that point. This is also why it's a bad idea to order sealed boxes, and why some vendors strongly encourage opening and checking the box before shipping.