Well anyway, the reason for the thread... I bought a box of Undercrown belicosos a couple months ago, letting them rest until I tried the first one earlier today. While I was smoking it, I noticed a strange "sparkle" coming off the wrapper when you held to to the light just right. I've never seen anything like this before but it would be very difficult to photograph because the "sparkles" were very tiny, but very evenly dispersed over the entire wrapper. I didn't notice this until it was about half smoked. This was a kick ass smoke IMO. Totally loved the flavor profile and so glad I picked up a full box. I've unwrapped a couple more and both (to lesser/varying degrees) have these tiny little specs that catch the light somehow and sparkle? ..for lack of a better term.

I've been looking at my some of my other cigars... Padrons, Oliva V, various A.Fuentes, MBIII etc etc and none of them sparkle like this. I've had about a dozen other Ligas and never noticed this before either. Don't have any in inventory either to check!

What's up with these smokes???

Does anybody else notice this on any recently purchased Undercrowns?

Anyway, I told him I wasn't the biggest fan of DEs, and he said he wasn't either as he was pitching me on some Foundry cigars (had one of them, it was quite tasty... the wise man I think it was).

Then he told me he's not the biggest fan either. He told me that DE treats their cigars with some kind of glycerin solution, and I said... maybe that's it. Maybe that's why I'm not a fan, maybe I can detect it. He said the only ones they don't do it on is the Norteno and some other one that I don't remember.

Anyway, so maybe that's why they sparkle (can't confirm this, don't have any).

I tried to rub it to see if I could make this effect go away but couldn't.

You could run your finger back and forth and not affect it in any way.

I also moistened a tissue and rubbed it to see if I could smear or dislodge it and NOTHING. Still sparkled!

These TINY little spots are embedded? in the actual leaf. They are not super close together, kinda an eight(ish) inch apart but randomly dispersed.

PS. NOT smoking anything else btw! ..and semi sober! hahahahaa

If it's old stock.

Amazing how that urban legend just never dies. It's always one manufacturer or another doing something nefarious according to some schmuck at a cigar shop.

Yeah.

Bayer makes it for them

In his defense, he didn't say it was anything nefarious. Glycerin is perfectly safe, and I could see legit reasons for doing it for their "special sauce" so to speak. I wouldn't hold it against them if it was true.

I know what you mean about some guys at cigar shops, I've been told plenty of things that made my eyebrow raise (some dude was ragging on Illusione one time when I found an infested box of them). He said they don't flash freeze and won't give dealers their money back for infested boxes. I find it hard to believe they wouldn't get their infested boxes replaced though. I didn't find this guy credible however.

DE doesn't do any different than any other manufacturer really, at least with their non-infused cigars. Prior to rolling, the tobacco is over hydrated to make it pliable. In their case, it's done by hanging it in a room with humidifiers and misters. Someone comes in and rotates the hands of tobacco around a few times and then it goes off to be separated out and sorted for the rollers. Other companies have different ways of doing it, but it's all about the same. Nothing but water gets used here.

After rolling, sometimes the cigars are wiped down with a towel moistened with a solution, or misted from a hand bottle. Sometimes they mix stuff in there, no body really talks about what it is though, just saying it's largely water and all natural. They're just wiping it to make it look pretty. Most manufacturers do this. I suppose they might have a few drops of glycerin in there but it's kind of sweet and burns kind of poorly, so the concentration would have to be very low.

Oh god I know we've already chosen Priscilla for you but would you mind terribly if we changed it to Sparkles? It's just too good.

FIFY

lol, sparkles... definitely sparkles.

You sonuvabiches!

Well, I'm laughing because I'm completely sober now and rereading...

Did some googling last night because I've heard of this mythical "plume" but have

zero first hand experience. This is absolutely positively NOT mold, that comes up in

every google hit with plume, so I don't really have any other good explanation, thus my thread.

These smokes were purchased from a popular online vendor who I'm sure doesn't just let their

Drew Estate stock just sit around and age! So, that seems be a strike against "plume".

I really wish I could capture this effect on camera because you will

definitely be amazed seeing your stogie "sparkle" dammit! ..if you've never seen

one before!! My halogen lighting (doing my part for global warming) really sets it off, but the specs

are TINY. Very cool actually. ..and NO, I wasn't in a t|tty bar last night and got glitter on my friggin

stogies! ..plausible, but not on a Sunday!

You might need help bro.

You got that right!

The proctologist?

the prognosticator perhaps.

Plume doesn't necessarily depend on the age of the cigar. I've seen it happen in a few months on some cigars. Other cigars, sit for decades and never develop it.