Measuring nicotine content in tobacco

[asteroid1]

Pipe tobacco strength is usually rated as either mild, medium, strong. Would it be possible for a device to measure the amount of nicotine in tobacco the same way as a hydrometer measures the alcoholic strength of liquids and display it on the tobacco tin.

 

[seanz]

Hmm thats a good idea. i wonder is there a chemical test or??

 

[romeowood]

It's likely *possible*, though not entirely useful, to be able to pin down the nicotine content that precisely, asteroid. Owing to the nature of tobacco blending, where components may vary from seasonal crop to seasonal crop, one would end up with a range rather than a precise figure....which is what we have now.

 

[seanz]

True Baskerville i thought i was just swallowing smoke!

There you go, learnt something new today so if the rest of the day turns to custard i will be happy

 

[pstlpkr]

I believe it was Greg (in one of his articles) explained that the nicotine content across the various types is relatively equal. However; the release of that nicotine/absorption of that nicotine was directly related to the tobacco's ph. And that sometimes the blend is adjusted so that the sugar content has a direct bearing upon the "nicotine strength" of the blend.
So, with that in mind... I think Baskerville Scale is probably the best.

 

[lordnoble]

I call them "Niccups" after someone else on this forum used it a while ago.
-Jason

 

[rigmedic1]

I never drive with a tobacco I never tried before. That high nicotine stuff knocks me for a loop, and I never know till I've tried a bowl. Sometimes one can find out if a blend is high in a tobacco review, but I have been surprised before, lol.

 

[lordnoble]

I hear ya, rig! Two Friends English Chocolate threw me under a bus when I first tried it... No idea why, but ever since then, I eat before I smoke it...
-Jason

 

[loneredtree]

Don't mean to hijack the tread ,but, can I spray the high nic adsorption tobac with sugar water and let it dry to lower the kick?
:nana:

 

[romeowood]

Tell us how your experiment turns out, loneredtree :nana: :nana:

 

[pstlpkr]

can I spray the high nic adsorption tobac with sugar water and let it dry to lower the kick?

I don't think it works quite like that.

 

[nathaniel]

I think Pease also stated that a lot of our reaction to nicotine levels is dependent on our own body's chemistry, even at different times of the day probably, depending on what we've eaten. So it's all just far too subjective to put in any precision into it.

 

[seanz]

LOWER THE NICOTINE!!!!! my god man! its one of the fewer buzzes i choose to have have left in my life, :twisted:

that and a odd fermented grape juice or distilled grain

 

[papipeguy]

Geez, Jason; I smoke English Chocolate every day and have not been affected in the least. Now, for a real kick I like SG's 1792. I've seen guys nearly fall over with that one, though it hasn't put me down.....yet.

 

[unclearthur]

Jason needs to add some Five Brothers to the English Chocolate to bring the nic level up ! :nana:

 

[marmal4de]

Gas Chromatography is the answer.

 

[schmitzbitz]

I think that you are all forgetting the two most important variables...no two pipe smokers will have the exact same technique, causing nicotine to be absorbed at differing rates (I French Inhale, you might not - therefore, it goes without saying that I am going to get a bigger nic hit); and finally, a blend that seems heavy smoked indoors will often seem medium to mild if smoked outdoors, particularly with a light wind. While cigarettes do offer a nicotine measurement, look at just how much difference there is - my current pack states each cigarette delivers between "1.3 to 2.8mg of nicotine". This is a huge variance, and cigarettes are a much more controlled delivery system than pipes.