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Can plume transfer to the box?

CigarStone

CigarStone

For once, knowledge is making me poor!
Joined
Mar 7, 2007
Messages
11,052
I was recently in a very high end B&M and witnessed something which got me to thinking.

There was a box of LFD Mysterios with two sticks remaining. These two sticks were covered with either plume or mold. Being a newb, I can't tell without the benefit of a magnifying glass or strong reading glasses and had neither with me........I suspected mold so I didn't buy them.

The inside of the box lid had a good deal of the plume/mold on it as well. Also, the sticks were covered with splotches (not crystals) from head to foot but only the exposed part of the cigar, which was not in the cradle, the part of the stick in the cradle was clean. The proprietor immediately started pushing these "plume covered sticks" on me.

Two questions:
1. Will plume transfer from the cigar to the box?
2. Is there any liability on the part of the B&M proprietor if they push a mold infested stick on you and you become ill from smoking it?
 
Plume is the oils in the cigar that come to the surface and crystallize over time. I wouldn't think they'd make it to the box without direct contact and even then, it would take a loooong time. Very unlikely to impossible is where I'd rate that.

As far as "liability" goes, if the B&M insists it's plume when it's clearly mold, what are you going to do? "It's mold.....no it's not.....yes it is.....no it's not"....etc. Hard to win that one. Best to vote with your dollars....somewhere else.... :cool:

Regards - B.B.S.
 
The question is, if mold is on a couple sticks in the humidor in that B&M, will it eventually be on all the sticks in that humidor given enough time? That could be devastating to a business I would think. Maybe suggest its mold, see if they say its plume, and then see if the sticks are mysteriously sold soon after hehe..
 
I've had a few cigars with plume on one of my cigars in my singles humidor that did not transfer to other cigars, or parts of the humidor. In theory, plume should not transfer in that way since as BBS described, the plume comes from the oils in the cigar itself. Mold can pretty much grow anywhere given the right conditions. I've seen mold transfer from the cigar to the box as you described. Also, your description of "splotches" suggests mold to me.

If it were me and a B&M tried to sell me moldy cigars, I would never set foot in that place again. As far as liability is concerned, I'm not sure, but it's definitely possible, but it may be a pain in the arse to prove, though.
 
I was with another cigar smoker who is somewhat of a novice and he was standing with me when I looked at the box and when she started "pushing them" ....... he said "okay, fill me in because I haven't a clue" . I explained about plume being the oils coming to the surface of the wrapper and the lady just sort of faded away. The entire incident didn't register with me too much until we left because I was on a golf vacation and guys were waiting for us.

As far as the liability, "every" B&M owner/worker knows that smoking a moldy cigar could make you ill, so for them to push it on you like it is something wonderful creates liability in my mind. Imagine a meat market manager telling you that the brown, two week old, T-bone in his display case will taste better? The difference is that the average Joe knows better in the case of the meat.
 
CigarStone said:
I was recently in a very high end B&M and witnessed something which got me to thinking.

There was a box of LFD Mysterios with two sticks remaining. These two sticks were covered with either plume or mold. Being a newb, I can't tell without the benefit of a magnifying glass or strong reading glasses and had neither with me........I suspected mold so I didn't buy them.

The inside of the box lid had a good deal of the plume/mold on it as well. Also, the sticks were covered with splotches (not crystals) from head to foot but only the exposed part of the cigar, which was not in the cradle, the part of the stick in the cradle was clean. The proprietor immediately started pushing these "plume covered sticks" on me.

Two questions:
1. Will plume transfer from the cigar to the box?
2. Is there any liability on the part of the B&M proprietor if they push a mold infested stick on you and you become ill from smoking it?
Click to expand...

haha -- all mold. Trust me on this one.

Mold:

http://www.vitolas.net/displayimage.php?pos=-601

http://www.vitolas.net/displayimage.php?pos=-927

Plume:

http://www.vitolas.net/displayimage.php?pos=-446
 
I've worked in a cigar shop for a while now, and sometimes mold just plain happens. No matter how well you keep up the humidor, it just happens sometimes. Tubos and cedros especially.

Now we have had cigars with bloom, and we've had cigars with mold. When I find bloom I carefully explain how it forms, what it looks like, and how to tell the difference between it and mold. Then after they leave I usually buy up the rest for my personal stash. :laugh:

As far as mold goes, I NEVER lie to the customer. It's not worth losing someone who may spend hundreds of dollars over the course of the next few years for a $5 cigar. Not to mention the fact that both I and the owner really love for people to enjoy the experience of smoking a cigar. It's not just a business, it's a passion. So if there's mold on a cigar we immediately take the cigar back and either give them their money back or let them pick something else out. (Most of the time we do both) Then we pull the box out of the humi and check it and the surrounding boxes.

If a B&M has a few cigars with mold on them, bring them to the attention of the owner. But don't let that completely write you off from buying anything from them again. On the other hand if he tries to swindle you or gets defensive (which has happened to me before) then turn around and walk out.
 
That actually reminded me of a story!

I was in a cigar shop in Atlanta and noticed that the humidity in the humidor was like a jungle. I walked to the back where they kept the high-end stuff. Unfortunately that's also where they kept the humidor. It was pumping out humidity like Old Faithful, and everything had a light coating of mist on it. (Which was a shame since they had a great selection) I picked up a Padron Anniversary that was so covered in mold it looked like a plush version of the cigar. I brought it out to the owner and DISCRETELY showed it to him and quietly mentioned that he might want to lower the humidity a bit. Then I bent the cigar at about a 90-degree angle without it even cracking the wrapper. :laugh:

Keep in mind none of this was done in the view of other customers, since I figured he'd want to keep it private.

Very loudly he says/yells "Do you even KNOW what bloom is?? I think I know how to run my own humidor." THen he snatches the cigar away from me and puts it back in the humidor. After he got back I told him "I just got my military bonus and was looking for a place to buy about $500 worth of cigars." Then we turned around and walked out. We found Ash Cigar later that night and were thrilled with their service!
 
In my limited experience, plume looks more like tiny crystals have been sprinkled all over the cigar. Of the 4 times I've been lucky enough to have a cigar with plume, I didn't even notice it on one until the light hit it just right. That's when the cigar started to sparkle a little. The others had developed more plume and actually appeared to be a little "dusty". The plume was not white, it wasn't splotchy.

All of the mold I've seen has clearly been white in color and very visible. I've never seen green mold (knock on wood) on any of my cigars, but that one is pretty obvious.
 
CigarStone said:
Imagine a meat market manager telling you that the brown, two week old, T-bone in his display case will taste better? The difference is that the average Joe knows better in the case of the meat.
Click to expand...

Actually, many of the top steakhouses in the world dry age their steaks for 21 days, so the 2 week old meat ain't quite there yet. :sign:
 
It was mold...plume can't grow on wood (to my knowledge) and certainly not on paper cover boxes.
 
mealstrom said:
I've worked in a cigar shop for a while now, and sometimes mold just plain happens. No matter how well you keep up the humidor, it just happens sometimes. Tubos and cedros especially.

Now we have had cigars with bloom, and we've had cigars with mold. When I find bloom I carefully explain how it forms, what it looks like, and how to tell the difference between it and mold. Then after they leave I usually buy up the rest for my personal stash. :laugh:

As far as mold goes, I NEVER lie to the customer. It's not worth losing someone who may spend hundreds of dollars over the course of the next few years for a $5 cigar. Not to mention the fact that both I and the owner really love for people to enjoy the experience of smoking a cigar. It's not just a business, it's a passion. So if there's mold on a cigar we immediately take the cigar back and either give them their money back or let them pick something else out. (Most of the time we do both) Then we pull the box out of the humi and check it and the surrounding boxes.

If a B&M has a few cigars with mold on them, bring them to the attention of the owner. But don't let that completely write you off from buying anything from them again. On the other hand if he tries to swindle you or gets defensive (which has happened to me before) then turn around and walk out.
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
Dozerhead said:
Jzaid84 said:
It was mold...plume can't grow on wood (to my knowledge) and certainly not on paper cover boxes.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I once found mold on my Reserva D'Chateau's from 1992. It was a major bummer.
Click to expand...

Opus X cigars did not exist in 1992. "1992" is written on every Opus X box, it is NOT a date code. 1992 is when the "seeds of hope" (Opus X Rosado wrapper seeds) were planted. Opus X cigars were not available to the public until late 1995, and even then only in a few areas on the east coast.
 
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