what do you guys do when you get a new shipment in, straight to the humi or some time in the freezer automatically. i remember reading somewhere that habanos SA was either fumigating or freezing all the cigars before they were shipped out, but not sure if that is the case or not. i'm waiting on a delivery now and i haven't decided what i'm gonna do when they get here (other than smoke 1 or more... :smokingbo )
freezer / beetles
- Thread starter seriesV
- Start date
I segregate new stuff for a monh or so, then check em out. If there isn't a problem they go in the cabinet. I've only had two outbreaks in all the years I've been smoking and that's how many times I've put cigars in the freezer (works like you wouldn't believe).
I've never had an issue with bettles yet (knock on wood). But I'm planning on installing a thermoelectic cooling system in my humidor to be preventative. Plus this should help keep mold away (at least I think it will).
so does that mean youve only put 2 boxes in the freezer and both ended up with beetles?? :squinteye
indyrob
BoM Feb '06 & Sept. '08
A typical household freezer doesn't get cold enough to kill the egg. It might freeze & kill live beetles, but it's not a viable solution to stick them in the freezer unless you have a sub-zero.
Atleast that's what I've heard....
Atleast that's what I've heard....
Lets see:
#1, I discovered beetles and then put them in the freezer. I do have a seperate freezer that is Sub Zero brand and it will kill the eggs, Rob is right most home freezers won't get cold enough to kill the eggs. You can kill the beetles and keep the egg infested sticks cold and they shouldn't hatch.
2., Put the infected cigars in the refrig for a couple of days BEFORE going to the freezer for at least three days, then return to the refrig to thaw them slowly, for three more days. Keep them under 70 degrees until they are smoked up if using a normal household freezer.
3. I do seperate them for about a month before putting them in with everything else. Of course I live in the desert so the temp. is quite higher here and I do so just to be extra safe.
#1, I discovered beetles and then put them in the freezer. I do have a seperate freezer that is Sub Zero brand and it will kill the eggs, Rob is right most home freezers won't get cold enough to kill the eggs. You can kill the beetles and keep the egg infested sticks cold and they shouldn't hatch.
2., Put the infected cigars in the refrig for a couple of days BEFORE going to the freezer for at least three days, then return to the refrig to thaw them slowly, for three more days. Keep them under 70 degrees until they are smoked up if using a normal household freezer.
3. I do seperate them for about a month before putting them in with everything else. Of course I live in the desert so the temp. is quite higher here and I do so just to be extra safe.
Great info...Thanks.
djs134
BoM May '06
I too heard that the average home freezer doesn't get cold enough to kill the eggs. I've only had a couple of sticks that showed signs of beetles and never had an outbreak (KOW). But then, my stash is kept at around 68 degrees (my coolers/humi are in the basement).
Greg
BoM October 2006
I keep my smokes at 68 degrees so I don't think it's an issue, though it is always in the back of my mind.
I have a -80 degrees C freezer at work, so if necessary I could freeze those buggers, though I kinda like my Monti's with that slight crackle and charred beetle note :grin:
I have a -80 degrees C freezer at work, so if necessary I could freeze those buggers, though I kinda like my Monti's with that slight crackle and charred beetle note :grin:
"CIGAR BEETLE DATA
Cigar Beetle eggs can be killed by exposure to temperatures easily obtainable by home refrigerators/freezers. An industrial deep freeze is not required, as rumor has indicated.
There is a direct correlation between the time it takes to kill and temperature. The colder the temp, the shorter it takes to kill eggs.
The figures below are time to kill 95% (abbreviated LT95) of eggs exposed to the environment. Keep this in mind when applying these figures to cigars because 1) we want to kill 100% of eggs and 2) any eggs inside our cigars have a thick layer of insulating tobacco that must be cooled before the eggs will reach that temperature.
5c (41f) requires ~12 days (275 hours)
0c (32f) requires ~9 days (220 hours)
-5c (23f) requires ~4 days (100 hours)
-10c (14f) requires less than 24 hours
-15c (5f) requires less than 24 hours
-20c (-4f) requires less than 24 hours
The length of time you should freeze your cigars depends on the temperature your freezer is at. I highly recommend that everyone using their freezer to treat cigars keeps a fridge/freezer thermometer in there so they know roughly what temp range their freezer runs at. These are available at most grocery stores, usually with baking supplies. From experience I have seen home freezers that run anywhere from 1 degree below freezing to as low as -25c.
Right now I am trying to get data on how long it takes a cigar to go from room temp to 5c, and from 5c to -20c. Based on data from other consumables I estimate it would take a cigar at least 24 hours to reach the same temperature as the freezer (equilibrium) when it is moved into the freezer from the refrigerator. Based on this alone one should add 24 hours to amount of time cigars are kept in the freezer.
The times given above are to kill 95% of eggs. I have not found times required to kill 99.9% of eggs but doubling the LT95 for that temperature should be more than sufficient.
IN SUMMARY
Double bag your cigars and let them spend 24 hours in the refrigerator. I think everyone agrees that this gives the cigars a safe transition from room temp to near freezing. Move the cigars into the freezer. How long they should stay there depends on your freezer temp. If it is below -10c 72 hours in the freezer should be sufficient. That's 24 hours to get the cigars to -10c, 24 hours to kill 95% of eggs, and an extra 24 hours for good measure. When coming out of the freezer it is a good idea to let the cigars spend 24 hours in the fridge, and another 24 hours at room temp STILL SEALED IN THE BAGS. This protects the cigars from rapid changes in temp/humidity.
I know there are some out there who prefer to avoid freezing because of potential damage to cigars and the rest period required afterwards. The time required will vary greatly based upon the temp of your fridge. Keep in mind the temp will also fluctuate based on door opening/closing etc. (Although this occurs in the freezer, it is less of an issue due to the comparatively short time required) With an LT95 of 12 days at 5c I would personally keep cigars in there for at least 3 weeks.
This information should be applied to uninfested cigars for prevention of a beetle outbreak. If you have cigars that are infested or you know have been exposed to beetles they should be subjected to more lengthy treatment because they will presumably have far more eggs present than any uninfested cigars that picked up some eggs during manufacture."
Cigar Beetle eggs can be killed by exposure to temperatures easily obtainable by home refrigerators/freezers. An industrial deep freeze is not required, as rumor has indicated.
There is a direct correlation between the time it takes to kill and temperature. The colder the temp, the shorter it takes to kill eggs.
The figures below are time to kill 95% (abbreviated LT95) of eggs exposed to the environment. Keep this in mind when applying these figures to cigars because 1) we want to kill 100% of eggs and 2) any eggs inside our cigars have a thick layer of insulating tobacco that must be cooled before the eggs will reach that temperature.
5c (41f) requires ~12 days (275 hours)
0c (32f) requires ~9 days (220 hours)
-5c (23f) requires ~4 days (100 hours)
-10c (14f) requires less than 24 hours
-15c (5f) requires less than 24 hours
-20c (-4f) requires less than 24 hours
The length of time you should freeze your cigars depends on the temperature your freezer is at. I highly recommend that everyone using their freezer to treat cigars keeps a fridge/freezer thermometer in there so they know roughly what temp range their freezer runs at. These are available at most grocery stores, usually with baking supplies. From experience I have seen home freezers that run anywhere from 1 degree below freezing to as low as -25c.
Right now I am trying to get data on how long it takes a cigar to go from room temp to 5c, and from 5c to -20c. Based on data from other consumables I estimate it would take a cigar at least 24 hours to reach the same temperature as the freezer (equilibrium) when it is moved into the freezer from the refrigerator. Based on this alone one should add 24 hours to amount of time cigars are kept in the freezer.
The times given above are to kill 95% of eggs. I have not found times required to kill 99.9% of eggs but doubling the LT95 for that temperature should be more than sufficient.
IN SUMMARY
Double bag your cigars and let them spend 24 hours in the refrigerator. I think everyone agrees that this gives the cigars a safe transition from room temp to near freezing. Move the cigars into the freezer. How long they should stay there depends on your freezer temp. If it is below -10c 72 hours in the freezer should be sufficient. That's 24 hours to get the cigars to -10c, 24 hours to kill 95% of eggs, and an extra 24 hours for good measure. When coming out of the freezer it is a good idea to let the cigars spend 24 hours in the fridge, and another 24 hours at room temp STILL SEALED IN THE BAGS. This protects the cigars from rapid changes in temp/humidity.
I know there are some out there who prefer to avoid freezing because of potential damage to cigars and the rest period required afterwards. The time required will vary greatly based upon the temp of your fridge. Keep in mind the temp will also fluctuate based on door opening/closing etc. (Although this occurs in the freezer, it is less of an issue due to the comparatively short time required) With an LT95 of 12 days at 5c I would personally keep cigars in there for at least 3 weeks.
This information should be applied to uninfested cigars for prevention of a beetle outbreak. If you have cigars that are infested or you know have been exposed to beetles they should be subjected to more lengthy treatment because they will presumably have far more eggs present than any uninfested cigars that picked up some eggs during manufacture."