Freezing Vessels

[Isaac]

So after reading various posts on freezing cigars, most people say to triple bag in ziplock.  I was wondering, could you just put everything in a Lock&Lock Airtight container and call it a day?  

 

 

[retrofail]

I believe ziplock is preferred because you can work most of the air out before sealing. While your container is airtight, there is still a larger volume of air locked in with the cigars. That extra air may lead to frost forming on the cigars. 

Correct me if I’m wrong. 

[BuzzArd]

There's lots of freezing info here. I've only done it to one box ever, and IMO the "evidence" that there was an issue was probably there before HSA froze that stock and sent it out.  I gallon ziplocked the box and popped it in the freezer.   Took it out after three days and put it back in the humi. That box is long gone now, but in 300+ CC boxes I've yet to see a live beetle, and that's in desert SW room temps of 83-ish degrees. 

I would guess you'd need a really big freezer to freeze a whole airtight  container.... How big is it?  And do you mean fill it with singles and freeze it?

[PapaDisco]

The ziplocks are to prevent odor infiltration from the freezer.  My wife freezes peeled, crushed garlic . . . trust me, you don't want that in your stogies.  Freezer bags are less permeable than plain ziplocks, but I always double bag with freezer bags at the least.

Depending on how cold your freezer gets, and which stage of the bug you're trying to kill, the time varies.  See the chart/article below, courtesy of our scientist friends in Japan:

Cigar Freezing Table Japan.pdf

[Isaac]

32 minutes ago, BuzzArd said:

There's lots of freezing info here. I've only done it to one box ever, and IMO the "evidence" that there was an issue was probably there before HSA froze that stock and sent it out.  I gallon ziplocked the box and popped it in the freezer.   Took it out after three days and put it back in the humi. That box is long gone now, but in 300+ CC boxes I've yet to see a live beetle, and that's in desert SW room temps of 83-ish degrees. 

I would guess you'd need a really big freezer to freeze a whole airtight  container.... How big is it?  And do you mean fill it with singles and freeze it?

I have about 50 singles coming in.  The lock and lock is rather small, and would fit into the freezer without issue.  

[CooGAR]

I wrap the boxes with several layers of clear plastic wrap (aka - Saran Wrap) , then place the wrapped box inside a gallon freezer bag.....then 3 days in a chest freezer.  

[Isaac]

the question is more in relation to if you dont have boxes and they are loose singles.  Putting them in an airtight container instead.  

[havanaclub]

I have about 50 singles coming in.  The lock and lock is rather small, and would fit into the freezer without issue.  

In a container there will be air. You want it airtight to avoid what would potentially be freezer burn from H2O in the air. I take freezer ziplock bags and push all air out, even take a straw and suck out the air from the bag and quickly seal. The. Double bag it. Freeze for several days depending on how cold it gets. Then into the fridge then room temp then humi. Slow process to bring the cigar back to thaw.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bagman]

Your home freezer will not even get slightly as cold as the ones done by the factories in commercial freezers.   You risk damage for no purpose.  Freezing cigars should be banned!

[luv2fly]

I froze 25 customs, a must for any cigars bought in Cuba.  2 freezer bags, I think it was 5 days in a normal freezer.  Worked great and no adverse effects.  The ziplock is great for getting the air out as noted in earlier posts.

[Fuzz AI]

6 hours ago, Monterey said:

Your home freezer will not even get slightly as cold as the ones done by the factories in commercial freezers.   You risk damage for no purpose.  Freezing cigars should be banned!

I, like many others, have frozen cigars with no ill effects. With the cigars I buy here, I never bother. But for customs or cigars I have bought o/s, I always freeze. And my fridge/freezer goes below -20C (I've checked with temp probes). Yes, a commercial freezer goes to -28C (food standard requirement in Aus for frozen goods), but it is close enough.

[Gamehawker]

How low of temperature should your freezer go and how long should the cigars be frozen to make the freezing effective?

[luv2fly]

1 hour ago, Gamehawker said:

How low of temperature should your freezer go and how long should the cigars be frozen to make the freezing effective?

See PapaDiscos post with the PDF attachment, page 3.  Basically, the colder the freezer is, the less time it takes.  

[CooGAR]

9 hours ago, Isaac said:

the question is more in relation to if you dont have boxes and they are loose singles.  Putting them in an airtight container instead.  

Singles I wrap as a group or cluster of 3 cigars in Saran Wrap.  Then I will wrap multiple clusters together in Saran Wrap.  Place that inside a Ziplock bag. 

[CooGAR]

9 hours ago, Monterey said:

Your home freezer will not even get slightly as cold as the ones done by the factories in commercial freezers.   You risk damage for no purpose.  Freezing cigars should be banned!

Says the guy that lives in Oregon.

It have been proven over and over that freezing cigars does not damage a cigar if done properly.  Home freezers do work....you just have to freeze the cigars longer.  Commercial freezers just do it faster.

I live in Texas.....where during about 5 months of the year, my A/C runs almost all day just to keep the house in the mid 70s.  Any cigars delivered to me by mail have likely spent several days in the high 80s to high 90s while riding around in the mail trucks.  (I order most of my mail order smokes from Nov to March for this reason.)

I've dealt with beetle infestations in some boxes.  In the past, I have tossed some very expensive boxes in the trash can.  I began freezing EVERY cigar I buy/receive years ago and have never had even one cigar damaged since.  Yes, I know the mfg now freezes cigars for me and "maybe" that is the reason I have not had beetle damage.  But I'll live with the peace of mind that I have done my part to stop the beetles.  

 

[DBNInc]

You don't need commercial freezer temperatures to kill beetles, just extend the time.  The Japanese Study PDF has been around for a while, and has all the info you could ever need.

I've found that Beetles are only a problem with NC cigars, but I imagine Cubans that were not exported (i.e. direct from the island) could also have this problem because they're not frozen prior to sale.  I don't know why every manufacturer doesn't freeze every cigar they produce, because it would avoid this problem completely.

I don't find ziplocks necessary, and the Japanese study says tempering (putting them in the fridge before the freezer to slowly lower the temperature) aids in the survival of the beetles.  If you're gonna freeze, go direct to the freezer; otherwise you're defeating the purpose.

[Corylax18]

9 hours ago, Monterey said:

Your home freezer will not even get slightly as cold as the ones done by the factories in commercial freezers.   You risk damage for no purpose.  Freezing cigars should be banned!

The damage that a tobacco beetle infestation will do to your entire stash is far worse than any damage a freezer might do to your cigars. My home freezer reaches -22 or -23, so plenty cold enough to kill the beetles. Im not sure why a few degrees warmer would damage the cigars??

I dont freeze boxes that I receive from FOH or the like, but come November 26th, my freezer is going to be OVERFLOWING with stock purchased straight from the island. There is not a chance in hell I would introduce that stock to my humidors without this step. Its solid, established science and does no damage to your cigars.

I double freezer bag all my single sticks or bundles, squeeze all the air out, then toss em in for a week. Then I leave them in the open air (still bagged) for about 24 hrs so they can ease closer to room/humi temp. Putting a -20 bundle into your 65% rh humidor will create a ton of condensation. 

[avaldes]

Using a "food-saver," which is one of those vacuum bag food storage devices. Makes it easy to vacuum pack a box or a bungle of singles. I have done this many times and just have to be careful not to crush the cigars with too much vacuum.

 

[Bagman]

The point is that if your cigars are already frozen commercially, nothing will be achieved at home doing it a second time.   The damage I speak of is if you make a mistake.  There is small hole in the bag, or if the person doing it doesn't do it right.    Seems silly to risk it. 

Is it a fact that Cubans sold on the island do not go through the freezing process?

[LLC]

The point is that if your cigars are already frozen commercially, nothing will be achieved at home doing it a second time.   The damage I speak of is if you make a mistake.  There is small hole in the bag, or if the person doing it doesn't do it right.    Seems silly to risk it. 
Is it a fact that Cubans sold on the island do not go through the freezing process?

Only cigars for export go through the freeze process in Cuba.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[garbandz]

cheap peace  of mind.

I freeze customs always.

ziplock bags can also provide temporary storage for those "extra" boxes that just seem to turn up...............