Storing cigars while in Cuba

[Simon Bolivar]

Interesting Dvickery that you put cigars in the hold, I always have them in my hand luggage so I can guarrente I'll still have them at the other end. Are you coming back with a generous amount?

[tommy]

I've had it from a couple of people that they prefer to put their cigars into quarantine rather than freezing which can bust the oil cells in the leaves. This is second hand info but it makes sense. Frozen veg or meat is never as good as fresh. So quarantine is simple, you just need an air tight box to put them in,house temp in the UK should hatch any eggs in six weeks apparently so if you have no bugs or bug poo after that long you should be safe to add to your humi. If you want to be 100% sure you can buy Pheromone traps for bugs which are a sticky sheet of card which attract bugs. If anything is in there you will see it on the card.
Simon, have you any experience of this?

[El Catador]

house temp in the UK should hatch any eggs in six weeks apparently so if you have no bugs or bug poo after that long you should be safe to add to your humi.

Whilst I'm fairly confident this is true in the majority of cases, it's worth remembering that the life-cycle of the tobacco weevil (Lasioderma Serricorne), is determined by environmental conditions, and as a result, it's life-cycle is greatly extended by the lower temperatures typically found in the UK.
On average, a 'live' egg takes anywhere between 30 to 90 days to hatch and begin feeding (it's an inexact science), however, you also need to consider how long it may take before you see any direct evidence of an infestation, i.e. 'tell-tale' pin-holes in your cigars.
It can be a 'stop-start' process, particularly if the larvae pupates within the cigar before it hatches and begins feeding again as an adult beetle.

I've known cases where a cigar has been quarantined for more than a year before it started to show any signs of weevil damage.
For what it's worth, I'd suggest always erring on the side of caution and freezing any suspect cigars. As long as you remember to gradually raise the temperature afterwards, you'll be fine.

Cheers
El Cat

[nplymouth]

In terms of meat and veg, depending on time, they normally suffer freezer burn... Yours won't be in there that long, that's my understanding. But also why you use cling film!


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[ValeTudoGuy]

I still think that as above freezing temperatures still kill them theres no need to risk a freeze cycle.

[Streetfighter]

Froze mine when I came back from Cuba, fridge first 24hrs-freezer 48hrs-then back in fridge 24hrs, no adverse effects, err on the side of caution... and enjoy your smokes..

[Johnny Thunder]

I always thought the recommended was a two-three-two sequence?

[Simon Bolivar]

No Tommy, I just freeze. Don't forget Habanos do this to all cigars they export these days, so any Habanos cigar you have smoked the the last few yes has been frozen & you never noticed the difference, did you? You will find stock sold in Cuba might not have been frozen, hence the advice to do it to everything not just customs ect.

[ArranJames]

Thanks everyone. Jiffy bags and beads it is then. Rather be safe than sorry as I'm hoping to bring around 100 back. Will give them a quick blast in the freezer to make sure I kill off all the unwanted critters