Cigar Plume vs Mold: How to Tell, Fix and Prevent It Leave a comment

Cigar plume vs mold, short answer: mold is fuzzy or raised, often blue, green or white, smells musty and can spread to the foot and cap. Plume, also called bloom, is a fine, flat, white or grey crystalline dust that stays on the wrapper and wipes off as powder. Tiny round pinholes are neither: that is cigar beetle damage. Mold means the humidor is too wet, beetles mean it got too warm, and if you are not sure, throw the cigar out. Below: how to tell them apart, what to do now and how to prevent it.

Cigar plume vs mold: how do you tell them apart?

Put the cigar under good light and look closely, ideally with a magnifying glass. Five checks settle most cases.

• Texture. Mold is fuzzy or raised, like tiny threads. Plume is flat and dusty, like a fine frost.
• Color. Mold is often blue, green or white. Plume is white or light grey and looks crystalline.
• Location. Mold shows up on the foot and the cap and works into the filler. Plume stays on the wrapper and does not spread to the foot.
• Smell. Mold smells musty or damp. Plume has no off smell.
• The wipe test. Brush the spot with a soft, dry cloth. Plume comes away as powder and leaves the wrapper clean. Mold smears, stains or comes back within days.

Round pinholes instead of a coating mean beetles, not mold or plume.

	Mold	Plume	Beetle damage
Looks like	Fuzzy or raised spots	Fine, flat, crystalline dust	Small round pinholes, tunnels
Color	Often blue, green or white	White or light grey	Holes, plus fine tobacco powder
Where	Foot, cap and filler; spreads	Wrapper only, not the foot	Anywhere, often several cigars
Smell	Musty, damp	No off smell	Usually none
Wipe test	Smears or stains, returns	Wipes away cleanly as powder	Nothing to wipe; holes stay
Usual cause	Too much humidity, poor air	Debated; often linked to age	Eggs hatching in warm conditions
What to do	Remove; toss if on foot or filler	Brush off, only if you are sure	Remove all, inspect, clean the box

If any one check points to mold, treat it as mold.

What does cigar mold look like, and what causes it?

Cigar mold is a fungus growing on the tobacco. As the Wikipedia entry on mold explains, molds grow as threads called hyphae, which is why mold looks fuzzy rather than flat. On a cigar it often starts as small blue-green or white tufts at the foot, where the filler is exposed, or around the cap. Left alone, it spreads to the cigars touching it.

The cause is nearly always too much humidity and too little air: a humidor running above about 72–75% for weeks, an overfilled humidifier, cigars packed in tight, or a lid that never gets opened. Mold on cigars is a humidity problem first.

Our guide to what a humidor is and how it works explains why the humidity inside should stay in a narrow band.

What is cigar plume (bloom), and is it real?

Plume, also called bloom, is described as a fine, flat, crystalline white or grey dust on the wrapper. The usual explanation is that oils in the leaf rise to the surface and crystallize as a cigar ages, which is why plume is often taken as a sign of age. It does not spread to the foot, and it brushes off as powder.

Whether true plume exists is debated. Some smokers say it is real and harmless; others say much of what gets called plume is early mold. Famous Smoke’s Cigar Advisor covers both sides in its piece is it plume or mold?

So do not keep a cigar, or pay more for one, just because of white dust on the wrapper. Judge it by the checks above.

What do cigar beetles look like, and how do you spot the damage?

The “cigar beetle” is the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne. Its Wikipedia entry says it is also called the cigar beetle or tobacco beetle, and that the adult is 2–3 mm long (about a tenth of an inch) and dark brown.

Signs of cigar beetles

• Pinholes. Small, clean, round holes in the wrapper, often on more than one cigar.
• Tunnels. Channels through the filler, visible at the foot or when you cut a cigar.
• Fine powder. Tobacco dust on the cigars, the divider or the floor of the humidor.

The holes are exits: Wikipedia notes that adult beetles make holes in packaging to escape. One cigar with holes usually means eggs or larvae in others nearby.

Why warmth matters

Eggs can arrive with cigars from almost anywhere, so temperature is what to watch. According to Wikipedia, the larvae need temperatures between 15°C and 40°C (59°F to 104°F) to hatch, and 30–33°C (86–91°F) is the optimal range for reproduction. A humidor in a sunny window, by a radiator or in a hot room in summer is where an outbreak starts.

Is it safe to smoke a cigar with mold or plume?

Mold on anything you put in your mouth is not worth the risk. When in doubt, throw it out.

If every check says plume (flat, dry, no smell, wipes clean, nothing on the foot), many smokers brush it off and smoke the cigar. If you are unsure, treat it as mold.

Beetle-damaged cigars usually draw and burn poorly, so most smokers throw those out too.

What should you do if you find mold or beetles?

Act the same day. Both problems spread from cigar to cigar.

If it is mold

1. Remove the affected cigars, plus any that were touching them.
2. Throw away any cigar with mold on the foot or filler. Many smokers wipe light surface spots off the wrapper with a soft cloth. Be cautious, and bin the cigar if the spot returns or it smells musty.
3. Inspect every other cigar under good light.
4. Wipe the humidor with a clean, dry cloth and leave the lid open so the cedar dries.
5. Lower the humidity. Ease off the humidifier until the hygrometer settles around 65–70%. If the cedar dried right out, re-season it before the cigars go back.

How to get rid of cigar beetles

1. Take out every cigar and check each one for holes.
2. Throw out the damaged ones.
3. Freeze the rest, sealed. Many cigar shops recommend freezing cigars in an airtight bag to kill any eggs. Ask your shop for its method.
4. Clean the humidor. Brush or vacuum out the powder, including the corners and the divider, then wipe it down.
5. Move the humidor somewhere cooler, away from sun, heaters and vents.

If an old humidor has warped, will not hold humidity or has no hygrometer, it may be time to replace it. Our guide on how to choose a humidor covers what to look for.

How do you stop mold and beetles in a humidor?

Both problems come from drifting conditions: mold when the box is too wet, beetles when it is too warm. Here is the short checklist; our full guide on how to store cigars covers the routine.

• Hold humidity around 65–70%, and avoid going above about 72–75%.
• Keep the temperature steady, away from sunny windows, heaters and vents.
• Do not overpack. Leave a little air around the cigars.
• Open the lid and rotate the cigars occasionally, so air moves and you spot problems early.
• Check the hygrometer each time you open the box.
• Season a new humidor first, before any cigars go in. Our guide on how to season a humidor walks through it.
• Freeze new arrivals, sealed, as many cigar shops recommend, if beetles have been a problem.

Shopping for a box? Browse our personalized cigar humidors, or see our cigar gifts for men if it is for someone else. Every humidor is engraved to order, so allow time before the date you need it.

A humidor often shares the shelf with a good bottle. Our whiskey decanter guide explains what a decanter is for.

Cigar plume vs mold: FAQ