Cool to find a cigar thread here, although I shouldn't be surprised. Used to be really active on some of the cigar forums, and have to say that I haven't found anything in the States that compares to the stuff Pete Johnson and Pepin are putting out with Tatuaje etc.

If there are any other Pete Johnson followers make sure you check out the Saints and Sinners program.

Really appreciate the recommendations, will be sure to let you know what I think. thanks

For various reasons I've had cigars in storage with a removals company for about a year and a half; I just got them back a couple of days ago. They were in a humidor for that time, but unfortunately when I opened it, the cigars were covered in white spots which I presume is mould (is it?). Some cigars are worse than others.

Is there anything I can do to save the cigars or are they lost forever? What about the humidor - if it's had mouldy cigars in it, is it destroyed or is there anything I can do to recondition it?

Can you post pictures?

It may not be mold. It could be ploom or bloom which happens when the oils of the cigar crystalize on the wrapper when stored properly. If it is ploom then your cigars are in excellent shape and are actually better than when you put them in.

Unfortunately since you were not able to recharge your humidor for a year and a half they were probably not stored correctly.

How was the humidity and temperature where they were stored?

Yeah they were definitely not stored properly. Unfortunately when they went into storage I thought it would be for just a month or so and had no idea it would be for so long. I don't know the exact conditions of the storage facility, but an educated guess would be cold and wet since we've just had winter.

I'll try to get pictures, but since you mentioned bloom I looked it up and one thing that seems to be in my favour is that the white substance brushes off easily without leaving a stain on the wrapper.

Do you think it's worth cleaning the cigars off, putting them back in the humidor, and seeing if the mould reappears? Presumably if it was mould, it would grow back pretty quickly once removed.

http://http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4608

This thread shows some good pictures with the difference between plume and mold.

Good luck, what kind of smokes are they?

Thanks. They are nothing too special - mostly Romeo y Julieta Petit Coronas, with a few random Churchills. About 30 in total though, so definitely worth saving if it can be done!

Did it end up being mold?

I think so. Only just had chance to take pics, what do you think?

In general white mold on the wrapper isn't a big deal. As long as it didn't get into the foot/filler, you should be fine just brushing off. The mold develops because of overhumidification, so you're need to bring the humidity of the cigars down slowly over time to prevent bursting the wrapper. It will likely take a couple of months to get these back down under 65%.

BTW, that's mold for sure, not plume. Plume would be more sparse and evenly distributed over the wrapper, not spotty like that. Also it would be very unlikely to develop over just a year or two.

Anybody else have good ordering experiences from CigarInternational.com? I ordered a sampler there and so far the different brands have been great. Looks like they have a huge selection that is fairly priced. =)

cigarsinternational/CI is great and really tough to beat their prices. they also own probably the best kept secret in the cigar world, cigarbid.com. you really wont find anything cheaper than you can get it at cigarbid.

speaking of CI, is anybody from here going to cigarfest in may?

+1 Cigarinternational FTW!

I get all my Cigars from CigarsInternational. Very reliable.

So I pretty much forgot about my cigars and the humidor dried out and have been like that now for like a year so the cigars are dry now. Is there anyway to save by setting up my humidor again and letting them sit for a long time or do you think they are ruined?

You can probably rescue them, just bring them back up to humidity as slowly as you can bear.

Just an FYI, Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 (broadleaf) also comes in a Sumatra wrapper but I haven't smoked it yet. Top 3 non Cuban cigar I have ever smoked. (New release)

Edit to add
Smoked the Sumatra today, is also Excellent, probably equally as good as the Maduro and I'm a huge Maduro fan.

These are a must try.



Box of 24 12 Maduro 12 Sumatra

New favorite

I'm actually pretty tight with Alan Rubin, he's a great guy and stops in our cigar bar quite a bit. (He's actually a neighbor of mine) I always thought his Tempus Lancero was a damn good smoke.

Unlike so many other cigar manufacturers, I've met, he's always willing to buy up a bunch of his competitors smokes to see what they're experimenting with.

That's awesome.. You own the cigar bar or just the one you smoke at?

I'm an investor, what ever that means lol

Saturday nights Nom Nom...

Nice! Do you get over to Casa Fuente?

I have not as yet... I am stuck on el tesoro. the regular el tesoro paradiso is about as good as it gets for my taste, lots of pepper and smoothness.

The 70th aniversario is on a whole other level. it is so good, it is literally a cognac. I HIGHLY recommend it if you have never had the chance to try it.

I am buying as many of the bottles as I can find because when it's gone... it's gone. only 2000 crates were produced.

here... check this out: