Hate to resurrect an old thread but hate to start a new one when there are millions of mold threads. If there is a definitive guide please share a link.
My post involves a title that would be: Cuban sealed Tubos, in a sealed, never opened 15 pack - mold inside and possibly under the band, my friend is a stubborn ass.
My buddy smokes and stores a great deal of cigars but always requests unopenend, sealed boxes where possible, usually only dealing with vendors that deliver that. His thought that one day he will sell them if he has a health issue or something like that and they will be worth more if they've never been opened. I explained why it's good for the retailer/distributor to first inspect but he doesn't want to hear it.
He decided to open one of his Siglo V tubos from 2018, in order to smoke one and lo and behold there was mold. "The box was never opened?! The tubos were never opened?! it was stored in a sealed 2.5 gallon ziploc bag with a brand new Boveda 69% !?".
I instructed him to open the rest, wipe off the mold, and store without the tube or if he must keep the tube, pull the cedar, let it sit in the sun for a few days to kill any mold, wash the inside of the tube with baby shampoo/water mixture and store back in the tube, preferably without the the cedar. Oh and remove the bands to check for mold under the bands. He was having non of that.
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1.) What is your advice for storing aging tubed Habanos? Do you toss the tube on arrival and age loose? Maybe keep the tube for later presentation/protection on the day of smoking?
2,) What are your thoughts on getting rid of mold in the above situation (I don't like detergent for the inside of tube but everyone has their methods)
What I do:
1 and 2.) I store in the tube and check frequently for mold. If mold starts I remove the band, wipe off mold, remove cedar, wash the tube inside with baby shampoo/water mixture. Keep the tube for future travel/soon to be smoked. Store the group of cigars loose in a regular humidor marked with the history, box code of what happened. If there are three packs that were not affected by mold I let them keep going in the tube and possibly lower the humidity*. I feel cigars age better/slower in the tube.
Appendix
*Boveda packs. I am not a fan but use them for obvious reasons. I believe that the Boveda company assumes that every freshly opened pack will end up in a drier space then the humidity pack is marked for (e.g, a 69% pack in a humidor that is currently @ 65% due to replacement of old Bovada packs). Because of this mindest, I believe the 69% bovada packs shipped at > 69% humidity 100% saturated, there is no room to absorb if the space is > 69%. Meaning if the 60% Bovada packs are at 85% capacity/saturation they would last less time in drier spaces but if put into a higher humidity space they will be able to absorb the excess brining the space down to 69%. There would be wiggle room to stabilize.
I say this because three times I have salt tested 5 different extremely accurate and adjustable hygrometers, placed them all in a sealed environment with a BRAND NEW 69% boveda and every two days after hitting 69% the humidity climbs 1% until it hits 76-77%% on all of them.
How does this tie in? I believe my buddy had higher than 75% in his ziplocs storing his siglo Vs, no wood SLB or cedar to absorb. And that is how he got the mold.
My target environment for CCs is 67%-70% with a 60-70 farenheit. I believe cigars age better and slower at higher humidities and lower temps. I know all the CC mavens with scream 65% but to each his own.
When getting ready to smoke I have a humidor @ 65% and smoke from there and after maybe dry box 1-4 days, depending on the smoke.
What say you?
