Cigar Beetles in a Machine Made Cigar

[Thepipehunter]

One time online, I believe here on the forum though I could be wrong, someone posted a machine made cigar that had a cigar beetle. I had never seen that before in a machine made cigar and was a little hesitant if I believed that’s what it really was. Well, if I didn’t believe then I do now. I opened a pack Dutch Masters Presidents, my daily cigar, and look what I see. This is definitely the work of a cigar beetle. I guess even machine made cigars can be effected by them. I’ll be putting this up for keeps because it is likely I’ll never see another one effected by it again!

 

[Mikewood]

So I have to ask. Did you check the rest of the box? I wonder if these guys spread. I know the wrapper end is folded over but are they sealed well enough to prevent annexes?

 

[Moose]

I put mine in the freezer for a couple of days prior to putting them in my humidor. I’ve been smoking cigars for about 15 years and I’ve only seen it a couple of times.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Machine made cigar, machine made beetle.

 

[Billy Joe]

*unlike*

 

[Sonarman]

Are we surprised that beetles would be in a machine made cigar or that a machine made cigar has tobacco in it? Cigar beetles eat tobacco.

 

[Thepipehunter]

So I have to ask. Did you check the rest of the box? I wonder if these guys spread. I know the wrapper end is folded over but are they sealed well enough to prevent annexes?

The other cigars in the box were fine, only the one was effected luckily.

 

[Thepipehunter]

I put mine in the freezer for a couple of days prior to putting them in my humidor. I’ve been smoking cigars for about 15 years and I’ve only seen it a couple of times.

The machine made cigars don’t require humidity, and can stay in the box they come in. I keep a close watch on the humidity and temperature of my humidors that hold my regular cigars. I’ve only had one cigar in the past get a beetle and I threw it out. Other then that no issues.

 

[Thepipehunter]

Are we surprised that beetles would be in a machine made cigar or that a machine made cigar has tobacco in it? Cigar beetles eat tobacco.

Now this is the real question

 

[Peifemeschder]

I know how they look
Be careful sometimes you hear music.

 

[webmost]

The machine made cigars don’t require humidity, and can stay in the box they come in. I keep a close watch on the humidity and temperature of my humidors that hold my regular cigars. I’ve only had one cigar in the past get a beetle and I threw it out. Other then that no issues.

This is the oddest statement. Why wouldn't they require humidity? These gars are made of tobacco leaf, either way. Even homogenized is just pulped leaf scrap extruded between rollers.

I used to visit the FX Smith's Sons cigar factory in McSherrystown Pennsyltucky. The whole factory was humidified. Cigars were aged before shipping in wooden boxes on racks. Humidifiers were stationed right beside these racks. Cigar stocks were stored in the basement, where it was naturally damp. This factory was well over a century old at the time. Regulation drove them out of the country. Production is in the DR now. It's damp there.

I'm willing to bet a fat man and his donut that a baccy beetle will bite a leaf damp or dry.

There was prolly an egg on a leaf that went into that one gar. There was a plague of these critters in the DR a couple years back.

 

[Thepipehunter]

I guess tobacco beetles can eat anything tobacco related. As for the humidity question, all cigars require humidity, you are correct. However, machine made cigars with homogenized wrappers receive the humidity they require from naturally without being in a humidor. The way the tobacco is cured, if you placed one in a humidor, it would ruin the cigar. So I guess I’m saying they don’t require a controlled humidified environment, such as a humidor.

 

[webmost]

I guess tobacco beetles can eat anything tobacco related. As for the humidity question, all cigars require humidity, you are correct. However, machine made cigars with homogenized wrappers receive the humidity they require from naturally without being in a humidor. The way the tobacco is cured, if you placed one in a humidor, it would ruin the cigar. So I guess I’m saying they don’t require a controlled humidified environment, such as a humidor.

Yeah, I never much smoke the paper ones. Smithdale Shade are my faves. All leaf. Prolly 90% + of FX gars are all leaf.

But I can guarantee you both types from FX Smith are made from the same air-cured Amish grown Lancaster County leaf. Flakes of leaf bought from Lancaster Leaf. Same box. They just save a couple bucks on wrapper leaf by using homogenized.

I gotta say, tho, the few paper ones I've smoked, I think when they crush the baccy leaves and make a pulp out of it, that does unlock a good deal of flavor.

When I first got into gars, I was smoking those Factory Throwouts from Newman. I believe they were all leaf at the time. Then they started throwing in dusty floor sweepings, & so I got off 'em. Nowadays, I roll all my own. Almost never smoke any other.

 

[McWiggins]

The way they are cured is call "dry-cured" and they do not require a humidor unless one plans to keep them around for years. Better to just put them in a mason jar then as they dont require the same oxygen and humidity exchange hand rolled cigars do.

 

[rharris]

From what I understand the beetle eggs are present in lots of tobacco. The beetles don't hatch unless they are subjected to higher temp above (70 degrees F) and higher humidity. Many people freeze boxes of hand rolled cigars for that reason. I know some people that keep cigars in temp controlled environments (wine coolers) as well as controlling the humidity. I had some in a small tabletop unit once that got infested. Freezing the whole humidor worked for me.

 

[Thepipehunter]

I think what myself and @McWiggins is saying is the dry curing process typically would take care of this problem, so it’s rare to see this in a machine made cigar.

 

[Yakster]

SOME machine made cigars are dry cured.

 

[jpberg]

Isn’t a gar a fish?

 

[McWiggins]

Isn’t a gar a fish?

And like a good cigar, it's toothy.

 

[jpberg]

And like a good cigar, it's toothy.

View attachment 91238

And I can tell you, they need wicked humidity.