Newcomer (Newbie) Q&A

[barrygoodvibes]

On 5/15/2025 at 2:18 AM, Mike Mecklenburg said:

I can suggest the Rafael Gonzalez Petit Corona (or) Perlas, H. Upmann Half Corona, Bolivar Petit Coronas.  They are smaller cigars but are very consistent.

Thank you! I am very excited to try and find some Bolivar PCs. I did order a box of HUHC and I will try to grab a single of the Rafael Gonzalez to see if I like it.

[El Niño]

On 5/12/2025 at 12:39 AM, barrygoodvibes said:

I am just starting to get into cigars. I’m pretty much exclusively enjoying light/medium Cubans. I love the honey/vanilla/caramel tasting cigars. That being said, what are some of your favorite lesser expensive boxes to throw in the humidor? 

I had a Por Larranaga Montecarlo that gave me strong honey/caramel notes. Perfect if you like thin ring gauges!

[Dlowil]

I am just starting to get into cigars. I’m pretty much exclusively enjoying light/medium Cubans. I love the honey/vanilla/caramel tasting cigars. That being said, what are some of your favorite lesser expensive boxes to throw in the humidor? 

PLPC & PL Montecarlo. Both are yummy.

[King22david]

Hi everyone,

I know Cuban cigars have sometimes had beetle issues in the past. I’ve read that they’re now frozen before leaving Cuba, but some people doubt the reliability of Cuba’s energy grid — meaning there’s still a chance that some cigars might not be kept at the proper temperature long enough to kill beetle eggs.

My questions are:

1. If I get cigars from 24:24, is it still recommended to freeze them myself?

2. How much time would need to pass before I could be confident that any beetle eggs inside would no longer be viable?

[Fuzz]

On 8/9/2025 at 4:28 AM, King22david said:

Hi everyone,

I know Cuban cigars have sometimes had beetle issues in the past. I’ve read that they’re now frozen before leaving Cuba, but some people doubt the reliability of Cuba’s energy grid — meaning there’s still a chance that some cigars might not be kept at the proper temperature long enough to kill beetle eggs.

My questions are:

1. If I get cigars from 24:24, is it still recommended to freeze them myself?

2. How much time would need to pass before I could be confident that any beetle eggs inside would no longer be viable?

Whilst cigars from FOH are perfectly safe, it never hurts to freeze your cigars once you get them. Just because they were frozen at the factory, and kept at ideal storage conditions before shipping out, there is always a chance (however remote) a beetle can hop onboard in transit.

As for freezing, the search function is your friend. There are plenty of posts on FOH about freezing and the ideal length and temp.