New memeber with a cigar aging question.

Hi everyone. I have a general question. I three cigars that are aluminium tubed and wrapped in cedar. I purchased them a while ago from one of JR Cigar's closeouts. I opened them today and there is a slight ammonia smell. The cigars themselves look fine. Before I purchased a proper humidor I stored some cigars in an aluminium lined plastic container with a humidification device. I seem to remember the same faint ammonia smell when I recharged it. Is that a sign the cigar is going bad or do cigars lose ammonia as party of the aging process? I would assume that if they did their taste and aroma would improve hence the reason one ages cigars. Just curious. So to sum up. Ammonia smell=good or ammonia smell=bad?

If I didn't see mold I would just smoke them. Some cigars smell different then others. You distinctly remember them not smelling like that when you bought them? I would guess it's the aging process.

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Originally Posted by va_alleycat

Hi everyone. I have a general question. I three cigars that are aluminium tubed and wrapped in cedar. I purchased them a while ago from one of JR Cigar's closeouts. I opened them today and there is a slight ammonia smell. The cigars themselves look fine. Before I purchased a proper humidor I stored some cigars in an aluminium lined plastic container with a humidification device. I seem to remember the same faint ammonia smell when I recharged it. Is that a sign the cigar is going bad or do cigars lose ammonia as party of the aging process? I would assume that if they did their taste and aroma would improve hence the reason one ages cigars. Just curious. So to sum up. Ammonia smell=good or ammonia smell=bad?

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The ammonia smell is typically from very young cigars that may not have been properly aged. I'd leave them be for a bit and try them later. They may be smokeable now, but I'd venture a guess they will not be as good as when they are aged a bit more. That might be why they were JR closeouts - typically this occurs in lower quality tobacco rolled into lower quality cigars.

The Cigars themselves look well made with very smooth even colored natural wrappers. I am pretty sure they were some boutique brand that appeared during the cigar boom so insufficient aging very likely. I can let them sit as long as necesary if it is an aging issue. Should I take the tops off the tubes so the ammonia can more easily dissipate?

Welcome va_alleycat to Cigarsmokers.com.

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Originally Posted by va_alleycat

The Cigars themselves look well made with very smooth even colored natural wrappers. I am pretty sure they were some boutique brand that appeared during the cigar boom so insufficient aging very likely. I can let them sit as long as necesary if it is an aging issue. Should I take the tops off the tubes so the ammonia can more easily dissipate?

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Taking the tops off would insure that they get lots of moisture, but if they are already moist there is no need to remove the top I dont think.

I recall there being lots of complaints about ammonia scent among boom cigars....but this one, if on closeout and a true boom period cigar, should have had all the ammonia age right out of it by now...unless the tube kept it from dissipating.

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Originally Posted by KingoftheLeaf

I recall there being lots of complaints about ammonia scent among boom cigars....but this one, if on closeout and a true boom period cigar, should have had all the ammonia age right out of it by now...unless the tube kept it from dissipating.

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That is what I was thinking . They have been tubed so I was thinking that the tubes have kept the ammonia from dissipating. I'll pop open the tops and check them in month or two and see if it is gone.

Just wanted to say Hi and Welcome to VA ALLEYCAT :smiley31:

Thanks for the welcome. I am not a big cigar smoker. Maybe 2 a month at most. I took the cigars out of the tubes and just let them sit in the humidore. The Ammonia smell is signigicantlu less after 2 weeks. Ammonia is pretty volitile so I assume it will dissapate over time. Then I will smoke one of the cigars. I only have three so even if the cigars are not so godd it is not great lose.

My understanding is amonia is present mainly in younger stages of a cigar's development. It has however been said to sometimes return (generally in much softer /lighter aroma than the phenomenon that occurs when young), suggesting that cigars may go through what one enthusiast described as vacuum periods, others sometime use the term sick - All of which sort of overlaps as there is no concise definition to rely on with regards to any of these theories or the terms used to describe them.

Cigars during the boom period were likely more prone to amonia because the tobacco was in such demand there was a loss of ability to age & treat tobacco to the extent that it had been prior to that period. Also keep in mind that Tubes are meant to slow the ageing (oxidization) process. So a tubed cigar would be more likely to display characteristics of younger cigars (such as amonia) than an un-tubed one.

Lastly there is also the sad possibility that what you got was indeed from the "boom" period and due to hurried or carefree production, the fermentation process was not carried out to the extent it should have been. If so, something like the amonia smell might be present an un-natural period of time, not to mention the over all quality of the cigar itself likely being suspect. When corners are cut, it often is not only in one direction. On the other hand, the tube is a mystery to me as that itself suggests the cigar must have had some sort of anticipated status unless it was simply a ploy to hide the physical characteristics from plain view. Unlikely if you ask me, the tubes cost money, and again, corner cutters usually go the cheapest and most unscrupilous routes.

Take one of them out of the tube for a few months and then light it up maybe comparing it to one that remained tubed.
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