[Overpaid Slacker]

My info is not from a lifetime of personal experience, but it comes from someone who has such experience in making cigars and being one of Cubatobaco's largest dealers. So I'm not that smart on this, I'm just conveying what was imparted unto me.

Mold isn't fatal, wipe it off. Keep your humidity nearer 80% if you can manage it -- the tobacco is moister, burns less/smolders more and is less acrid when burnt.

The gentleman who gave me my 5-month long education on cigars has a walk-in humie with hundreds of thousands of dollars of Cuban and other fine tobaccos, and he keeps it warm and near 80%.

When friends get very nice/expensive cigars and pop them in a box at 70% I cringe... Back when I had 3 humidors running, I'd ask for 2 of their finest/favorite cigars and store them in my highest humidity box for 2 weeks, then get together and they could side-by-side their 68% smoke with my 77-78% smoke. I won the Pepsi Challenge every time.

You'll be able to tell when the smokes are ready by their feeling when squeezed. It takes a while to develop this touch. But you should be doing this whenever you buy your cigars anyway (assuming you're not buying by the box).

Re: taking cigars out of cellophane. Do whatever you like, but store like wrappers together. To wit, don't put those jet black maduro-wrapped cigars on/under the Connecticut shade leaf wrapped babies. The flavors will migrate from one to another somewhat (esp. if you're storing for months). This isn't fatal, but a lot of times people refer to their cigars "aging" when they're just absorbing the qualities of all the other tobacco around it; and the other tobacco is doing the same.

JP