Expert: James Yee - 9/11/2009

Question
Hello James,
Came across your interesting reply on freezing cigars to kill or inhibit beetle and mould growth.
I understand that nowadays Habanos SA freezes all their production prior to export. My question is : does the freezing process affect the ongoing fermentation which enhances the ageing and maturing of cigars.
I have been smoking and constantly maintaining a stock of CCs for well over thirty years and have always observed carefully the changes that take place in a cigar year after year of ageing . The annual fermentation that takes place just like a good wine and the tiny little white hairs that appear on the capa at the end of each summer indicating that the tobbacco has undergone another successful fermentation cycle. This has not been happening in recent years and I tend to believe that the freezing process has put an end to it.
I still have several boxes from the 90s and some from the 80s and believe me current production does'nt compare in flavour or aroma , not just because of the ageing but because this freezing process is killing more than just the beetle.
Will be interested to hear your views on this matter.
Best regards
Khaled

Answer
Hi Khaled,

It's very possible that the freezing process is altering the quality of Cuban cigars but again, the freezing process is not long-term so I don't think there is a substantial difference in tobacco quality from just freezing alone.

In my opinion, the shortcoming of tobacco quality in recent years is also related to the supply and demand of Cuban cigars.  During the mid 1990's to early 2000, the cigar boom was still strongly in effect and Cuban cigars has always been in high demand.  As a result, Habanos has been producing more and more Cuban cigars every year (certainly more than they produced in the 1980's & 90's) to satisfy the demand so rushed production may have also caused the tobacco quality to suffer.  In recent years, there are also new cigar brands and sizes with new cigars coming out every year so much of the premium tobacco is also spread out now.  As a result, the quality of many of the premium cigars has slightly decreased as production as quality is focused on the "Super Premium" Cuban cigars.

Cuban cigar industry experts have also claimed that weather has played a strong part in the quality of tobacco being produced. In the 1990's and early 2000, severe tropical storms had damaged parts of Cuba's premium tobacco farmland which greatly affected the production and quality of tobacco.  Excess rain (or lack of) during the course of the year can also affect tobacco crop quality.

To answer your question, freezing can affect the quality of the cigars but it's not the only critical factor.

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

Regards,
James