Do you freeze the aged cigars you've purchased?

[Riverstyx]

A few questions:

1.) When purchasing aged cigars from our host, and assuming you typically freeze fresh cigars, do you freeze them?

2.) Can it harm the cigar if they are put in the freezer multiple times?

3.) I know fresh cigars are usually frozen before leaving Cuba, but does our host freeze cigars when he ages them?

Thanks!

[Fuzz]

Might I suggest you search the forum on this subject? We have had several recent threads on freezing.

 

[Fuzz]

I know you are specifically asking about aged cigars, but apart from age (and how delicate the wrappers may be), I see no detrimental effect from freezing.

Rob stores all the cigars he receives from PCC in a temperature and humidity controlled environment.

[Riverstyx]

Thanks.  I've looked through the freezing posts in the past but couldn't remember anything about re-freezing cigars, or the impact of freezing an aged cigar that is already smoking wonderfully.

[Fuzz]

Is there s reason why you would want to re-freeze a cigar that is "smoking wonderfully", or ref-freeze any cigar, for that matter?

[Riverstyx]

No, my comment about a cigar that is "smoking wonderfully" was not referring freezing it twice; I was asking about freezing it once.  I was saying that I purchased some aged cigars that are smoking wonderfully, but they may stay in my humi for years to come - so should I freeze them, or would they impact the flavor in the short run?  

I definitely wouldn't WANT to re-freeze any cigar.  I thought Rob may freeze the cigars that he ages (I know he doesn't freeze the fresh ones, but wasn't sure about the aged ones) and thought i might potentially be re-freezing them if so.  Also, I've been buying so many I can't always remember which I've frozen, so there is a chance I've frozen a box twice. 

 

[Fuzz]

To be honest, if you are freezing any Cuban cigars bought outside of Cuba, you are already re-freezing. For cigars that you have frozen, and then re-frozen again at a later stage, I would not have a clue if there would be any detrimental effect. Cigars are pretty hardy (though we keep thinking they are delicate little darlings), so I honestly couldn't imagine they would be effected to the point they go bad or become unsmokable.

[Fugu]

Don't freeze them.

If they have been sitting in Rob's lockers for years without a beetle issue, why should beetles suddenly pose a threat to them when in your storage? Keep them under quarantine for half a year if you want to play it really safe (life cycle egg to hatched bug is about 90 days at 20°C ). But rather unlikely for those boxes to bear any risk if stored at normal conditions at your site.

[topdiesel]

The only way I would freeze aged cigars is if I found one with that nasty green rash, I mean mark found on Zeedubbya's Montecristo.

[PapaDisco]

Interesting question.  I know (by the Japan Tobacco chart) how to kill beetle larvae and eggs by freezing, but how long will they survive dormant in a cigar?  10 years?  20?  Is there a point where you no longer have to worry about freezing them?

[Fuzz]

2 hours ago, PapaDisco said:

Interesting question.  I know (by the Japan Tobacco chart) how to kill beetle larvae and eggs by freezing, but how long will they survive dormant in a cigar?  10 years?  20?  Is there a point where you no longer have to worry about freezing them?

If they haven't asked for child support or financial assistance by that time, I wouldn't worry.

[Cubadust]

My guess is, nobody knows. I mean, if you would have had a beetle infested box in your storage and asked if you could throw the rest in the freezer just to make sure you got rid of the bug I'm pretty sure the majority would have said "Do it". And I know alot of people quarantine a newly arrived box for a month. I see no problem with it, but hey like I said, I'm just guessing.