What is the white powdery substance that sometimes appears on the cigar wrapper?

Cigars can be a complicated hobby to get into. Not only do they require a decent amount of maintenance but you also have to be observant of the potential ways they may change over time. If they aren’t kept in a proper storage facility you run the risk of them becoming too hydrated or too dehydrated. Both pose individual problems that makes enjoying your stogies difficult.

Here at Cheap Humidors, we aim to answer any questions you may have when it comes to the maintenance and appearance of your cigars. One of the main questions we encounter is, ‘what is the white powdery substance that sometimes appears on the cigar wrapper?’ This can be a stressful situation because the first conclusion many people jump to is that their cigars are now unable to be smoked because they’ve been infested with mold. We have some good news for you; there’s a good chance that white powdery substance isn’t mold. Instead, it’s more likely to be “bloom.”

The good news for you is that if it looks white and powdery with the hint of crystallization, there’s a good chance that it is bloom and not mold. Many avid cigar smokers in fact prefer their cigars to have some bloom on them. This white, powdery substance is actually the oils of the cigar rising to the surface and crystallizing on the top of the cigar. This can still be difficult to deduce due to the fact that not all bloom forms evenly on the surface of the cigar. This makes it even more difficult to differentiate the bloom from the mold.

One of the best ways to figure out if it’s mold or not is by investigating the texture of the substance. If it looks crystallized, it’s fairly safe to declare it to be bloom and enjoy your stogie with ease. However, if it has a hairy fuzzier look, or is colored green and blue, it’s more likely to be mold and should be dealt with accordingly.

Should it be mold instead of bloom, you can set the cigar out for up to 36 hours or place it in your freezer to stunt the growth of the mold and hopefully prevent it from spreading to the innards of the cigar (once it’s spread to the inside, it’s time to discard the cigar and cut your losses). Don’t forget to disinfect your humidor as well to prevent the mold from spreading to your other cigars.

In order to keep your cigars in that sweet spot where the bloom can form without having any risk of mold, it’s important to keep your humidor at an appropriate temperature and humidity. In order to find the humidor that’s right for you, feel free to visit us at http://www.cheaphumidors.com/ for more information.