How to Freeze and the Science behind it. Long Post

[massphatness]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Vin, the last time I cryopreserved my cigars, I actually went back in time.

Maybe I'll try that -- I'd like to go back to when I fit into size 36 Levis -- when I was 15.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by massphatness

Maybe I'll try that -- I'd like to go back to when I fit into size 36 Levis -- when I was 15.

I enjoyed the past, until I found out there was no microwave popcorn before microwave ovens were invented.

[CigarNut]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Vin, the last time I cryopreserved my cigars, I actually went back in time.

Originally Posted by icehog3

I enjoyed the past, until I found out there was no microwave popcorn before microwave ovens were invented.

Didn't know you were old enough to even remember a time before microwave popcorn Admiral!

Well I am paranoid now lol. Should I freeze my whole stash now?

[DPD6030]

Originally Posted by Wallbright

Well I am paranoid now lol. Should I freeze my whole stash now?

yes

Can you freeze them too long? Reason I am asking is I have some new cigars and my humidor is set to be delivered today. Can I freeze them while I season the humidor?? Or should I wait and store them in tupperware untill I get the humidor squared away and then freeze them for storage?

[Devanmc]

Originally Posted by nosdog2

Can you freeze them too long? Reason I am asking is I have some new cigars and my humidor is set to be delivered today. Can I freeze them while I season the humidor?? Or should I wait and store them in tupperware untill I get the humidor squared away and then freeze them for storage?

well i did a huge batch freeze of everything in a brothers meat freezer. we forgot about a bag of sticks. they were cheapies but i think they were frozen for 3weeks. They are smoking fine.

[T.G]

Just freeze them when they come in, then put them in the tupperware while you wait for the humidor to be ready.

As for too long, depends. A week? Nah. 10 days? Nah. A month? Yeah, probably, but depends a lot on the freezer. Not that it'll physically hurt the cigars so much as they might start to pick up that wonderful "freezer/frost taste" after that long if it's one that cycles tempratures a lot or is opened often (like most home refrigerator/freezer combos).

[Blak Smyth]

Do I understand the OP correctly?
At 32 degrees it would take 1176 hours to ensure beetles of all stages are killed?

"0 degrees C Time to 100% mortality 1176 hr"

[wayner123]

Originally Posted by Blak Smyth

Do I understand the OP correctly?
At 32 degrees it would take 1176 hours to ensure beetles of all stages are killed?

"0 degrees C Time to 100% mortality 1176 hr"

Yes, that is correct. However a typical home fridge can get colder than that.

[Blak Smyth]

Originally Posted by wayner123

Yes, that is correct. However a typical home fridge can get colder than that.

Even at 23 degrees it would take 504 hours?
That is a lot longer than I thought, I have some in the freezer now, guees I will leave them in longer than planned.

[wayner123]

Originally Posted by Blak Smyth

Even at 23 degrees it would take 504 hours?
That is a lot longer than I thought, I have some in the freezer now, guees I will leave them in longer than planned.

Does your freezer keep ice cream well? If so, then it's certainly colder than 32F. Get yourself a reliable thermometer and see just how cold it is. My home freezer is around 0F. It swings up and down but that's about average. At that temp it takes only 12 hours.

Thanks guys. My freezer is new and it maintains -2* so I should be good to go.

[jesseboston81]

After the freezing process is done, do you need to put a box into the humidor in any special way? For example, after freezing I used to put all my boxes in with their lids cracked for a couple weeks to let the cigars balance out, but now room is tight and I'm not able to do that anymore. Is it going to be a problem to put a full dress box in there with the lid closed? Will the cigars still be able to balance out?

[massphatness]

You shouldn't have to crack the lids on any boxes once they go back into the humidor. Just to reiterate from the OP though, it's wise to go from freezer to fridge in order to bring the temp up slowly THEN go to the humi. I follow this practice religiously, and it has given me great peace of mind.

[jesseboston81]

Originally Posted by massphatness

You shouldn't have to crack the lids on any boxes once they go back into the humidor. Just to reiterate from the OP though, it's wise to go from freezer to fridge in order to bring the temp up slowly THEN go to the humi. I follow this practice religiously, and it has given me great peace of mind.

I wasn't clear enough, but that's what I meant by the "freezing process." This box has already gone fridge (24 hours) -> freezer (3 days) -> fridge (24 hours) -> room temp (12 hours). Now that that's all done I was wondering about cracking the lid upon placing the box in the humidor, so thanks for being able to answer my actual question despite my unclear explanation!

[MrClean]

I got a nice sample box from AVO with 7 sticks in it. Can I just freeze the sticks or should I just put the whole box in the freezer? I do plan on putting them back in the box and in the humi after the freeze cycle.

[14holestogie]

Box and all brother. Don't overthink it.

[MrClean]

Originally Posted by 14holestogie

Box and all brother. Don't overthink it.

Thanks Tim, I do that sometimes

[jesseboston81]

Originally Posted by MrClean

I got a nice sample box from AVO with 7 sticks in it. Can I just freeze the sticks or should I just put the whole box in the freezer? I do plan on putting them back in the box and in the humi after the freeze cycle.

I got a box once with beetle holes in the box itself; now I freeze all boxes and other packaging materials (cedar sheets, wrapping papers, etc.) just in case.