mold in my humidor *sob*

[Breaddrink]

I know this is the kind of thing that happens from time to time, but I wondered if theres anything I can do about it while I deplete my humidors smokes and clean it.

Seem to have caught a dose from a box of Oynx Reserves, and although the mold isn't running wild by any means, it's slowly and surely spreading throughout my whole box.

Is there anything I can clean the actual cigars with to kill the mold?
Will freezing help at all?

Even though it doesn't add or alter the flavour, it's fairly offputting.

Thanks in advance.

Rob.

[MoTheMan]

Actually happened to me once. Uncontrolled humidity (in a closet humidor) during summer time took over in the humidor and I found several boxes with mold heavily infesting the cigars. Now, it wasn't bloom, that faint sometimes patchy white fluffy stuff you can find on the surface of the cigars, but that green-blue thick stuff that seems to impregnate the whole cigar, & even impart a "moldy" smell.

Several boxes (that sat closest to the source of humidity), were affected. It was heartbreaking!! By some strange coincidence I decided not to throw away any of the boxes, just too painful to do, but to let them sit outside the humidor (the room tended to get very dry in the summer due to AC) till I decided what to do.

For a lot of the cigars that were least "wet", the mold actually diminished or completely cleared, and they were smokeable & decent. Some of the cigars that were most affected werer just too badly spoiled and I ended up tossing them out. Overall, about half of the affected cigars were salvaged just by allowing them to air out & dry. Most of those smoked just fine w/out any noticeable change in flavor, character, or burning.

Try it out. If the cigars are moldy & a lost cause anyways, what have you got to lose?

MoTheMan

[cigartexan]

I use a mushroom brush to lightly dust the mold off the cigar. It has not failed me yet.

[dvickery]

Breaddrink
get the humidity down to 65% ...have had a few get moldy but never at 65% always in the summer when the humidity gets higher.always been able to just brush it off .

derrek

[Breaddrink]

Thanks for the replies...

This is a white mold...almost cotton like in appearance, not green.

It sounds like you're all so used to it that you don't give it much thought any more.

Is it really that common?

Here in the summer when it hits over 100 outside, the AC only manages to cool to about 74 indoors, but until those onyx reserves, there wasn't a sign of it, and now nearly all my smokes are effected.

Theres really no product that can help clean them and the humidor up?

Rob.

[Breaddrink]

Oh, btw...Would freezing help?

If not to kill the mold then at least in a temporary basis while I let the humidor dry out after cleaning.

I seem to recall hearing mention of cleaning the inside with alcohol to kill mold.

Any advice?

[MoTheMan]

I don't know if freezing will help as much as just drying them out.
What you describe sounds more like bloom and can be brushed off easily with no effect on the taste of the cigars, the stronger and more flavorful the tobacco is, the more I've seen bloom. Also I'm more likely to see bloom at higher humidity that at lower humidity (although at any moisture level I will still see bloom).
Lastly, just from experience, AC air tends to be very dry, keep that in mind.

Have fun!

MoTheMan

[Breaddrink]

Hrm...I just found this url on bloom/mold and it suggests that what I have in my cigars is mold, not bloom, as it has dimension to it if left to grow.

http://www.superiorcigars.com/cigarprobl.htm

White whispy strande, cobweb like in apearence.

I think I'll just smoke my supply to nothing and clean the humidor if theres really no "cure".

Kind of suprising that theres no kind of fungaside or mold retardant for cigars considering they're so darned expensive.

Rob.