The Nicotine Effect

[hawke]

I wonder why we can get different nicotine effects from a blend by different people. I suspect body chemistry has something to do with it. I'm interested in a discussion on this subject.
Just a few items to trigger thoughts from others on this.

Sometimes a particular blend will hit me harder on one occasion verses another, even though it the same blend from the same tin/bulk. I guess how long it has been from my last bowl enters into the equation. Maybe even the pipe I smoke in it when one has a more open draw or a wider bowl that might deliver a stronger puff/hit.

 

[fordm60]

hawke, I must admit that I do not get the nic hit many discuss. I wish I did a bit, but no luck. I have smoked many of the killers I have heard mentioned online. Even the dreaded ropes black and brown in large bowls. Nope, Nada. I think it may be because I dipped Copenhagen from 6th grade to about 4 years ago. But on the plus side I do not end up sweating laying on the bed wishing the world would stop spinning! I do get relaxed though from me pipes! That may be from nicotine or just sitting quietly puffing away, or both. Not sure but I do like it quite a bit. There is something about a nice blend, a quiet room, nice music, and one of my pipes that really can't be beat!!

 

[Chasing Embers]

No nic hit here either. I just smoke the blends I do because they taste good.

 

[cobguy]

Personal tolerance, length of time smoking, body chemistry and full vs empty stomach are the first factors that spring to mind.
For the most part, I don't feel the effect anymore but do recall some Ligero sticks that knocked me on my butt. ::

 

[cynicismandsugar]

Nicotine remains a mystery to me. I've heard horror stories regarding the strength of vitamin N in some blends, and have personally smoked those first thing in the morning, and felt nothing. However, give me cigars from certain manufactures, throw a bit of espresso in the mix, and my head will swim.
Things become even more puzzling when it comes to the effectiveness of other inebriants. For example, high doses of Morphine or Dilaudid (administered during a hospital stay) have almost zero effect on me. An occasional two double Scotches an hour, and I'm just starting to relax ― however, half a glass of champagne gets me giggling like it's prom night.
I drink double espressos all day, with not so much as a jitter ― but one can of Monster energy drink, and I'm in the ER hooked up to an EKG, totally SOL.
Ah, the joys of middle age; when your body becomes a condemned roller-coaster, and it gets increasingly more difficult to latch the safety bar.

 

[disinformatique]

I want my nicotine quota. I am ex-cig smoker, need my monster juice

 

[ray47]

Nicotine only causes me to be restless at bedtime. I smoke mild to medium blends at night. During the day I smoke my heavy nic blends and don't get the jitters or that sick feeling in the stomach. If I need that nic kick that a cigarette once provided, I'll use some dip.

 

[perdurabo]

Sextant does that to me Hawke, I'll smoke a bowl and "bam", I get the woozy's. Next time nothing at all. Most of the time I contribute it to the amount of food in my stomach.

 

[cortezattic]

I heard that the sugars in a blend will affect nicotine's effect, but I don't remember whether sugar augments it or suppresses it.

 

[misterlowercase]

Next to caffeine, nicotine is my favorite psychagogue.
I like them both strong!

::

 

[deathmetal]

Much of this has to do with the addiction cycle.
At first, you get high. Your body is overwhelmed by the new substance.
Then, you need to get higher to get high. Your body has learned to metabolize the new substance.
Finally, you are scratching an itch. Your body has begun using the new substance for practical ends.
It's very hard to determine how much of a bowl is itch-scratching and how much is that calming Nicotine zing.

 

[davet]

Gotta scratch that itch, itches love to be scratched :mrgreen:

 

[tinsel]

I don't really get a "hit" from nicotine either.
I'm a former 2 pack a day cigarette smoker, and am still a nicotine addict. I can tell where there's nicotine in the blend I'm smoking based on whether or not my nic craving gets satisfied, but I don't get a "hit" or "buzz" unless it's a major nic bomb and I smoke it really hard on an empty stomach after having smoked weaker blends for several days. Jackknife plug, 5 brothers, and happy brown bogies are some of the few blends that even come close to giving me a "hit".
However, I DO remember what the nic hit was like ... way back when I was a teenager and started smoking cigarettes. The lightheaded-ness, the tingles, it was fun. I kind of miss it.

 

[deathmetal]

itches love to be scratched

Nature abhors a vacuum.

Jackknife plug, 5 brothers, and happy brown bogies are some of the few blends that even come close to giving me a "hit".

Never tried JKP -- it seemed to me more of a cake than a plug from one description, so I bypassed it -- but the other two are favorites.
Black Irish X is also worth your time. It's a great addition to any wimpy English. Combined with Standard Mixture, it's a killer smoke.

 

[hextor]

I have sometimes like a stoned feeling when I'm done with a strong english blend

 

[cobguy]

Never tried JKP -- it seemed to me more of a cake than a plug from one description, so I bypassed it

I know you like strong, flavorful blends like me (OJK, Irish Flake, Brown Bogie) and can say that JackKnife Plug and Triple Play Plug are both very much worth a try ... some of Greg's best, IMHO.

 

[tinsel]

Never tried JKP -- it seemed to me more of a cake than a plug from one description, so I bypassed it

I'd definitely recommend trying it. And I'd also definitely say it's a plug, not a cake.

 

[pipestud]

Russ Ouellette told me an interesting fact regarding pipe tobacco a few years ago. He said that nicotine comes from the stems of tobacco and not the leaves. The more ground up stems in a blend the stronger the presentation of Nicotine.
Getting back on topic - Since recent scientific studies indicate that nicotine can actually be good for the body, I take in all that I can get.

 

[deathmetal]

Next up from Gawith Hoggarth: "PG Stems," a tribute to PG Tips.

 

[pipesinperu]

My first bowl of the day is the only one that seems to give me much of a nicotine punch, so I like to start with a bang. Triple Play is a favorite, but lately it's been Riverboat Gambler, breaking in a new Savinelli.
@deathmetal, if you like powerhouses, I would second (third?) JKP. Good stuff. Although I seem to end up smoking the "little brother blends" to these powerhouses (JKP > Triple Play and Old Joe Krantz > Riverboat Gambler). They're right up in there in power, but I get the added bonus of perique and orientals, in each case. Now someone just has to come out with a DFK/oriental/perique plug with a dash of VA for sweetness and they'd have a customer for life.