Anyone Freeze their Habano's?

[ehdg]

Hi all I was wondering if anyone here freezes there ISOM's when they first get them from a vendor for a couple of days. I was told that this would help protect from the possibilty of Beatles eating away at them. Anyone else hear of doing this or do it themselves or am I just wasting my time and cigars doing this? :smt102 Any advice on this would be greatly apprecaited, thanks! [-o<

ehdg

 

[Viper139]

I have never done this but have heard of folks that do. I agree with Mark I would wait until I saw some in traps. I too have no doubt that it would effect the taste of the smokes. Afterall I have never frozen anything that has tasted the same after freezing as it did before freezing, why would cigars be any different.

 

[SMOKOZUNA]

Beatles eating away at them.

Freezing will kill the beetle eggs but I've heard stories of outbreaks even in boxes that were previously frozen. Your best bet is to keep your Humidor temp under 70 deg. F

BTW, if the Beatles do eat your cigars, I'd be interested in seeing pics of them doing it. :smt033 :smt119 :smt103 :smt110 :smt044

 

[Cohiba007]

A regular household freezer does not get nearly cold enough to kill the egs. So unless you have an industrial freezer, you are just making cold eggs

 

[David]

A regular household freezer does not get nearly cold enough to kill the egs. So unless you have an industrial freezer, you are just making cold eggs

:smt045 ..........

 

[Bobbystbob]

I froze everything when I first started. I think it does change the taste. I don't freeze anything anymore.

 

[Sheik Ur Bootie]

Well..., I've had a seperate outbreak of both beetles and mites. I froze everything with a regular refrigerator/freezer turned down to the max. I've noticed absolutely no difference in flavor and after a year no return of the beetles or mites (harmless, but nasty). I tried a PSD3 soon after the warm up stage in the refrigerator, it was fantastic as always. No wrapper splits, etc.
You do need to use large freezer ziplock bags. I now use beetle traps in the humidor for early warning.

 

[WFZone]

Saw a post somewhere about cigars going through Germany including the new Bolivar Gold Medals indicating that LCDH in Cologne freezers all of their cigars before they are sold. I have a commercial freezer at the gym that goes to like minus 40 F so if you want to send me your smokes I will put them back into the ice age.....Hell if Wooly Mamouth can be preserved by it then a cigar should be able to survive......Personally, I have never tried it. My basement holds a steady 66 so I don't think I have to much to worry about.

 

[Sheik Ur Bootie]

Temp is the key for avoiding beetles. My humidor temp was a 67 degrees at the time of the outbreak, after reading the Cigar Advisor (MRN on Mo's site) I lowered the temp to 60 degrees. Humidity is more difficult to regulate, but no chance of beetles at 60 degrees. Mites love humidity over 70%. Mites do no harm to the tobacco and are also destroyed by freezing.

 

[mark5]

I would focus more on better storage than freezing them try to keep temps below 70 and rh around 65. My investment into cigars has become so big in the last 2 years I've decided to buy a cooled triple d storage cabinet of matt and ron I think its money well spent.

 

[WFZone]

I would focus more on better storage than freezing them try to keep temps below 70 and rh around 65. My investment into cigars has become so big in the last 2 years I've decided to buy a cooled triple d storage cabinet of matt and ron I think its money well spent.

I agree and I have been talking to Ron as well. Can not wait to see photos of your cabinet.

 

[mark5]

I agree and I have been talking to Ron as well. Can not wait to see photos of your cabinet.

Yeh I can't what to have this its being built right now and should be done in a few weeks it the first cooled unit in this size I went with the dark red/brown color.

 

[Fonsecakid]

I´ve been at the same drouble as Sheik, had two small outbreaks the last 8 years but recently I had a third and bigger one. So from that time I freez.

A couple of the years ago (four I think) my smoking bro and I did a test. We froze four cigars from different vitolas and brands. We then blind tested against cigars from the same boxes one month from recovery and three months after and five or six months after. One knew wich one was frozen. We thought the frozen ones was a little weaker the first two times but the last time we couldn´t find any difference. I don´t say it´s like that, but that´s what we found. I never liked the idea of freezing but I´m not risking my cigars.

All three times I got beetles was in the end of the summer. I never saw any beetle signs in cabs or varnished boxes (last ourtbreak I saw traces in many db:s though :smt065 :smt022 ). Last time I had AC in the room, was 70 f. I think it was due to big differences in temp up and down during a longer period of time.

 

[JgButler]

I'm like Mark, I have never frozen any cigars and I don't plan on starting. If I were to have some beetles show up by chance, then the big picture might change but not until then.

I can't help but think that a temp drop of that much and then the bringing them back up to storing temp, even if done very slowly and with extreme care, couldn't do anything but have some kind of affect on the tobacco. It looks like it would have to have some kind of affect on the natural oils in the tobacco, the actual cell structure of the tobacco, as well as taking a chance on weakening the thin wrapper leaf on many cigars. That would be my biggest worry, is having the wrappers crack or split with the massive temp changes!

 

[caudio51]

I've never freezed them....

 

[sli38]

I never have but the thought of beetles worries me.

 

[cvm4]

I've never freezed my cigars either.

 

[the nub]

I was playing poker with a buddy on the weekend and he told me about his recent small outbreak. He had a box of SCdH El Principe that have been in his freezerdor for 6 months at 59 degrees (!). Just had an outbreak!

Anyone who thinks they are safe because their smokes have SO FAR been problem free and are kept below 70 degrees IMO are taking chances.

 

[Kurtdesign1]

Anyone who thinks they are safe because their smokes have SO FAR been problem free and are kept below 70 degrees IMO are taking chances.

And what would you suggest?

A friend thinks it has more to do with atmospheric pressure spikes/valley's rather than temp/humidity. Haven't had enough of an outbreak to say one way versus the other.

 

[AZsteelman]

I just keep mine cool...no worries that way...