Fungus? If so, what do I do?

[Siv]

Hi, my first post on CigarPass!

I have a bulk storage humi which is made like an acrylic display case. I used beads to keep the humidity in check but nothing for the temp other than the house a/c. This is what she looks like:


What worries me is this box of best seller - looks like fungus to me. It's the only open Fuente box in the humi.


I also have some Padron 1964 which are over 5 years in the box and they have not taken any of the fungus. There are also some Griffin Perfecto which look unharmed.



So to my questions:
- All the other boxes of Fuentes are still sealed in plastic - should I open them and see what condition they are in?
- Should I remove the fungus box and store it separately?
- Do I need to disinfect and clean the whole storage box?

 

[MilesMingusMonk]

So to my questions:
- All the other boxes of Fuentes are still sealed in plastic - should I open them and see what condition they are in? Yes.
- Should I remove the fungus box and store it separately? Yes...
- Do I need to disinfect and clean the whole storage box? Maybe, but a good precaution.

Yes, that is mold. With that much mold on the head, they look too far gone to save, IMO.The bottom layer may be in better shape?

Do you have a digital hydrometer? Has it been salt tested and properly calibrated?

 

[Nimrod]

Those Best Sellers look like they are damaged beyond repair. I would brush off the mold and gift them at herf or sell them to Evan. :laugh: (I am kidding of course)

 

[MoeCizlak]

If that digital hygro in your picture is accurate, your storage is waaaayyyy too warm at 81 at the time of reading. I'm guessing you took the lid off for a bit before that so your humidity would be well over the pictured 59. Go post an intro and start reading the info on cigar storage here and hopefully you'll be able to salvage the rest of your boxes. The one pictured looks like the only solution is the trash can. Check your other ones and let us know. They are too good of smokes to let go to waste.

 

[looking for knowledge]

So to my questions:
- All the other boxes of Fuentes are still sealed in plastic - should I open them and see what condition they are in?
- Should I remove the fungus box and store it separately?
- Do I need to disinfect and clean the whole storage box?

First, go to the introduction section and post a little about yourself.

Next, open and check everything in your storage case.
Some of the bottom moldy cigars might be smokable. Post more pictures to verify, but if the mold is white and just on the wrapper it can usually be wiped off and the stick is still smokable. If the mold gets on the foot however, it's hard to say how far it has traveled up the stick and in which case most people toss them out. So separate, yes, but that top row at least should get separated to the waste bin.
Mold spores travel through the air. I would recommend using a mild diluted bleach solution to clean your plastic storage container. Rinse the container well and let it dry completely before putting your boxes back. You can always store the boxes in a cooler or some other air-tight container while you wait.

Good luck. That picture is sad.

 

[Siv]

Mold spores travel through the air.

For this reason I am not opening the other boxes just yet. They are shrink wrapped and I'm sure they're not perfectly airtight but they're bound to provide a challenge for the mould to get to them.

So I had a look at the whole box and they are all affected:

The fungus looks to be only on the surface though, it just brushed off. Anyway, I have put them in a tupperdor for the moment and will see how they get on:

As for the temp, my house is usually in the 78F-82F range all day long during summer. It's what we feel comfortable in and it's Houston! Do I really have to go get myself a fridge? I thought that temperature was only a beetle issue and does not do any other damage?

The humidity is usually dead on 70% but sometimes it's a little higher. I think I'll have to buy another lot of beads as the ones I have are about 2-3 years old now and maybe they are not working so well. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought humidity is the only factor for fungus - since I have some, is the humidity too high?

 

[Mr Peat]

Mold can grow in temperatures of 70 degrees. So when you are talking 78+, its like a smorgasbord for mold to grow. And so you know, those boxes are not air tight as you think.

 

[Shamrocker]

Mold spores travel through the air.

For this reason I am not opening the other boxes just yet. They are shrink wrapped and I'm sure they're not perfectly airtight but they're bound to provide a challenge for the mould to get to them.

I'm by no means an authority in mycology, but I would assume mould spores are probably everywhere in the supply chain from the cigar factory to your humidor. All you have to do is provide them with an environment to grow, and they will. For that reason alone, I would open those other boxes to inspect them.

Scary stuff. I hope the rest of your stash is safe!

 

[looking for knowledge]

Hey Siv, what color are those beads in your humidification tubes?

 

[souldog]

:shudders: Those photos freak me right the **** out!

You might want to revamp your storage conditions, and if I were you, I'd open up all of the boxes and check just in case. Take no chances dude, mold exists to piss you off and destroy your investment.

Of course, if you ask a certain shop in Colorado, those babies are wonderfully aged cigars that will taste better than a 1980s Cuban Davidoff!

 

[grateful1]

Did the Fuentes contain Humi-Paks?

BTW....open ALL the boxes and check them.

 

[Siv]

Hey Siv, what color are those beads in your humidification tubes?

That's a good point that I forgot to mention - the beads look solid white when dry but when wet they are a transparent yellow colour. I'm going to place an order for some new beads.

Did the Fuentes contain Humi-Paks?

BTW....open ALL the boxes and check them.

Yes, the Fuentes contain humi packs. I'll go home tonight, empty and disinfect the storage box and then open all the sealed boxes.