Holy ammonia!

[Bigronbee]

I was in Havana a little over a week ago and fell in love with the upman Connie 1. I ended up with two boxes from the hotel nacional (MEG Oct 15). I smoked at least one out of the boxes in addition to the singles I had that led to the purchase. I thought I was smoking a creamsicle - so good.

I get back to Connecticut and rave about them to my friends. I gave one to a friend and he was less than impressed. I pulled another out of the box to confirm and it was nothing like I remembered from a few days earlier. I get a good wiff of the boxes and they both reek of ammonia. I don't remember the boxes smelling that way in Cuba, but there's no mistaking it now. The cigar smokes just like it smells - no bueno.

I'm not sure what it was. I have a hard time believing it was the transit that changed this. More likely they were like that when I bought them and was caught up in the moment. Maybe smoking in 70 degrees and 70% ambient rh was the difference vs the 40f and 35rh here. Or more likely I was a little north of rum saturation. Either way I figure they need to sit in my tupperdore at 65% for a while before I give them another go.

I don't have a lot of experience with these sort of things, but I would have figured smokes from Oct 15 would've been a little more settled.

any thoughts?

[seattledude]

I would think you will need to let them rest and acclimate to your humidor for about 30-60 days. Cigars get sick when they change climates like this.

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, Bigronbee said:

 

I'm not sure what it was. I have a hard time believing it was the transit that changed this. More likely they were like that when I bought them and was caught up in the moment. Maybe smoking in 70 degrees and 70% ambient rh was the difference vs the 40f and 35rh here. Or more likely I was a little north of rum saturation. Either way I figure they need to sit in my tupperdore at 65% for a while before I give them another go.

I don't have a lot of experience with these sort of things, but I would have figured smokes from Oct 15 would've been a little more settled.

any thoughts?

If from the Nacional Divan (or really any in Havana) they would have been tracking nearing 80 RH. 

You are in Havana...life is good, Mojito's are flowing,  they taste more than fine. 

You have only been back a few days...and into the humidor they go. They are going through a major adjustment right now.....huge...you have dropped RH by likely 10-15 points and temp as well. They are shedding H20 like prisoner working on an outback rail track. 

What they are telling you is this...

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LEAVE US EFFING ALONE FOR  2-3 MONTHS 

[stogieluver]

Those sticks should be frozen to prevent beetle outbreak. 

[El Presidente]

20 minutes ago, stogieluver said:

Those sticks should be frozen to prevent beetle outbreak. 

great point 

[Texwrangler]

This thread needs to be saved and posted as permanent, its a great reminder.

[GrouchoMarx]

8 hours ago, stogieluver said:

Those sticks should be frozen to prevent beetle outbreak. 

7 hours ago, El Presidente said:

great point 

Frozen? I thought all cigars made in Cuba were frozen at some point???

I have some boxes I brought back from head office - should I have frozen them? I got them at LCDH.

 

[stogieluver]

20 minutes ago, GrouchoMarx said:

Frozen? I thought all cigars made in Cuba were frozen at some point???

I have some boxes I brought back from head office - should I have frozen them? I got them at LCDH.

 

Only the boxes exported for sale are frozen prior to shipment.  All cigars purchased on the island have not been frozen.  Don't add them to your inventory until you've put them through the freezing process suggested by El Presidente.  Do a search if you need instructions.

[GrouchoMarx]

Thanks - lucklily I know exactly which boxes they are

Instructions? I don't just put them in the deep freeze? (I'll search)

 

[Dave001]

everyone here already beat me to the punch hide them make them disappear for a month and then rediscover their greatness, those connie 1's are great when they are spot on

[PapaDisco]

13 hours ago, El Presidente said:

You have only been back a few days...and into the humidor they go. They are going through a major adjustment right now.....huge...you have dropped RH by likely 10-15 points and temp as well. They are shedding H20 like prisoner working on an outback rail track. 

First, one must ponder why it is that El Pres knows so much about chain gangs . . .

But, and to the point, I once had a box of Behikes that showed up all ammonia smelling.  Upon receiving the shipment I cracked the box lid, stuck my nose in for that first, luscious inhale and got a harsh chemical nip in the nose!    Now Behikes are aged tobacco of course, and your Connies were from 2015.  Ammonia only comes from tobacco fermentation IIRC and these boxes should be well passed that.  One would guess that, fermentation being rather imprecise, it's possible for the occasional leaf to slip through the pile fermentation and get rolled in, only to set to it's process later than its brethren.  It would also be interesting to know if 'restarted' fermentation can produce ammonia, or if the ammonia only comes from a certain chemical stage in the process.

In any event, I let my Behikes sit in their own humi with a couple of 70rH Bovedas and with their box lid partly up.  Checked the humi regularly for a month to ventilate the thing and see when the ammonia phase passed, and then put them back with everything else in my collection for a year.  They were very good the next time I sampled them, and they've gone back to sleep for another year or so now.

[Bigronbee]

Thanks guys.

I had assumed (incorrectly) that a sealed box from 2015 would be fine if it didn't already show beetle signs. I suppose the little guys could sneak in from an infested neighbor.

How long are beetle eggs viable? And it's crazy they don't freeze their domestic boxes too - how aren't the lcdh not all perpetually infested? Gives me the creeps just thinking about it.