Felipe Gregorio/aka Philip Wynne, I believe, makes some excellent cigars; often terribly over priced, but some fine cigars. When the Felipe Reserva II N were selling locally for $124.00 a box, I shied away from buying a box, though I'd buy an occasional single or two. When they came up on Cigarbid, I was quite curious how the bidding would go, and when it stayed very low, I gleefully bought several boxes. I hadn't had the Felipe Dominicana Corona, so when they came up for auction I grabbed a couple of boxes of those also. Now the caution: One box of the Felipe Dominicana Corona was absolutely infested with beetles. There were beetle holes in every cigar. I have never seen this degree of infestation in a box. I could not see any holes in the cigars in the other box, but immediately put it in my freezer. The box with the infestation was still wrapped in cello, so I'm hoping the infestation didn't spread within the cooler where the box was stored. Whether I buy a box of cigars here or elsewhere, I always put it down to rest and set-up for a couple of weeks before I open it, and get it ready for long term aging and storage. For the near future, I will examine every cigar upon its arrival. It can "set-up" after I examine them. As do many of you, I have a considerable investment in my cigar collection. I do not want to see them wiped out by a beetle infestation.

You mention beetle holes but no beetles. Did you see any? I've had a few cigars show up with beetle holes, but have never seen a beetle. I believe they were long gone by the time the cigars got to me. I've only seen one cigar per box with a hole(s). Maybe I've just been lucky.

Steve*R: call cbid nd arrange to have ups pick them up and cbid will replace them. they are really nice, except for some lady named ruth with a terrible new york accent, who will give you a hard time.

Cbid will take care of your problem if you let them know.

As per beetles in Felipe Gregorio products, it's something uncommon, but likely. Reason being that Felipe Gregorio is one of (if not the ONLY) cigar manufacturer that attempts to organically grow his tobacco and make his cigars. Where MOST other manufacturers would spray their tobacco with pesticides (both in the field and in the barn), Felipe Gregorio would not do this. The result is a unique tasting cigar, but also, the possibility of tobacco beetle eggs on the leaves of the tobacco.

My suggestion for you (and anyone else who buys Felipe Gregorio products, or ANY cigars for that matter, regardless of where they were manufactured or how they were treated) is to FREEZE your cigars for 2 days (to kill any eggs/beetles present), then refrigerate them for 1 day to thaw out, then you can put them in your humidor or storage unit. I've had NO problems with tobacco beetles since I've done this and I'm sure there are many on this board that can vouch for this method.

BTW, I personally like Felipe Gregorio's products, even his coffee, and would suggest any of his products to someone looking for a quality smoke. (The cheap bundles of Poderozo are GREAT if you're a fan of full-bodied smokes)

You need my solution for beetles: a 44 magnum.

i believe we discussed this a while ago but it bears repeating to her. a little protien never hurt anyone.

Yeah, but if they have too many holes in the cigar it is a little tough to draw! Charlie

Hegemonic: Nestor Placensia recently came out with an organic line called "Placensia Reserva Organica". I have not tried one but am eager to do so. Let me know if you come across any.

I'm surprised Felipe Gregorio grows his own tobacco. Personally, I have never been impressed with his cigars. Every one I've tried has been bitter and very one-dimensional. JMHO.

It seems that you either like Felipe Gregorio cigars or you don't. I generally like the ones that bear his name, but cigars like the Warhol disappoint me. I did not see beetles, only the holes, and what appeared to be eggs. Had I dissected the cigars, I am certain I would have found live or dead beetles. I did notify Cigarbid and they offered to replace the box, if I returned the beetle infested cigars. I elected to put them immediately in my garbage. It was only $16.00 and I felt better knowing that they weren't going back to the mailroom or warehouse at Cigarbid/Cigars International where the beetles could get into other cigars. I've made enough good buys on Felipe cigars here that this throwaway has to be considered the cost of doing business. It is the first time, however, that I've ever had a vendor ask for beetle infested cigars returned to their premises. Beetles have only happened to me once before, and the vendor requested photos. In fact I remember a service representative saying quite emphatically, "Do not return the infested cigars!" Every company has its policies. If you want to do business with them, you follow them.

Aaahhh, Felipe's. One of my first medium to full-bodied smokes. Changed my smoking habits forever. My favorites are the Nino's (not the black) and the Suntuoso's. The Mystic Knights are good as well. Felipe is a great guy to, if you ever get to meet him. The Felipe II's are good, but if you ever get the chance, the Centenario Liga C's are out of this world, worth every penny.

Clayton