Random questions frequently asked by novice smokers and aspiring cigar connoisseurs
I think there's mold on my cigars - can they be salvaged?
Any bluish/greenish spots that you notice on your cigars that leave a stain when brushed off are likely mold. Mold is a fungus resulting from storing cigars in an over-humidified environment. Any cigars that are growing mold on them (either on the wrapper or at the foot) should be discarded immediately, as any mold growing on the outside of the cigar is likely growing on the inside as well. Mold will certainly ruin the taste of affected cigars.
Now you may read various articles or other blog posts claiming that cigars may not be ruined if the mold is noticed early enough - that the mold can be brushed off and the cigar is still smokeable. I cannot and will not co-sign this!!! Again, mold growing on the outside is likely growing on the inside. Clipping the foot of cigar with mold may not suffice. Although heat can kill mold spores, even with my scientific background, I cannot state with certainty that the heat from a lighted cigar will kill these spores. In addition, I do not have any scientific evidence to support the potential dangers of inhaling these mold spores from cigars; however, the risk is certainly not worth it. If you have molded cigars, chalk it up as a loss, and just get rid of them!!!
If the molded cigar was pulled from your humidor, you should consider checking all of your other cigars for mold as well. You should remove these cigars and also "decontaminate" your humidor by killing any mold spores that may be sitting on the interior wood surface. If there is any visible mold on the wood, gently brush it off. In order to remove the invisible spores, wipe down (not saturate) the interior of the humidor with a solution mixture of distilled water and isopropyl alcohol (a 50/50 mix should be OK), then leave the humidor open until the interior dries. After that, the humidor will require re-seasoning to bring it back to the proper levels of humidification.
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Questions? Hit me up via e-mail at malik@smokeasy.net, on Twitter (@smokeasyblog), or on my Facebook page (Smokeasy).