By: Andrew P. Donovan
You may have noticed that in our Cuban humidor, there is a chrome shaving brush. It sits inconspicuously on the display case inside the humidor and it's not there by accident.
A soft bristled brush like a shaving brush is a great way to quickly tell if your cigar has plume or mould.
How?
Well, plume will wipe off a cigar like dust wipes off a surface. That is to say, plume comes off easily. Mould, on the other hand, can't be dusted away quite so effortlessly. In fact, if your cigar has mould, you need to throw it away immediately.
But what is plume and what is mould and how the heck do you tell the difference?
Let's begin with some definitions:
Plume: "a light, whitish layer of fuzz that can develop on cigars as they age in a humidor. Plume doesn't hurt cigars and is actually a sign that they're aging properly." via Cigar Aficionado
Now let's compare that with mould.
Mould: "...it can present itself in an array of unattractive colors including green, yellow, grey, blue and white. Mould is such a menace to your collection because this nasty substance is alive - it can grow and spead. Unlike plume, which is flat, mold is three-dimensional and can appear to be fuzzy or bumpy." - JR Cigars
It's also worth noting that plume tends to spread across the cigar evenly, whereas mold tends to form clumps or spots at random.
Here are two pictures to demonstrate the difference:
A cigar with plume. Note how it looks almost dusty in nature and it's evenly spread across the stick.
See how the mould here is spotty and random? Remember: mould can come in different colours, so pay attention for abnormalities.
How to prevent mould on your cigars
Famous-smoke.com has a simple and easy to understand three-step process for avoiding mould on your cigars and in your humidor.
1. Lower temperature and lower humidity. Experts suggest your relative humidity (RH) needs to sit at about 67%. If temperature or RH gets higher than 70%, you're creating conditions where mould will flourish.
2. ONLY use distilled water or humidor solution. Tap water is a no-no and any other types of water can leave mineral build-up on your humidor.
3. Leave space in between your cigars. Air circulation is very important to a cigar's health and stacking them neatly like they're in a box from the factory can actually do more harm than good. Laying your cigars randomly and at different angles isn't pretty, but it'll keep your sticks mould-free.
And that's that, folks.
If you're still unsure whether your cigars have plume or mould, you're not alone. Cigars are handmade products and many people can mistake a blemish for mould and mould for non-harmful plume.
If you're unsure, we'd be more than happy to look at your cigars for you but Google and YouTube are invaluable resources as well.
Thanks for reading and happy smoking!