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Hey all, I never heard of this, but a new golfing buddy of mine swears by it. Said he once had a cigar beetle infestation that ruined most of his cigars. The guy has a great cigar collection. He says anytime he gets new cigars, he freezes them before he will introduce them to his humidor to kill any beetles and eggs.
I thought he was pulling my leg, but he says 4 days- 1 day ref. 2 days freeze, 1 day ref. and THEN puts him in his humidor.

I looked it up online and found info on it. Just wondering if anyone has ever done this?

this site has info:

https://bettercigar.com/cigar-beetles-guide/#Freezing_Cigars_To_Prevent_Cigar_Beetles


Thoughts?

teddy!!!
The Splendid Splinter!
Missed ya bud.
I still appreciate some info you provided several years ago when I was going to San Diego.

there's been lots of talk here over the years about freezing cigars to kill the beetles and eggs.
Whistlebritches (Ron) has a system he follows religiously, maybe a search would help.

My limited experience was straight into the freezer for a couple days and then into the humidor...not refrigerator steps required, but other do know more than me about the best method.
One thing to know is that if the cigars spend time above 70 degrees the eggs can hatch.

Stick around.

Like so?

I boil mine. Kills germs too.

No. I have never had a beetle outbreak and I never froze cigars.

Also... I think those that do are paranoid.

But how'd it smoke afterwards?

My shop protects me. They don’t sell me the ones with beetles.

I listened to The Beatles this afternoon.

Yeah, I never did it, but Ron convinced me it was a good idea. I've never had a beetle outbreak, don't want one. I freeze new stuff coming in and went back and froze the old ones too.

My system is to double bag in ziplocs, a day in the fridge to lower the temperature some, three days in the deep freezer, a day back in the fridge to gradually bring the temp back up. Wifey thinks it's funny.

Oh, here's a tip I read online. After filling the bags, I stick a straw in the corner and close the bag around it, squeeze the air out, then suck the rest out to provide a bit of a vacuum seal. Helps cut down on freezer burn.

I only do it occasionally. Usually if I buy from an online place I will do 2-3 in freezer and 2-3 in fridge. If it is from a seasoned, respectable person on here, I won’t usually do it.

I’ve never had a beetle problem (…knock on wood…) but since I don’t have any regulated temperature & humidity controlled storage, I tend to freeze more often than not. I leave the cigars in the freezer for at least 4 days, sometimes 5 with 2-3 days in the refridge before and after.

Why so long in the freezer?

I read something online that household freezers aren’t normally cold enough to kill the eggs in 72 hours and recommended at least 96. I tried looking for the article again but to no avail. I also take into consideration if the cigars are in bags or boxes. Boxes stay in for at least 5 days. At any rate, that’s what I do to prevent beetle infestation.

You rang???

I have a commercial freezer that runs -12 to -14 degrees so 72 hours has worked for me.If your freezer won't keep the sticks below 0 I'd go with a minimum 96 hours and probably 120.

I've had two outbreaks,both 10-12 years ago...........one small,only lost a handful of sticks.Second outbreak I lost a couple full boxes and this is when I punted...........froze all my stock and from that day forward everything that comes in regardless of source.This became even more important after the 2015 remodel............I took a large closet ,lined it with Spanish cedar,installed an exterior door(double pane glass) and placed the contents of 5 or 6 coolers in that one big humi.Now an outbreak could destroy all my stash so I take zero chances.

I think you are all paranoid schizophrenics with acarophobia.

ThunderGerbil?
I heard he's low on latkes...

How long will it take for beetles to emerge if not frozen and stored over 70 degrees?

^ha!

But legitimate question. If I keep new stuff in a quarantine tupperadore, how long would I need to wait before I would see the beetle holes? It's there a set lifespan or something? Our freezer is jam packed, not sure I am getting any real estate in there, but I usually hold new stuff at the office for a few weeks before it comes home and into gen-pop.