Nicotine Absorption

With pipe smoking, the nicotine has to be absorbed through the small blood vessels of the mouth or sinuses. Low nicotine blends tend to be so slow that you probably won't feel anything, especially if you are a cigarette smoker. I will just clench and allow the smoke to stay in my mouth for the duration of the smoke, slowly allowing it to trickle out as new smoke slowly comes in. Look up breathsmoking.

But, a more moderate nicotine blend, like ODF or another with dark fire, or a burley will definately be felt, or not if you are not sure what to expect. Unlike taking it into the lungs, it is like easing into a state of relaxation. My heart rate drops, I sink into my seat, and just meld with my pipe.
Stronger blends will make my eyes droopy, and I start to feel like I can't stay awake. If I start to feel queasy a bit of chocolate or something sugary will, help stove off the sick feeling. But, for me at this point in my smoking,I rarely get sick feeling.
Everyone is different. If I take some into my lungs by accident or too much second hand smoke in the air around me, my pulse quickens and I get a rush, so I try to avoid that. Some report that it always gives them a rush.
My advice is to go slow, savor the smoke in your mouth, rolling it around your tongue, exposing as much of the smoke to all aspects of your mouth. But, YMMV. Everyone is different. I hope this helps.

Because the body is constantly trying to increase the pH of the blood (that's why we exhale CO2), it is designed to more readily absorb alkaline as compared to acid. Aromatics, or even pure Virginia tobaccos have a high sugar content. When sugar burns, it creates formic acid, so the smoke is acidic, and very poorly absorbed. Therefore, it's not just a question of nicotine content, it's also one of sugar content, and pH. Snus for example is intentionally made alkaline. Some hard drugs are made more potent by reacting them with alkaline chemicals too. Burley, and cigar tobacco contain almost no sugar. Perique is said to be alkaline-I don't know if this is true. Maryland is low in sugar.

Great article on tobacco ph and absorption (thanks Jitterbugdude)
https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/#id=fhyf0213

Here is some more reading. (Hey JBD, (CV))

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.leffingwell.com/download/Leffingwell%2520-%2520Tobacco%2520production%2520chemistry%2520and%2520technology.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiLgpvg96nZAhUDZFAKHTPWBR0QFjAAegQIExAB&usg=AOvVaw3Lbp501kMlNB5Rg1wWnQNa

Interesting links, thanks, I scanned through them and book marked them to red a little closer.

I know that Virginias, considered a low nicotine blend for pipesmokers is always called low nicotine, but if you ate it, it could kill you just like a rustica would, if you didn't throw it up first. So there is nicotine in them. but, it's always amazed me that some Virginia blends will give me more of a nicotine kick than others when smoked. 5100 or any McClelland being on the law end, and almost all C&D Virginias being a little bit higher on the nicotine end, as far as absorption goes.
When I went to LA Poche and heard Mark Ryan speak, he said that perique is actually not ridiculously high in nicotine, and the perique process actually lowers the nicotine of the burley used to make it. But, that there are more complex compounds that are formed (the nicotine becomes a whole other chemical) that allows more nicotine to be absorbed from the Virginias or burleys that it's mixed with. This is why smoking straight perique doesn't make you sick like smoking a strong burley. But, when blended, it enhances that absorption of whatever it's blended with. (I'm paraphrasing, and using my old man memory, so take that for what it's worth).

Yes, interesting material. I have some Gawith blends that I very much enjoy the taste of, but hate the nic hit. It would be interesting, then, to find a flavor-neutral way to lower the pH in order to reduce the free nicotine.

Fear not the lovely "Lady N"... rather... embrace her gentle kiss!

Putting nicotine content on cigarette packs was easy for cigarettes, as they remove all of the oils from the tobacco, leaving behind just cellulose then they add back the oils after chemically altering it. Thus, they know precisely the nicotine content of their flavored cardboard. Pipetobacco, being a more pure crop, there’s no way to know, as from year to year, which part of the plant, the curing process, etc... nicotine will vary.
Virginias come from one strain of seedstock, essentially and oversimplifying, Virginia Gold. It can be mild, or it can be very strong, depending “acts of God.” If they are made to put nicotine content on the packaging, well... that’s the end of the pasttime. The cigarette industry will step in and start selling us their swill tobacco crap in place of what we have now. That will be a sad day, IMO.

Unlike taking it into the lungs, it is like easing into a state of relaxation. My heart rate drops, I sink into my seat, and just meld with my pipe.

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This is one of the many reasons why, in my view, pipe smoking is not only safer than cigarette smoking but much more enjoyable, and I wish I had discovered it when I was thirteen.

Try smoking some Samual Gawith Rope and get back to us. Even my Savinelli was sweating after smoking that.

You can keep the SG rope, I’ll take the GH&co Brown Bogie. I can fall into deep sleep before I’ve had to tamp twice with that rope.
Yeh Death, but at 13, relaxing wasn’t much of a priority for me,

I came close to nausea once or twice while smoking Big 'n Burley or Picayune.

The Picayune isn't as sneaky as the Big 'n Burley.

Hiccups are over the line for me.

I used to smoke Nightcap and other heavy latakia blends in a reclined chair about a half hour before bedtime and my eyelids would get nice and heavy, and often my pipe would drop on to my lap. I am no longer able to get that effect these days, but would like to. May be perhaps because I had to resort to smoking "cooler" with my shades on.

Yeh Death, but at 13, relaxing wasn’t much of a priority for me

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It was a great year. I discovered beer and cigarettes. Wish I'd just taken up a pipe instead however. But no, I wasn't thinking of relaxation. You just get a better flavor, experience, and Nicotine experience with a pipe. Cigarettes are about 8,000% easier however.

"It would be interesting, then, to find a flavor-neutral way to lower the pH in order to reduce the free nicotine."

Burley tobacco can be affected by adding an acid in order to reduce nicotine absorption.
This is one of the better documents I found on the subject. TruthTobaccoDoc
Citric acid, however, causes a reduction in pH and in the delivery of

nicotine alkaloids. The action of citric acid added to a flue-cured

tobacco has been examined previously, and a reduced nicotine

delivery was not then observed. Thus, caution should be exercised in

extrapolating the effects of an ameliorant with one type of tobacco to

another tobacco type. This point is being currently examined using a

flue-burley blend.
From reading other documents Citric acid seems like the best acid to use. It is readily available. I believe the goal is to reduce pH to about 6. A dilute solution (2 to 4%) misted over the tobacco should get the effect. Tobacco becomes harsher and more irritable to smoke when reaching 4.5 pH and lower.

How do you guys detect the nicotine? I’ve read a number of reviews where the reviewer comments on the nic content. Is it purely by the felt effect?

Yes. Cosmic gave a good description in the second post.

BRB, soaking tobacco in lemon water.