I'm doing it wrong
- Thread starter ItalianCustom
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I like it at that humidity because I believe the tobacco flavors develop better, because the olis stay intact better. It is just my preference in aging them. But to smoke them I like them slightly drier for burn purposes. It is similar to how I keep and drink wine; I keep one vinotemp at 58 degrees for long term aging, but keep my other vinotemp at 63 degrees for short term drinking. At 63 degrees the aging process is a accelerated.
But his problem still sounds like a simple case of ammonia. Been there and done that, and know what it is like.
this really makes me think so. I had been buying and buying and just putting them into my vino. I guess I will use that for storage and go to my local B&M and buy some for my desktop so I have something to smoke and not have to wait that long.
yeah im beginning to think that is the case here...
I really appreciate everybodies input on this. Im going to reseason my desktop humi and get some sticks to put in there this week. I have a head cold as of yesterday so wont be smoking until this clears
so the reasoning so far is that several cigars releasing ammonia are ruining the rest of the cigars in his humidor?
Why has this not happened to anyone else?
I have bought plenty of cigars from CI, and certainly put cigars in there that are not over 2 years old.
If you open your humidor a couple times a week, you are getting enough air exchange.
Also if cigars release ammonia, what makes us think they also absorb ammonia?
It is not really feasible that every cigar in his humidor is in it's sick period at the same time. Sometimes CI is selling brand new sticks, and sometimes they are a couple of years old when you get them.
While there may be some sticks releasing ammonia, i have tasted a sick a cigar before, and it tasted like ammonia, or more like chemicals...not ash.
I have no answer, but some food for thought.
Why has this not happened to anyone else?
I have bought plenty of cigars from CI, and certainly put cigars in there that are not over 2 years old.
If you open your humidor a couple times a week, you are getting enough air exchange.
Also if cigars release ammonia, what makes us think they also absorb ammonia?
It is not really feasible that every cigar in his humidor is in it's sick period at the same time. Sometimes CI is selling brand new sticks, and sometimes they are a couple of years old when you get them.
While there may be some sticks releasing ammonia, i have tasted a sick a cigar before, and it tasted like ammonia, or more like chemicals...not ash.
I have no answer, but some food for thought.
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- Feb 10, 2011
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I'm with dpricenator. I'm not sure I'm buying into the ammonia theory.
I know the opus he smoked was good. I picked it up from my local b&m. Smoked one that I grabbed out of the same box within days of h smoking his. Granted it had about a week before I shipped it and he smoked it but I just am having a hard time buying into the ammonia theory. I could be wrong though. I'm wrong all the time, just ask my exwife.
I know the opus he smoked was good. I picked it up from my local b&m. Smoked one that I grabbed out of the same box within days of h smoking his. Granted it had about a week before I shipped it and he smoked it but I just am having a hard time buying into the ammonia theory. I could be wrong though. I'm wrong all the time, just ask my exwife.
I think it is your avatar, if you change it to a box of cigars then you will no longer get the ash taste. Look at TheCatch83's avatar, his cigars taste like a$$ for the same reason!
I have no idea but hope some of the stuff you are trying helps. Really interested in what you think about the B&M smoke, so keep us posted.
I have no idea but hope some of the stuff you are trying helps. Really interested in what you think about the B&M smoke, so keep us posted.
what if I dont open it a couple times a week?
Oh I forgot, thanks to my avatar I get a bacon flavor with mine.
Usually cigars only release ammonia around or during their fermentation process, and this is when a stick is very young. But high humidity in humidor can send an old stick into a secondary or tertiary fermentation process and this will make the cigar taste like ammonia, chemicals, and I'm guessing even ash. If your cigars can absorb moisture and release moisture (they are like a sponge), well then it can absorb ammonia from another stick as well, especially if they are in contact.
Don't know what else to say other than just let them rest a few weeks, try smoking from B&M humidors, or give your taste buds a rest and try something else for a few weeks. If you come back later and the same taste is there, well then maybe you should think about another hobby. Smoking isn't for everybody!
Don't know what else to say other than just let them rest a few weeks, try smoking from B&M humidors, or give your taste buds a rest and try something else for a few weeks. If you come back later and the same taste is there, well then maybe you should think about another hobby. Smoking isn't for everybody!
I just figure someone who smokes and collects will probably open thier humidor at least once or twice. If not, well lots of guys don't open their collerdors for months on end.
Also, not sure if you are storing a ton of young Cuban Cigars, because that is where you will find most of your "sick" cigars. Non-Cuban tobacco is aged much longer, traditionally, than Cuban Tobacco. So if you are storing non cuban tobacco from different brands, made in different years, made from tobacco from different farms, then how are ALL of your cigars sick?
To respond to the comment that cigars are like a sponge, well sure. However, in regards to whether or not this is ammonia that is causing these to taste like ash. Lots of guys who are storing 30-50 boxes of cubans, may have several boxes at anytime going through a "sick" period. These same guys then report that a different cigar, in the same humi, is smoking wonderfully right now. If 1 or 2 boxes i his humi were releasing some ammonia, i don't see it ruining the entire stash. Again, unless we are talking about a bunch of Young CUban Cigars, I don't see how we can even discuss a mass fermentation of cigars all grown, rolled and aged at seperate times and locations as logical. Not saying Logical is always the answer, but this does not make sense.
A question for the OP, do you smoke cigarettes?
JNT
The Bull
So. Are you tasting ash or ammonia. open a bootle of windex, and you'll get a healthy dose of ammonia in the nose. smell a dirty ash try, and you get the ash smell.
I've had many sick smoke where the ammonia is hard, and to many to count that had the ash taste. No mistaking the two. Ammonia is more smelt in the nose, and difficult to breath into the nose, rather then tasted.
Ash on the other hand is tasted on the tongue.
I've had many sick smoke where the ammonia is hard, and to many to count that had the ash taste. No mistaking the two. Ammonia is more smelt in the nose, and difficult to breath into the nose, rather then tasted.
Ash on the other hand is tasted on the tongue.
Agreed. But is this person aging a bunch of boxes of cigars or are his stash sitting in singles in one small humidor and they are all in contact with each other? I dont think the ammonia could get through a box, but if a sick cigar is in contact with others then I think it could be possible. Any cigar that reaches a certain humidity (usually >80%, sometimes >75%) can go back into a fermentation process again. It is the only reason I can think of other than his own personal tastes that could cause this issue.
I do not smoke cigarettes and almost all of my cigars are NC except the ones I got from a trade which have been aged years.
Im tasting it on my tongue....
yeah, but his humi is at 65% and it's every cigar, a new fermentation isn't really possible.
Also we are talking NC cigars, so a "sick' period is not normal considering the added fermentation and aging of non-cuban tobacco before rolling and then added aging after as well. Just saying, this does not sound like ammonia from fermentation.
Yeah I see what you are saying. Good point about the NC fact. I got know idea then. Could it be what he is drinking with the cigar? I'm thrown for a loop on this one.
I usually dont drink anything while I am smoking but today I had an ice tea with my smoke
ok, eventhough Im sick i decided to try a Man O' War Ruination today.
It was from mythsmoker and still in its cello. It had been in my humi for awhile now...
I decided I was going to try and get down to the bottom of things. It lit well and even, Started smoking slow with no ashy taste. I decided to try taking different length draws and found out larger draws I was getting more of the "ash" taste and smaller ones I was getting little to none. I also found out that if I took a draw immediately after the previous one, the ash flavor was overpowering. This led me to believe that its how Im smoking and not the cigar itself. Slowing it down and taking smaller draws I was able to get rid of that taste 99%...
another question I have is, could I be smoking the cigar too slow and getting a flavor from that??
ok, eventhough Im sick i decided to try a Man O' War Ruination today.
It was from mythsmoker and still in its cello. It had been in my humi for awhile now...
I decided I was going to try and get down to the bottom of things. It lit well and even, Started smoking slow with no ashy taste. I decided to try taking different length draws and found out larger draws I was getting more of the "ash" taste and smaller ones I was getting little to none. I also found out that if I took a draw immediately after the previous one, the ash flavor was overpowering. This led me to believe that its how Im smoking and not the cigar itself. Slowing it down and taking smaller draws I was able to get rid of that taste 99%...
another question I have is, could I be smoking the cigar too slow and getting a flavor from that??
The only downside to smoking a cigar "too slowly" is if it goes out or requires puffing like a madman to get it back going again. As long as you can keep a constant easy drawing burn going (requiring no more than a quarter puff and then a full draw to get optimum smoke each time you charge the cigar,) letting a cigar 'rest" between puffs means you are allowing the manufacturer's creativity behind the tobacco blend to come to you accurately.