To freeze, or not to freeze? That is the question........again......& again....

[Rushman]

You all do realize that a regular refrigerator freezer will do nothing for you. Right? It does not get cold enough from based on many articles and sources I have read...

Si señor. I use a lateral type deep freeze.

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[CanuckSARTech]

You all do realize that a regular refrigerator freezer will do nothing for you. Right? It does not get cold enough from based on many articles and sources I have read...

Yeah it will. But it all depends on your temperature setting. And it just affects your freezing time.

You have to buy a small but +/- 1 degree food storage thermometer, and you can put it in the lowest area of your freezer (or wherever you plan to put them), to see what the temp reading is.

If I remember right, the base area of my side-by-side freezer reads -8/-9 degrees celcius, and then my deep freezer was -18 celcius or so.

If I only have a single box, it goes in my fridge freezer for the two days (with two days in the fridge on either side of that). If there's multiple boxes, where getting them internally down to that negative temperature nice and quick may be an issue, then they go in the deep freezer for the two days. Or I use a combination of both, depending on space availability, timelines, etc.

[Smallclub]

If I only have a single box, it goes in my fridge freezer for the two days (with two days in the fridge on either side of that).

Two days in your fridge freezer will not kill anything. Most studies advocate temperatures around -20°C for several days.

In Cuba they freeze for 5 days at -23°C to -25°C (reported by Rob Ayala).

[CanuckSARTech]

Two days in your fridge freezer will not kill anything. Most studies advocate temperatures around -20°C for several days.

In Cuba they freeze for 5 days at -23°C to -25°C (reported by Rob Ayala).

Low-Temperature Disinfestation of Tobacco Beetles (research article).pdf

Abstract

Time-temperature-mortality relationships for egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma

serricorne were investigated to determine disinfesting conditions for stored tobacco. Susceptibility to low temperatures

changed according to the developmental stage. Eggs were most susceptible to low temperatures that were higher

than 5°C. Larvae acquired cold tolerance during exposure to 15°C for 1 mo. These acclimated larvae were the most

tolerant of all. LT99 values of acclimated larvae were calculated as 7.2 h at -15°C, 23.7 h at -10°C, 376 h at -5°C,

1,140 h at 0°C, and 1,880 h at 5°C.

I tried to paste the table from the 3rd page of that document here, but the formatting loss makes it a confusing hogwash.

H S.A. would do it longer, and at deeper temps, as they're freezing pallets and pallets of mastercases. It takes much longer for the cores of the boxes and the cigars themselves to then get down to the needed temps:

Our preliminary experiment indicated 86 h for the temperature at the center of cased flue-cured

tobacco (200 kg in a 73x110x72 cm cardboard case; 7°C initial temperature) to reach -10°C in a -25°C freezing container, whereas Rassman (1980) described 11 h to cool a 90x50x50 cm tobacco bale from 20°C to -12°C in a -20°C room. [from page 4 of 5, paragraph 2]

If one is only putting in a box at a time, the time to transfer from refridgerator temp (+4 C or so) down to freezer temps (-9 or -18 C), in my checks at least, is not that long at all, within 4 to 6 hours, in my experiences at least.

[MrGinger]

Two days in your fridge freezer will not kill anything. Most studies advocate temperatures around -20°C for several days.

In Cuba they freeze for 5 days at -23°C to -25°C (reported by Rob Ayala).

I just got back from Havana yesterday and found a box in an LCDH that had beetles.

I freeze every single cigar that goes into my humidor.

[goalie204]

freezzzzzzz

[Smallclub]

I just got back from Havana yesterday and found a box in an LCDH that had beetles.

We're talking about EXPORTED cigars here.

Infestation rate would be around 1/1000 boxes. By infestation we may see a series of pinholes within a few cigars within a box. The beetles are gone/dead which means they were killed during freezing (hatched prior).

The problem has essentially been eliminated.

Can someone give a link to a recent case of infestation – with larvae alive, not 1 or 2 holes and a dead body– in a box of exported habanos? Of course not.

I have checked the two french cigar forums (biggest one has 5000 members, the other 1000 members), there is NOT a single case of infestation reported since 2005.

And before 2005, the reported cases (2 between 2001 and 2005) were under control. Zero, or very little damage.

Not a single case in the forums based in the UK.

Freezing exported habanos purchased from "good" vendors is mostly a paranoïa. The only reason that would justify that practice is the impossibility to monitor your stock (due to long travels or else).

[Rushman]

We're talking about EXPORTED cigars here.

Can someone give a link to a recent case of infestation – with larvae alive, not 1 or 2 holes and a dead body– in a box of exported habanos? Of course not.

I have checked the two french cigar forums (biggest one has 5000 members, the other 1000 members), there is NOT a single case of infestation reported since 2005.

And before 2005, the reported cases (2 between 2001 and 2005) were under control. Zero, or very little damage.

Not a single case in the forums based in the UK.

Freezing exported habanos purchased from "good" vendors is mostly a paranoïa. The only reason that would justify that practice is the impossibility to monitor your stock (due to long travels or else).

For me and my experience the fear isn't buying a box with a current infestation but dormant eggs waiting for the right time to hatch. In warm and balmy playa del carmen it can and does happen and has happened to me from proper distribution chain Habanos.

Freezing is free insurance.

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[SCgarman]

We all can argue this debate till the cows come home, but all I can say is since I froze all my cigars in my collection I have not seen one beetle hole or beetle or signs of a beetle. Before freezing, I lost BOTH Cuban and non Cuban cigars to beetle outbreaks and it was not at excessively high temps or humidity. I do in fact enjoy many non Cuban cigars too, and they are also prone to beetles.

[Rushman]

We all can argue this debate till the cows come home, but all I can say is since I froze all my cigars in my collection I have not seen one beetle hole or beetle or signs of a beetle. Before freezing, I lost BOTH Cuban and non Cuban cigars to beetle outbreaks and it was not at excessively high temps or humidity. I do in fact enjoy many non Cuban cigars too, and they are also prone to beetles.

Truth!

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