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Beetles Found. Help Appreciated.

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So I purchased this Mason Dixon from Holt's Cigar company in Philly about 3 weeks ago.
It's been in it's original cellophane and in my wine cooler since then.

I just took it out and pulled it from the cello, only to find this hole. I tapped the foot and particles came out.

Does this mean I have to freeze ALL of my smokes now? Can they move from out the cellophane?Screen Shot 2015-05-30 at 3.47.01 PM.png
 
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Was there a hole in the cello? Did you find the critter in the cello?
I think i would be in panic mode if i found that. The MDP northern is one of my favorite cigars.
No hole in the cello, I'm going to cut it open.
And yes full panic mode.

Has anyone had experience with freezing cigars before? If done right, will there still be damage to the cigars?
 

HIM*

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No hole in the cello, I'm going to cut it open.
And yes full panic mode.

Has anyone had experience with freezing cigars before? If done right, will there still be damage to the cigars?
Put the cigars in a bag and suck out all the air then throw em in the freezer for 3 days and thats about it. I usually give them a couple hours on the counter before I put them into storage but Ive gone straight from the freezer to the humi without any problems.
 
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Put the cigars in a bag and suck out all the air then throw em in the freezer for 3 days and thats about it. I usually give them a couple hours on the counter before I put them into storage but Ive gone straight from the freezer to the humi without any problems.
Thanks for the advice man. I'm doing that as we speak. After inspection, none of the sticks seem to be visibly compromised. They don't need to be vacuumed sealed though right?

This is seriously a nightmare! I'm beyond livid too that a high quality place like Holt's has these issues. Maybe it's more common than I thought.
 
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@jmartins I moved them from them from the wineador to the the refrigerator. Was going to leave them there for 24 then move to freezer.
Think thats a good choice?
 
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I've gone right to freezer in the past. I double bag though. Two days in freeze.. . But I pack flat. You, I see, bundled. So you may want to freeze longer. Withdrawl is about 90 minutes on the counter at room temp. But that is more to defeat condensation. Never any issues.

Most people will wipe, or vacuum their humi out, with an alcohol pad, after a larger, verified infestation. . Paying close attn to corners.
The game there is to eradicate eggs. Wineadors are much easier to wipe and maintain stable humidity during this process due to their molded interior construction. Weather you make that move is up to you. I think you would be fine simply freezing because the cello was not open. And I imagine the other smokes all inspected fine.

I used to freeze all inbound smokes. Nowdays, probably been about 16 months since I have. I got a gifted stick, once, with a similar hole. same as you. Cello wrap not breached. I just isolated t and smoked it rather than discard. I watched my smokes carefully for the next few weeks, never had any further issues.

I inspect all inbound sticks in the kitchen, where the light is better, before I put them in the wineador. Saw a hole one time, in a wrapper, but it was only a hole in the leaf, you could see the binder under it was not breached. This was likely an incident in the leaf in the field before it was deployed as wrap.
But your specimen is obviously a beetle hole.

This is all the information I have on this issue.
 

sofc

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You can go straight to freezer it is on the way out you need to watch to ensure they don't crack that is why I asked.
I've never frozen cigars but have certainly read enough threads on it here. I think most people recommend fridge before and after freezing.

Steve Saka had a very informative post about this a month or so ago about how long beetles survive, etc.

I would also contact the store and let them know.
 
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Not trying to be an idiot (sometimes I can do that without trying) but if that's the amount of cigars you have to freeze, it's not that bad.

I've had beetles in two sticks before (that I received from a friend) but was too lazy to do that. :)
That's true! There is a bright side. (Although there are a couple extra boxes)
 

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I think most people recommend fridge before and after freezing.
I think it's an added step that's not really necessary. Then again many say the same about freezing. I've always put all my sticks through the freezer and skipped the fridge. Never had any issues. FWIW I have tried the added day in the fridge but see no difference other than hearing SWMBO bitch about why there's a box of cigars in the fridge lol.
 

sofc

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I think it's an added step that's not really necessary. Then again many say the same about freezing. I've always put all my sticks through the freezer and skipped the fridge. Never had any issues. FWIW I have tried the added day in the fridge but see no difference other than hearing SWMBO bitch about why there's a box of cigars in the fridge lol.
I've had a bunch of cigars in a tupperware outside for a month on the deck with a boveda. Smoked one out of it today and it smoked great. No problems with the draw even with sitting there in 70/80+ F weather. However, I wouldn't recommend it to others because they want to be safer. Some people feel better with the fridge first and freezer later.
 
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So I've double bagged everything and tossed in the fridge for 24 hours. Thanks again @jmartins @Bondo 440 @HIM* @sofc for helping me through this crisis!

Should I open sealed boxes that were in the same wineador but didn't have physical contact? I assume I should freeze these too?
 

sofc

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So I've double bagged everything and tossed in the fridge for 24 hours. Thanks again @jmartins @Bondo 440 @HIM* @sofc for helping me through this crisis!

Should I open sealed boxes that were in the same wineador but didn't have physical contact? I assume I should freeze these too?
I would freeze everything if I was freezing anything.
 
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