I didn't freeze but I did isolate!

[JoeyBones777]

Received this as a gift from an employee from Colombia. I didn't freeze but I was at least smart enough to isolate in a sealed ziplock bag...glad I did!

[El Presidente]

Cigar version of the Trojan Horse ?

[avaldes]

I had a "friend" once give me a coral and plopped it in my tank. Whacked all of my SPS with a parasite....Trojan Horse reminded me of that.

[Ritch]

Eradicate by fire 

[JoeyBones777]

6 hours ago, Ritch said:

Eradicate by fire 

If you mean smoke it then nope. I'm not too keen on the idea of filling my mouth and nose with beetle dung in smoke form.?

[rcarlson]

36 minutes ago, JoeyBones777 said:

If you mean smoke it then nope. I'm not too keen on the idea of filling my mouth and nose with beetle dung in smoke form.?

Who's going to break it to Joey?

[JoeyBones777]

3 hours ago, rcarlson said:

Who's going to break it to Joey?

Out of sight out of mind but once they show themselves and crap all over the inside of the box I can't bring myself to smoke those cigars. I can easily fool myself into believing cigars in a clean box are "untainted".?

[cfc1016]

6 hours ago, JoeyBones777 said:

If you mean smoke it then nope. I'm not too keen on the idea of filling my mouth and nose with beetle dung in smoke form.?

I try to compartmentalize 'principle' vs 'practical'.

From a principal stance, I would very much like to expose myself to only the cleanest, finest, purest, *insert whatever superlative is applicable here*, of anything in life.

Practically, I accept that the world is anything but sterile. I'm constantly exposed to myriad pathogens and nasty microbes just as a simple function of being alive.

I'd love to never smoke beetles, dog hair, the questionable residues of other people's hands and mouths. Practically, I accept that these things happen, and will not allow my enjoyment of many things to be denied me by the possibility that a few of them will be gross.

I smoked hand rolled cigarettes for a long time, and had dogs. I avoided it, but I've definitely inadvertently smoked a fair bit of dog hair. I smoked habanos well before they started freezing export sticks. There were a lotttttttaaaa beetles in the 90s. I certainly didn't *try to*... but i smoked a significant number of beetles (and their poo, as you had it). Though not favorable, it's really not nearly the catastrophe people hype it to be. It tastes funny. Then it tastes off. Then you hear a pop as a beetle explodes. Then it tastes gross. Then you find something else to do with your time - perhaps a slosh of mouthwash, to begin. On you go with your day.

[Derboesekoenig]

7 hours ago, cfc1016 said:

I try to compartmentalize 'principle' vs 'practical'.

From a principal stance, I would very much like to expose myself to only the cleanest, finest, purest, *insert whatever superlative is applicable here*, of anything in life.

Practically, I accept that the world is anything but sterile. I'm constantly exposed to myriad pathogens and nasty microbes just as a simple function of being alive.

I'd love to never smoke beetles, dog hair, the questionable residues of other people's hands and mouths. Practically, I accept that these things happen, and will not allow my enjoyment of many things to be denied me by the possibility that a few of them will be gross.

I smoked hand rolled cigarettes for a long time, and had dogs. I avoided it, but I've definitely inadvertently smoked a fair bit of dog hair. I smoked habanos well before they started freezing export sticks. There were a lotttttttaaaa beetles in the 90s. I certainly didn't *try to*... but i smoked a significant number of beetles (and their poo, as you had it). Though not favorable, it's really not nearly the catastrophe people hype it to be. It tastes funny. Then it tastes off. Then you hear a pop as a beetle explodes. Then it tastes gross. Then you find something else to do with your time - perhaps a slosh of mouthwash, to begin. On you go with your day.

When you hear a pop when you smoke cigars....is it SOLELY based on beetles inside?? Because I've had this happen before, and I was in denial about it at the time. Definitely crossed my mind though. I think I said it as a joke. And then explained it as a chemical reaction/flexing of the leaves/layers or something or other that I could articulate well enough at the time

[cfc1016]

5 hours ago, Derboesekoenig said:

When you hear a pop when you smoke cigars....is it SOLELY based on beetles inside?? Because I've had this happen before, and I was in denial about it at the time. Definitely crossed my mind though. I think I said it as a joke. And then explained it as a chemical reaction/flexing of the leaves/layers or something or other that I could articulate well enough at the time

I don't know for sure, tbh. I *suppose* a knot in a stem could conceivably pop? I dunno. I would imagine you'd distinctly recognize a sudden flavor of roast beetle, though...

[Derboesekoenig]

11 minutes ago, cfc1016 said:

I don't know for sure, tbh. I *suppose* a knot in a stem could conceivably pop? I dunno. I would imagine you'd distinctly recognize a sudden flavor of roast beetle, though...

I've never noticed flavors change or different aromas. I've heard pops plenty of times, however.

[cfc1016]

24 minutes ago, Derboesekoenig said:

I've never noticed flavors change or different aromas. I've heard pops plenty of times, however.

Yeah I doubt it was a beetle if you didn't notice the flavor change.

[Meklown]

On 10/7/2019 at 2:46 AM, cfc1016 said:

I don't know for sure, tbh. I *suppose* a knot in a stem could conceivably pop? I dunno. I would imagine you'd distinctly recognize a sudden flavor of roast beetle, though...

Do beetles even have a taste? Several times I have eaten fried/roasted insects of sorts (delicacies in some countries), and they were just simply crunchy but did not really have much taste. 

[cfc1016]

11 hours ago, Meklown said:

Do beetles even have a taste? Several times I have eaten fried/roasted insects of sorts (delicacies in some countries), and they were just simply crunchy but did not really have much taste. 

Yes indeed. The insects you've eaten were intentionally cooked - made to taste a certain way. The one you will smoke is catastrophically OVERcooked. Imagine burning soy sauce into a pan. After a certain point,it no longer smells like soy sauce,but rather just 'burnt'. So it is with a smoked beetle. All their constituent compounds are broken down into foul smoke. It does not taste like perfect, medium rare grasshopper, lol.

[Bords]

So if there is a hole that means the critter made its way out right? I’ve had maybe 5 beetles over 20 years of CCs (never freeze) and have always patched up the hole with pectin and a piece of snipped cap. They always tasted great to me and I’ve never had a pop or foul taste. I do shake out the dust before patching.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MigsG]

Interesting topic.  I was once smoking a PLPC that seemed to have a funny taste about it.  It also had a yellow-colored ash. Since that cigar, haven't seen that color ash again.  Any chance that was due to roasted beetle?  There weren't any holes in the cigar, but this particular stick came from a trade (I won't say from who, LOL).  So who knows where it came from and how it was previously stored.   

[cfc1016]

2 hours ago, MigsG said:

Interesting topic.  I was once smoking a PLPC that seemed to have a funny taste about it.  It also had a yellow-colored ash. Since that cigar, haven't seen that color ash again.  Any chance that was due to roasted beetle?  There weren't any holes in the cigar, but this particular stick came from a trade (I won't say from who, LOL).  So who knows where it came from and how it was previously stored.   

I have never seen a cigar's ash change color because of a beetle. My guess would be that it was just a dud (as often happens). As i said, the taste of roast beetle is hard to miss. It does not taste anything like tobacco (good or bad).

[MigsG]

13 minutes ago, cfc1016 said:

I have never seen a cigar's ash change color because of a beetle. My guess would be that it was just a dud (as often happens). As i said, the taste of roast beetle is hard to miss. It does not taste anything like tobacco (good or bad).

Hopefully that's the case.  The funny taste was something like a bitter melon fruit, if that makes any sense. 

[CaptainQuintero]

  I'd probably still always freeze, I've seen people have beetles eat through cellophane and plastic ziplocks etc

[JoeyBones777]

5 hours ago, CaptainQuintero said:

  I'd probably still always freeze, I've seen people have beetles eat through cellophane and plastic ziplocks etc

They can do that? I suppose I will be freezing then.

[La_Tigre]

What sucks is lighting up and a third in notice a tunnel burn through your previously intact cigar. Have had a couple of those experiences with singles while in the city.