Question about placing cigars in a humidor after being shipped in the cold weather for 10-14 days

[bigharpoon]

When I started buying cigars I used to freeze everything. Due to being more relaxed about things now I no longer freeze before putting them in my humidor. During that phase of freezing, however, I did a little experiment:

I took out a NC (DPG Blue generosos - a 6x50 toro) straight out of the freezer where it had been living for three days. I cut it immediately and went straight to lighting it. It cut and lit fine, burned fine and tasted completely normal. At that time a different forum was having a discussion about how long to re-acclimate your cigars after freezing them so I thought this would be an interesting study.

Just a little first hand experiment I did years ago, take what you want from it. I learned cigars are pretty hardy.

[LGC]

When I started buying cigars I used to freeze everything. Due to being more relaxed about things now I no longer freeze before putting them in my humidor. During that phase of freezing, however, I did a little experiment:

I took out a NC (DPG Blue generosos - a 6x50 toro) straight out of the freezer where it had been living for three days. I cut it immediately and went straight to lighting it. It cut and lit fine, burned fine and tasted completely normal. At that time a different forum was having a discussion about how long to re-acclimate your cigars after freezing them so I thought this would be an interesting study.

Just a little first hand experiment I did years ago, take what you want from it. I learned cigars are pretty hardy.

Back in 2002 or 2003, I gave a Por Larrañaga PC to a friend... whom was a very knowledgable smoker. The cigar was a couple days out of the freezer. He was extremely impressed with the cigar, and started buying them after that first one. I was giggling inside while watching him smoke it.

[Smallclub]

Back in 2002 or 2003, I gave a Por Larrañaga PC to a friend... whom was a very knowledgable smoker. The cigar was a couple days out of the freezer. He was extremely impressed with the cigar, and started buying them after that first one. I was giggling inside while watching him smoke it.

MRN, a few years ago on an other forum, and more recently Rob Ayala here advised to put the tight cigars in the fridge for 1/2 hour prior to smoking them. If the cold had affected the taste they would have noticed, I think ...

[mk05]

I think that was more so for the draw.

Your friend probably bought purely due to the fact that he liked the cigar regardless of acclimation. 2002 PLPC were legendary - from what I was told.

[LGC]

It's only natural to treat something "delicately" that you spend a lot of money on. We come up with our own theories on cigar handling. I think we all assume that cigars are highly temperamental... and unwilling to take the risk. Even I'm guilty of this.

I had several cabs of PLPCs from 2001/2002. They were decent, but I let them go to others whom enjoyed them more. I still have a few from a dress box of the same vintage. They are good, but lack the vibrancy that I prefer in a cigar.

[Smallclub]

Wow, dress box of PLPC, those are not easy to find!

Plenty of them in Andorra, in the mid 2000's. All from 2001. I have smoked two boxes, and as Brandon wrote above, they "lacked the vibrancy". They were very mild, floral and honeyed, without a true character…

[PigFish]

To each their own.

In general, to minimize the potential issues with contraction and expansion. Too much heat, too fast could lead to cracked wrappers. You place ice cold cigars in the humidor you run the risk of condensation buildup. Simple as that. Does it always end badly? Not sure. More likely to happen in larger cigars where more moisture is present as well.

People ask these questions because they've just spent their hard earned dollars on a box of cigars and want to ensure they're in good condition. Let them sift through the answers and decide for themselves.

I agree with Bundy here. Putting something frozen in you room temp and humidified humidor will likely cause condensation. This is not a ROTT issue. I think his answer is froward thinking and right on the money.

-Piggy

[daeji5]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but at least I took the time to search first .

I have a shipment that's kind of late (I've had newer orders that have already arrived before this one) and I'm assuming the post office or wherever it is isn't the most optimal environment. Do y'all think I should freeze them? They've been en route for more than a couple weeks now (so far I've gotten all of my shipments within 5 days of arriving on our side of the globe except this one).

[Fosgate]

I got a few boxes this winter. Sometimes the packaging would be cold so who knows how long they were in the back of a truck freezing but everything goes into the refrigerator for 24hrs. Then they go in the freezer for 3-4 days and then back in the fridge to stabilize them so the wrappers don't crack. Then they go into the humi for 30 days to rest before smoking.

[daeji5]

I got a few boxes this winter. Sometimes the packaging would be cold so who knows how long they were in the back of a truck freezing but everything goes into the refrigerator for 24hrs. Then they go in the freezer for 3-4 days and then back in the fridge to stabilize them so the wrappers don't crack. Then they go into the humi for 30 days to rest before smoking.

Even psp's and hq's?

[SaintLuis]

Upon receipt I first store all boxes of cigars in a hypoberic chamber at a simulated altitude of 25,000 ft for exactly 36 hours. Next, I place them in hyperbaric oxygen bubble that I acquired for the estate of Michael Jackson for exactly one week. I find that that extreme oxygen deprivation and then reoxigenation of my cigars makes them smoke and taste better than anyone else's cigars and you're really missing out if you do not try it.

This is preposterous.

The fact that you don't even consider a 20 hour atomic cleansing followed immediately by a gamma scan proves you are recklessly negligent in caring for your cigars. Personally, following that, anything that doesn't include a laser bath with a positron pressure correction is borderline criminal.

I bet your cigars taste like cat piss compared to mine.

Saint

[Maplepie]

This is preposterous.

The fact that you don't even consider a 20 hour atomic cleansing followed immediately by a gamma scan proves you are recklessly negligent in caring for your cigars. Personally, following that, anything that doesn't include a laser bath with a positron pressure correction is borderline criminal.

I bet your cigars taste like cat piss compared to mine.

Saint

I use a 60% humidor and then 67%.

:/

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[SaintLuis]

Was just joshing maplepie.

I let them rest for while next to the humidor (maybe half a day?), still wrapped up, if it's midwinter and they come in very cold. I don't think there'd be a big condensation issue, but there's definitely something about the atmospheric pressure change that effects the sticks, and I'd rather them go in after settling down a bit in the new environment.

Then I toss them into the box, which I keep around 62 to 64.

I've never had a problem with beetles, and I've never pre-frozen the boxes. Doesn't sound like a bad idea though. Saw a buddy of mine's humidor turned into a warzone. Fricking horrifying.

[Maplepie]

Was just joshing maplepie. .

Aye. But naturally!

The humour came from the pedestrian response

Good run though, good run

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[PapaDisco]

I realize this thread is a couple months old, but thought I'd mention a little experiment I've done off and on. Over the last year when I've gotten a Czar package, from time to time I've pulled out a couple of sticks from the box to make room for a digital hygrometer and then closed the box back up and zip locked it for an hour. Every time I've done this the hygrometer ends up reading in the mid-60's, which says to me that Czars packaging is not loosing any humidity on the long trip over (for me it can be days to several weeks).

I've gotten in the habit of just tossing the boxes in the humi. Boxes from other locals (Canada, Hong Kong Duty Free) used to have problems with the occasional busted wrapper when I kept my humi at 72%, but now in the low to mid 60's rH even those boxes adapt just fine.

[Fosgate]

Even psp's and hq's?

I pretty much have to until I get better climate control environment. I have had a beetle scare once in the last year when the environment shot up to 82 Degrees F in the humidor and I quickly found a single beetle hole in one cigar. Immediately pitched the whole cellophane sealed sampler of NC's and went through and froze everything else. After you start adding up the dollars at risk it didn't take long to decide everything will be frozen from now on. Even with a Wineador I have the fear of power loss when I'm out of town or failure of a moving part.

[fookite]

i usually throw a plastic bag on a box to minimize my losses in the unlikely event of a beetle infestation. I also keep a Revolver nearby for the unlikelier event of a Beatle infestation.

[Jimmy2]

Strait into the humidor never had one problem and were are taking many many boxes ! over the years .

It's a cigar not rocket science ..

Also the cigars are frozen before leaving the warehouses ...

[PigFish]

Strait into the humidor never had one problem and were are taking many many boxes ! over the years .

It's a cigar not rocket science ..

Also the cigars are frozen before leaving the warehouses ...

…but it is rocket science!!! -LOL

[Fosgate]

i usually throw a plastic bag on a box to minimize my losses in the unlikely event of a beetle infestation. I also keep a Revolver nearby for the unlikelier event of a Beatle infestation.

Me too. Plus a coffin to bury the little pricks next time!

[godpheonix]

straight in the humi for me as well. unless your talking really really excessive moisture there really is no issue with this. the humi is the best place to stabalize your new box...period!

[daeji5]

Well. I just received a shipment from a different source, and even though I've had no problems with them before, I found beetles in one of the boxes. I'm not going to lie, I kind of expect beetles being in LA and the boxes having to ship so far for so long (whether they're from the prez or from a different source). I'm sure at one point during travel, chances are, it does get hot/humid enough for these bastards to hatch. Especially if they get stuck at customs and are there for an even longer period of time.

Well into the freezer they go. Good thing I pull out every single stick in all my shipments.

Makes me wonder though if I'll ever receive a shipment from czar with beetles (haven't so far, whew), and if so, is it worth it for long distance buyers to dish out the money for PSP/HQ if I'm going to have to freeze it. Just my Friday thoughts

[El Presidente]

Makes me wonder though if I'll ever receive a shipment from czar with beetles (haven't so far, whew), and if so, is it worth it for long distance buyers to dish out the money for PSP/HQ if I'm going to have to freeze it. Just my Friday thoughts

You have to keep in mind that HSA freezes it's cigars before they are shipped to distributors

when you open as many boxes as I do, you see beetles. I must say these days it is miniscule compared to pre 2005. On the rare occasion I see them these days it is generally a single beetle hole in a stick within a box. That fact alone leads me to think that the beetle hatched and fed between boxing and the HSA deep freeze, otherwise the entire box would have turned up destroyed.

Mind you, the freezing only takes care of "up to the point of freezing issues". Should that tobacco be in general contact with other infected boxes in a warehouse somewhere then it is game on as the beetle breeding process starts again.

It is one of the reasons why I always recommend freezing Custom cigars from Cuba. They are not part of the HSA freezing process and I have seen before how a members Cuban customs are the culprit for introduction of tobacco beetle to your humidor.

[daeji5]

You have to keep in mind that HSA freezes it's cigars before they are shipped to distributors

when you open as many boxes as I do, you see beetles. I must say these days it is miniscule compared to pre 2005. On the rare occasion I see them these days it is generally a single beetle hole in a stick within a box. That fact alone leads me to think that the beetle hatched and fed between boxing and the HSA deep freeze, otherwise the entire box would have turned up destroyed.

Mind you, the freezing only takes care of "up to the point of freezing issues". Should that tobacco be in general contact with other infected boxes in a warehouse somewhere then it is game on as the beetle breeding process starts again.

It is one of the reasons why I always recommend freezing Custom cigars from Cuba. They are not part of the HSA freezing process and I have seen before how a members Cuban customs are the culprit for introduction of tobacco beetle to your humidor.

Oh wow. I did not know HSA froze cigars. I just learned something new. Thanks for the explanation, Prez!

Like I said, I'm not too worried about beetles. I almost always expect it. I have no problem throwing it in the freezer for a few days. I think of it as insurance

[Guyman1966]

Well. I just received a shipment from a different source, and even though I've had no problems with them before, I found beetles in one of the boxes. I'm not going to lie, I kind of expect beetles

Since John and George are dead, was it Paul or Ringo?