[kscotty]

OK, so I am fairly new to the cigar hobby, however I immediately picked-up on the websites which discuss the dreaded BUG problem that cigars can bring. Now, I hate bugs and I froze my first 3 boxes of smokes. They tasted and smoked fine for me, but it is a hassle and I wonder if I'm doing harm to my puros.

Question to you wise old smoking gorillas....just how many of you have encountered a bug problem? If I get the sense this is a rarity, I'll be happy to take my chances, but right now at least in my mind I feel like I'm killing the little buggers off for good (even tho the freezing may not be as effective as I'd like to think!).

Down with bugs! :sb

 

[Brandon]

Nope, freezing does no harm to cigars IMO. I freeze every single cigar that goes into the cooler. From new cigars to 20+ year old cigars, they all taste fine to me. Anyone whom claims that they can distinguish between a frozen and non-frozen cigars are pulling your leg. LOL Trust me, it's not a pleasant sight to see beetles flying and crawling around in your smokes. It was after that sight that I decided that I would start freezing everything.

 

[kscotty]

Yes, the sight of that would be enough to make me drink! :al

So, do you follow the standard 3/1/1 approach? (3 days freezer, 1 day fridge, 1 day room temp and then into the dor).

Also, do you bother unpacking smokes from their box or just chuck the whole thing into the cold right away? I was worried about having too much air in the box and then excess condensation during the thaw process, but on the other hand the boxes are already wrapped and the cigars are pretty well packed in there with little room to spare by the mfr....

Thanks for the response!

 

[Brandon]

I will usually just double bag the box and suck all the air out while sealing them. Then I'll do 3 days in the freezer, and 1 day at room temp still sealed..... then back in the cooler. A lot of folks will use the 3/2/1 method to prevent wrapper damage. Some will even put them in the fridge initially before the freezer. I guess it all comes down to what you're comfortable with. Personally, I've never had any problem with wrapper damage or taste problems. Also, I've never had anybody complain about the taste of the cigars I have given out. :w

 

[Guest]

I have never heard of freezing a stog. Can this be done for more than 3 days or will it have a negative effect on the silky rich goodness of a cigar?

Is it (freezing) advisable if you are out of room in your humidor?

As you can see, I too, am new.

Thanks.

 

[kscotty]

Believe me, it was news to me when I first heard about freezing, but then once I understood more about the *bugs* u that can occassionally show up, I knew I wanted to take some extra steps to protect my new humidor and cigar stash!!

Everything I've ever read says that because the humidity in cold storage is so low (be design) it is not advisable to keep cigars in the fridge or freezer for long periods or as a fallback storage option.

If you are that pressed for space, I have seen some interesting links to sites that tell you how to build a 'coolerdor', "igloodor', or 'fridgedor' for a small amount of $$....buy lining an insulated container with spanish cedar and throwing some humidifying equipment in.....

Good Luck! :w

 

[Merlin]

Well, my LGC Miami Wavells came in and the UPS dude left them on the front porch in the direct sunlight. They sat there for I don't know how long. So, I will be freezing these before putting in the cooler.:u :u :u

 

[Cyclist]

Same as Brandon, since the day I found a beetle in my humi, I started to freeze everything. It was the day changed my life!! It was so horrifying sight.
Many times I tested the taste difference between frozen and not frozen cigars. I buy a box, keep three or four sticks unfrozen in a pouch, and freeze all the others. Maybe a month later when the frozen cigars settled down in the humi and got back to the smokable conditions, I compare the tastes with the unfrozen ones in the pouch. So far I've not found significant difference between them. Of course the unfrozen ones kept in a pouch for a month in many cases dry up a little bit and taste a bit harsher though.

 

[kscotty]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I plan to keep up with the freezing routine, even though I have read it is not a guarantee against bugs. So far my humidor is 'virgin' when it comes to bugs, and I don't plan on changing that soon if at all possible!

:w

 

[jimmy]

hey all-
just recently got a dozen ISOM's from 2001. have been properly stored until i got them(and will be again now that i have them). my question is to the more educated monkeys out there. would you still freeze these even with the age on them, or can they go straight into the humi?
thanx for any input,
jimmy

 

[Lamar]

Freeze my friend. After a month in the Humi, you will not be able to tell the difference and more than that, you'll have peace of mind in regard to the buggies.

I do two days in the deep freeze and two days in the fridge. Works for me.

 

[OnePyroTec]

I have contacted EVERY vender I use in the past. MOST of them take measures against "bugs". For the ones who don't do anything or unsure if their supplier does, I freaze. I freeze and recover much longer than most, to be extra safe.

OPT

 

[Cyclist]

jimmy,

I may not be as experienced smoker as you though, if I could answer to your question, just freeze them. A beetle came out of my ISOM Monty #2 which I bought at an authentic vendor and had been stored properly. It was just a horrible sight.

 

[MoTheMan]

have you ever seen a (home) closet humidor infested with beetles. Have you any idea the aggravation (not to mention how your skin crawls everytime you think of those dastardly bugs) it brings to throw out BOXES of Domestic and ISOM's because they were just too far gone to salvage? I tell you, if you ever have to face a worse case scenario like this, it's easier to just freeze.

I've frozen young, just purchased, and even aged cigars. No discernable change in flavor or burning quality. I almost think that aged cigars seem to take the freezing better.

MoTheMan

 

[MoTheMan]

Heck!

What am I doing!!?

We were just talking about that lastt night Jimmy.

MoTheMan

 

[MoTheMan]

Another question

The question came up last night (while hanging out with a group off herfs) about whether to age cigars in their original cellophane wrap or uncellophane them first to enhance the aging.

Well, the Cubans are known for packing hand made cigars in their boxes w/out cellophane (unless you happened to purchase a box of Cohibas from the 1980's-early 90's when they were cellophaned), because they believe that cigars age better that way. Min Ron Nee, the author of The Encyclopedia of Post Havana Cigars, somewhat disagrees, believing that cigars age better when they age slower.

Back to cellophane, my take on it is this. Yes, it does slow the aging process of cigars, but that can be in a good way. While (domestic) cigars in general round out more, even become more and even become more comples with age, they also risk getting blander. So slowing that process down can actually benefit cigars. The second reason to use cellophane is to protect the cigars from wear/tear that can ruin them (I think that's the main reason that cellophane was used in the first place). Now the third reason for using cellophane is as a barrier to beetles. It's likely true that it can work as a barrier, but let me tell you, I've seen beetles eat a hole thru cellophane to get to cigars.

Had a bundle of 20 Tesoro (that's Bahia "seconds") that received two holes at the bottom. When I opened the bundle, my god the cigars were drilled through from one to the next (you could see where one hole in a cigar connested to a second hole in a second cigar).

As a rule, for ISOM's, I like to freeze. For domestics, I'll only freeze if there's any evidence of beetles.

MoTheMa

 

[ikwanjin]

Re: Another question

As a rule, for ISOM's, I like to freeze. For domestics, I'll only freeze if there's any evidence of beetles.

MoTheMa

My sentiments exactly.