Frozen Monte 2s

[ImTripN2]

A friend who just got married called and informed me that his new bride has two intact boxes of her father's '98 Monte 2's.. When the old man died in 2001, she put them in the freezer and they have been there ever since. I'm guessing they will be flat as a pancake.

Can they possibly be smokable?

[CUBANO]

In the freezer for 13 yrs, they are going to be dryer than the Sahara Desert.

[mrsgucia]

They may be beetles free by now ?

[LLC]

One way to find out.

[earthson]

Only one way to find out (send two to me, and let me be the judge!)

[finecigar]

Will have to give them a look at but I would imagine they are beyond gone. I have never heard of cigars in a freezer for that extent... if even smokable the flavor would be muted. Maybe worth just keeping as a memento in his honor.

[santela]

Well you definitely won't have a beetle problem now, so you got that going for you...

[Duxnutz]

Depends: was the freezer cryogenic?

[Maplepie]

This will depend on a multitude of things.

First being: were they in an airtight ziplock bag/ tupperware container. IF there was even the slightest leak, it could be done.

Second being: did you take them out immediately and how did you treat them after you discovered them? If you removed them from the seal (assuming there is one), then you've damaged them further. Leave them in there if you're still unsure and we can go from there.

Recovering them will be a slow and arduous journey. And it may not even yield the fruit you want...

[LeafLover]

They probably end up tasting like a very meaty smoke.

Good luck with them. Hope it works out.

[Diamondog]

meh, Monte 2's that old, worth taking out and putting them to sleep in a humi for a year and see what happens...

[Colt45]

Can they possibly be smokable?

If they can burn, they can be smoked Thaw them out gradually, and let us know.

One way to find out.

No doubt.

[dangolf18]

I'm sure they'd be covered in ice crystals by now...so they'll probably be soggy as heck when they defrost. Only one way to find out though...

[FalseCast]

Put them in a humidor for 12-18 months. They could turn out great. You've got nothing to lose.

[Rye]

I was given a bunch of cigars from an uncle that were frozen for 6 years, and only put in a ziploc. They thawed in the bag, and I smoked one after the 3 hour drive home and it was fine. The only one that tasted off was the Cohiba Exquisitos that was in a cardboard petaca, and it tasted like it's box. The rest I kept in a humi until I was ready, and each one smoked very well. I think you will be fine

[ImTripN2]

Thanks for the replies gents. I'm going over to have a look at them next week, and if they don't look like icicles I'll take a couple to try. They were not stored in bags, just put on the shelf with the frozen food. so who knows? Not overly optimistic, but certainly worth a try.

[Maplepie]

They were not stored in bags, just put on the shelf with the frozen food. so who knows? Not overly optimistic, but certainly worth a try.

that's no good.......

i'd recommend more than a year of humidification, then. not only that, but bring them up SLOWLY. The humidity in freezers is near 0%. leave them out in a plastic bag to thaw. then slowly introduce beads 20 grams at a time

[cybermadhatter]

Monte-cicles.

Wish the ice cream man sold them.

Beany.

Lol

[SMQQKIN]

Please do tell how they smoke. I've never heard of such a long frozen sleep.

[finecigar]

Wow no storage bags... I would be curious too how they might end up. Please do post a photo. This is quite a trek for some monte 2s going into mount everest for a decade+

[potpest]

At that temperature there should be no moisture or oil loss/gain so I would expeect them to be fine....although I have no scientific reasoning behind this and I maybe completely wrong, but that's my 2 cents. Thaw them in the fridge, get them to room temp and find out

And please post the results, im intrigued

[Philski]

Me too. I wonder what the freezer conditions were like? If they were undisturbed in a deep freeze, they could be in a state of suspended animation, and you might have essentially three-year-old Monte2s from '98, which could be excellent news. Or if they were in a small freezer box above a fridge which had been opened and closed often, and been subjected to a lot of temperature changes, they could be a complete mess.

Please let us know!

[ogus]

I revived some sticks that were dry like kindling after a few months in the humidor. Smoke decent now.

[DWC]

At that temperature there should be no moisture or oil loss/gain so I would expect them to be fine....

Even ice evaporates in a freezer after time. I can't imagine them being unaffected, but to what degree they've been compromised, I have no idea. There's only one way to find out! Please let us know when you get around to trying them. Like others here, I would love to know.

Dan

[potpest]

Even ice evaporates in a freezer after time. I can't imagine them being unaffected, but to what degree they've been compromised, I have no idea. There's only one way to find out! Please let us know when you get around to trying them. Like others here, I would love to know.

Dan

Ice can't evaporate; it sublimates...