Expert: James Yee - 6/5/2009

Question
Hi. I recently acquired a dozen cigars from a friend who was going to throw them out because they were infested with tobacco beetles, I believe. He froze them to kill the beetles. I know not to intermix these with my good cigars. My question is this: is there any way to salvage these cigars and smoke them, despite the little holes bored through them by these critters? I thought that maybe wrapping them in something like a zig-zag cigarette rolling paper might help give them a proper draw. What do you think?

Answer
Hi Charlie,

I wouldn't recommend smoking cigars that were infested with tobacco beetles.  Even though the beetles have been frozened and killed, they leave behind traces of a fine, dark powdery dust which is a combination of the chewed up tobacco that they have devoured as well as their fecal matter.  If you were to smoke a cigar laced with this substance, it can be a respiratory irritant and make you sick.  In addition, smoking a cigar with tobacco beetle holes will cause the cigar to burn irregularly and this will make the cigar less enjoyable.

If you insist on keeping the cigars, I would suggest that you tap as much of this loose substance off the cigar first before you smoke them.  I also wouldn't cover the cigar with Zig Zag papers because the burning papers will negatively affect the cigar's smell and taste.  Instead, have a professional cigar roller re-roll a new wrapper leaf over the cigars.  As an alternative, you can also have the cigar roller remove the old wrapper leaf, rebunch the filler and binder tobacco and roll the cigar in a new wrapper leaf.  Occassionally, cigar stores will have cigar rollers visiting their shop to roll cigars.  In my experience, many of these rollers will gladly re-roll a damaged cigar for you if you politely ask (and pay for the tobacco).

Another popular method to enjoy the cigars is to cut the damaged cigar up and smoke it in a tobacco pipe.  It's not quite the same as holding and smoking a whole cigar but you still get to enjoy the tobacco.  This method is a very old Cuban method that is still very popular among smokers.

Hopes this helps.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James