Nasty sensation in the throat when inhaling tobacco

omariam · Nov 10, 2014

Hi everyone, I decided recently to start smoking non-aromatic tobaccos and noticed that some of the ones I bought gives you a nasty sensation in the throat whenever I inhale it. I know I'm not supposed to inhale the smoke of the pipe but I'm an ex-cigarette smoker and I stopped smoking cigarette after I started smoking pipes, so I need that nicotine kick

.
But seriously this sensation is ruining my experience. It doesn't start right away, but rather after relighting several times say after smoking half the bowl. This doesn't happen with all tobaccos, only some of them, one of which is Dunhill's Royal Yacht which is a bit surprising because all the reviews I read about were positive. This sensation is hard to describe but it's like a burning in the back of the throat.
Have anybody come across this?

newbroom · Nov 10, 2014

Some tobaccos will have properties that CAN affect your membranes if you are smoking them to HARD or too fast.

Virginia tobacco can do this as it releases its sugary sweetness.
I'm a former cig smoker too. I inhaled roll y'er own tobacco for the first few weeks of my piping and discovered the merits of the sip and the retrohale.
My concern for that relief from nicotine habit gradually changed as I began to realize I was satisfying that need w/o actually inhaling my tobacco.
A cigarette will smack that nic habit right in the face. 20 minutes later, you'll want another...and so on.
A pipe becomes more of a time consuming hobby that also satisfies that nic habit, only it's more subtle...till you hit the overload point with something like Nightcap or JKP.
Experience will show you the way.
Learning pack, puff and pace along with the confidence that your nic cravings will be alleviated without inhaling will afford you a more satisfying bowl.

jitterbugdude · Nov 10, 2014

Pipe tobacco is not meant to be inhaled but if you feel the need to do so consider smoking Virginia only tobaccos. The reason why cigarettes are inhaled is because the leaf has a lower pH and the nicotine is bound. The only way to absorb bound nicotine is to inhale it. Once the smoke reaches the lungs the pH will change and you absorb the nicotine.
So, if you are looking for nicotine try a Burley blend, but do not inhale. Burley has free nicotine and it is readily absorbed through thru lining of your mouth. The high pH of Burley also makes it irritating to the throat.
If you insist on inhaling, try sticking with Virginia's

darwin · Nov 10, 2014

Omariam if you're going to be inhaling everything you might actually be better off smoking filtered cigarettes or better yet get into vaping. If getting enough nicotine is the problem then there are plenty of blends that will make your head spin even if not inhaled. Try blends such as Irish Flake, Old Dark Fired, or Nightcap. There should be enough nic in those, and many others of course, to do the job without ruining one of the chief advantages of smoking a pipe which is that it does not need to be inhaled to absorb nicotine.

phred · Nov 10, 2014

Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this."
Doctor: "Don't do that."
- Henny Youngman

mephistopheles · Nov 10, 2014

+1 phred

warren · Nov 10, 2014

Some learn through experience. Some must be hit on the head with a mallet.

peteguy · Nov 10, 2014

Don't forget to collect your copay phred.

cortezattic · Nov 10, 2014

Consider a stronger tobacco so that you get the nicotine without inhaling profoundly.

I would suggest 1oz. samples from bulk Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. blends:

Top Black Cherry (an aromatic acceptable for the purist)

Happy Bogie (a rope)

Black Irish X

Brown Irish X (stronger than above)

Sweet Maple Twist (a rope, and not noticeably aromatic)

-- really, any of the G&H blends that are unscented, or not Kendal / Lakeland style, will be OK.

The ropes are among the strongest, and you should also buy a good double-edged cigar cutter if you buy them.

loneredtree · Nov 10, 2014

Do you get that sensation when you do not inhale? I have found that some tobacco blends irritate my throat. I do not know why but I just sell or trade them off and avoid them.

huntertrw · Nov 10, 2014

"...one of the chief advantages of smoking a pipe which is that it does not need to be inhaled to absorb nicotine."
True. Nicotine is also absorbed through the mucosa in your mouth.
As others here have stated, simply try a stronger tobacco (e.g., Duhill Nightcap or The Royal Yacht, or Five Brothers), and consciously try NOT to inhale.

mso489 · Nov 10, 2014

It's nearly as hard to quit cigarettes for a pipe as to quit cigarettes and not smoke, I think. Cigarettes

are pretty much a nicotine delivery system. Everything else -- tobacco and other flavors, filtering,

burn characteristics, etc. -- are designed to build the association with soaking up the nic. In contrast,

many pipe smokers only smoke low nic blends wherein the nicotine plays little or no role in the pleasure

or habit. So if you really want to be a pipe smoker instead of a cigarette smoker, you have to do way more

than just change the tool from paper to briar. If you smoke a pipe like a cigarette, I think the results will

not be tasty nor beneficial.

frozenchurchwarden · Nov 10, 2014

-omariam
stopped smoking cigarette after I started smoking pipes, so I need that nicotine kick

Lame excuse. Get some Brown Bogie or 1792 and you'll have your Nick kick, but in a slightly more controlled fashion, and without destroying your lungs.

dottiewarden · Nov 11, 2014

But seriously this sensation is ruining my experience. It doesn't start right away, but rather after relighting several times say after smoking half the bowl.

Just today I was smoking a near perfect bowl when about half way through the tobacco turned harsh and bitey - I just tossed what was left in the bowl because there's no way I'm going to keep smoking something I'm not enjoying!

I know I'm not supposed to inhale the smoke of the pipe but I'm an ex-cigarette smoker and I stopped smoking cigarette after I started smoking pipes, so I need that nicotine kick.

As stated above: I recommend Night Cap or Irish Flake. You may also like Irish Oak as it tastes a bit like cigarettes but is super smooth and offers a good nic hit as well.

newbroom · Nov 11, 2014

Two words. Codger Blends.
Codger blends usually have a burley base, which as has been noted, does deliver the goods. They are easy smoking pipe tobaccos because they require very little bowl maintenance. Inhaling pipe tobacco like you would a cigarette is certain calamity. I've got 3 on hand. SWR, PA, and CH.

nsfisher · Nov 11, 2014

Two words. Codger Blends

Exactly right mate

billypm · Nov 11, 2014

If Royal Yacht, quite a strong tobacco in my opinion, doesn't satisfy your N craving without inhaling then you REALLY need nicotine! Or possibly what you are actually missing is the act of inhalation-- the feel of smoke in your lungs-- not the N per se. I know when I finally got quit of cigs that was the hardest part. I'd be almost shaking from the N in a pipeful of plug but still unsatisfied because my lungs were smoke free. I finally got used to that and you can too, but it's tough.

mrenglish · Nov 11, 2014

I don't inhale but Dunhill blends always provided a slight throat irritation when I smoked them. Well, their English blends did, no problem with the flake.

saltedplug · Nov 28, 2014

Pipe and cigar smoke is potent. If inhaling bothers your throat, you might consider not inhaling.

Nasty sensation in the throat when inhaling tobacco

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