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Freezing Tobacco

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Jtravis

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This is kind of a follow up from one of my last threads about finding beetles.
but I have some binder and wrapper leaf in the freezer to hopefully eliminate any further possible infestation.

My question is regarding some new filler I just ordered.

I know not everyone freezes their leaf but for those who do, if it's sealed well enough will you still retain at least enough moisture in the filler without having to bring it back to case? Obviously with filler you gotta be a little more careful when rehydrating as opposed to binder or wrapper. For me at least.
 

BlazedUp

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Freezing in your home freezer will not be effective at destroying the eggs. Needs to be much colder to crack them. If you have access to an industrial freezer, you'll be good to go. Storing your tobacco at a temp less than 72 should keep eggs from hatching. Its worked well for my cigars for ten years.
 

chuditch

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I would be concerned that if it wasnt completely dry the water would expand as ice crystals and break down the leaf when it was defrosted. But if you have done it and it works well why not. You cant freeze a lettuce but you can freeze Kaffir lime leaves so I suppose it is down to the make up of the plant and how much water is in it.
 

bonehead

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i have a shed full of tobacco that freezes every winter. i got beetles in some of my boxes of tobacco in the house last winter (because of the very warm wood stove heat i think) and i threw them into my chest freezer that is at 10 deg. f then hit the flash freeze button and let it sit in there for a few weeks. i never saw another beetle again even weeks after it warmed back up. it worked for me.
 

deluxestogie

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University of Florida Department of Entomology said:
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. Uninfested items can be cold- or heat-treated to ensure that any undetected infestations are killed. To prevent reinfestation, clean up spilled flour, mixes, crumbs, etc. and thoroughly vacuum and clean areas where the contaminated items were stored. Store foods in airtight glass, metal or plastic containers. Clear containers make it easier to check for infestations.

[emphasis mine]

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/stored/cigarette_beetle.htm

We seem to need to re-hash this discussion every week. Freezing leaf that is in low to medium case does not damage the tobacco.

Bob
 

Knucklehead

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One of the articles I read recommended slowly thawing the leaf by moving it from the freezer, to the refrigerator, to ambient temps. It was the fast thaw that could cause damage.
 

Jtravis

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Sorry to be repetitive. I probably should have just searched through the forum. Thanks for all the input. I guess I'll just do what I can with what I have and hope for the best. Taking smart precaution of course
 

Smokin Buffalo

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I'm glad the question has been asked. I need the answers. I happened to pull out my tobacco looking for something and saw a beetle in my CT shade leaf! why not the Dominican binder or some other cheaper by the pound tobacco!!! So I threw mine in the freezer will it will stay at least a week. Then to the fridge for a few days and finally to my basement and then back in with his brothers.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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I discovered beetles in some flue cured, but I stuck all of the tobacco that was in the house in the deep freeze last Friday. I removed it today, so it was in there for 8 days. I've never dealt with this before, but according to Bob's post, and everything I've read about it elsewhere, it should be good now.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Question, though. Where did they come from? With their sensitivity to cold, must they have come in a package of tobacco? Also, should I freeze my barley malt? I have about thirty pounds.
 

deluxestogie

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Wikipedia--Lasioderma serricorne said:
As indicated by its common name, the cigarette beetle is a pest of tobacco, both in the refined cigarette packet presentation and also as stored in hogsheads and bales, but is also a minor pest of oilcake, oilseeds, cereals, dried fruit, sage, flour, and some animal products.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasioderma_serricorne
The little critters can infest your Cheerios.

Bob
 

Planter

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If I get cigars from a source other than a major distributor (where I know that they freeze-treat all imported cigars) I first park them in a sealed food storage box in the freezer for a week, then let them defrost slowly (as Knucklehead already recommended). The cigars look and feel exactly the same afterwards, means I have also never observed any significant change in moisture content. I would be more concerned that the box or the freezer transfer some odor. A fresh freezer bag wrapped around the tobacco inside the box and another one around the box prevent that, at least short term.
 

LewZephyr

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I freeze everything I order in the form of cigars or whole leaf. It does not matter where I get the product from. They visit the freezer for 4 + days.
It is just a security step. Like wearing your seat-belt.
 

hawk45

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I always freeze my commercial cigars as soon as they arrive if I don't plan on smoking them right away, even from my local B&M. If I do plan on smoking them right away, they go into a small plastic tupperdor I have so if I do get a breakout, it's contained to 4-10 cigars, not my whole stash. I usually do 72 hrs in the freezer with a 12 hour acclimation period in my basement (62 degrees) for 12 hours before going in with the rest of the sticks aging. I keep all my sticks in tupperdors in my basement where they stay nice and cool all year round. Nothing over 64 degrees and 65% humidity.

I quad bag all my cigars before going into the freezer and suck out all the air in each bag by putting straw in the corner of the zip lock before the final zip. Suck-Squeeze-Pull-Zip (That's what she said).

Looks like I'll be doing the same for the leaf I have coming, but for longer durations. Guess I'll be reorganizing my burritos to get it all to fit.
 

Charly

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That leads to a question : does the kiln temperature (50°C / 120°F) kill the tobacco beattle ?
 

deluxestogie

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