Nicotine Strength

[HoyoFan]

This is a topic that I've thought about quite a bit and I've come to a realization, and a question:

Does ligero provide any noticeable flavor or simply strength? There's been so many times when I've been smoking an NC and thought to myself, "This would be such a great cigar if only it wasn't so strong." After which, I will angrily put the cigar in the ashtray, half finished.

I've also noticed that nicotine hits me a lot harder if I'm scrolling through my phone or working on my laptop while smoking. Interestingly enough this doesn't happen if I'm simply watching a movie. It seems that the act of actually interacting with a screen increases the effects of nicotine on my body. I'm curious if this is true for anyone else.

[NSXCIGAR]

The best ligero can provide flavor and strength but that's not common. Mostly strength. NC ligero can be much stronger than Cuban. That's the "white pepper". 

As far as nicotine unless I'm smoking a big cigar on an empty stomach is usually doesn't affect me. 

[Corylax18]

A common misconception is that a "stronger" flavored cigar is a cigar with more nicotine. In reality the two aren't related at all. A leaf of ligero and a leaf of seco/volado from the same plant should have roughly the same nicotine. The ligero leaf, being smaller, may contain a slight higher % of veins (and therefore nicotine) than the larger seco/volado leaf, but when mixed in and averaged across an entire cigar, not enough for us to notice. 

Almost all of the nicotine in tobacco is contained in the veins. I've had very, very light cigars give me wicked nicotine buzzes before. If the leaves are properly stripped, then correctly fermented at the right temperatures, nicotine shouldn't be an issue for most experienced smokers smoking most sizes of cigars. I occasionally get a buzz towards the end of a Salomones or some other whopper stick, but most regular sized cigars shouldn't give most regular smokers a nicotine buzz. 

[HoyoFan]

7 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

A common misconception is that a "stronger" flavored cigar is a cigar with more nicotine. In reality the two aren't related at all. A leaf of ligero and a leaf of seco/volado from the same plant should have roughly the same nicotine. The ligero leaf, being smaller, may contain a slight higher % of veins (and therefor nicotine) than the larger seco/volado leaf, but when mixed in and averaged across an entire cigar, not enough for us to notice. 
Almost all of the nicotine in tobacco is contained in the veins. I've had very very light cigars give me wicked nicotine buzzes before. If the leaves are properly stripped, then correctly fermented at the right temperatures, nicotine shouldn't be an issue for most experienced smokers smoking most sizes of cigars. I occasionally get a buzz towards the end of a Salomones or some other whopper stick, but most regular sized cigars shouldn't give most regular smokers a nicotine buzz. 

That’s interesting. Been smoking 20 years and I didn’t know that

[NSXCIGAR]

2 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

A common misconception is that a "stronger" flavored cigar is a cigar with more nicotine

Correct--nicotine is odorless and flavorless and has no bearing on strength as it is generally understood.

However I have read from several sources over the years that nicotine content does increase the higher the priming, i.e. medio tiempo would have the highest and libra de pie the lowest.

[Corylax18]

4 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Correct--nicotine is odorless and flavorless and has no bearing on strength as it is generally understood.

However I have read from several sources over the years that nicotine content does increase the higher the priming, i.e. medio tiempo would have the highest and libra de pie the lowest.

I don't dispute that as an absolute. I'm saying that the difference in nicotine percentage between the two is not noticeable to most cigar smokers if both have been correctly processed. The larger leaves at the bottom have a higher percentage of leaf/meat to vein than the higher primings and as a result a correlated, higher percentage of nicotine. The central vein is the largest in any leaf, so once its removed, the nicotine percentage drops drastically across all primings. I obviously don't have a scientific study to site, with exact percentages. But I feel like we're talking a difference of fractions of a percentage point of the entire cigar composition. Not a 10% or 20% variance. If you where able to keep a cigar that was rolled with 100% MT lit, I'm sure you would be buzzing much sooner than a cigar rolled with all Libre de Pies. But in a more typical blend spread I think leaf processing quality/consistency ends up affecting the final nicotine percentage more than the %'s of each priming. 

[Tradesman]

I thought I was the only one with this problem

I have very low nicotine tolerance and most NCs I smoke just make me sick for the next hour

As such, Illusione Epernay and Rose of Sharon Desert Rose have become favourites of mine lately !

[Cigar Surgeon]

One of the major factors that doesn't get discussed enough is that significant portion of cigar smokers are simply smoking too fast. If you're finishing an NC robusto in an hour, you can hop aboard the nicotine train.

[jakebarnes]

13 minutes ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

One of the major factors that doesn't get discussed enough is that significant portion of cigar smokers are simply smoking too fast. If you're finishing an NC robusto in an hour, you can hop aboard the nicotine train.

That was my theory. I have found when I am absent mindedly working while also enjoying a cigar that I smoke a little faster. 

[MrBirdman]

3 hours ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

One of the major factors that doesn't get discussed enough is that significant portion of cigar smokers are simply smoking too fast. If you're finishing an NC robusto in an hour, you can hop aboard the nicotine train.

Excellent point - nicotine has a relatively short half-life. 

Next Hamlet Zoom I'll be interested to see what his take on the leaf/strength equation is.

Tobacco strain can have an effect on nicotine too. Any longtime smokers here feel that Cubans (particularly pre-2000) used to have more nicotine young than they do now?

[HoyoFan]

Anyone else feel like nicotine hits them harder if they’re on their phone or computer doing work, scrolling, etc?

[NSXCIGAR]

18 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

I don't dispute that as an absolute. I'm saying that the difference in nicotine percentage between the two is not noticeable to most cigar smokers if both have been correctly processed.

Yes, I should have noted that. While the nicotine content may be higher the higher up the plant it's a small and usually negligible difference. I was just pointing out that there is a difference, or more accurately there may be a difference based on what I've read.