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It's all so confusing........Pictures...I need pictures in the instructions!

Re: Beginner Questions (Ask Them Here!)
 

Sorry Dave have not found the dry erase mode here yet so pictures are hard to come by. Lets try step by step. Have you checked out this portion of the forum: http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=7 ? If you haven't you may want to start there. Once there try posting a quick intro telling us about you and your smoking preferences Types of smokes i.e. strength, brand size etc. Then go over and get started on the NST that gator has going. This is a great spot to jump in feet first with trading and interacting with members on this board. Hope this helps. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have anymore questions.

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What would gorillia fingers be? Bad smokes, cheap smokes, maduros, or big cigars? Heard the term mentioned and was wondering the meaning.

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They are cigars by Lars Tetens, and have a reputation for being pretty nasty.

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=6701

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Thanks Frank......
Let me do some nosin around and see what I can get into.

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I made it through my first trade with the gator alive and now waiting my two weeks to do it again...and waiting for the "secret" places to open:)

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I have a total noobie smoking question. Why do I tend to get a "ammonia-like" taste in all the cigars I smoke once I get close to the last third of my cigars? Is it a storage issue or is it a smoking issue? Am I smoking too fast?

Thanks,

--Dennis

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I think it's a taste issue. I rarely smoke my cigars farther down than an inch and a half left, because it tastes bitter and nasty at that point. I never nub cigars.

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Younger cigars may have more ammonia in them as a byproduct of the fermentation process. Aging cigars in your humidor is the best way to eliminate the ammonia.

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It could be because you are smoking to fast and there is an abundance of tar and stale smoke build up.

Try smoking slower and see if that fixes it, also when you start to notice it purge the cigar (blow out through the cigar) to get rid of the stale smoke and freshen it up a little.

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Depending on your cigars it may just be that they are too young. Cigars as they age put off ammonia odors/flavors. I tend to taste this more in CC than NC.

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Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't know if I'm smoking too fast, but I tend to draw once every minute or so. I'm mainly smoking NC, like rocky patel, la aurora, cao, etc. I always assumed that most NC are pretty much ready to smoke off the shelves, and don't really necessarily need much aging.

--Dennis

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I have only liked one or two RP cigars. Most of his stuff is junk.

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Generally speaking, most NCs are ready to go when you get them, but there are some exceptions. Some even fall flat on their faces when aged.

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Anytime my stogie starts to get like that, I purge it as well. Just blow through the cigar enough to clear out old smoke and to burn a little of the nasties away..10 seconds is probably more than enought time, sometimes all you need is a quick 2 second purge

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IMO, purging sometiems ruins the cigar's flavor. I used to be big on purging until recently. Lately it seems that if I purge it once, I'm constantly having to purge, it messes the burn up, and it loses all the good flavors that I could pick up before the purge.

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I do purge occassionally, you learn when it is prudent and when it is not through experience. I would certainly not recommend purging a cigar for 10 seconds though, this could heat the cigar up too much and negatively affect the flavor. A quick burst is plenty when warranted. :2 Chris is right though, unnecessary purging is probably not the best idea.

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Can tubos be stored outside of the humidor? It seems to me that it would be pointless to leave them in the humidor as they are sealed in an aluminum tube and the humidity is locked in. The only issue would be heat. I guess as long as it doesnt get over 70 or so they should be alright, right?

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It is not a perfect seal. They will be ok longer than a non-tubos cigar out of a humidor, but not ok indefinitely.

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Like years? Months?