Strong Blends, Gentle on the Throat and Sinuses?

[Skippy B. Coyote]

It's an odd topic, but after smoking Peterson Nightcap the last couple nights before bed it occured to me that it's one of the few blends I've ever smoked with a high nicotine content that didn't irritate my throat or sting my sinuses on the retrohale. Normally when I smoke something rather strong like Old Dark Fired it gives me a really sore throat for a day or two afterwards and burns my sinuses something fierce on the retrohale, and even Haunted Bookshop tends to tear up my throat a bit by the end of the bowl, but (for me at least) Nightcap is utterly smooth and gentle even when retrohaled every sip. Note that I never inhale when smoking a pipe, though I do tend to retrohale quite a bit.

In any case, what I was wondering is if anyone else might have some recommendations for other blends with a relatively high nicotine content that are gentle on the throat and easy on the sinuses when retrohaled? The only other one that comes to mind for me is Gawith Hoggarth's Ennerdale Flake, though the nicotine content of that one seems to feel stronger to me than it does to most folks. I could definitely use to find some more "strong yet smooth" blends though so any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[proteus]

The method of smoking will determine irritation from it more often than not. Slow cadence. Less air. Just keep it barely enough to stay alive. Relights are part of the process. Don't smoke to the bottom. I haven't found a tobacco yet that irritated me after 35 years and a hundred odd blends. Still though maybe one day I might.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

The method of smoking will determine irritation from it more often than not. Slow cadence. Less air. Just keep it barely enough to stay alive. Relights are part of the process. Don't smoke to the bottom. I haven't found a tobacco yet that irritated me after 35 years and a hundred odd blends. Still though maybe one day I might.

I swear I smoke at a snails pace with just a tiny ember burning and use the breath method as well, and I only smoke about 3/4 of the way down the bowl, but most relatively strong blends still just wreck my throat; and burn the heck out of my sinuses if I retrohale. Your mucus membranes are apparently just more resilient than mine!

On the plus side, I did find a thread from a couple years ago that covered the topic I was wondering about at pretty good length, so I've got some ideas for blends to try next now. C&D Kelly's Coin and Peterson Irish Flake and Royal Yacht sound pretty appealing, as does 1792 Flake if I can ever find some in stock.

Recommendations for Low Harshness High Nicotine Blends :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion

Hello All, I have noticed that certain tobaccos such as C&D Crooner, as well as SG Black XX Rope, have a surprisingly little amount of harshness when considering how much nicotine they pack. I happen to really love these kind of blends, and I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

C&D From Beyond. It's similar to Nightcap, but different enough to be it's own thing. It has burley in it that adds strength and body, but it isnt necessarily detectable as a component. I couldn't agree with you more about Nightcap. It's like velvet.

 

[thesmokindragon]

Give C&D Kelly's Coin a try for sure, I really enjoy it. Also C&D Burley Flake #3 and Night Train all come to mind for a smooth but strong experience

 

[FLDRD]

Bird's Eye Flake
Kendal Dark
Kendal Kentucky
3 different/similar blends that are apparently morphing into a single one. Don't know which name will remain...

You might like a couple from the HH line.

 

[spicy_boiii]

Peterson's Irish Flake
1792 or Lakeland Dark
Gawith Hogarth Dark Flake
MacBaren HH Old Dark Fired

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Everyone is suggesting these all day smokes, ha ha. Try C&D Burley Flake #1. I find it rather smooth. But, of course, I never retrohale any tobacco. I would cough my head off doing that. Plus, I think that in the long run you'd be messing up your sinuses pretty hardcore... but, I'm not your mom. Ha ha.

 

[sardonicus87]

Rustica.

If you only take 2-4 draws, you'll get a high dose of nicotine with no chance of irritating the sinuses and throat after so few puffs.

I mean yeah, that's not relaxing for an hour and casually puffing, and that's if you like the "gamey" taste of it. You won't even need to retrohale to feel the nicotine, saving your sinuses even more.

Follow me for more bad advice.

 

[luigi]

When a blend is too mild I just add a few strips of some strong one. For example a bowl of pure virginia with a slice of a strong rope which is hard to be smoked itself in larger pipes. Or a pinch of pure perique.

Of course it's much more handy to find a blend that fits your taste and nicotine tolerance without having to fix it in any way.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Today feels like a good lesson in why patience, time, and experience are the most important parts of pipe smoking; with a particular emphasis on patience.

When I started this thread a couple days ago I had only smoked strong blends a few times, and I thought the heavy nicotine sedation feeling was kind of nice. What I have since come to learn is that the aftereffects aren't so nice. Headache, tiredness, wobbly stomach, and just generally feeling kinda hungover and lousy.

That might be just a "me" thing since I know plenty of folks enjoy really strong tobaccos (it's more or less the backbone of the Lakeland business model and they've been at it for hundreds of years) but if I would have been more patient and waited a couple more days before starting a thread asking for strong blend recommendations I wouldn't have had to, because I would have learned that those kinda blends probably aren't for me.

I'll just quietly go back to puffing my Pegasus and sissy Virginia flakes now and let this be a lesson to me.

 

[renfield]

Everyone has a different nic tolerance and it can vary from day to day. If you feel the nic starting to make you lightheaded eat something sweet.

Pay attention to keeping your palate hydrated throughout the smoke and see if that helps.

 

[Swiss Army Knife]

Sounds like your big problem is retrohaling too much.

Both can really irritate your throat and sinuses if done excessively especially with blends with spicy condiments like ODF with it's DFK and Haunted with it's bit of perique. Nightcap's healthy dose of Latakia likely makes it a lot smoother on the retrohale despite it also having perique.

So if retrohaling is something you don't want to cut down on I'd look for blends with a good amount of smoothing agents like Latakia or Stoved/Cavendish.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Hey, that after effect feeling is the depletion of sugars from your blood. This is why I only smoke strong blends before going to bed. I spent decades taking prescription sleeping pills to help me drop off, but since switching to heavy nic blends, I sleep like a baby without the need for other meds.

BUT, if you want to get past those after effects, just eat a small piece of chocolate to bring your sugars back up, and stay hydrated with lots of water. Works like a charm. But, for me, I avoid the strong blends during the hours I want to stay awake, because I'd much rather sleep after smoking those.

 

[Streeper541]

It might not sound like it goes down smooth, but....

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Hey, that after effect feeling is the depletion of sugars from your blood. This is why I only smoke strong blends before going to bed. I spent decades taking prescription sleeping pills to help me drop off, but since switching to heavy nic blends, I sleep like a baby without the need for other meds.

BUT, if you want to get past those after effects, just eat a small piece of chocolate to bring your sugars back up, and stay hydrated with lots of water. Works like a charm. But, for me, I avoid the strong blends during the hours I want to stay awake, because I'd much rather sleep after smoking those.

Huh, I never knew nicotine caused glucose drops in some folks. I'm pretty sure that wasn't what was behind my nicotine hangovers though, since I actually have hypoglycemia and have to wear a continuous glucose monitor that sends an alert to my phone if my blood sugar gets low; and I never got any alerts after smoking any of the stronger blends. Still, I appreciate the advice! =)

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Huh, I never knew nicotine caused glucose drops in some folks. I'm pretty sure that wasn't what was behind my nicotine hangovers though, since I actually have hypoglycemia and have to wear a continuous glucose monitor that sends an alert to my phone if my blood sugar gets low; and I never got any alerts after smoking any of the stronger blends. Still, I appreciate the advice! =)

No, when I say "drop in blood sugars" I am just paraphrasing a much more complex system of sugars. When we've had these discussions about the effects of nicotine, this confusion comes up. It is not the same as the type of glucose that affects diabetics. I am a layman, using layman's terms, but it is a sugar issue, and a tad bit of sugar helps, and is reported to help many on here.

 

[gawithhoggarth]

Bird's Eye Flake
Kendal Dark
Kendal Kentucky
3 different/similar blends that are apparently morphing into a single one. Don't know which name will remain...

You might like a couple from the HH line.

Not quite.
They morphed into one blend years ago.
And all but Kendal Dark have been discontinued some time ago for the UK and rest of the world. DBE was carried on for the USA market only, whilst sales of Kendal Dark were increased and people were aware to buy Kendal Dark.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

View attachment 294068
It might not sound like it goes down smooth, but....

Out of curiosity, is the Green version just as smooth as the Bar? The stronger aromatic top note of the Green sounds intriguing, and reviews seem to indicate that the slightly lower nicotine content of War Horse Green is less likely to put me on the floor than the Bar.

 

[condorlover1]

@Skippy B. Coyote: I am not entirely sure what our friends at Pipes and Cigars have been up to with the War Horse blends since we sold out to them over 5 years ago. On the one occasion I smoked W.H Green I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I had just chugged a bottle of anisette without the espresso chaser. It was meant to be a copy of or tribute to Condor Ready Rubbed. Somehow Russ went off on a journey of discovery and created what I have always described as 'the pipe tobacco for Tommy from Goodfella's' or something to be enjoyed after eating a sh*t load of pasta. It will probably suit you down to the ground and providing you don't eat it might possibly be the universal panacea of tobacco you are seeking!