Recommended Posts

Posted

Hi folks..

A question on nicotine rush.

When I smoke a Habanos, I tend to get what I think is called a nicotine rush - leading to a bit of brain fog, the munchies, etc. It goes away with some time, food and drinking water. I had a Reyes, Monte 4, HdM PR this week and it was pretty much the same to different extent.

When I smoke NCs, I rarely have such condition. I had a Padron 1964 natural robusto, Davidoff Nica Diademas, several Dominican farm rolled this week but no such rush happened.

Do CCs have more nicotine in general and if so, do they need to rest more? What's causing this? Does Habanos rush production (fermentation, aging) while NCs don't or less?

For what it's worth, I've smoked CCs and NCs for over a decade and it's been more or less the same. Just never gave it much thoughts until now. Maybe I am just getting old.

Also, and I don't know if there is a correlation but non-limited edition CCs, for a major part, are getting darker and darker. I remember the old days when Partagas and Montes were a nice golden brown. Now, it's dark brown like NCs.

I'd appreciate your feedback, thanks.

Posted
4 minutes ago, nKostyan said:

When you smoke Padron or Fuente premium series, you need to understand that tobacco is quite aged, unlike regular CCs.

Thanks for confirming. 

The old adage then: to let CCs sit for years before consuming.

Posted

Some strains of tobacco tend to harbor more strength than others. Most nicotine is purged when the tobacco is cured in the large bales (pilones). My recommendation would be to take your time smoking the cigar, have adequate food in your stomach, and enjoy a drink with your cigar that contains sugar. My favorite in the summertime is caramel iced coffee. 

  • Like 3
Posted

i find its rare with CC in my experience. One reason i prefer them to NC. Flavor profiles being main reason. That being said i do get a rare nico hit occasionally from CCs. Never severe though.

  • Like 2
Posted

Agreed with some of the other folks on personally having the inverse experience. It’s frankly why I tend to stay away from a lot of Nicaraguan puros.

My sensitivity to nicotine is definitely on the high end, meaning I’m easily affected by nicotine. What I’ve found useful is a pre-emotive approach: I keep a few pieces of dark chocolate nearby. And will eat a square as I’m just noticing the first bit of the affects rather than waiting for the full blown part. This tends to keep me pretty even keel.

  • Like 3
Posted
7 hours ago, LigSecVol said:

Hi folks..

A question on nicotine rush.

When I smoke a Habanos, I tend to get what I think is called a nicotine rush - leading to a bit of brain fog, the munchies, etc. It goes away with some time, food and drinking water. I had a Reyes, Monte 4, HdM PR this week and it was pretty much the same to different extent.

When I smoke NCs, I rarely have such condition. I had a Padron 1964 natural robusto, Davidoff Nica Diademas, several Dominican farm rolled this week but no such rush happened.

Do CCs have more nicotine in general and if so, do they need to rest more? What's causing this? Does Habanos rush production (fermentation, aging) while NCs don't or less?

For what it's worth, I've smoked CCs and NCs for over a decade and it's been more or less the same. Just never gave it much thoughts until now. Maybe I am just getting old.

Also, and I don't know if there is a correlation but non-limited edition CCs, for a major part, are getting darker and darker. I remember the old days when Partagas and Montes were a nice golden brown. Now, it's dark brown like NCs.

I'd appreciate your feedback, thanks.

      *Hmm - I thought I was just being over judgemental and critical - yes, CC Habanas ARE becoming darker.  Cohibas, Hoyo's, Ramon Allones, and Upmans were usually somewhat light to almost golden. When I saw the latest Habana offerings and how dark they were, I thought, "Really!??"  because it was so dark I might have thought they were counterfeits except this seller was a definite legitimate source.

  • Like 1
Posted

Thanks for your responses all. It's likely just me.

1 hour ago, cigcars said:

      *Hmm - I thought I was just being over judgemental and critical - yes, CC Habanas ARE becoming darker.  Cohibas, Hoyo's, Ramon Allones, and Upmans were usually somewhat light to almost golden. When I saw the latest Habana offerings and how dark they were, I thought, "Really!??"  because it was so dark I might have thought they were counterfeits except this seller was a definite legitimate source.

Same here.. I've bought from the same legit sources for over a decades and I've seen wrappers become darker. I don't know what's going on and wonder if  there is a demand for darker wrappers like there is one for bigger cigars.

Posted
19 minutes ago, LigSecVol said:

Thanks for your responses all. It's likely just me.

Same here.. I've bought from the same legit sources for over a decades and I've seen wrappers become darker. I don't know what's going on and wonder if  there is a demand for darker wrappers like there is one for bigger cigars.

I don't think it has anything to do with demand. Most people talk about how much more "ready to smoke" current Cubans are fresh. To a degree, I agree with this. I've heard from several sources that most of the color is set in the drying barn, but fermentation temperature and time can certainly darken leaves. Maduro Tobacco is fermented at a higher temperature and for a longer time than "regular" tobacco. I haven't heard any mention or seen any evidence of Tabacuba extending fermentation times, so that really only leaves the temp variable. If the tobacco is more ready to smoke fresh, fermentation at higher temps is really the only way they could be doing that. Higher temperature fermentation equals dark leaves. 

Regarding the original Nicotine level topic, most of the nicotine is actually in the stems and veins. So nicotine content is affected far more by how the tobacco is prepared for rolling then it is by the fermentation process. 

  • Like 2
Posted
5 hours ago, LigSecVol said:

Same here.. I've bought from the same legit sources for over a decades and I've seen wrappers become darker. I don't know what's going on 

 

........global warming 

 

 

:wink2:

  • Haha 4
Posted

NC's especially from Nicaragua I find to really pack a nicotine punch.  If I smoke a Joya de Nicaragua it's like I never smoked a cigar before.  

  • Like 2
Posted
11 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

NC's especially from Nicaragua I find to really pack a nicotine punch.  If I smoke a Joya de Nicaragua it's like I never smoked a cigar before.  

I get no nicotine hit at all from Padron 1964's. They are Nicaraguan puros.

  • Like 3
Posted

I mostly get these nicotine hits from non Cubans, especially those fresh heavy ligero nicaraguans. I found them so unpleasant to smoke that I just don't do it anymore. I'll stick to very medium body Dominicans as they don't seem to ever have that effect on me if I'm smoking non Cubans.

  • Thanks 1
Posted

Gotta say, I've experienced the opposite!  One the reasons I gravitated to Cuban cigars over the years was that I could sit around puffing them all day long and not get sick.

Do you find yourself pulling hard on CC and heating them up due to a tight draw?

  • 2 months later...
Posted
On 6/19/2023 at 9:19 AM, Cigar Surgeon said:

I have it on good authority that the nicotine content of CCs is around 1 - 3% and the nicotine content of NCs is around 6 - 9%.

On 6/19/2023 at 5:52 PM, Corylax18 said:

...most of the nicotine is actually in the stems and veins.

Good info, thanks.

 

A box of NC I received are too high in nicotine for me.  Will nicotine level diminish with time in storage, or does that chemical not break down in any reasonable time frame?  I've never needed to age boxes of CCs for this purpose, so I've not paid attention to nicotine over time.  Anyone know please?

  • Like 2
Posted
26 minutes ago, GoodStix said:

Good info, thanks.

 

A box of NC I received are too high in nicotine for me.  Will nicotine level diminish with time in storage, or does that chemical not break down in any reasonable time frame?  I've never needed to age boxes of CCs for this purpose, so I've not paid attention to nicotine over time.  Anyone know please?

I've never seen any kind of scientific chart showing Nicotine Half life or any sort of decay rates, but it must dissipate some as the cigars age. That being said, I've had some cigars from 5 years to 20 years old that still packed a pretty good nicotine punch. Monday I smoked a custom rolled Cuban 109 from 2018, it was straight mid bodied on strength/profile until I hit the last 1" or 1 1/2", then the Nicotine really caught up to me. It was a big cigar and that last 1" was obviously acting like a filter for the rest of the cigar, but it certainly hadn't calmed down in the last 5 1/2 years. 

  • Thanks 1
Posted
On 6/20/2023 at 2:19 AM, Cigar Surgeon said:

That's interesting because I have it on good authority that the nicotine content of CCs is around 1 - 3% and the nicotine content of NCs is around 6 - 9%.

 

That's interesting. 

It would depend on what leaf you were testing/comparing. 

I am only guessing but would expect nicotine levels to vary between leaves not only by source country but by field and crop. 

i would expect Nicaraguan tobacco to come out at the top end but would be very surprised to see Dom tobacco being that much higher than Cuban tobacco, if at all. 

It would be great to find some scientific source papers on the subject. I would be surprised if it hasn't been done. 

  • Like 1
Posted

Similar to what some others have said the only time I've had an unpleasant level of nicotine was with Nicaraguan NCs, but have smoked a couple of CCs in a single sitting without issue.

Posted
2 hours ago, El Presidente said:

i would expect Nicaraguan tobacco to come out at the top end but would be very surprised to see Dom tobacco being that much higher than Cuban tobacco, if at all.

Where would Honduran typically sit?

Posted
3 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I am only guessing but would expect nicotine levels to vary between leaves not only by source country but by field and crop. 

Absolutely - Opus X are Dominican puros and even after 5 years pack quite a punch. 

I suspect tobacco strain will have an impact, as would agricultural practice - well fertilized soil with good nitrogen levels probably allows higher nicotine levels, since each molecule requires 2 nitrogen atoms. 

Posted
On 9/7/2023 at 10:08 AM, GoodStix said:
Where would Honduran typically sit?


For me as someone who’s pretty sensitive to nicotine, I place Honduran around the same area as Dominican and Cuban. That being said, it’s also a question of the mix obviously and what primings are in the bunch and if it’s a puro or not.

But I’ve found most Honduran sticks to be in the medium strength category.

  • Thanks 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Community Software by Invision Power Services, Inc.