Irritech
Punch Super
Okay so is this a true occurrance or is it just opinion? And if it is true, what causes it? Also, does the same happen with NC cigars to a lesser or same degree? I'm really curious on this one. :dunno:
Habanos sick period
- Thread starter Irritech
- Start date
NC cigars usually are aged before you even get them so that they taste good. Some cubans taste good out of the box, then taste kinda blah before they really start getting great. Its just a part of the aging process. I guess its like the annoying teenager phase before they become an adult.
The only time I have ever personally had some smokes do this, it was with a cab of BBF's. Fresh, they were great. At about 6 - 8 months (been awhile so I am not exactly certain) they tasted like crap. They stayed that way for ~6 - 8 months, then they were fine. A lot of folks swear that this is a real problem with PSD4's. They are an all-time favorite of mine and I have never had it happen with that vitola, from many different vintages.
cvm4
BoM - July '05 & Dec. '10
Lets face it, the Cubans need money. They can't afford to sit on product until it hits the right age like n/c manufacturers can. So a quick turn around is necessary and because of this, the tobacco leaves haven't had time to meld together.
Of course, this might not apply to high-end cuban cigars. But, IIRC, now they are using leaf that has been aged 2 years to make the cigars more approachable.
Of course, this might not apply to high-end cuban cigars. But, IIRC, now they are using leaf that has been aged 2 years to make the cigars more approachable.
this is what the Min Ron Nee has to say and i quote:
"the sick period is the period when anammoniac smelll is still detectable in a newly manufactured cigar.
the tobacco leaf is moistened before being rolled into a cigar. this invites accelerated fermentation which generates a lot of ammonia. an unpleasant ammoniac smell is noticed.
unlike bitter or tannic tastes, the ammoniac smell is regarded as unpleasant by everyone.
the time period for the disappearance of the ammoniac smell is infulenenced by the rate of fermentation, packaging and storage conditions.
good vetilation gets rid of the ammoniac smell in no time. ammonia, a simple molecule (NH3), is highly volatile. if you cannot wait, and want to get rid of the ammoniac smell in quicker time, storing your cigars in the open if the atmosphere is not too dry, or opening your humidor or box of cigars fro some time everyday certainly helps.
a higher temperature also makes ammonia more volatile, so storing your cigars in a warm place like next to you kitchen stove might not be a bad idea.
(note that these practices might ruin the aging process in the longer term)
for the majority of cigars handled in the "usual" way, athe 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.
milder cigars, for example Belinda or Gispert, take even less time.
cigars should not be consumed during the sick period."
end quote.....
"the sick period is the period when anammoniac smelll is still detectable in a newly manufactured cigar.
the tobacco leaf is moistened before being rolled into a cigar. this invites accelerated fermentation which generates a lot of ammonia. an unpleasant ammoniac smell is noticed.
unlike bitter or tannic tastes, the ammoniac smell is regarded as unpleasant by everyone.
the time period for the disappearance of the ammoniac smell is infulenenced by the rate of fermentation, packaging and storage conditions.
good vetilation gets rid of the ammoniac smell in no time. ammonia, a simple molecule (NH3), is highly volatile. if you cannot wait, and want to get rid of the ammoniac smell in quicker time, storing your cigars in the open if the atmosphere is not too dry, or opening your humidor or box of cigars fro some time everyday certainly helps.
a higher temperature also makes ammonia more volatile, so storing your cigars in a warm place like next to you kitchen stove might not be a bad idea.
(note that these practices might ruin the aging process in the longer term)
for the majority of cigars handled in the "usual" way, athe 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.
milder cigars, for example Belinda or Gispert, take even less time.
cigars should not be consumed during the sick period."
end quote.....
Wasch_24
2005 BoY
I think it is real and have experienced it in various stages.
I haven't held onto a quantitiy of one NC cigar to ever experience this. Like Josh said...quite a few of the non cuban cigars out there have been rolled for a long enough time before hitting the stores that consumers never experience this in them.
I haven't held onto a quantitiy of one NC cigar to ever experience this. Like Josh said...quite a few of the non cuban cigars out there have been rolled for a long enough time before hitting the stores that consumers never experience this in them.
i second guess the part about leaving your sticks near a stove..... can someone say "beetles"??????
tubaman
3 Time BoM
I have experienced this and absolutely believe to be true. There are certain brands that it is much more pronounced than others. Many of the Upmann's go through this and PSD4's are notorious for this phenomenon. There are many others, but these are, imho, the ones that suffer the most.
Irritech
Punch Super
So the way it is explained in the book seems different from what I have been led to believe from other sources. According to the book it looks like they are purported to be sick at the time of rolling and get better as time goes. See, I had heard that they were good for the first couple months, then go into a sick period for some length of time. Kinda seems like there are a few different theories to this. :lookaroun
there is a passage at the bottom of the page that reads as follows:
"freshly rolled cigars in cuba taste very good, but when you bring them home they taste bad. one of the plausable reasons is that the tobacco for rolling the cigar is or the freshly rolled cigars are stored in the open rather than inside a box. good ventilation and the high temperature remove the ammonia in no time. cuba has the natural temperature and humidity to allow storing cigars in the open."
so i guess that if you got a habano right off the rolling table, or soon thereafter, i would be fairly decent.
once they pack em and ship em, thats when they start going "sick".
"freshly rolled cigars in cuba taste very good, but when you bring them home they taste bad. one of the plausable reasons is that the tobacco for rolling the cigar is or the freshly rolled cigars are stored in the open rather than inside a box. good ventilation and the high temperature remove the ammonia in no time. cuba has the natural temperature and humidity to allow storing cigars in the open."
so i guess that if you got a habano right off the rolling table, or soon thereafter, i would be fairly decent.
once they pack em and ship em, thats when they start going "sick".
As kevin mentioned PSD4s are notorious for being good ROTT although a tad in your face and then going sick 4,5,6 months after you recieve them. This is for sure a real problem and as Matt quoted earlier they will get better over time (usually 4-6 months). Some times you can smell the ammonia some times you can taste it and every once in awhile they just taste way off.
I believe the problem is more prevelent among the most popular sticks. which would seem to prove the above to be true.
I believe the problem is more prevelent among the most popular sticks. which would seem to prove the above to be true.