Nicotine Strength

[Morrison Jeremiah]

Strange isn't it how people react differently to the same tobacco.
Example being that for years I've avoided Brown No 4 rope. I guess put off by the things I've heard about it.
Anyway today I received my first tin, and after having a good laugh at the appearance of the contents, I cut myself a couple of good slices, pulled them apart, didn't rub it out, very easy to prepare.
So I boldly lit up prepared for the consequences. However, I smoked half the bowl and nothing averse was happening, so despite the warnings to sip slowly or it will kick you in the ass, I decided to go for it a bit.
Ok it was strong, but afterwards I felt quite lively, and even did some free squats. Certainly not nailed to the floor as some report.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Tobacco has much more nicotine than we can absorb. I went to a talk by Mark Ryan about periques, and he and Russ Oellette said that Virginias have way more nicotine in them than we give them credit for, but we merely can't absorb them because of the acidity. Also, this is why we don't see many heavy nicotine aromatic blends, because the topping makes it so that we don't absorb any of it.
Perique doesn't have nicotine, per say. The fermentation process changes the nicotine molecules to more complex molecules, so technically, they have none, but yet, when blended with a Virginia, it eases the acidity, to where we absorb more of the nicotine from the Virginias, or whatever is in the blends.

Sometimes our moods, foods we've eaten, or body chemistry affects how much we can absorb as well.

Day to day, pipe tobaccos affect me differently throughout the day.

 

[smokeymo]

I think it also depends on your resistance. How much nicotine you expose your body to builds an immunity. I'm sure that tobacco would knock me on my ass. I also don't smoke as often as most.

 

[5star]

Perhaps jiminks will comment while this subject is discussed here - What’s the difference between ‘Strength’ and ‘Nic hit” in his tobacco reviews ?

I tend to favor stronger blends in terms of their nicotine content. But the bowl of FVF I had recently (rated as medium strength) hit me heavily in the last third of the bowl. To the point of a little light headedness. I have no idea why that was the case. Its never happened before. Another mystery that makes pipe smoking so interesting to me.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

Tobacco has much more nicotine than we can absorb. I went to a talk by Mark Ryan about periques, and he and Russ Oellette said that Virginias have way more nicotine in them than we give them credit for, but we merely can't absorb them because of the acidity. Also, this is why we don't see many heavy nicotine aromatic blends, because the topping makes it so that we don't absorb any of it.
Perique doesn't have nicotine, per say. The fermentation process changes the nicotine molecules to more complex molecules, so technically, they have none, but yet, when blended with a Virginia, it eases the acidity, to where we absorb more of the nicotine from the Virginias, or whatever is in the blends.

Sometimes our moods, foods we've eaten, or body chemistry affects how much we can absorb as well.

Day to day, pipe tobaccos affect me differently throughout the day.

That is really interesting. Factual evidence is what I was looking for.
What you say adds to my understanding.
Thanks for that.

 

[mso489]

Some people really pick up on nicotine in burley, but I seem to tolerate it pretty well. Likewise with other stronger blends. My strongest buzz was the first time I tried Nightcap in a large bowl pipe sitting on the porch listening to night noises. I got a little light headed, but not sick. Luckily, I was headed to bed anyway. Other strong tobaccos have been pleasant, approached with respect, with no particular buzz involved. I don't get cravings when I have to stop smoking for a few days to get over a cold, etc., so I may not be particularly receptive.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

Strange isn't it how people react differently to the same tobacco.
Example being that for years I've avoided Brown No 4 rope. I guess put off by the things I've heard about it.
Anyway today I received my first tin, and after having a good laugh at the appearance of the contents, I cut myself a couple of good slices, pulled them apart, didn't rub it out, very easy to prepare.
So I boldly lit up prepared for the consequences. However, I smoked half the bowl and nothing averse was happening, so despite the warnings to sip slowly or it will kick you in the ass, I decided to go for it a bit.
Ok it was strong, but afterwards I felt quite lively, and even did some free squats. Certainly not nailed to the floor as some report.

Was it paired with anything?

I find that what I can smoke in the morning with my black coffee is *very* different from what I can smoke in the evenings with a cheeky Root Beer.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I get more nicotine from pipe tobacco chewing it than I do smoking it.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I don’t get much nic from those ropes, personally, but I’m probably not a good judge of nic content. Picayune is my go-to for a little nicotine, and I haven’t found many blends that come close to matching its strength.

 

[JimInks]

Perhaps jiminks will comment while this subject is discussed here - What’s the difference between ‘Strength’ and ‘Nic hit” in his tobacco reviews ?

I tend to favor stronger blends in terms of their nicotine content. But the bowl of FVF I had recently (rated as medium strength) hit me heavily in the last third of the bowl. To the point of a little light headedness. I have no idea why that was the case. Its never happened before. Another mystery that makes pipe smoking so interesting to me.

Nicotine is a part of my rating of the strength level of a blend, but strength mostly refers to the body and depth of the tobaccos. I give nicotine a separate mention in my reviews for those who want to know about that particular aspect. Some people smoke for the nic-hit. I smoke for flavor more than anything else.

 

[5star]

Nicotine is a part of my rating of the strength level of a blend, but strength mostly refers to the body and depth of the tobaccos. I give nicotine a separate mention in my reviews for those who want to know about that particular aspect. Some people smoke for the nic-hit. I smoke for flavor more than anything else.

Thanks Jim ! Much appreciated

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

Was it paired with anything?

I find that what I can smoke in the morning with my black coffee is *very* different from what I can smoke in the evenings with a cheeky Root Beer.

I just had a mug of tea beforehand is all.
I've had no alcohol at all for 35 years, and intend to keep it that way.

 

[Brendan]

Cigars tend to hit me harder than pipe tobacco, but saying that I only smoke a bowl or 3 a week and smoke cigars once in a blue moon.The strongest blend in my current rotation is Peterson’s Irish Whiskey and it always gives me a good buzz. Depending on how well I’ve eaten during the day one bowl can last me on and off, or I can have two bowls back to back and feel nice and relaxed.
Last week I had a bowl at lunchtime, then a cigar before starting dinner and felt nic-sick something bad.
It was gross, like the onset of food poisoning or something..
Not that I had to lie down or vomited or anything, but it was bad enough I abandoned any plans to cook and instead got a bucket of KFC instead..
I have got a tin of University Flake and a pouch of Amphora Burley blend coming my way soon, will be interesting to see how they affect me; University Flake has a reputation in the reviews for having a good dose of nicotine.. but so does Royal Yacht and Old Dark Fired and I didn’t get the hype when I smoked those blends..
Cigars on the other hand, I remember getting Nic sick once from smoking a Curivari Mini BV, baby arsed size cigar knocked me over!.
Anyway that’s my 2 cents to anybody bored enough to read!

 

[Brendan]

I just had a mug of tea beforehand is all.
I've had no alcohol at all for 35 years, and intend to keep it that way.

I could quite easily go without alcohol over my tobacco, but saying that I find overdoing the nicotine is 10x worse than drinking myself to the point of sickness..

 

[kcghost]

I don't have much of a problem with nicotine bothering me but every once in a while a blend will sneak up on me. Those few blends I always have something to eat before hand.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Cigars tend to hit me harder than pipe tobacco, but saying that I only smoke a bowl or 3 a week and smoke cigars once in a blue moon.The strongest blend in my current rotation is Peterson’s Irish Whiskey and it always gives me a good buzz. Depending on how well I’ve eaten during the day one bowl can last me on and off, or I can have two bowls back to back and feel nice and relaxed.
Last week I had a bowl at lunchtime, then a cigar before starting dinner and felt nic-sick something bad.
It was gross, like the onset of food poisoning or something..
Not that I had to lie down or vomited or anything, but it was bad enough I abandoned any plans to cook and instead got a bucket of KFC instead..
I have got a tin of University Flake and a pouch of Amphora Burley blend coming my way soon, will be interesting to see how they affect me; University Flake has a reputation in the reviews for having a good dose of nicotine.. but so does Royal Yacht and Old Dark Fired and I didn’t get the hype when I smoked those blends..
Cigars on the other hand, I remember getting Nic sick once from smoking a Curivari Mini BV, baby arsed size cigar knocked me over!.
Anyway that’s my 2 cents to anybody bored enough to read!

What were you smoking again....

 

[cosmicfolklore]

We've had some extensive threads in the past about nicotine overdose. It is very interesting. I've learned a bunch. Nicotine releases stored sugars into your blood, causing you to either feel a rush of extra energy or feel drained and sleepy. It affects people differently due to body chemistry and fitness. I am fairly fit, as I ride bikes, walk, swim, and work out at the gym, on top of farming and running the small orchard. I also never sit down, hardly ever, except to work at my jeweler's bench. I even only watch TV when I am working at the bench. So, I get drained easily when I smoke to the point of overdose.

Overdose is depleted sugars, which makes your stomach queasy, your head spins, and a feeling of nausea. I love this... but only just before bed. It knocks me out better than any prescription sleeping pill. In fact, I required sleeping pills to sleep for decades before I found pipes. Since smoking pipes, I have not had to have a pill at all. I just smoke the super strong blends in a huge pipe just before bed, then slip on over into bed andf sleep like a baby. But, if I get that overdose feeling when I don't want to be sleepy, I just eat a small bite of chocolate. I keep some of those small Halloween candies in my pipe bag, and a small bite of one is all I need to snap out of that queasy sick feeling.

 

[lawdawg]

As someone who smokes both pipes and cigars with some regularity, all pipe tobacco seems pretty mild in its nicotine content compared to a huge roll of tobacco leaves that you can smoke for two hours straight. Nicotine never factors into my smoking choices... unless the choice is when to put down a cigar.

 

[danimalia]

As someone who smokes both pipes and cigars with some regularity, all pipe tobacco seems pretty mild in its nicotine content compared to a huge roll of tobacco leaves that you can smoke for two hours straight. Nicotine never factors into my smoking choices... unless the choice is when to put down a cigar.

Well, I would certainly agree that because both the sheer quantity of tobacco, and the types of tobacco used, cigars probably have a lot more nicotine on average... BUT! Consider the way we smoke them. For me, I tend to puff on a cigar every 60-90 seconds, sometimes even 2 minutes or more between puffs. I tent to puff a lot more frequently with a pipe, so even though the quantity of nicotine in a cigar is much more than a bowl of tobacco, I may be absorbing more nicotine over the course of an hour smoking a pipe versus an hour smoking a cigar.

As for OP's experiences... Brown No. 4 certainly is one of the strongest pipe tobaccos available, but it is still an enjoyable smoke for me. Sometimes these strong tobacco get reputations that are a bit extreme. I respect the rope's power and tend to smoke it when I really crave nicotine, and find it makes a wonderful breakfast with a bit of coffee! I tend to feel the stimulating effects from nicotine, so this combination gets my day off to a good start!

 

[lawdawg]

Well, I would certainly agree that because both the sheer quantity of tobacco, and the types of tobacco used, cigars probably have a lot more nicotine on average... BUT! Consider the way we smoke them. For me, I tend to puff on a cigar every 60-90 seconds, sometimes even 2 minutes or more between puffs. I tent to puff a lot more frequently with a pipe, so even though the quantity of nicotine in a cigar is much more than a bowl of tobacco, I may be absorbing more nicotine over the course of an hour smoking a pipe versus an hour smoking a cigar.

As for OP's experiences... Brown No. 4 certainly is one of the strongest pipe tobaccos available, but it is still an enjoyable smoke for me. Sometimes these strong tobacco get reputations that are a bit extreme. I respect the rope's power and tend to smoke it when I really crave nicotine, and find it makes a wonderful breakfast with a bit of coffee! I tend to feel the stimulating effects from nicotine, so this combination gets my day off to a good start!

I can respect anyone's appreciation of nicotine content or any other reason for having a smoke. I'm sure nicotine factors into everyone's smoking on some level.

More or less, I smoke for the taste and aroma, which is the sole factor (at least consciously) in what I choose to pack my pipe with at any given time. Ultimately, my point is that in my subjective experience, I've always found the purported "high nicotine content" in some pipe tobacco blends a bit of an exaggeration.

That said, I've never smoked the Brown No. 4 mentioned in this thread, and now I'm curious