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Cigar has shades of green?

mattshellmattshell Posts: 34
in Cigar 101
Hi all.  I'm sure this is either really common or really uncommon, but being new to this, I'm not sure what the answer is.  I recently bought a bunch of cigars from ccom and they've only been in my recently seasoned humidor for about two days.  This morning I noticed that a few of the sticks with Conn Shade wrappers have these light green spots.  They almost look like when a sticker gets wet and bleeds on something (like the blue ink that you sometimes see on a piece of meat) or like the green is under the wrapper and just showing through a bit.  For the week before they went in the humidor they stayed in the bags they came in.  The spots are only in one or two places.  Any ideas? Should I be concerned?

Thanks,
Matt

Comments

  • kaspera79kaspera79 Posts: 7,257 ✭✭✭
    That, sounds like it could be mold.. And That may be a bad thing for those cigars.. Keep them seperated and see if it spreads. Any other opinions ?
  • kaspera79kaspera79 Posts: 7,257 ✭✭✭
    I just went and checked some of mine.. Now a couple have a little green Freckle or two which is just the wrapper and nothing to worry about. My advice, Smoke 'em. If you live they are fine. If not, you better throw the rest away.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    kaspera79:
    I just went and checked some of mine.. Now a couple have a little green Freckle or two which is just the wrapper and nothing to worry about. My advice, Smoke 'em. If you live they are fine. If not, you better throw the rest away.
    i agree with this. the wrapper may not have been all the way through the fermentation proscess. candela cigars are green. they are still good.


    .....mild, but good.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • gmill880gmill880 Posts: 5,947 ✭
    Sounds like mold to me . humidity may be too high. I believe 76 or higher can cause this and above 82 can be a heck of a problem. Are you sure your ' meter is accurate?
  • mattshellmattshell Posts: 34
    well, it is a little hight, but the it's caliberated.  It's about 73.  Been trying to lower it but not sure the best way.  After seasoning it was about 74-75.
  • jaytothenjaytothen Posts: 55
    If it's just spotty and not fuzzy it's sun spots. Sometimes the shade used to cover the plants may have holes in them which ferments and stains the leaves while on the plants. Most higher end sticks discard leaves like this but some manufactures don't. Doesn't affect taste or burn, just a cosmetic blemish.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    jaytothen:
    If it's just spotty and not fuzzy it's sun spots. Sometimes the shade used to cover the plants may have holes in them which ferments and stains the leaves while on the plants. Most higher end sticks discard leaves like this but some manufactures don't. Doesn't affect taste or burn, just a cosmetic blemish.
    many times those cigars become factory seconds. you cant sell them as perfect but they arent bad.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • mattshellmattshell Posts: 34

    Thanks guys.  That sounds like exactly what it is.  There is no fuzz or any texture at all with these spots.  I'll smoke one of them tonight and if I die, well, thanks for all the info! :-)

  • rwheelwrightrwheelwright Posts: 3,296 ✭
    mattshell:

    Thanks guys.  That sounds like exactly what it is.  There is no fuzz or any texture at all with these spots.  I'll smoke one of them tonight and if I die, well, thanks for all the info! :-)

    I don't think you'll die. May get some kind of wacky high though. Could be a lot of fun to smoke some mold.
  • Garen BGaren B Posts: 977
    I dunno about getting a high off mold, maybe an extremely musty, bitter taste but not a high.
  • WafflebobWafflebob Posts: 118
    Some friends of mine smoked some stuff that had gone moldy. They didn't get high and they didn't die, but both of them had horrible coughs and phlegm for about a month. In relation to the question, I read this on the cigar.com newsletter from a while back.
    There are a number of different reasons why cigars can have spots on them. Throughout the cigar manufacturing and farming processes several things can happen that result in light, dark or even green spots on a wrapper. The spots you are referring to are water spots and while they are not aesthetically pleasing, I assure you they are safe and do not alter the flavor of the cigar. If you find one of these spots on the wrapper of your cigar, chances are it was rolled with a hearty sun grown wrapper. As a plant grows it is not uncommon for a bead of water to collect on a leaf. If the water stays over a period of time while the plant grows under the sun it will create a reaction within leaf below the water creating a “water spot.” Once picked and put into the curing process, the tobacco leaf will slowly turn from green to brown over 45 days. However, the spot in the leaf affected by the water will typically remain white and not cure with the rest of the leaf. Most cigar makers will pull leaves with these spots when they sort the tobacco.
  • kaspera79kaspera79 Posts: 7,257 ✭✭✭
    Okay Matt, I think you are safe to smoke them now.. Hope you enjoy them now without concern.
    Nice to know, good read on that one bob.
  • WafflebobWafflebob Posts: 118
    Yeah, the cigar.com newsletter is pretty informative. When I first started I went through the archives and read most of them.
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