Mould or Plume?

[Lambda]

OK, I'd like to apologise in advance for not making an introduction thread first, but this is a rather important issue that I'd like to settle. I received an order today from a reputable and very well respected online vendor that I shall not name and was surprised to discover this:
WP_000034.jpg
After contacting the retailer and showing them this image I was even more surprised when I was told this was most certainly "plume". This doesn't look like plume to me but I thought I'd seek the opinion of a third party, hence making this thread. What do you guys think?

[RogMcDodge]

Does it look like the top or bottom photos from this link?

http://cigarphoto.net/blog/2012/02/cigar-plume-vs-mold/

[Lambda]

It looks closer to bottom photos to the naked eye, but under a low level of magnification it looks like collections of little white stalks branching out from central points. The affected cigars (a 5-pack of Trinny Reyes) are also significantly moister than what I am used to from this retailer. Almost seems like this 5-pack was sat too close to the humidification device.

[Smallclub]

Plume is a myth (well, almost). I have seen ONE case in my life, out of hundreds of boxes, thousands of cigars, in dozens of shops…
The occurrence of plume (crystals) requires very specific conditions on which no one agrees

What I see here is mold, in fact OLD, dried mold, that will probably not spread.

[Zigatoh]

Totally looks like mould to me from that pic, especially with the clumping of it rather than just a light dusting all over

[Bigboned]

Mould or belly button fluff!

[Lambda]

Thought so... the retailer still insists that it is plume and has "Never 'actually' seen mold in [their] entire career" but has sent out replacements nonetheless. I may not have been handling and smoking cigars for as long as this person has but the whole exchange does leave a bitter taste in my mouth when this retailer is widely praised for their customer service.

[Smallclub]

Thought so... the retailer still insists that it is plume and has "Never 'actually' seen mold in [their] entire career" but has sent out replacements nonetheless.

Ask this person to say, in front of you, that this stuff is made of crystal and not of spores…
You know, for historical reasons I believe a respectable merchant in the UK would never admit there's mould on some of his products, while in Spain or France you would have been told: "just brush it and move on, dude" (in a more polished manner of course).

[James811]

If they've been replaced, just bin them and move on I guess

[Smallclub]

just bin them

Are you joking? Unless they have a strong musty smell (like and old wet cellar), or if there is mould on the filler at the feet these cigars are 100% smokable - just wipe/brush them.

[James811]

I was guessing that because he went to the effort of putting the post up they wouldn't be smokable which is why he got them replaced? I don't know anything about mold etc anyway

[Lambda]

They probably are smokable but I've agreed to send them back to the retailer in a return envelope since I'm not out to dupe anybody for free stuff. If the retailer still thinks this is plume then they are more than welcome to add these finely aged sticks to their own personal humidor

[Nightwingvyse]

Looks a little neglected, but not terminal by any means. Just check there's no mold on the foot (if there is, cut it down to check how far down it goes), gently wipe it off, and smoke it soon.

People who say to trash a cigar if it has mold are crazy. They are salvageable, even if there's some on the foot, believe it or not. I had a Partagas Culebras that i had no space for in my humi. Left unchecked for too long in the humidified wooden box it came in, i found that they were seriously riddled with mold, even on the foot. I simply chopped half an inch off each one, wiped em down, and smoked all three throughout the day. They were gorgeous...

[Smallclub]

If the retailer still thinks this is plume then they are more than welcome to add these finely aged sticks to their own personal humidor

Don't blame him too much. Cases of mould can occur in the best cigar shops, and in the best kept collections. I remember the picture of a box belonging to one of the most famous collectors in the world, it was covered with mold…

[Simon Bolivar]

I would think the problem of smoking cigars with mould on the foot is the risk of drawing spores in to your lungs. Fungal lung infections can be very serious. Now first you light them & puffing keeps the foot very hot so presumably spores aren't going to survive? Cutting the 1/2" off the foot must asthetically improve it anyway.