strayvector Posted January 5, 2007 Posted January 5, 2007 Just a word of caution for everyone who may have gone lax in their fight against beetle infestation because of the news that all recent production Habanos are now frozen prior to shipment. I just found 3 sticks of RyJ Short Churchills that have been munched on by beetles. This was from a batch of singles purchased a few months ago and were stored in its own ziploc bag. I opened up the locker today to grab one to smoke when I noticed the fine tabacco dust at the bottom of the bag and I knew right away that an egg must have hatched. Three of the eight sticks had nice little holes in them and 2 others had tabacco dust coming out when tapped. I even found the little suckers in the bag. One larva and 2 beetles. They all went right into the freezer as well as few other bags of cigars that were stored in the same locker. Hopefully, nothing else will hatch in the near future.
genevapics Posted January 5, 2007 Posted January 5, 2007 That sucks!!! Thank you for the heads up though. :-|
gyosa Posted January 5, 2007 Posted January 5, 2007 that sucks .... i also had some sticks munched... a few weeks ago i received a cab of punch RS 11 that had 2 sticks ruined.... they did their work while on the airplane ride over the ocean .... rule #1 is ALWAYS freeze EVERYTHING you get - no matter where it comes from , or the production date. -bk
smokum Posted January 5, 2007 Posted January 5, 2007 »» rule #1 is ALWAYS freeze EVERYTHING you get - no matter where it comes » from , or the production date. » » -bk I read about the new production being frozen before shipping. I thought I recall reading somewhere...maybe in CA magazine years ago that freezing harms the tobacco since freezing them bursts the cells of the leaf that are holding moisture....anyone else heard this ?
ccsmoker Posted January 5, 2007 Posted January 5, 2007 That sucks bud,how warm is your humi? :-( I always try to keep mine at 60-66 degres..
Tampa1257 Posted January 5, 2007 Posted January 5, 2007 » I read about the new production being frozen before shipping. I thought I » recall reading somewhere...maybe in CA magazine years ago that freezing » harms the tobacco since freezing them bursts the cells of the leaf that » are holding moisture....anyone else heard this ? Freezing in my opinion does absolutely no damage to the cigars. The eggs that live on the tobacco are so small, microscopic, that the freezing that will kill the eggs by cracking them open would not damage a cigar. If the eggs have already hatched and become larvae, then that is a separate issue. Several European countries have had a practice of freezing all cigars coming into country for years with no discernible difference in taste. What most people do not realize is that freezing in a regular freezer will do nothing but make your cigars cold. They need to be frozen at around -40 degrees for several days. That is an industrial strength freezer, something like an Ice Cream Distributor storage facility would maintain.
strayvector Posted January 5, 2007 Author Posted January 5, 2007 Locker is at the local B&M and temp ranges from 68-74F. I was keeping only recent production cigars in the locker, but it looks like I need to freeze everything prior to doing this. Nice thing is that there is a restaurant next door with a commercial freezer that they keep at -25F and they've kindly allowed me to freeze my sticks there.
gyosa Posted January 5, 2007 Posted January 5, 2007 What most people do not realize is that freezing in a regular » freezer will do nothing but make your cigars cold. They need to be frozen » at around -40 degrees for several days. That is an industrial strength » freezer, something like an Ice Cream Distributor storage facility would » maintain. EXACTLY ! if the freezing process in cuba doesn't kill the bastards and their eggs - our home freezers definitely won't do the job .... personally , if i have an "infected" box of cigars (i try to exchange them first) , they don't get w/ in 10 feet of my humidor. they are isolated in ziplok bags and immediately handed out for immediate smoking to my "unsuspecting" friends ... it is simply just not worth the risk of "infection" to my collection of 50 - 60 boxes . if one cigar in a box has beetles , you can bet your life many more do as well - even though they may not show holes. call me paranoid ..... -bk
Ginseng Posted January 6, 2007 Posted January 6, 2007 There is a lot of debate around freezing and I'm not here to start it up again. While the information that's been presented has not been unequivocal regarding the overall usefulness and efficacy of freezing, I think even freezing in a home freezer has benefit. The story actually has two parts. It may not totally destroy eggs, but that's only half the story. Home freezer temperatures will kill larvae (the destructive phase of Lasioderma's life cycle). So, if the cigars you received had an outbreak while in transit, freezing will kill the active insects. It may not destroy the eggs but if you maintain positive control over your storage conditions (i.e. below 67F year round) then once the larvae (and adults) are knocked off, you should not experience any further trouble whether or not there remain any viable eggs in your cigars. In the past, I've frozen cigars but in the last year, have stopped doing so. In over ten years of active involvement with cigars, I've never had an outbreak in my coolers. I have received several shipments which came with active infestations though. So, freezing (in a home freezer) isn't just freezing. On the one hand, as a prophylactic or preventative measure, its value is debatable. On the other hand, as a treatment for an active infestation, its effectiveness and benefits are less dubious. Wilkey
Ginseng Posted January 6, 2007 Posted January 6, 2007 Forgot to add that I have never found freezing to alter the taste or age-related development of my cigars. No pickup of fridge/freezer stink either. My routine was 1 day in the fridge, 3-4 in the freezer, 1 day in the fridge. Several wraps of heavy plastic and at least one layer of foil. Wilkey
Wiley Posted January 6, 2007 Posted January 6, 2007 How are you guys controlling your humidor's temperature?
Ginseng Posted January 7, 2007 Posted January 7, 2007 » How are you guys controlling your humidor's temperature? I keep my coolers in the basement and let them sit on the bare concrete slab. It's pretty primitive but even in hottest of summer, the temperatures never climb above 68F. And by hot, so far 4-5 days of 95F+ has been the worst stretch. Wilkey
CigarZen Posted January 7, 2007 Posted January 7, 2007 Miami -- those pics would make a grown man cry. Just plain sad!
El Presidente Posted January 8, 2007 Posted January 8, 2007 I suppose no system is 100% firesafe. We haven't seen a beetle infestation from any mid 05/06 stock. Having said that, I am sure individual cases will occur as I suspect quality control diligence in Havana to the freezing process is up to normal Cuban standards.
Loki Posted January 9, 2007 Posted January 9, 2007 That is very good to know. I hate beetles but I love my eggs over easy with bacon.;-)
WOXOF Posted January 11, 2007 Posted January 11, 2007 Thanks for the info and the pics. I've never had a beetle problem. Knock on wood...
Trevor2118 Posted January 11, 2007 Posted January 11, 2007 » How are you guys controlling your humidor's temperature? I have put mine in my temperature and humidity controlled wine cellar. Yesterday it was 38 deg C (100F) outside but cellar maintained 16.5 deg C (61F) and 67% RH. Normally temperature is held at 16 deg C (62F). The mixed use works out ok, as its just on the low end for cigars and the high end for red wine. I have just finished adding additional insulation to minimise temperature variations, which is probably a worse concern for wine. I have to see how this gos in winter as outside can go down to 0 deg C (32F). The refrigeration unit has a heater but last year (without the extra insulation) it did drop about 3 deg C.
Wiley Posted January 11, 2007 Posted January 11, 2007 Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking for. I don't have any wine coolers at the moment. My mother has a pretty nice wine cellar layout where I keep anything I won't be drinking anytime soon. Guess it's time to price a couple of the heated and cooled ones out for my garage! What is the low end for humidor temperatures?
El Presidente Posted January 11, 2007 Posted January 11, 2007 » Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking for. I don't have any wine » coolers at the moment. My mother has a pretty nice wine cellar layout » where I keep anything I won't be drinking anytime soon. Guess it's time » to price a couple of the heated and cooled ones out for my garage! » » What is the low end for humidor temperatures? Wiley. I llike 14 degrees -16 degrees Celsius for long term aging.
Wiley Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 » » Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking for. I don't have any wine » » coolers at the moment. My mother has a pretty nice wine cellar layout » » where I keep anything I won't be drinking anytime soon. Guess it's » time » » to price a couple of the heated and cooled ones out for my garage! » » » » What is the low end for humidor temperatures? » » Wiley. I llike 14 degrees -16 degrees Celsius for long term aging. Excellent, thanks!
Miami101 Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 I thinking about taking you up on the lockers for long term.
BigSlick Posted January 12, 2007 Posted January 12, 2007 To clarify my situation. Recapping the buying time/storage time, the eggs of the beetles from this cigar hatched prior to entry into my cigar utopia.
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