Strange smell ... is this normal?

[squeezyjohn]

Hi there,

I have been air curing every year since I started growing ... and this year I managed to get riper leaf than I think I did in previous years. The cure seems to be going well this year - and as my leaves dry out at the midrib I have been tying them in to bunches and moving to my driest space available.

One of my checks (to get the full sensory experience!) is to smell the leaves at various stages ... and these finished colour cured leaves have a distinctly off smell to me - they are starting to smell quite farmyard-ish ... each variety has a different nuance but all have a definite ammonia aroma to them.

I know ammonia is given off during kilning - but this is just air-curing ... is this smell normal? Will it fade to a more familiar tobacco aroma ... or do you think my tobacco is spoiling in some way?

 

[deluxestogie]

Hanging leaf that has sufficient moisture (at least low case) and sufficient warmth (>60ºF) may undergo a spontaneous "sweat." This is a slow motion version of what happens within a kiln. I would expect it to complete within 3 or 4 weeks (assuming the conditions remain favorable for it). What you are smelling is the degradation of albuminous proteins, which gives off ammonia and other gases. All this suggests that the leaf will be smokable sooner than it would be if it did not sweat. So, it's a good thing.

Bob

 

[squeezyjohn]

That makes quite a bit of sense ... thank you Bob!

We've been blessed with a very warm September which has also been very humid - which means that I've been on the constant watch-out for mould too ... but ideal conditions for what you suggest is happening.

So essentially what I am smelling is kilning in slow-mo ... which is what I was hoping. Thank you for your advice!

 

[Mad Oshea]

Just don't tast it. It tasts like Donkey smell. Yuk.. I did that as well as, smell each type. I no longer tast it.... Mad- Smell the buds after the flower is dried and falls off..