First Time Trying Nightcap

[ssavarimuthu]

Have been reading so much on this famous blend that I ordered a sample.
Tried it for the first time today... Holy crap. The flavor was wonderful, but man, did I turn green. Going into it, I thought that all the talk was possibly over done. I would proabbly feel something, but man... I felt something! I had quite a small bowl, and it took me almost an hour after smoking to finally feel somewhat okay.
I wanted to know what you all think about the blend. Also, is there a blend that has the flavor of nightcap, but not as much nicotine content? I would have never labeled myself as a nicotine lightweight, but geez.... That was something else.

 

[deathmetal]

Also, is there a blend that has the flavor of nightcap, but not as much nicotine content?

Not really, but I tend to reach for My Mixture 965 when I desire that. Another option is to add a pinch of Perique to Standard Mixture.

 

[cobguy]

There's lots of Perique in NC which lends to the strength.
A few suggestions:
Frog Morton on the Bayou

SPC Plum Pudding / Mississippi River

Capt. Earle's Private Stock

GLP Chelsea Morning

 

[danhester]

Nightcap is a bit of an enigma for me. The nicotine doesn't really bother me, but there's a sharpness to its flavor that doesn't always work for me. Sometimes it hits my palate right, and sometimes it doesn't. As for lower nicotine alternatives, I've been smoking a lot of Balkan Supreme lately. It has a similarly dark, latakia-laden color to it, but it doesn't have any perique in it, so I imagine it has considerably less nicotine. It doesn't have that same sharp note to my palate, though, so I actually prefer it to Nightcap.

 

[ray47]

The nicotine in Nightcap didn't bother me, but I did find it harsh. Never purchased it again. I think that Peter Stokkebye Proper English is similar without all the nicotine and harshness.

 

[danhester]

Yeah, ray47, that's kind of my beef with it, too. It's just sort of harsh. Maybe it would do better for me with some aging. But there's so much competition for bulk-priced, quality latakia blends that I'm not all that inclined to find out.

 

[newbroom]

H&H 10 to Midnight is a nice crumble flake with tasty ingredients, not too heavy on any one in particular.

It's got a nice sweet and smokey taste.

 

[shutterbugg]

I've never been a cigarette smoker but I never got a nic buzz from any pipe or cigar. I must just have a tolerance for it, or maybe I don't absorb it. Idk. It baffles me that anyone could feel the nic that strongly unless they inhale.

 

[mso489]

Many like NIghtcap because it has that nic kick. After a good meal, with plenty of liquids, in measured quantities, it is a lovely smoke. Keep your own limits in mind, and you may find you enjoy it.

 

[bpftc]

I owned a tin of night cap for years and I never really smoked it. I just couldn't get past the tin note. Every time I opened up the jar it just smelled like a tire fire. Something changed a few months ago though and all of a sudden I started to really like Latakia Blends. I think nightcap is great and I don't notice any nicotine kick when I smoke it. However, I am smoking a tin that is probably four years old. I'm not sure if it mellows overtime or not. I think my mixture 965 tastes pretty similar and I know it doesn't have the same reported kick

 

[deathmetal]

There's a unique buzz to Perique. Nightcap wraps that up in a pleasant English with the best of all the major tobacco types... just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

 

[fnord]

"After a good meal, with plenty of liquids, in measured quantities, it is a lovely smoke."
MSO, bless you, brother.
There's more than a few of us out there who reach for the NC tin/pouch/container right alongside our morning coffee, then throughout the day and well into the evening.
If Nightcap disappeared from the market tomorrow, I'll still survive thanks to Star of the East, Montford Point Marines, Low Country Black, Larry's Blend and pick your poison from Capt. Earle.
Try a bowl, folks. Come embrace the dark side.
Fnord

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Nightcap is a great blend and I really enjoy it. The nicotine doesn't do much to me unless I have more than one bowl in a sitting. If you're looking for something a little liter then you might try...
Dunhill - Early Morning Pipe

McClellands - Frog Morton Across the Pond

McClellands - Frog Morton On the Town

Hearth and Home - Larry's Blend
These blends all have the same components as Nightcap minus the Perique, and they're all very enjoyable.

 

[mayfair70]

NC was the second tinned tobacco I had ever tried. Before that were some lightly topped burley and cavendish/latakia blends from Tinder Box. My first bowl had a hint of good cigar leaf flavor and others aromas I could not identify at the time. I LOVED it. Considering my first tin was Old Dark Fired, NC seemed like a breath of fresh air. I'm a sucker for Perique and I currently have two ounces of NC on the way. I know inhaling is bad form and bad for my lungs, but I inhale at least three times per bowl, down from a dozen a few months ago. I love the nic hit, the perique and other nuanced flavors I get from sipping the rich smoke. I can't wait for my new order to arrive.

 

[shutterbugg]

I know inhaling is bad form and bad for my lungs, but I inhale at least three times per bowl, down from a dozen a few months ago.

That's admirable. Most converts from cigs to pipe I have known could not discipline themselves not to inhale, and had to quit entirely.

 

[ssavarimuthu]

Thanks everyone.
I didn't ever smoke cigarettes, so I really have no form of reference as far as prior nicotine tolerance. I'll have to try some of your suggestions. My Mixture 965 definitely looks like my next attempt.
I've only been smoking a pipe regularly since the beginning of this year (my wife surprised me with a pipe to celebrate the new year). I started in the aromatic realm, and my first tobacco I tried outside of it was Frog Morton's Cellar. I absolutely fell in love with it and am already finished with the tin. But when I ordered a new shipment, I decided not to order a new tin so soon, since I am bad for finding one thing I like and never trying new things again.
I think I will order some of your suggestions, and always have some FMC on hand. Thanks for the love everyone!

 

[edgreen]

I am a nic wimp that smokes 3-4 bowls a day. After turning green a couple of times I learned how to feel the hit coming on and stop smoking for a few minutes, then come back to it. I may have to stop 3 or 4 times during a bowl and I won't try those heavy nic hitters anymore. No Royal Yacht, Nitecap, Haddo's, etc. And especially not any of those black rope things.

I'm not sure if it's the perique or not, though. Magnum Opus and Crown Achievement are delicious, have perique, and are fairly lightweight as far as nicotine. I love Escudo and St. James flake also and have never had a problem with the nicotine.

 

[beastinview]

I just tried Nightcap for the first time as well!
I didn't feel the nicotine--though I do from blends like Royal Yacht and Peterson's Irish Flake. It tasted quite good to me. The only Latakia blend I had prior to this was Frog Morton's Cellar. Nightcap was stronger, but actually not as much stronger as I thought it would be.
Nightcap is what I pictured a good, strong cigar tasting like when I first started trying cigars. But when I actually started buying more robust cigars, I found they had a sharper, vinegary taste--not the rich and dark flavor I had expected. Nightcap fulfills that bill, so it has been nice for a change.

 

[shutterbugg]

I smoked cigars for the better part of 20 years and Nightcap tastes absolutely nothing like a cigar. Nor does a good cigar taste sharp or vinegary. Maybe an El Producto or Dutch Masters from the drugstore, but I never smoked those turds. A good cigar tastes like a cigar. Double maduros taste smooth with a rich aroma, on down to double claros which taste harsh and smell rank.

 

[kaboom]

I'm starting to feel convinced that a particular blend's "nic hit" depends a lot more on the state the smoker's in than the actual nicotine content of the blend itself.
I've smoked bowls of Modern Virginia or Early Morning pipe on an empty stomach that made me downright queasy. I've also had back-to-back bowls of five brothers after a big lunch with a couple of drinks and I although I did feel the nicotine, it was a wonderful feeling rather then the green-face-effect nicotine can have.
I've also smoked the same Five Brothers before breakfast with my morning coffee and I had to put the pipe down after 3 puffs because my head was spinning...
Hydration also plays a big part. Smoke when dehydrated and the nicotine kick gets kicked up a couple of notches...
ssavarimuthu, try it again after a big meal with plenty of something to drink, and it probably wont hit you anywhere near as hard...