freezer / beetles
- Thread starter seriesV
- Start date
Electric Sheep
Dsicle - BoM Dec 06
TMI
Freezing after you've found beetles is kind of like putting on your seatbelts after you've had an accident. It's too late.
I'm not trying to convince anyone who doesn't want to, but for those who think there is a benefit to freezing an active infestation, why not freeze for preventative measures? Habanos SA has been doing it for the last 2 years +/- and comments have been positive concerning recent production. There is nothing to stop an infestation occurring after they've been frozen and transported to the distributer.
I'm not trying to convince anyone who doesn't want to, but for those who think there is a benefit to freezing an active infestation, why not freeze for preventative measures? Habanos SA has been doing it for the last 2 years +/- and comments have been positive concerning recent production. There is nothing to stop an infestation occurring after they've been frozen and transported to the distributer.
The reason I froze certain boxes after an outbreak was to salavage what was still smokable in the box. I have never seen the need to freeze each and every cigar and despite my cigars coming through without any percievable change, I am loathe to freeze a 10 year old beauty. I just cant do it unless I have to.
Everything gets frozen to -10 F for six days the moment I open the box. I vacuum seal them in Foodsaver bags. On day six I move them to the fridge for 24 hours, them move them still sealed to room temp for 24 hours. Then they go in the humi. Three weeks later they taste golden and with this method have not had an outbreak in five years.
I live in Hawaii and cant afford to keep an AC on all day to keep my sticks cool. Have considered getting a wine cooler but havent gotten around to it. In the mean time, I freeze anything that goes into my humidors especially cc's. If I dont do that, then I keep them in my travel humi for smoking in the near future. I have been hit twice with beetles once in CC's and once in a fuente made product. Both were in my humis over two years before it occurred. Since then, I have used the freezer method on everything and havent had a problem.
I have a stand alone freezer and it gets down to -10 to -15 below zero at its coldest setting.
Seriously! This is the third different reference I've seen about microwaving cigars. Now I'm curious. I'm going to take a yard gar (maybe an Angeles) and chuck it in the microwave to see what happens to it and how it smokes afterward. There has to be something to it if they keep referring to it.
Never had a problem. Experimetting right now with a box that the wife took and marked her codes on them and froz half and the other half she but in one of the extra humi's I had. Then after the freeezing of the other half put them in the humi with the others. Well after smoking 14 of them over the last couple months and the wife handing me the cigars with the code she knew was frozen or not and me not knowing and judgeing how they smoked in taste, smell, flavor well lets just say at this point I will never freeze again unless I absolutly have to. Still have 10 more to go but I had noticed less (even with my not as fine tuned as many here palate) flavor, taste a little on the flat side and a couple bitter ones of 7 that Donna said those were the 7 so far that were frozen. The other 7 (not frozzen) had the Don Pepin pepper, tobacco, coffee taste and to me was really no comparrison to the other 7.
ciggy
"TommyBoy"
I did freeze some this summer but it was abnormally hot and humid. One of the worst on record. I worried about how it effected the package so I did fridge/freeze/fridge on a couple. But so far I've had no damage on any cc or nc...knock on wood!