subject: Dealing With Mold And Cigars [print this page] Many cigar enthusiasts are quite surprised when they go to check on a batch of cigars only to find that mold has somehow managed to enter the humidor and accumulate on the trays or the cigars themselves. This leads to the question "what causes mold in a humidor?" and the answer is a bit tricky. This is because there are actually a few valid reasons that mold might appear.
Cedar wood is the only one used to create the trays and lining of the boxes and it is a very aromatic and oily wood. The oils in the wood are known as volatile and are a serious impediment to most bacteria. The same things can be said of tobacco leaves which are also acidic and inhospitable to mold as well. Then, you might ask, how does mold manage to appear inside boxes and on cigars? This is due to several very understandable problems.
In addition to mold born of too much water in a single area, there are also some molds that are contaminants from the outside world which were carried in on the cigars or their wrappings. This is a major point of contention with many cigar enthusiasts because some believe it best to always leave cigars in the cellophane wrappers in which they were received, while others believe that the tobacco can only "breathe" properly once the plastic has been removed.
If water is not the culprit, it is usually bacteria on the trays or the cigars themselves. Like many other activities in life, it is best to thoroughly wash the hands before opening and handling cigars. If not, the oils, bacteria, or even the dirt and food residue which cannot be seen by the eye can find a home on the surface of the object and then begin to thrive in the dark, warm and moist conditions of the humidor.
If mold does appear it is important to remove the cigars (treating moldy ones according to an approved method) and to properly disinfect the entire interior surface with Isopropyl Alcohol in order to kill off any residual spores.
