Freezing Cigars – Does it Work?

[Raralith]

The act of freezing cigars to kill beetles from poor conditions during transit works. The freezing cold kills the larva and beetles, this is not a question but a sound fact. But what about the dormant eggs that are just waiting to hatch and destroy your prized collection, do they die too? Some people say yes, others say no, and what I intend to do in the next week is to prove just this.

Before we begin, please read this article as it turns out Habanos S.A. freezes their cigars before distribution. http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar...4,1613,00.html It is interesting to note though that people still get beetles in their cigars if the temperature is not optimally maintained.

I work at an ice cream plant and our storage freezer stays at a cool and constant -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-28.889 Celsius). I also live in Southern California and while the weather is not hot at the moment, 66 degrees outside at the moment, the inside of my black car certainly does and easily reaches 80-100 degrees. Furthermore, I own a microwave. Here are my three test “subjects,” they are Taboo Value Blend that I’ve kept in my VinoTemp for the last 6 months.



Here’s the procedure:
- 2 cigars will go into the industrial freezer, one for 24 hours, the other for 48 hours.
- 1 cigar will be microwaved for 30 seconds or before the plastic melts, whichever first, full power.
- The cigars will be put into plastic bags and into individual Tupperware containers, and will sit in my car for 5 (but will be kept in my car for 4 weeks after with a weekly update) days.
- Each day, I’ll post the results
- I will take pictures

Problems that may arise:
- If it begins to rain or the weather is not getting hot enough, I most likely will extend the time left in my car. It shouldn’t matter though right? If the freezer kills the eggs, whether it be 5 days or 1 year, no eggs should hatch if each are individually contained.

The schedule will go as follows. Tomorrow morning, March 4th, 2009, I will put the two cigars in the freezer. One will be taken out on the 5th, bagged and put into Tupperware, the other taken out on the 6th, bagged and put into Tupperware. The third cigar will be microwaved tomorrow, the 5th, bagged and put into Tupperware.

Your thoughts? Your bets? Anything that should be added, adjusted, or removed by tomorrow?

[WildBlueSooner]

Interesting...I am curious to see what you find.

[Footbag]

Interesting idea...

It would be very cool if you could get some cigars from a box with visible or known beetle activity. Of course, I wouldn't even let that box in my house.

[Raralith]

SilverFox provided an article (http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/...41_87/_article) and it states:

At 20°C, most eggs (>80%) normally hatched within 4 wk, but all eggs died within 6 wk at temperatures less than 18°C.

Because of this, I'll keep the first 5 days updated, and than a weekly update for 4 additional weeks. After 4 weeks and 5 days, I'll disect the cigars to see if anything has hatched.

[hotreds]

Vely intelesting.....

why not remove the cello from the one you are going to nuke- and then just replace it? That way no worries about it melting.

[bobarian]

I dont see a control, you need to add at least one untreated stick.

[Raralith]

Originally Posted by bobarian

I dont see a control, you need to add at least one untreated stick.

I didn't think of that, thanks. I have only 2 other sticks so I'll take 1 and make it the control. I'll be labeling all 4 and taking pictures before anything goes into the freezer or microwave.

And good idea on the cello too, I'll remove it before I nuke it.

[the nub]

Your test will not prove any theory on freezing or microwaving unless you know for certain all the cigars have beetle eggs.

[Raralith]

Originally Posted by the nub

Your test will not prove any theory on freezing or microwaving unless you know for certain all the cigars have beetle eggs.

That is what the control cigar is for. Yes, there is a possibility of there having absolutely no eggs whatsoever on any of the tabacoo leaves, but that seems highly unlikely as this is where tabacoo beetles live and thrive. If no beetles come out whatsoever, than I'll go out of my way to purchase infested cigars too and do the whole thing again.

[SeanGAR]

Scientific studies have proven that chill and freezing temperatures (depends on time x temp) kill all forms of the beetles (egg, pupa, beetle).

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/...tte_beetle.htm

Items can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer (16 days at 36°F, 7 days at 25°F or 32°F for four to seven days) to kill all stages. Place items in a plastic bag to reduce condensation problems during thawing. Heating small quantities of infested material in an oven (190°F for one hour, 120°F for 16 to 24 hours) also is effective.

Why reinvent the wheel?

[GreekGodX]

I like this!! Being a science student, a real life application to an experiment is always exciting.. Definitely need a control and why not do 24hrs then the other at 60-72 hours to see if there is a benefit to an extended amount of freeze time. Obviously there have been studies done but it's much better when we can prove something ourselves.

very interesting, can't wait to hear the results!

I just dig Wierd Science! Good luck! and looking forward to the results!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by bobarian

I dont see a control, you need to add at least one untreated stick.

Took the words right out of my mouth

It seems that you are assuming that all three cigars have beetle eggs in them. If all three cigars don't have any beetle eggs hatch by the end of the treatment we can't correctly deduce that the reason there were no beetle hatchings was because of the treatments since there is no positive (or negative) control. Still seems like a cool idea though! Can't wait to see the results.

Personally I think if there are eggs in the cigar the microwaving would have a greater chance of killing the eggs but I have no sound science behind why I think that.

Originally Posted by SeanGAR

Scientific studies have proven that chill and freezing temperatures (depends on time x temp) kill all forms of the beetles (egg, pupa, beetle).

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/...tte_beetle.htm

Items can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer (16 days at 36°F, 7 days at 25°F or 32°F for four to seven days) to kill all stages. Place items in a plastic bag to reduce condensation problems during thawing. Heating small quantities of infested material in an oven (190°F for one hour, 120°F for 16 to 24 hours) also is effective.

Why reinvent the wheel?

[Nimbus]

Joe, here is another link/discussion/article for you to read. Frozen vs. Unfrozen with taste test.

[Raralith]

It's a bit different when someone says to read a paper and that's it compared to having some fun yourself. I appreciate the ideas so far to better improve this. This isn't going to be submitted into a scientific organization, but you never know, what if we see beetles?

Originally Posted by Raralith

It's a bit different when someone says to read a paper and that's it compared to having some fun yourself. I appreciate the ideas so far to better improve this. This isn't going to be submitted into a scientific organization, but you never know, what if we see beetles?

Prolly got a bit carried away...my bad I'm interested to see if it works! Good luck I'll be following your experiment...

[Raralith]

Cigar #1 "Freeze 24" and cigar #2 "Freeze 48" have been put in the freezer.



Cigar #3 "Nuke Me" and cigar #4 "Control" will be taken care of later when I get home.