Stupid Question

[Yorkie077]

I recently bought a bunch of cheapies hoping to get a good smoke at a bargain price. The manufacturer claimed they were similar to the Arturo Hemingway Series, shape size and taste. They even boasted of using similar aged tobaccos throughout the sticks.

Upon lighting the first one I wanted to gag, the taste was overwhelmingly of ammonia. My stupid question of the day is:

Is the ammonia taste attributed to inmature tobacco? Should I keep them in my humidor a while and let them age or chalk this up to a learning experience, you get what you pay for.


Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!

[poker]

The ammonia should go away with time as usually its a sign of the tobacco still fermenting. Many times you can smell the foot of the cigar & see if its still present.

[rkt]

Lay them down for 6 months to a year and see if they are better.

[rkt]

AND...

Welcome to the Jungle!!!

[jimmy]

welcome!
my experience is that about half the time depending on the situation the ammonia will go away.

also i have learned there are no stupid questions, just stupid answers that you might get from people here ;)

jimmy

[El Gato]

Welcome!

The ammonia smell is from bacteria that are fermenting away in the cigar. These bacteria produce waste product that smells like ammonia. Eventually the ammonia level becomes so great that it kills this particular bacteria. Another bacteria is now free to grow.
Fortunately these bacteria love to eat the ammonia crap and secrete the nice yummy sweet stuff that makes a cigar smell sweet like raisins.

So follow the advice of others and lay these down for 6 months or so. Take them out and smell them once in a while, soon they'll be sweet and delicious. (as long as they weren't total garbage to begin with)

Good Luck