Sorry about that. As you can tell I, this is my first time on the board. I'm fairly new to the enjoyment of cigars and need help with an amonia smell on some sticks I recently received. Is there any thing that can be done to make them smokable? Also, need some guidance in finding a reasonably priced perfecto. Thanks for any help.

Amonia smell, well they cannot smell as bad as an ACID, so you could probably give them to some one who loves Acids! Seriously, I would toss them. How did you get this "Amonia" smell? Charlie

They had an amonia smell when I received them in the mail. I could not smell it until I took the cello off the smokes to put them in my humidor. As for the Acid line, I have never tried one. They seem to take a beating on this board.

MIAMIBUM: send me your address and i will send you a welcome package. [email protected]

The ammonia is naturally in the tobacco. The aging process lets the ammonia out. These sound like 'green' cigars, which means the tobacco was not aged long enough. I was just in Canada and spent $50 U.S. on a Cuban cigar that had so much ammonia, you could clean the floor with it. I think it was a counterfeit, but the Cubans are having problems with quality control, so who knows. Try putting the cigar in a bag with a spong with a little vinegar (NOT TOO MUCH) for a few days.

I think I remember that the amonia is suppose to burn off during the drying of the leaves and should be long gone BEFORE the cigar is rolled. Thus, no amount of aging will help these cigars? Plus, I wouldn't want to put them near my good cigars!

Is your welcome package available to all newbies?

I guess I never noticed the "amonia" smell, becasue I take the dreaded cello off (sorry guys, I am a non cello guy) and put them right into a humidor to age for at least a week or more, sometimes 4 weeks. Charlie

Oh Rick, can I classify as a "newbie" and get some free ISOM Montecristos and R & J ISOMs? Charlie

ammonia smell is causedby cigar being in it's "sick period". When a cigar is rolled it is smokeable right away (but with a much different taste than the "finished" product. You should go to a rolling event and get some fresh rolled (especially Mayorga maduros)). After about a week the fermenting process begins of which ammonia is a byproduct. This is what is known as "sick period". Cigar should be put away for a cedar nap, minimum of 30 days, but I would recommend at least 90 days.

I was reading in a couple of my cigar books and it would seem that if a cigar is rolled, packaged and shipped without proper aging you would get the amonia smell, but if the proper steps are taken, you should not even smell "amonia"! Thus, buying older cigars and cigars from reputable manufacturers would prevent this annoyance! Been smoking cigars for over 7 years now and haven't encountered this problem. Charlie

I appreciate all of the feedback. Fortunately, I did not actually place any of the "infected" smokes in my humidor. I will try a couple of the ideas received and will post how they work out. Hope I can return the favor some time. Any ideas on the perfectos?

I recently experienced this for the first time with a cigar I bought for a store that rolls them on sight. That my also be because of this "sick period" cj

plabonte: usually not, but for you i make an exception.
follow above.

charlie: to me you'll always be a newbie. after christmas i will order some Monte #5's and ONLY TO YOU will i send one.

i smell vinegar in the house but it's the cleaning lady's floor cleaner

Hold your nose while you smoke them.

Rick, tell the cleaning lady NOT to use vinegar for cleaning. Use ammonia products for cleaning. This is an acid/base kind of thing.

Smoke them in your kitchen. Then when your wife asks what that smell is yu can tell her you cleaned the entire place with amonia.