Hello everyone, I'm new to the cigar smoking world... actually, I would consider myself very inexperienced due to the fact that the only cigars I smoke are Backwoods. I've been ordering my cigars online and having them delivered to my home. I opened several sealed packages to find a few of the cigars with a white film on them. After lots of research about plume, bloom, mold... I'm even more lost. I called and emailed the company I did business with and they said it wasn't mold if it can be wiped off. I Used the "rub test" method and the cigars wipe clean, no smudging or stains left behind. I've been reading here and lots of people say if it looks hairy, then it's mold. Well this stuff looks kinda hairy and powdery and wipes off very easily. A few even have this substance on the foot, which other people say plume doesn't form on the foot. Two weeks ago, I placed all of the cigars from the 4 packages I opened in a sealed ziploc bag... since then, they haven't gotten "worse" or "better". The same. What is this stuff and what should I do? Smoke or throw away? Safe or not? Can mold grow inside a factory sealed package? Thank you very much for taking the time to hear me out. Have a wonderful evening.
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Welcome to the asylum! Might wanna go to the newbie section and introduce yourself. I'm no expert on plume so I won't chime in.
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Sounds like mold. Just wipe it off and your cigars will be fine. The only time to toss them if its in the foot or if its a blue/green mold. :-)
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Just to make it simple, IT'S NEVER PLUME!!!! It's 99.999999% more likely it's mold. Plume is extremely rare in even the best kept cigars for decades. That should clear it up for you. :-)
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though i believe that the percentage is a tiny bit high (id place it around 95% of the time) the above concept is correct.

with so many factors that have to go into getting plume and the amount of time that it takes to get there, the cigars you are smoking have little chance of getting it.

brush off the mold off as best you can. inspect the foot as best you can to see if it is in the filler. if its in the filler toss it. if not, smoke away.


you may consider where you are getting the cigars. if a decent amount of them are arriving with mold on them then there is a decent chance your source is not keeping them right. since they are sealed in that little bag, they may be storing them in a heat higher than it should be. this may cause the moisture in there to do bad things.
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Thank you everyone, for your input, thoughts, and advice. With any luck, the company I ordered them from may offer me an exchange... if not, then I will clean them the best I can and try to enjoy them. Thanks again, and happy smoking :-)
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If it's in the foot, I get out my Palio and start snipping the foot off about a quarter-inch at a time till there's no evidence of it.
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