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Bought 5 packs of 5 sticks in the Hotel Nacional on my recent visit, only because it was the only decent mid-range falv/price cigar I liked & the fact that I have never actually bought a box of No3's, despite having several No1's, No2's, No5's Especiales & Especiales No2's & more No4's than I care to remember. Back in the day No4's were my standard Cuban smoke & would' supplement more special cigars on birthdays & holidays.
So I am very familiar with the brand & although It's not a fav marca of mine these days (bit too middle of the road flav wise), they continue to be a good staple & I am sure I'll always have a few boxes lurking in the depths of the Boli' Cave. However, I thought I would bring to your attention, particularly for those less experienced members, the drawbacks of buying in Cuba & cardboard packs.
Firstly, buying stock in Cuba means it probably hasn't been frozen (Ryan can you confirm that only export stock is frozen?). Economically it wouldn't make much sense, as the conditions for the Cigar Weevil are ideal in Cuba & once frozen & put on the shelves in Cuba, they could be easily re-infected. The trick is to avoid putting them in your collection until you have gone through the 2-3-2 freezing procedure, or your preferred version. Once safely brought back to room temp , they can go into your humi's.
The one exception here & my second point is the cigars in packs. These are know to be more susceptible to growing mould. Luckily I was aware of this & my usual habit of buying boxes is that I say to the seller, I will pay for these & then open them in front of you & if any beetle holes or mould you change them for another box. Never had a problem with this approach & it saves disappointment later when you get home & it's too late to exchange. Packs aren't really going to work like that & I didn't open them but kept separate until I was home, had frozent them & then prepared to decant into a No2 box. One pack was heavily covered already with 'fairy dust'/plume/mould take your pick.
I think the likely cause is that they are packed still relatively high humidity & the cardboard holds that in, giving less air room than a box. the local temperatures are at optimum range for mould to grow. I know in the UK shops, they'll have many cardboard packs for sometime on their shelves & like tubes, when some suggest unscrewing the tops off or losenning them in your own humi, I have had only a couple of problems with tubes with long term aging & tops fully tight but packs are a continual issue. And why are they offered in packs rather than boxes? I assume a simple shortage of boxes?
All the cigars in this story were brushed down with a hog hair art brush & put away, they will have to be monitored, as once spores are about, it is difficult to eradicate, freezing won't kill them but just being aware is half the solution.
P.S> If anyone has an empty Monte No3 box that they could send me, happy to send a couple of smokes for this favour.
So I am very familiar with the brand & although It's not a fav marca of mine these days (bit too middle of the road flav wise), they continue to be a good staple & I am sure I'll always have a few boxes lurking in the depths of the Boli' Cave. However, I thought I would bring to your attention, particularly for those less experienced members, the drawbacks of buying in Cuba & cardboard packs.
Firstly, buying stock in Cuba means it probably hasn't been frozen (Ryan can you confirm that only export stock is frozen?). Economically it wouldn't make much sense, as the conditions for the Cigar Weevil are ideal in Cuba & once frozen & put on the shelves in Cuba, they could be easily re-infected. The trick is to avoid putting them in your collection until you have gone through the 2-3-2 freezing procedure, or your preferred version. Once safely brought back to room temp , they can go into your humi's.
The one exception here & my second point is the cigars in packs. These are know to be more susceptible to growing mould. Luckily I was aware of this & my usual habit of buying boxes is that I say to the seller, I will pay for these & then open them in front of you & if any beetle holes or mould you change them for another box. Never had a problem with this approach & it saves disappointment later when you get home & it's too late to exchange. Packs aren't really going to work like that & I didn't open them but kept separate until I was home, had frozent them & then prepared to decant into a No2 box. One pack was heavily covered already with 'fairy dust'/plume/mould take your pick.
I think the likely cause is that they are packed still relatively high humidity & the cardboard holds that in, giving less air room than a box. the local temperatures are at optimum range for mould to grow. I know in the UK shops, they'll have many cardboard packs for sometime on their shelves & like tubes, when some suggest unscrewing the tops off or losenning them in your own humi, I have had only a couple of problems with tubes with long term aging & tops fully tight but packs are a continual issue. And why are they offered in packs rather than boxes? I assume a simple shortage of boxes?
All the cigars in this story were brushed down with a hog hair art brush & put away, they will have to be monitored, as once spores are about, it is difficult to eradicate, freezing won't kill them but just being aware is half the solution.
P.S> If anyone has an empty Monte No3 box that they could send me, happy to send a couple of smokes for this favour.
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