Obidonkenobi, think of nicotine in terms of alcohol. A very light on nic. blend like 1-Q for example, would be like drinking 1 or 2 beers, you won't generally feel anything, just taste the tobacco. Next would be a medium nic. blend like Dunhill 965, this would be like drinking 5 or 6 beers. You start feeling more relaxed and you become aware of the nicotine, nothing bad, you just start to feel the "buzz" so to speak. Next would be a heavy nic. blend like Dunhill Nightcap, unless you are very accustomed to smoking heavy nicotine blends, you will start to feel a hard buzz, akin to 10 or 12 beers, you will start to feel a bit lightheaded, you will start to feel sweat on your forehead and your body will tell you when to stop smoking....or else! Lastly would be a very heavy nic. blend like Black XX, this tobacco is akin to drinking a case of beer, the room is spinning, the sweating is profuse and your lunch will soon be coming back out the way it went in. That being said, there are some smokers who get a buzz off of the very lightest tobaccos and still others who can smoke a bowl of Black XX with little consequence. Everyone's tolerance is different and the only way to find out where your limits are is to exceed them. I remember my first bowl of Nightcap many years ago. The tobacconist told me it was strong, but I thought he meant strong in flavor. At the time, I was a regular smoker of a Tinder Box blend called Anniversary, which is a cherry aromatic that is low in nicotine, I was intrigued by the tin art on Nightcap and wanted to try out those fancy tinned tobaccos....Nightcap was my first tinned blend. I packed my pipe, a Big Ben that had about a group 5 size bowl, full of Nightcap. I lit up and started puffing. I didn't immediately care for the taste, but I figured it was like beer, you just had to get used to the stronger flavors, so I puffed on. I don't remember how far into the bowl I got, but I do remember that the room started to spin and I got cold sweats across my forehead and face, I managed not to puke, though my stomach was strongly suggesting I do so. At the time, I had no idea that different blends had different amounts of nicotine and the lesson was a hard one. I hope your explorations go easier.
