There’s nothing worse than anticipating a special occasion when it’s finally time to fire up that premium cigar you’ve been hanging onto for months, only to discover your precious smoke doesn’t quite look the same as when you laid it down in your humidor. Why do my cigars appear to have a coating over them – is this normal? Depends on what the coating is.
Cigar Plume Is Okay
Plume (also called cigar bloom) is a white or gray crystalline substance that simply derives from the natural oils in a cigar’s tobaccos. Plume appears as white spots on your cigars and is harmless. It indicates that your humidor is working perfectly and that your cigars are aging – a welcome condition in any aficionado’s collection. Plume can be easily dusted off the cigar’s surface and will never form on the foot of your cigars.
What Does Cigar Mold Look Like?
Cigar mold, on the other hand, can be a catastrophic condition for any humidor or cigar collection. Cigar mold is bluish-green in color and often exhibits a fuzzy, moss-like texture accompanied by a musty odor. If you check on your cigars regularly, chances are good you’ll catch any potential instances of mold before they really have a chance to spread, but recognizing them is key. Mold can grow anywhere on your cigars, but if you notice anything growing on the foot, there’s a very high likelihood it’s mold. If you suspect you’ve got a moldy cigar, immediately remove it from the humidor. It’s also wise to remove any cigars in close proximity to the moldy one(s) as a precaution. Carefully inspect the inside of your humidor to make sure mold is not growing on the interior of the box itself. Toss out any moldy cigars.
What Causes Cigar Mold?
Cigars can get moldy due to a variety of circumstances. Most common are either over-humidifying your cigars or using non-distilled water in your humidor. Cigars should be kept at 70% RH (relative humidity). Storing your smokes above 70% RH greatly increases the chances mold will grow. We often recommend storing your cigars in the range of 65 to 70% RH. This will lower the probability for mold to set in.
Only Use Distilled Water in Your Humidor
More importantly, make sure you’re only using distilled water or a propyl glycol solution to fill the reservoir in your humidor. Using tap water, or even a fancy brand of bottled water, can lead to mold in your humidor. Distilled water greatly reduces the risk mold will take root in your cigars or humidor. If you prefer a more hands-off approach, humidity pouches also make a great alternative to a traditional humidification reservoir. Humidity pouches don’t need to be refilled. Simply add the appropriate number of pouches to your humidor for the number of cigars you’re storing and replace them when their humidity is exhausted (each pouch will stiffen up to indicate there is no moisture left).
Rotate Your Cigars
Rotate your cigars on a weekly or bi-weekly basis so that the same cigar aren’t always buffered up against the humidification unit. Move the bottom rows to the top and vice versa periodically. This exercise also gives you the chance to regularly inspect your collection, lowering the risk that an adverse condition can go unnoticed for extended period of time.
Don’t Over-Pack Your Humidor
Leave a little extra space in your box, roughly 20-25%, so that moisture and air can flow a bit more freely around your cigars. Doing so insures your humidor won’t be overwhelmed with the collection you’ve got going.
Get a Raching humidor
Raching Precision electronic humidor come with the water-cooling system which is close to the freezing point, which makes it difficult for microorganisms and molds to survive, creating a clean water system with no molds and moss in the cabinet.
