What does it feel like to inhale cigar smoke? (Discussion about retro-haling)

[stanleyns]

Just breathe in and out through your nose when you smoke.

Most people breathe in through their nose as they are drawing on the cigar, so that your mouth fills with smoke, but doesn't reach your throat and cause that gagging/burning sensation. Roll the smoke around your mouth (much as you would taste a wine), then simply breathe out of your nose, and the smoke will magically exit via your nasal cavity.

In my experience, you pick up much more of the creamy taste of a cigar this way, whilst your taste buds pick up more of the spicy characteristics.

If you still find it tricky to release the smoke, just try lifting the middle part of your tongue to the roof of your mouth as you exhale. This will open your soft palate up and create a passage for the smoke.

Enjoy!

This is an excellent way to explain it!

[sheppsea]

I don't like it, others do. For me, my nose is too sensitive.

I find that swishing the smoke around your mouth/pushing it from cheek to cheek quickly like you would with mouthwash, then blowing out as normal does a good job of simulating retrohaling as small amounts of smoke are pushed into the nose as a side effect.

I must admit I've never enjoyed retro-haling either, that burning sensation never stopped for me and I didn't enjoy the cigars as much so I stopped trying

[Stogieninja]

Try this: inhale a full breath of air. Then while holding your breath, take a puff into your mouth using just your cheeks. Still holding your breath, push 95% of the smoke back out of your mouth. Then close your mouth and breath the held breath out your nose.

That should ensure no smoke goes down into the lungs, and the exhale will pull what remaining smoke is in your mouth out through your nose.

You'll be amazed at the flavors just that little bit of smoke can bring out through your nose.

[Arazk9]

All of your comments have helped me much! I finally found that blowing air out my nose then swallowing the smoke that's in my mouth at the same time worked for me! Although I didn't really get new flavors with that one stick, just burning. I'm going to keep trying with different stogies and eventually I'll get to the point where my farts leave nicotine stains in my undies, as NJP said

[maxcjs0101]

This might be out of topic but talking about retrohaling, i do it almost on every puff but i'll blow out some smoke first before doing that. Not sure this caused me getting strep almost every month (usually after the session).

Any of you having the same problem?

[Laynard]

I do it regularly. It's a practice-makes-perfect kind of thing. I used to play trumpet back in school, and that helped me control breathing through my mouth and nose exclusively, and moving air from nose to mouth and vice versa without it entering the lungs. Shut the epiglottis and change the air pressure in one cavity, the air/smoke will move to equalize. Finally, contract the diaphragm to expel the cavity completely. Some sticks are just spicier than others and will burn a bit more.

Or, maybe I'm delusional...