Mold! ?

[BarryNY]

Then cut all the feet off 1/2"....see if there is any mold...don't dump.

Better to be 1/2" short then never to be at all...........

[cosmoker]

If you don't see any mold on the foot after cleaning that is a good sign it did not go deep. Definitely keep them separate from the rest of your smokes. Put them in a ziplock or new cooler for few weeks. Keep an eye on the Humidity and temp. After a few weeks of no mold growth try one and see how it smokes, looks, for taste. Keep us up to date. and good luck.

[Smallclub]

I'm a bit stunned by the fear generated by the presence of mold on the feet. What could happen if one actually "smoke" some spores? How do we know if there's a real risk?

(not that I'm willing to try, but I'm curious…)

[Guybrush]

Pictures of the same cigars before and after a quick cleaning.

 

[Smallclub]

… mushrooms… yum!

[BarryNY]

Honestly - I'm a rookie but I don't care what anyone here says or how clean they now look - you would be foolish to NOT cut something off those feet!

I'd use some common sense.....why take any chances with that white stuff.

[Fugu]

12 hours ago, Dozerhead said:

I would not smoke any of the cigars that have mold on the foot. There is no telling how deep it goes.

While one cold be concerned about smoking traces of mould, the real concern should be about smoking tobacco at all. Burning this rather harmless tobacco fungus (those strains usually not containing (much) fungal toxins) is not significantly more a threat to your health as is burning tobacco leaves.

Practical tip for a (mild) mould infestion at the foot: Properly toast and light the cigar without drawing on it, until the ember is in full glow. Initially purge briefly and you are ready to go. Most fungus and its chemical components will have been "ended in smoke".

  Caveat: This is not to be understood as a medical/health advice, it's my personal and highly opinionated view (as usual... ).

[Smallclub]

13 minutes ago, BarryNY said:

 you would be foolish to NOT cut something off those feet!

I'd use some common sense.....why take any chances with that white stuff.

With that kind of common sense, penicillin and antibiotics would've never been invented, and several great cheeses wouldn't exist… just saying…

Do you know as a fact that white mold on our cigars is so bad, even when you burn it?

[JackFNQ]

'Mycotoxins are toxins produced by some species of mold (myco means fungal). These mycotoxins are some of the most toxic substances in existence. '

 

 

[BuzzArd]

Suppose you could clip 1/2" off the end of each and store another 6 months.  Watch for additional growth....

[PigFish]

... there are so many funny things about what we see and how they affect us. I am the first to admit I am afraid of mold!!!. I toss moldy food... I suppose it is a luxury of ignorance!

Getting around to the point, mold requires no light to grow. Therefore mold could be growing, grown or existing or have existed in your cigars now and in the past. You have no way of knowing or inspecting it. You have no way of seeing it, and that is the point. Many of us, have like smoked moldy cigars, 100's or 1000's of times.

This thing about mold on the foot of a cigar has always confused me. Why just the feet? That mould could be growing the core of the cigar as well, and you would never know! Perhaps some mold adds flavor... -LOL

I am simply not that paranoid about it. I brush it off and go about my business. If I have mold on a cigar, it is the result of a vendor. Mold is not welcome in one of my controlled spaces as I simply starve it to death.

Control your storage and control mold. Otherwise don't worry about it much! -Piggy

[PigFish]

You know, I just read some of the first page of this thread and I decided to add some more here.

Guy, i cannot tell you what to do... but what I would do is certainly pay better attention to my cigars. This is obvious!

Next, I would NOT consternate over this so much. Frankly, I would worry more about fixing the problem than I would about 'ruined' cigars. So don't go throwing away cigars, or butchering them all up until you have a clear mind and not working on your emotions or the emotions of others. Take a deep breath!

Those mold spores on your cigars are in the air all the time. They are all over the place and have likely been on many cigars that you have previously smoked. Get your head straight first and relax!

Here is an anecdote. I once bought some SLR As that were a real bargain. I knew I was taking my chances with them but bought them anyway because I could not turn them down. A couple of boxes of these looked like they were stored under a dripping drain pipe, and they even stank! I segregated them and made a little project out of saving them. Today, I cannot even remember the process but I have since smoked every one of those cigars and unless someone saw the box previously, they never would have guessed what condition they once were! I SMOKED THEM! I did not trade them off, or cheat another, I wanted to learn form the experience. I wanted to see if a cigar could survive this kind of neglect and still be smoked.

Your cigars are not even finalists compared to what I got in those SLR As...

Cigars are anything but clean and sterile. It makes me wonder about the restroom standards for cigar rollers! If you are going to smoke a natural hand made product like a cigar, one made in a third-world country to boot, you had better not be to squeamish! 

-Piggy

[Guybrush]

These are the airtight containers I used for the cigars I showed you. The cigars have been in a very good condition when I put them in. Just the cigars. No humidifier.

[BarryNY]

3 hours ago, Smallclub said:

With that kind of common sense, penicillin and antibiotics would've never been invented, and several great cheeses wouldn't exist… just saying…

Do you know as a fact that white mold on our cigars is so bad, even when you burn it?

I don't know anything as a fact.  You don't know either.

So common sense says maybe you just error on the side of caution when putting a substance..any substance into your body.

What possible damage can you do to the cigar by taking a sharp cutter and sniping off some of the foot?  Kinda like cutting away some mold off a vegetable and using the rest...

[GavLew79]

1 hour ago, Guybrush said:

These are the airtight containers I used for the cigars I showed you. The cigars have been in a very good condition when I put them in. Just the cigars. No humidifier.

A "Humidifier" is a misnomer. Normally the ones used for cigar storage will also remove moisture. The lack of one, or a large variation in temperature, has probably led to your problem. 

Some air exchange is also beneficial. If your cigars are wet going in, with nothing to absorb the water or no way for it to get out your cigars might stay wet and promote mould growth. 

[ElReyDel757]

I'm so paranoid about my stash.  No issues at all yet.  I am using the 150 quart Coleman Extreme as a coolerdor.  I use 5-6 62 RH Boveda packs and have about 18 full boxes of SLB, cabs and dress boxes.  Depending on the time of year, my temperature can be between 69 - 73 Fahrenheit in the cooler.  No matter what, the RH stays at 65.  I can't bring it down or up from this, and again, temps can be 69 - 73 F, but usually a steady 73.  The cigars all smoke beautifully, but it will be my first Winter with this setup.  Weekly, I air out the cooler for 30 minutes up to an hour.  Are these variables a concern for mold?  

[PatrickEwing]

 

[PapaDisco]

8 hours ago, ElReyDel757 said:

I'm so paranoid about my stash.  No issues at all yet.  I am using the 150 quart Coleman Extreme as a coolerdor.  I use 5-6 62 RH Boveda packs and have about 18 full boxes of SLB, cabs and dress boxes.  Depending on the time of year, my temperature can be between 69 - 73 Fahrenheit in the cooler.  No matter what, the RH stays at 65.  I can't bring it down or up from this, and again, temps can be 69 - 73 F, but usually a steady 73.  The cigars all smoke beautifully, but it will be my first Winter with this setup.  Weekly, I air out the cooler for 30 minutes up to an hour.  Are these variables a concern for mold?  

I do very much the same, however I avoid the airing out.  I don't believe that air helps with aging.  If your cigars went in at the right rH and your temps are steady, then the Bovedas will do the job of correcting small variations.  

Guy, your containers are fine, it's likely that your cigars went in them at a higher rH than they are now, and that your temperatures dropped at some point, even briefly (day or week) and that caused condensation.  Even micro droplets that you can't see are enough to get mold going.  Mold needs liquid water.  All of our cigars come with mold spoors on them.  Get tiny amounts of H2O on them and the mold will bloom.  Keep your containers and check the rH, then add 65% Boveda packs and you'll be fine.

Moldiest box of cigars I ever had was a box of 4 year old R&J Churchills from Canada.  They looked like Guy's white mold.  I brushed them off and the mold never reappeared in my 65/65 storage lockers (bigger plastic versions of Guys) which I pack with 20 or so Bovedas at 65% rH and store in the Cellar at 65F.  The Churchills smoked great, one of the best boxes I've ever had and I was glad I saved them.  I put new boxes in one at a time to acclimate, and after a few weeks will then ziplock or saran wrap those that are going down for LT storage.  I've never seen mold come out of any of those bins.  Stable temp and rH is the key.

[vladdraq]

20 hours ago, Guybrush said:

Pictures of the same cigars before and after a quick cleaning.

 

I have to admit: those are well brushed cigars by a guy.

[Fugu]

20 hours ago, Smallclub said:

With that kind of common sense, penicillin and antibiotics would've never been invented, and several great cheeses wouldn't exist… just saying…

Do you know as a fact that white mold on our cigars is so bad, even when you burn it?

Not to forget fungal action in some of the greatest wines! - Botrytis (noble rot in BA/TBA, Sauternes etc.), or Cladosporium in Tokay, "flor" in Sherry...

Also interesting to note that the same organism, while desired and beneficial in some products, can at the same time be detrimental under different conditions or on other substrates (like Botrytis cinerea, or Penicillium roquefortii).

[andy]

20 hours ago, Smallclub said:

With that kind of common sense, penicillin and antibiotics would've never been invented, and several great cheeses wouldn't exist… just saying…

Do you know as a fact that white mold on our cigars is so bad, even when you burn it?

Cannot see many people volunteering for that medical experiment haha. 

It would have been better to separate those with mold on the foot and just clip them rather than scapping the mold out. But as others have said just clip them all half an inch and enjoy.

[PigFish]

3 hours ago, andy said:

Cannot see many people volunteering for that medical experiment haha. 

It would have been better to separate those with mold on the foot and just clip them rather than scapping the mold out. But as others have said just clip them all half an inch and enjoy.

I would!

I would brush the mold off those cigars and smoke them! Feet too!

In the thousands of cigars that I have smoked over the decades I have likely smoked many insects, other's perspiration, and body hair, dirt, spit and rodent droppings...! Welcome to the real world people. You might say that every time I light the foot of a cigar, I start the autoclave!!!

How many of you think that you have never fallen prey to a vendor or trading partner??? Guess what people, mold exists on and inside cigars. You have licked it and tasted it, smoked it and inhaled it more times than you could count.

Last time I checked there were no health checks, and body suits, or clean rooms for those rolling cigars. While I try not to think about it, there is some guy with VD likely scratching his sores and going right back to rolling this very minute.

Enjoy the thought next time you light up!!! -LOL

-the Pig

[PapaDisco]

56 minutes ago, PigFish said:

I would!

I would brush the mold off those cigars and smoke them! Feet too!

In the thousands of cigars that I have smoked over the decades I have likely smoked many insects, other's perspiration, and body hair, dirt, spit and rodent droppings...! Welcome to the real world people. You might say that every time I light the foot of a cigar, I start the autoclave!!!

How many of you think that you have never fallen prey to a vendor or trading partner??? Guess what people, mold exists on and inside cigars. You have licked it and tasted it, smoked it and inhaled it more times than you could count.

Last time I checked there were no health checks, and body suits, or clean rooms for those rolling cigars. While I try not to think about it, there is some guy with VD likely scratching his sores and going right back to rolling this very minute.

Enjoy the thought next time you light up!!! -LOL

-the Pig

Thanks for loading me up with that image El Cornichon!

I think from now on I'm just going to sit in the center of my room, in my tightie-whities and try not to eat, drink or breathe anything . . . 

[luv2fly]

Me too!

[BuzzArd]

1 hour ago, PigFish said:

I would!

I would brush the mold off those cigars and smoke them! Feet too!

In the thousands of cigars that I have smoked over the decades I have likely smoked many insects, other's perspiration, and body hair, dirt, spit and rodent droppings...! Welcome to the real world people. You might say that every time I light the foot of a cigar, I start the autoclave!!!

How many of you think that you have never fallen prey to a vendor or trading partner??? Guess what people, mold exists on and inside cigars. You have licked it and tasted it, smoked it and inhaled it more times than you could count.

Last time I checked there were no health checks, and body suits, or clean rooms for those rolling cigars. While I try not to think about it, there is some guy with VD likely scratching his sores and going right back to rolling this very minute.

Enjoy the thought next time you light up!!! -LOL

-the Pig

What doesn't manage to kill me makes me stronger.

Or it's just waiting to kill me later....