Temp Control, a Bunch of Hooey?

[Spect]

Here's the bottom line for me;

I have thousands of dollars worth of cigars. If I keep growing in this hobby I'll have TENS of thousands of dollars invested in cigars.

Temperature control is in insurance policy. How can I afford not to invest in it?

[pearson]

i just went with a vino when they were on sail for 140 and it paid for its self in 3 months because of being able to turn up my ac.

[ColdCuts]

Originally Posted by mikeyj23

A) That's precisely what I'm saying - if you freeze first there's not a need for temp control, but if you're buying a cabinet you might as well get the bells and whistles and not have to be so anal about freezing.

Well, sure, 'you might as well!' And why not? Rich guys like yourself can afford all the bells, and whistles, and Maseratis with alarm systems. But I'm not a rich guy, so that's why I started this thread.

Originally Posted by mikeyj23

B) Freezing cigars kills the beetles and beetle eggs. I'm not quite sure how a traveling band of cigar beetles is going to travel from your neighbor's house and infiltrate your cabinet.

Easy. They'll fly. Tobacco beetles do travel. And, they're looking for more than just tobacco. From bugspray.com:

"Though they will crawl while feeding, adults like to fly which makes them particularly hard to handle. It is not uncommon to have them fly into your home during the spring or summer and once inside, make themselves unwanted permanent guests.

Though they love tobacco, cigarette beetles can thrive on just about any food stuff. They will readily eat books, furniture, stored dried plants, canvas paintings, anything made of straw, just about any spice, cookies, flour, pasta, cotton, medicine, dog food and [even] rat poison!"

Originally Posted by mikeyj23

Because Maserati dealers can charge more if the alarm is an add-on, and if one Maserati gets stolen, insurance pays and that person buys another Maserati.

This sports car analogy has outgrown it's usefulness, if ever it had any. Let's just talk about cigars and get back to the original topic which, incidentally, had nothing to do with freezing. See first post.

[ColdCuts]

Originally Posted by kylej1

At the start of this hobby, I stored my humidor in my room, which is constant 75-77*, because I live in Florida, its much to expensive to keep the house at a 70* constant. For the 1.5 years I have had the humidor in my room, I have never once had a problem with beetles, I have never frozen any cigars.

However due to wanting the ideal environment for my sticks, I went out and bought a Vino, they are now in a much better controlled environment. Draw back is I no longer have a nice humidor out, I miss that. Unless your temp is in the 80*+ range, I don't think will run into a problem, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be worried about beetles. Sometimes its just easier to get a controlled temp unit, so when your out(or away on business) you don't have to think to yourself "crap, I wonder what my humidor temp is at right now". When I first went away to college, I called my parents house at least 4 times a week to ask what the temp was, because I left a humidor behind for them to care for, it was quite annoying to have to call and ask alot, lol.

Good points. Peace of mind is worth quite a bit extra.

Maybe it's only us fanatics on the forums who are so hyper aware of the possibility of tobacco beetles, and all those big non-temp controlled cabinets that we see on the web are being bought up by guys who simply don't know any better and have been lucky enough not to find out the hard way. Ignorance is bliss.

[mikeyj23]

Comments in bold:

Originally Posted by ColdCuts

Well, sure, 'you might as well!' And why not? Rich guys like yourself can afford all the bells, and whistles, and Maseratis with alarm systems. But I'm not a rich guy, so that's why I started this thread.
It's apparent you don't know me - no cabinet (cooled or not), Maserati or any sort of alarm system for me.

Easy. They'll fly. Tobacco beetles do travel. And, they're looking for more than just tobacco. From bugspray.com:

"Though they will crawl while feeding, adults like to fly which makes them particularly hard to handle. It is not uncommon to have them fly into your home during the spring or summer and once inside, make themselves unwanted permanent guests.

Though they love tobacco, cigarette beetles can thrive on just about any food stuff. They will readily eat books, furniture, stored dried plants, canvas paintings, anything made of straw, just about any spice, cookies, flour, pasta, cotton, medicine, dog food and [even] rat poison!"
Thanks for the link - I didn't realize that and I'm glad to have the information.

This sports car analogy has outgrown it's usefulness, if ever it had any. Let's just talk about cigars and get back to the original topic which, incidentally, had nothing to do with freezing. See first post.
I'm afraid the thread has proved that it has quite a bit to do with freezing. Any discussion of temp control implies beetles, which you mentioned, and any discussion of beetles brings up freezing. I realize the original question was "Why don't more cabinets come standard with temperature control since it's a necessity for cigars?" which brings in a discussion of whether or not freezing negates the need for temp control.

I really didn't mean to start a pissing match, debate or even a one-on-one conversation. Accept my apologies for where it's gone and hopefully we can get back to your original question.

[ColdCuts]

Originally Posted by mikeyj23

I really didn't mean to start a pissing match, debate or even a one-on-one conversation. Accept my apologies for where it's gone and hopefully we can get back to your original question.

Hey, no sweat. And, I see your point about freezing being relevant to the topic.

[stevieray]

I went back and forth with the temp control option when ordering my Aristocrat. Thing is.... I keep my house between 68 and 70 degrees in the summer. If I ordered a temp controlled unit with the thought of turning my ac down or off in the summer, then the high humidity in my area becomes an issue. It's not unusual to have humidity in the 90% range for days. For me, it made more sense to go without temp control and just keep the ac on and keep the humidity down in the house. If the power goes out I'm screwed either way. I'm not saying that this is the best way to go for everybody....but it's what I decided to do.

[seegarfan]

Originally Posted by stevieray

I went back and forth with the temp control option when ordering my Aristocrat. Thing is.... I keep my house between 68 and 70 degrees in the summer. If I ordered a temp controlled unit with the thought of turning my ac down or off in the summer, then the high humidity in my area becomes an issue. It's not unusual to have humidity in the 90% range for days. For me, it made more sense to go without temp control and just keep the ac on and keep the humidity down in the house. If the power goes out I'm screwed either way. I'm not saying that this is the best way to go for everybody....but it's what I decided to do.

I knew I said I was done......BUT I'm glad to see another member finally understands my position

Mark

[King Leonidas]

[SIZE=3]I want a Maserati.[/SIZE]

[jmasterj]

Not to morph this topic too much but does anyone have a list of distributors/manufacturers who freeze their tobacco and fumigate before they send out there stock to be sold to us bunch of maniacs?

[seegarfan]

Originally Posted by ColdCuts

Good points. Peace of mind is worth quite a bit extra.

Maybe it's only us fanatics on the forums who are so hyper aware of the possibility of tobacco beetles, and all those big non-temp controlled cabinets that we see on the web are being bought up by guys who simply don't know any better and have been lucky enough not to find out the hard way. Ignorance is bliss.

I guess, I'll comment again.......I have had my Aristocrat Plus for 7 + years, I did my research before I purchased.....and it was not ignorance. I have temp control.....it's called a room thermostat. Let me say again ......beetles are not an issue below 80.......and that leaves me a 6 degree cushion.

Mark

[ColdCuts]

Originally Posted by seegarfan

I guess, I'll comment again.......I have had my Aristocrat Plus for 7 + years, I did my research before I purchased.....and it was not ignorance. I have temp control.....it's called a room thermostat. Let me say again ......beetles are not an issue below 80.......and that leaves me a 6 degree cushion.

Mark

But then you gotta run the AC when you're away from home too, no? If you're doing that it's gonna cost ya, especially if you're away from home 40+ hours a week, or away on vacation.

[blckthree]

My a/c is on 24 / 7 all the time, unless the heat is on in the winter. If I'm gone on vacation, the dog still needs his a/c. I'm happy with my sticks at 75.

Mike

[jkorp]

I disagree, beetles can be an issue at 35F as well as 80F. People seem to forget that just because you have temp control, be it cabinet or room thermostat, if beetle are existing in the tobacco when it arrives to you only freezing will kill them. Beetles are a real concern, why avoid it. Most people think that nothing will happen to them, but we still all have insurance.

Just storing at 65F will keep you safe from eggs hatching, thats about it. Larvae and beetles can still party at this temp.

I don't have the big bucks, and if I did I still don't know if I'd buy a temp controlled Aristocrat. I would rather use that money for cigars and buy another Vinotemp.

If you need temp control on a budget, the Vinotemp is the way to go. Peace of mind for me is freeze and put in the Vino. Beetles, larvae and eggs don't have a chance then.

[ColdCuts]

Originally Posted by jkorp

I don't have the big bucks, and if I did I still don't know if I'd buy a temp controlled Aristocrat. I would rather use that money for cigars and buy another Vinotemp.

If you need temp control on a budget, the Vinotemp is the way to go. Peace of mind for me is freeze and put in the Vino. Beetles, larvae and eggs don't have a chance then.

I hear ya jkorp, but why then, do you suppose, the vast majority of humidor cabinets being sold on the web are without temp control?

As for the Aristocrat/Vinotemp compare and contrast, not only do Aristocrats look a helluva lot better than Vinotemps, they allegedly work better too, right? As for me, I'm tired of struggling to keep the RH in my fridgador up, and I'm tired of emptying the drip tray twice a day too. I'd prefer something more maintenance-free and precise.