Shipment of stogies left overnight in the COLD - any issues?

[KingSlender]

So UPS dropped off my shipment of Sol Cubano Artisan's last night, but they never ring the doorbell for a signature, which they are supposed to do. I forgot they were coming, so they were left on the porch in 20 degree weather with some snow - still in the box and all wrapped up. I grabbed them off the porch this morning and other thatn being cold they seemed OK (aka good on the pinch test).

Any problems you can forsee as long as I give them a few days in the humi?

[mryellowx]

nah. if it was hot outside maybe, but since it was cold i see no problems.

[VoteKinky06]

Originally Posted by KingSlender

So UPS dropped off my shipment of Sol Cubano Artisan's last night, but they never ring the doorbell for a signature, which they are supposed to do. I forgot they were coming, so they were left on the porch in 20 degree weather with some snow - still in the box and all wrapped up. I grabbed them off the porch this morning and other thatn being cold they seemed OK (aka good on the pinch test).

Any problems you can forsee as long as I give them a few days in the humi?

None whatsoever.

[raralith]

People freeze cigars to help against beetles so cold isn't a problem. Normally speaking, cold means it is hard to keep the air humid but a well sealed bag on a short trip is fine. Worst comes to worst, it'll take a few more days in the humidor.

[Sergeant Smoky]

If you are worried you may send them to me and I will test each and every one of em

[Scud]

Think of it as an easy way to deter the beetle population

[JohnnyFlake]

Even if were actually in the range of freezing, it would not hurt the cigars in any way!

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by Scud

Think of it as an easy way to deter the beetle population

Was just about to say you'll be beetle free!

[BengalMan]

Here is the thing with the cold. A lot of manufacturers do freeze cigars to cut any beetle problems before they start. The thing is, if your cigars have been submitted to low temperatures (around freezing), the humidity will start to get pulled out. Never attempt to smoke a cold cigar. Introducing a cold cigar to very hot temperatures (a flame) will cause it to explode. I suggest if a box of cigars has been in the cold for an extended period of time (over night, a day or so, or longer) then put them in the humi, intact and let them sit for a week or two to acclimate to a normal environment once again.

[KingSlender]

OK, on the beetle thing - is this a concern for someone living in Michigan, or would it really onle be an issue at lower lattitudes? In other words, my cigars arrive "beetle-free" in the mail and go in my humi - where is the threat?

[andrewsutherland2002]

Let 'em rest for a while in the humi and they will be fine.


As for the freezing issue, I freeze all of my purchases. You cannot be sure that your purchases are "beetle-free" until a beetle inside hatches. Then it's too late.

[MTUCache]

No biggie at all... where do you think those cigars were sitting for most of the day before they were left on your porch? Or the several days before that? Not that I don't think that the postal service(s) don't take care of you, but I don't think they're taking any extra environmental precautions with generic packages.

Was the back of that truck heated? Probably not... and Murphy's Law would dictate that you were probably his last stop of the day, so they were probably freezing in there for the majority of his shift.

Heck... the cargo area in the plane isn't that much better than your front porch, and the distribution warehouse it got to after that (and sat in for a shift or two) is probably within a couple of degrees of the outside temperature anyway (unless they stuck it right next to the furnace, which would probably be worse).

Can't imagine this would have any noticable effect afte they've reached room temperature for a few hours. Leave'em in the humi for a couple of days and then smoke one every hour to see if you notice any differences.

[JohnnyFlake]

[QUOTE=KingSlender;1987678]OK, on the beetle thing - is this a concern for someone living in Michigan, or would it really onle be an issue at lower lattitudes? In other words, my cigars arrive "beetle-free" in the mail and go in my humi - where is the threat?[/QUOTE]

The beetle larva are virtually hidden within all tobacco leaf, no matter what country they are from. The only way to kill them, for sure, is to freeze the cigars for at least 24 hours. Many manufactures are now doing this before they release the cigars, but most certainly, not all of them.

Even if the cigars have never been frozen, if the cigars are properly stored, the beetles will never hatch, and that is the case 95% of the time. The danger of beetles hatching becomes very real, if the cigars are stored in excessive heat and/or humid conditions. I do not recall the exact numbers, but I believe, as long as the temp in your humidor/coolers, etc. does not exceed 77/78 degrees for over a fews days, and/or the humidity does not exceed 75/77 percent for over a few days, you should not have any problems. Either one or especially a combination of both, excessive heat and humidity, will almost assure a beetle infestation. That is of course, if your cigars have not been previously frozen at sometime in the past.

[krisko]

Just don't light a smoke when it's cold and you're fine. A local B&M lost their heat a few weeks ago for several days and the humidor got down to 55 degrees. They lost a couple of smokes when they busted apart upon lighting by patrons. They had to install a space heater in the humidor.