What are the white spots on your ash?
You have chosen a nice cigar from your humidor for pleasure and started smoking. After a while, you noticed that there are white spots like a pinhead on the border of the ash and the leaf that has not yet burned, which can sometimes remain on the ash. Alas, could these be uncracked insect eggs? No, no, do not be afraid, of course they are not, but one still cannot stop without wondering. You've probably come across such a visual from time to time, but there is nothing to worry about. The formation of these white spots is mainly for two reasons.
When we talk about cigar leaves, remember, we use a phrase called gear. In fact, this toothed structure is the small oil sacs formed on the leaves, making the top of the leaf a rough, unlike a silky flatness. While the most toothed structure is encountered especially in Cameroon leaves, we also encounter the same structure in Central African leaves grown from this seed. These vesicles, which are the first possible cause of the white spots we mentioned, appear as white spots on the ash after they come into contact with fire. However, even if there is no visible toothed leaf, these whiteness can still occur occasionally.
The second main reason is due to the mineral structure of the soil. As I shared in one of my previous articles , besides being an element that keeps the leaves strong and does not rot easily, it also directly affects the whiteness of the ash. For this reason, some companies throw magnesium into the soil so that the ashes of their cigars are white. However, while such artificial interventions give away with the formation of excess scaly ash, the fact that the soil is rich in magnesium can also cause these spots.
Rest assured, because in either case these spots have no negative effect on the smoking quality or aroma of the cigar, and have nothing to do with insects.
Enjoyable smoking ...