I got in some criollo 98 wrapper from WLT this am. When I opened the bag the smell of ammonia overwhelmed me. I've never encountered this before with new leaf. What is the best way of getting rid of it? Should I just let it air out for a bit? Are there any other steps that need to be taken to rid the leaf of the smell?
Ammonia in New leaf
- Thread starter john41285
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It wasn't really wet at all. About the same case it always comes in. Only ever time I smelled ammonia this bad was when I sprayed some Brazilian wrapper and put it in the bag then forgot about it for a week.
BradMc
<b>Charity Liaison</b><br>BoM September 07
I'm not a roll ur own guy, so i don't get the raw leaf, but been on a few tours, and the Pillions are leaves that have been stacked , they rotate the leaves after the Pillion reaches a Max Temp , when we went in that room it about put us on our ass , the ammonia was very strong........ Now this room was warehouse size, each pillion weighed about a ton......
A dumb question , have u ever had them this strong before ? , and what year was the cut ? , Maybe need to age more ......
A dumb question , have u ever had them this strong before ? , and what year was the cut ? , Maybe need to age more ......
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
Fermentation = ammonia. Regardless if its in leaf form or in cigar form.
ammonia fermentation occurs in many other fungi that are common in soil.....Bacteria, fungi, and plants reduce nitrate to ammonium to assimilate nitrogen into their biomass ....it's a natural process and as Min Ron New talked about....there is the initial ammonia fermentation and there is a second ammonia stage that comes later but not nearly as noticeable.
ammonia fermentation occurs in many other fungi that are common in soil.....Bacteria, fungi, and plants reduce nitrate to ammonium to assimilate nitrogen into their biomass ....it's a natural process and as Min Ron New talked about....there is the initial ammonia fermentation and there is a second ammonia stage that comes later but not nearly as noticeable.
As has already been stated the ammonia is a byproduct of fermentation. You just need to air the leaf out some and get to rolling. It's a good thing.
Dominican56
CRA #99997657
If you're getting that strong of an ammonia smell then it's still fermenting pretty actively. I've had the same issue with WLT leaf in the past. I'm not amused by it, either.
One batch of binder leaf from WLT I had to soak it in water, dried it and soaked it again then used a mild spray of wine vinegar then rinsed it again. The leaf I had was binder so it wasn't important that it look good. It worked but it retrospect it was more effort than 21 dollars of leaf was worth to me. If I get another batch of leaf that stinks that badly I'm sending it back to Don.
My leaf was so strong it would stink the entire garage pretty badly, and not unlike a pail of used diapers. I wasn't going to use it until it calmed down and if I couldn't get it to stop stinking I would toss it.
Also if you notice, lots of leaf when damp will smell slightly of ammonia but it shouldn't be overpowering to your senses, nor a problem.
One batch of binder leaf from WLT I had to soak it in water, dried it and soaked it again then used a mild spray of wine vinegar then rinsed it again. The leaf I had was binder so it wasn't important that it look good. It worked but it retrospect it was more effort than 21 dollars of leaf was worth to me. If I get another batch of leaf that stinks that badly I'm sending it back to Don.
My leaf was so strong it would stink the entire garage pretty badly, and not unlike a pail of used diapers. I wasn't going to use it until it calmed down and if I couldn't get it to stop stinking I would toss it.
Also if you notice, lots of leaf when damp will smell slightly of ammonia but it shouldn't be overpowering to your senses, nor a problem.
Dominican56
CRA #99997657
you wearin' 'em these days?
Ammonia in your binder isn't that big of a deal. Not worth returning leaf over. Fermented leaf is desirable, ammonia is proof of fermentation. Even if it smells of ammonia when you roll, if you let it rest a few months you won't have any issues with your cigar. Most of the time, the rolling game is not about quick returns, your best dividends come with time.
Dominican56
CRA #99997657
Yeah, it really is. I rolled two with it and was pretty awful. I assumed (incorrectly) it wouldn't' be a thing, but it was. Maybe it was placebo since I was looking for it to be bad, and it was. Sure, let the leaf alone sit for months and it will stop fermenting, rolled or not. I grant that, but the leaf is "different" from other leaf so I didn't like it. The other thing with the particular leaf was it's poor quality. 30-40 percent not usable but that's beside the issue of it stinkin' to high heaven.
That's how I know...
Mine still smells alot. Think it might be in the stems but not sure 100%. I prepped some and got it into case and it doesn't smell nearly as bad as the leaf with stem still in.
Binder is one thing but paying 50 for wrapper I'd expect it to be fully fermented. As much as I see people complain about LO I've never had any problems with their leaf. Only with shipping time
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The only people I've seen complain about LO these days are the guys at the FTT forum who seem a bit emotionally invested. Go ahead and ask them, "So, which LO leaves exactly have you tried lately that you feel are worse than which WLT leaves?"
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I have also had the ammonia problem and in my experience the fastest solution is to use mojo. The mojo kills the fermentation process. Spray down and let sit in an airtight container for a few days and then let dry to proper case - ready to use in about a week and in my opinion has a positive impact on leaf flavor. There are a couple threads already on here about it.
As mentioned, the other options are to return it or continue to let it "air out" and stop the process naturally.
For me, I did not want to deal with the hassle of shipping on a $20 order. I have tried airing out and it worked great when given a lot of time (1-2 months), but I can be impatient.
As mentioned, the other options are to return it or continue to let it "air out" and stop the process naturally.
For me, I did not want to deal with the hassle of shipping on a $20 order. I have tried airing out and it worked great when given a lot of time (1-2 months), but I can be impatient.
Lol I posted there a few times then found this forum. Couldn't believe that people think they are that bad. Ive never had a problem with them and when I had a question they got back to me right away. Can't say the same for Don.
I want the wrapper so will finish fermenting it myself. Even if I wanted to send it back I never got a response. Same thing happened when I got some H2K wrapper that was ripped and full of large holes. Asked for a replacement or refund and didn't hear anything back. That was over a month ago. After thinking about this I think I'm done with wlt. At least for large orders. Im stocked up pretty good right now. Have about 18 lbs of various leaf.