Freezing cigars

Drummerjoe

I heard people say they freeze their cigars before they put them in their humi. Is this all cigars,including ones bought on places like cigar.com, or just ones received from other people and places. I only have a very small humidor right now so it would really matter much, but I am very interested in getting more in the future and would like to do it properly. Thanks in advance for you help!

danielzreyes

Yes, all cigars. (your preference really). How I do it ...
sealed in a Ziploc
1 day refrigerator
2 days freezer
1 day refrigerator
then in the humi

avengethis

Freezing them is to kill off any chance of beetles. I usually toss everything I get in the freezer for 2-3 days.

The3Stogies

Welcome Drummerjoe, I have been thinking of freezing mine now too, never done it. Seems to be pretty good insurance against beetles. I keep pretty stable temp and rh in my humi's, 70-74 degrees and 65%, would it be worth it? For some reason I worry about mold more.

Drummerjoe

Thanks! Yeah until I joined the forum I had no clue about these issues! I'm very thankful for everyone's help!!!

Drummerjoe

Thanks for the help guys! I will start with my cigar of the month stuff I received today! One more question, glass tube and all or remove it first? Probably a dumb question but I wanna get it right!!

blutattoo

Just say no to tubes. Great for display, bad for storage.

Bob_Luken

Welcome Joey. What part of Tennessee are you located in? I just got through talking about freezing so I'm going to just cut and paste what I wrote a day or two ago. >>>>>>>>>Three to four days at zero degrees fahrenheit Seems to do the trick for me. I did a little bit of google research and it takes longer at higher temps and it's quicker at lower temps but I also added a day for good measure. Also ziplock bag the sticks and remove excess air from the ziplock. Also get a weather thermometer to determine that your freezer is cold enough. ( Don't use your digital hygrometer.) The point of all this is to kill ALL the stages of life for the tobacco beetle. Eggs, larvae, and adult. It's harder to kill the eggs so it takes a bit longer to be sure they are all dead. The point is you don't have to worry about beetles afterward. Even if your humidor or coolidors aren't all that cool. My coolers are usually around 78 F. That would be warm enough to worry but I don't because I freeze them little bastards ahead of time. Tobacco beetles generally need temps to be 70 F and above before they will be willing to move about. (that's one reason why wine fridges are nice because the temps are kept low enough that even if beetles, larvae or eggs are present, they remain dormant until higher temps allow them to awaken and live again.) <<<<<<<< Keep sticks in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours before and after you have them in the freezer. This just lets the transition from humi to freezer and back less abrupt. Is it nessesary? Maybe, maybe not. Oh and get rid of the tubes. Also allow plenty of rest afterward. Two weeks I'm my opinion to allow the cigar to rest after being frozen.

Bob_Luken

Also, I have had beetles twice. Once in sticks i got with a trade I made with another member here. And once in a box of cigars that I got from a B&M. On each occasion they rested in my humidor for awhile after i received them and it took a while for me to discover the evidence. So far I've never gotten a beetle problem from cigar.com or any online retailer. I have frozen about 75% of my stuff. There's no specific reason for not freezing 25% except that I got lazy and just didn't want to mess with it sometimes. But I make sure to keep them separate.

Darktower007

Has anyone experianced damage by freezing? I'm a scientist by day so I'm a bit **** on processes...but the humidity and temperature shock freaked me out.

( I keep thinking of geology class and frost wedging=CRACK!)

Drummerjoe

Thank you sir!! I am a little north east of Nashville up in the sticks! I really am enjoying my found "hobby" or maybe lifestyle! I am learning a lot from the forums here and having a great time doing it. Thanks again for your help!

CharlieHeis

Darktower007:

Has anyone experianced damage by freezing? I'm a scientist by day so I'm a bit **** on processes...but the humidity and temperature shock freaked me out.

( I keep thinking of geology class and frost wedging=CRACK!)

This concerned me when I got a shipment this past winter when it was -10 degrees. I made a thread and everybody said not to worry. I also started freezing my new arrivals a couple months ago. Seal them good and remove excess air and you shouldn't have any problem.

FireRob

Darktower007:

Has anyone experianced damage by freezing?

Other then dropping a 5 Vegas '13 glass Tubo on the cap end, switching from the freezer to the fridge, I have not had a problem as of yet.

The3Stogies

Darktower007:

Has anyone experianced damage by freezing? I'm a scientist by day so I'm a bit **** on processes...but the humidity and temperature shock freaked me out.

( I keep thinking of geology class and frost wedging=CRACK!)

Now I wonder about that too, I don't even like freezing my meat. Well the good stuff anyway. At what point should they be frozen, or what age? Are there any manufacturers or B&M's that do this or they don't have too because of their better climate control? If it kills the eggs/larvae right off wouldn't that be a marketing advantage? Beetle-free guarantee.

Chemnitz

Another question: When you get a box of cigars do you put the whole box in the ziplock bag for freezing or do you remove and just freeze the cigars? Wondering if freezing warps or damages the wooden box.

onestrangeone

I freeze box and all with the cello still intact and double bagged, after they come out of the fridge I remove the cello to prevent condensation from building up. Freezing a box or even a humidor will not cause any damage to it, there is not enough moisture.