Ammonia

[jslnjohn@sbcglobal.net]

I was in a b&m the other day and talking to the guy who works there about the cigars they roll there at the store. He tells me that the ammonia smell of cigars is from old tobacco. I thought it was from young cigars or improperly fermented tobacco.Am I wrong or is he blowing smoke up my a$$?

[kevin7]

He is full of shit and blowing smoke out his ass

[bigpoppapuff]

he's wrong...

[bigpoppapuff]

MY CIGARS ARE SICK!

Plus: Separate Olivas for leaves and cigars

Los Angeles, September 18 – “Cigars should not be consumed during the sick period.”

That’s the clear and unambiguous advice from Hong Kong author Min Ron Nee in his tome, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars.

It’s worth noting, because the taste of a cigar changes over time. Nee defines four different stages of aging:

• Sick period;

• First Maturation;

• Second Maturation;

• Third Maturation.

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.”

This instruction is carried by only one cigar we know of: Rafael Gonzalez. Originated in Cuba in 1928, it has long carried the following notice on the box:

“In order that the Connoisseur may fully appreciate the perfect fragrance they should be smoked either within one month of the date of shipment from Havana or should be carefully matured for about one year.”

Nee is concerned exclusively with Cuban-made cigars and does not comment on any differences in manufacture between Cuba and other cigar-producing countries. But among manufacturers for the U.S. market, in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and other countries, the length of time between when leaves are harvested and when they are rolled into cigars is longer, sometimes much longer (like in years). This helps reduce the ammoniac element. And there are manufacturers who hold their made and boxed cigars for weeks up to months to provide some in-the-box aging that will further eliminate the ammonia problem. Thus, most – but not all – cigars on U.S. smokeshop shelves have already passed through the problem stage.

The question is then, how will aging improve cigars. The answer can be quite a bit, if you’re willing to be patient.

Zino Davidoff always maintained that cigars should be stored in their original boxes because they “keep working” over time. Nee agrees and he’s willing to be patient:

“Cigars continue to generate pleasant aromas and flavours as a result of the continuous fermentation. These flavours thus increase in intensity with time. And bitterness, believed to be the taste of nicotine, becomes less and less as fermentation causes nicotine to be broken down into simpler molecules.”
%%pagebreak%% While noting that Nee does not claim to be a chemist by profession, he offers the following guidelines for aging cigars into the first maturation period:

• For mild cigars, about 2-3 years in standard boxes and 4-5 years in cabinets!

• For medium-bodied cigars, five years in regular boxes and 6-8 years in cabinets.

• For full-bodied cigars, 7-8 years in standard boxes and 10-15 years in cabinets.

Who can wait that long?

But Nee continues, describing the second fermentation as the time when the tannins in the leaves have been broken down. This aspect is well known in wines. For cigars, Nee suggests this period comes between 15 and 25 years, noting that “[t]he cigar tastes quite different to what it was when at first maturity. It is interesting that part of this kind of ‘taste’ is strikingly similar to a 20 year or 25 year old Scotch whiskey.”

Third maturation? Nee notes only that this is when the aroma reaches an indescribable state of finesse “and no words can describe how great these bouquets smell because of the paucity of the primitive Human vocabulary.” It takes at least 20 years to reach this state and maybe quite a bit longer.

Writing in 2003, Nee notes that this is one reason why pre-Castro Havanas from the 1950s are often described as so exquisite today, as they have had enough time to – in some brands – to reach their highest level of maturity.

For those of us without the patience of the Hong Kong collector, we can learn some lessons about aging and taste:

• Give cigars with the smell of ammonia either a long time to age in a large humidor or lots of ventilation to eliminate the odor.

• If possible, try to age mild cigars for about a year and give stronger cigars perhaps a couple of years to get past the sick period and enjoy some additional fermentation in the box.

• By all means keep a card file or diary and compare the taste and temperament of specific cigars tasted at different times over a 2-3 year period. You can only appreciate the difference in aging by tasting a few cigars from a box at yearly intervals and, you will be looked upon by your cigar-smoking friends as a true connoisseur. Never mind that your non-smoking friends will think you’re a nut!

[jslnjohn@sbcglobal.net]

Thanks for the replies guys. I was telling the guy that I had received some of his house brand cigars when a coworkers son was born. I told him that when I was given them they had a strong ammonia smell (like horse piss)and I almost threw them away. They sat in my humi for a little over a year, and after some (actually a lot) of down time the one I smoked was pretty darn tastey. While I was there I picked up some of their maduros to try, the ones I was given were ct shade color.

[Dru Lee Parsec]

Sid, Once again I'm learning so much from post like this.

Now it makes sense why so many people have such large cigar collections. They're aging their cigars. I'd love to try to set aside a box of the same type of cigar and try one every few months over the next several years just to learn how the taste change.

Damn, I better start saving my pennies for all those cigars. I think I see a cooler in my future.

[planenut]

MY CIGARS ARE SICK!


For those of us without the patience of the Hong Kong collector, we can learn some lessons about aging and taste:

• Give cigars with the smell of ammonia either a long time to age in a large humidor or lots of ventilation to eliminate the odor.

• If possible, try to age mild cigars for about a year and give stronger cigars perhaps a couple of years to get past the sick period and enjoy some additional fermentation in the box.

So, If I have some cigars going through the sick period, Do they need to stay in the box with the concentrated ammonia smell to finish aging quicker or would it be better to take them out and place them in a large humidor, seperate from the other cigars so they can breathe and get rid of the ammonia smell.

I'm still trying to figure out if the ammonia smell helps in any way or is just a sign of fermentation going on.

For those of us with coolerdor's, most people say to open it at least once a week to allow some fresh air inside. Is this related?

[planenut]

bump