Ammonia buildup and rest periods?

[ENV]

Ok guys here is my inquiry.

What exactly is ammonia buildup?

I sometimes notice that I get to the end of a cigar and it gets bitter/sour, also does this if I take to many puffs in too short a time. Is this ammonia as well?

How long should I let my stogies rest in my humidor when I get them on a trade/sale, bomb, online retailer or B&M?

Do stogies have a sick period that they go through before they become great again even if sent by a BOTL who has extremely perfect conditions in their humi before shipping?



I am just asking because I have had a few cigars that are great after I left them out (before getting my humidor) and they burned perfect and had outstanding flavor and never went out. Now I finally stabilized my humi and it sits between 64-67 all the time and I noticed any smokes I put in recently get sour quickly or go out (burn issues) taste issues, etc.

Should I be dryboxing?

Any tips to get the best flavor from the smokes is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[BrittS88]

Ok guys here is my inquiry.

What exactly is ammonia buildup?

I sometimes notice that I get to the end of a cigar and it gets bitter/sour, also does this if I take to many puffs in too short a time. Is this ammonia as well?

How long should I let my stogies rest in my humidor when I get them on a trade/sale, bomb, online retailer or B&M?

Do stogies have a sick period that they go through before they become great again even if sent by a BOTL who has extremely perfect conditions in their humi before shipping?



I am just asking because I have had a few cigars that are great after I left them out (before getting my humidor) and they burned perfect and had outstanding flavor and never went out. Now I finally stabilized my humi and it sits between 64-67 all the time and I noticed any smokes I put in recently get sour quickly or go out (burn issues) taste issues, etc.

Should I be dryboxing?

Any tips to get the best flavor from the smokes is appreciated.

Thanks

So here is what I think this is just what I have figured out or been told. It may be right or it may not be lol. Ammonia builds up as you smoke. It is on the tobacco already, and rides "on the smoke" so to speak, and can build up along the way. How long you rest is up to you. I have seen brothers say two week, three months, not at all, and everything in between. Stogies from other botl if they have been aged, and weren't just bought, usually don't have a sick period. Of all the sticks I've gotten from fellow botl... maybe 60 in all. Only one has ever tasted bad. And it was part of a box pass. So who knows what changes it had undergone in all that travel. When cigars go through humidity changes they need time to acclimate. So if you're getting a stick from me personally,my Tupperdore is 62-63 RH, so you may have an adjustment time if your humidity is more than a couple degrees. Dry boxing is also a personal preference but I have found it makes my smokes more consistent. I don't really have any issues with burn or taste.

 

[Cigary43]

The “sick period” is marked by the unpleasant smell of ammonia when smelling the cigars. Nee notes that this is due to the continuing fermentation of the leaves once rolled into cigars and will go away as the cigars are ventilated. He believes that for most cigars, “the ammoniac smell will be over 90% gone in a few months, 95% to 99% gone by the end of the first year and practically all gone by the end of the second year.”

There is always going to be the debate as to whether "sick" periods exist and from 50 years of smoking cigars IMO it does exist. With some line of cigars it's very pronounced and with others not that noticeable. At the end of the day it's all about keeping our cigars in a stable environment where our cigars will thrive and that means no "up and down" where RH is at 60 for a week and then up to 68 the next week...same with outside temps. It's always a good idea to keep your cigars you just bought or were given to you in your humidor for a few weeks to let them acclimate to their new home. I realize that some don't want to wait so understand that you get what you get.

 

[D Quintero]

What exactly is ammonia buildup? - I refer to the RN answer.

I sometimes notice that I get to the end of a cigar and it gets bitter/sour, also does this if I take to many puffs in too short a time. Is this ammonia as well? - nope

How long should I let my stogies rest in my humidor when I get them on a trade/sale, bomb, online retailer or B&M? - 2 weeks

Do stogies have a sick period that they go through before they become great again even if sent by a BOTL who has extremely perfect conditions in their humi before shipping? Not a sickness period per se, but the time from being in a constant beautiful environment to getting exposed to various fluctuations. Beit temps, air pressure, light exposure - it throws off the chemistry and may cause a muting
of flavors if not allowed to re-equalizate.




I am just asking because I have had a few cigars that are great after I left them out (before getting my humidor) and they burned perfect and had outstanding flavor and never went out. Now I finally stabilized my humi and it sits between 64-67 all the time and I noticed any smokes I put in recently get sour quickly or go out (burn issues) taste issues, etc.

Should I be dryboxing? - Eh...

Any tips to get the best flavor from the smokes is appreciated. -

Thanks - Thanks

 

[MoJo]

One thing I would like to add is when you notice the bitterness towards the end of the cigar, check for any tar buildup where you cut the cigar. Sometimes you will see little black spots that can cause a nasty taste (especially if you accidently touch them with your tongue), if you do get them just cut another small amount off and it should take care of that.

 

[Jfire]

As Jon said Tar is being built up as you smoke not ammonia. If you are smoking cigars with 6-12 months humi time odds are most of the ammonia is gone. That's why you'll sometimes smell it in a winodor after opening it. As far as tar goes. As soon as you touch the tar monster with your tongue for the first time every smoker knows it. Two things to cut down on tar at the end of ones cigar. As more generous cut of the cap. And dropping ones RH to a slightly lower humidity. Say 65-67 instead of 70. Purging will help as well. Say once every third of burn time.