There have been lots of posts, probably on every cigar forum on the Internet, describing positive effects from bloom/plume and worries about white mould.
But, when you think about it, shouldn't it be the other way around?
Let me explain my hypothesis!
Apart from the general positive effect that can be connected to the aging of cigars, why should the crystallisation of substances on the surface of the wrapper be beneficial for the taste and aroma? Anything that migrates to the superficial surface of the wrapper will be lost to a larger degree close to the glowing/burning zone due to distillation and will therefore contribute less to the character of the smoke! Also, I believe that a majority of the people that claim that blooming cigars are the best actually have been smoking mouldy cigars without realizing it!
When it comes to white mould everyone seem to agree on that it doesn’t affect the taste in a bad way but that it should be removed by wiping away or cutting the foot of the cigar. Most probably, the burning of the white mould in the cigar will not create any toxic compounds that are not already present in the smoke and wiping away or cutting off the visible parts of the mould does not help much since the white fuzzy patches (spore bodies) are only a small part of the total mass of the fungus that has invaded the tobacco in the cigar!
But, what if the white mould actually can break down some compounds in the tobacco into other compounds that will contribute positively to the taste and aroma? What if cigars actually can improve if allowed to get infested by white mould for some time? If so, this could explain why the myth about bloom is so strong. People are not mistaken when they claim that their “blooming” cigars taste great, they just don’t realize that the effect comes from an attack of fungus!
What do you think?
But, when you think about it, shouldn't it be the other way around?
Let me explain my hypothesis!
Apart from the general positive effect that can be connected to the aging of cigars, why should the crystallisation of substances on the surface of the wrapper be beneficial for the taste and aroma? Anything that migrates to the superficial surface of the wrapper will be lost to a larger degree close to the glowing/burning zone due to distillation and will therefore contribute less to the character of the smoke! Also, I believe that a majority of the people that claim that blooming cigars are the best actually have been smoking mouldy cigars without realizing it!
When it comes to white mould everyone seem to agree on that it doesn’t affect the taste in a bad way but that it should be removed by wiping away or cutting the foot of the cigar. Most probably, the burning of the white mould in the cigar will not create any toxic compounds that are not already present in the smoke and wiping away or cutting off the visible parts of the mould does not help much since the white fuzzy patches (spore bodies) are only a small part of the total mass of the fungus that has invaded the tobacco in the cigar!
But, what if the white mould actually can break down some compounds in the tobacco into other compounds that will contribute positively to the taste and aroma? What if cigars actually can improve if allowed to get infested by white mould for some time? If so, this could explain why the myth about bloom is so strong. People are not mistaken when they claim that their “blooming” cigars taste great, they just don’t realize that the effect comes from an attack of fungus!
What do you think?
