Thread: Cigar preservation: beetles and bugs

Gentlemen,

A very good friend of mine and expert humidor maker in Germany (Mar Andre at Der Humidor), had written an article in the ECJ (European Cigar Journal) magazine about beetles and bugs found in cigars.

I wanted to share it with you as I believe, it can happen to any of us. Better be safe than sorry.

It's not the best translation I have seen but everything is comprehensible.

Here is a link to the article, page 59:

ecj_2_10

Thanks for sharing! What an interesting read!

Does this mean we should be freezing our cigars for a few days before they even set foot into our humidors?

Originally Posted by jibaholic101

Thanks for sharing! What an interesting read!

Does this mean we should be freezing our cigars for a few days before they even set foot into our humidors?

No, not necessarily. I don't do it. Cigars are essentially "ready" when you buy them.

Most cigars go through a deep freeze. For instance, Padron freezes their cigars in Miami once they arrive from Nicaragua. Worldwide Habanos distributors do the same upon arrival from Cuba.

You can see the process here at the Padron tour in Miami: Video - Interview: Tour of Padrón Cigars - Miami, FL - Cigar Explorer on Vimeo

A deep freeze is usually required to kill or prevent beetles from spreading.

Mott from CA explains his situation here (4th video in list): Cigar Aficionado
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^^Good to note, and I'll have to watch those videos another time - but what about the cigars that we pick up from just the cigar shop? For example like the Partagas, Rocky Patels, etc.

Originally Posted by jibaholic101

^^Good to note, and I'll have to watch those videos another time - but what about the cigars that we pick up from just the cigar shop? For example like the Partagas, Rocky Patels, etc.

I don't understand. What about the ones at the shop? Are you asking if all cigars in general go through a deep freeze? If so, yes.

^^Thats what I wanted to know. Thanks!

Originally Posted by jibaholic101

^^Thats what I wanted to know. Thanks!

No problem. Remember that most, if not all, cigars are rolled in countries far away and are shipped to us by sea. The time involved in shipping them increases the chance of beetles. A deep freeze upon arrival or before shipping rectifies the problem.

Very interesting article. Thanks for the post!

Better safe then sorry. Freeze!

The science behind freezing

I never froze cigars till I saw this. I trust the major cigar manufacturers, but I do alot of online buying and I know they keep everything in a big warehouse, Anniversary Padrons with .25ct poo sticks. All it takes is for one of those .25ct suckers to hatch a little bastard.