Took the top off and had a surprise

[Rhinoww]

And not in a good way. Had one beautiful Punch Punch on the top and needed a few more for some buddies coming over tomorrow. So I went to my main Coolidor - the one with the singles tray and the boxes I’m going into more frequently to grab them. I pulled out the last stick on the top level which is beautiful, pulled off the wood veneer and BAM!

WTF

The Coolidor has been a constant 65 for years. It gets regular rounds of fresh air. The top layer was exceptional. The bottom layer has some - ah fuzz. The box is isolated as is the veneer. Will take a harder look at the sticks when I clean them w some distilled water w a touch of alcohol later today. But man, there is a first time for everything but quite disappointing.

FWIW, these have been in my Coolidor since purchased - they are LGB Oct 21 - so perhaps mid year 2022. Not a trace on the top or any other box in the Coolidor. If the foot is impacted on any of these, at least I can remember how great the top was and that the box was purchased before cigarmageddon was in full force. 

[Duder]

Very surprising at 65%. Sorry man, that sucks!

[joeypots]

Two thoughts come to mind.

More mold than may be salvageable but if there is no mold in the foot the odds are that a quick wipe may save them.

You could sell them. That much plume is a sign of exceptional cigars and high prices.

[Chibearsv]

Ouch, that's nasty. It almost looks like the veneer was damp on that side or are those cigars moldy all around? If I get mold on cigars in storage, it's almost always because the box or a part of the box got damp or wet before they got to me. I can usually find a water stain or spot that corresponds to the moldy area. I've seen it happen even in the lower temperature coolidor too. Hopefully, a quick wipe down is all they need.

[Chibearsv]

9 minutes ago, joeypots said:

That much plume is a sign of exceptional cigars and high prices.

Yes, you can see it from the photos.  Obviously oils crystalizing on the wrapper.  We can all only hope to get our aged cigars in the same condition 

[Rhinoww]

4 hours ago, joeypots said:

Two thoughts come to mind.

More mold than may be salvageable but if there is no mold in the foot the odds are that a quick wipe may save them.

You could sell them. That much plume is a sign of exceptional cigars and high prices.

Haha. What I think happened here is that the lower level was packed damp and the mold has been there forever and has not really grown. Like all arrivals, the box would have been frozen upon arrival for a few days, and the lid opened and left in the main Coolidor (which has about twice the needed amount of heartfelt beads) for at least a few weeks to acclimate. I was never in the practice of examining the lower level if the top looked good. Lesson learned late in life, I guess.

[Rhinoww]

4 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

Ouch, that's nasty.  It almost looks like the veneer was damp on that side or are those cigars moldy all around? If I get mold on cigars in storage, it's almost always because the box or a part of the box got damp or wet before they got to me. I can usually find a water stain or spot that corresponds to the moldy area. I've seen it happen even in the lower temperature coolidor too. Hopefully, a quick wipe down is all they need.

Thanks. I will find out tonight when my wife is playing mah jong. She might otherwise suggest I get rid of all of my cigars and stop smoking. 

[Chibearsv]

4 hours ago, Rhinoww said:

Thanks.I will find out tonight when my wife is playing mah jong. She might otherwise suggest I get rid of all of my cigars and stop smoking. 

Especially if she comes home and sees you in the haz-mat suit going through your inventory 

[Rhinoww]

4 minutes ago, Chibearsv said:

Especially if she comes home and sees you in the haz-mat suit going through your inventory 

And stroking and turning each cigar to match the way the cigar was rolled. 😂

[joeypots]

I am interested in how they clean up. Punch Punch smoke above their pay grade. 

[Rhinoww]

22 minutes ago, joeypots said:

I am interested in how they clean up. Punch Punch smoke above their pay grade. 

Agree. There is a reason this box was in the “active” Coolidor. 

[SCgarman]

Just wipe them off with a cotton towel/rag. I wouldn't use anything else. Even some of my stuff gets a few mold spots this time of year. My humidity is in the low 60's. I just wipe 'em off and carry on. As long as the feet are mold free.

[Ford2112]

I have smoked worse things.

[Rhinoww]

7 hours ago, Ford2112 said:

I have smoked worse things.

I’ll let you know how it goes 🤣

No mold in the foot. Happy to see that it was only on the wrapper. Here is what I did to clean them up - took 'em all out of the box and wiped the box down with an alcohol soaked paper towel. Knocked all of the puffy stuff off with a dry paper towel. Very easy. Then I folded over a paper towel many times to make a pad. Soaked that in alcohol and wiped each stick down toward the sealed head. They are now “drying” out in the 90% humidity for a second- really just waiting 15 min for the alcohol to fully gas off. 

These will now all get smoked in short order. If I end up in the infectious disease ward, let my wife know she should not have gone to mah jong. 

[Rhinoww]

So far I am being rewarded for my effort with an outstanding cigar. 

[painfreefishing]

And no acute respiratory distress. 🙂

[my happy place]

4 hours ago, painfreefishing said:

And no acute respiratory distress. 🙂

So far...

[Rhinoww]

Just living my life with a fantastic cigar. And my wife is still at mah jong. 😂

[BrightonCorgi]

A little mold can add some great nuances to cigars. I am sure they'll be fine once wiped off.

Punch in my experience get moldy easier than other marcas. Could be just my own non-scientific observation, but that's my experience. Also one of my favorite marcas. Coincidence?

 

[Glass Half Full]

Just a thought, temperature can be a contributor too.  

Very glad they cleaned up so well. Second thought for you: Cigars are resilient, as you just proved. 

[BG318]

Glad it worked out, and many thanks for inspiring me to go through my coolerdors. My wife doesn't play math jong so it took awhile! 😁

[cnov]

I have half a box of Reyes that consistently grow the odd bit of mold even at 62rh. They're consistently fantastic regardless, the only box in my whole collection that gets any. wipes off easy enough, next year probably no issue, year after they'll need a cursory wipe. 

[Rhinoww]

20 hours ago, Glass Half Full said:

Just a thought, temperature can be a contributor too.  

Very glad they cleaned up so well. Second thought for you: Cigars are resilient, as you just proved. 

Odd thing is this Coolidor is in my basement. Temp stays low. Current temp 65, winter around 62/63.

And I forgot to add - I lived through the night! 😂

[Cestis4]

We inhale mold spores all the time. However, If you have diabetes or some other immune system abnormality, I’d probably avoid them just to be on the safe side. None the less, I usually wipe it off if it’s on the wrapper. It would be interesting to research if there’s any evidence in the medical literature of someone acquiring a fungal pneumonia from smoking cigars with mold on them. From my understanding, fungal pneumonia is very rare unless the person is immunocompromised.  

[painfreefishing]

Correct. Very rare unless severely immunocompromised.