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Nicotine content?

jship079jship079 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 621
I have been a student of tobacco for some time now. I started with the dreaded cigarettes and a occasional cigar. I quite smoking cigiretts about 10 years ago and now only smoke cigars and pipes. Except for maybe my first few cigarettes I dont remember any nicotine sickness (you know sweats, nausea, dizziness etc.). As far as cigars go I have a very low tolerance to all cigars. I get hit pretty quick no matter what the strength. But then with pipes there is very few tobaccos that bother me. So I am asking does anyone know what really causes the difference in the different tobaccos effecting you differently?

Comments

  • jlmartajlmarta Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,440
    I wasn't able to find it again, but I read somewhere that tobacco used for cigars is cured (as opposed to cigarette tobacco, which isn't) and that about 98% of the nicotine goes away during the curing process.

    Another aspect of this subject is that if one inhales cigar smoke looking for nicotine, he's wasting his time. So, to me, at least, the answer is simple - don't inhale.

    Marty

  • jship079jship079 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 621
    jlmarta:
    I wasn't able to find it again, but I read somewhere that tobacco used for cigars is cured (as opposed to cigarette tobacco, which isn't) and that about 98% of the nicotine goes away during the curing process.

    Another aspect of this subject is that if one inhales cigar smoke looking for nicotine, he's wasting his time. So, to me, at least, the answer is simple - don't inhale.

    Marty

    I dont inhale pipes or cigars. If the curing process removes the nicotine then why would the cigars affect me more that the cigarettes use too or that pipe tobacco does now? If the nicotine is removed then it is something else in the cigars kicking my ass that is not in other tobacco products.
  • docbp87docbp87 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,521
    jlmarta:
    I wasn't able to find it again, but I read somewhere that tobacco used for cigars is cured (as opposed to cigarette tobacco, which isn't) and that about 98% of the nicotine goes away during the curing process.
    I have never heard that, and find it very hard to believe, given the amount of nicotine some cigars deliver... Think about how sick a new smoker can get smoking, for instance a Diesel Unlimited, or a Cain. Hell, I get a little queasy every once in a while when smoking Opus... There is definitely a lot of nicotine in cigars, it just gets absorbed slower, because it is delivered through the mucous membranes in the mouth, rather than the lungs.
  • j0z3rj0z3r Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 9,403
    docbp87:
    jlmarta:
    I wasn't able to find it again, but I read somewhere that tobacco used for cigars is cured (as opposed to cigarette tobacco, which isn't) and that about 98% of the nicotine goes away during the curing process.
    I have never heard that, and find it very hard to believe, given the amount of nicotine some cigars deliver... Think about how sick a new smoker can get smoking, for instance a Diesel Unlimited, or a Cain. Hell, I get a little queasy every once in a while when smoking Opus... There is definitely a lot of nicotine in cigars, it just gets absorbed slower, because it is delivered through the mucous membranes in the mouth, rather than the lungs.
    That sounds like a logical fallacy to me, along the lines of "I've never heard of X, therefore it does not exist". Is it not possible for the nicotine to be mostly cured away but still be present in sufficient quantities for one to feel it? The answer is that yes, it is possible, and unless you've done chemical tests on the tobacco before and after curing, you just don't know. Also keep in mind the minuscule amount of nicotine it takes to kill a human, and it makes sense that there does not need to be much present for one to feel it.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 14,471
    j0z3r:
    docbp87:
    jlmarta:
    I wasn't able to find it again, but I read somewhere that tobacco used for cigars is cured (as opposed to cigarette tobacco, which isn't) and that about 98% of the nicotine goes away during the curing process.
    I have never heard that, and find it very hard to believe, given the amount of nicotine some cigars deliver... Think about how sick a new smoker can get smoking, for instance a Diesel Unlimited, or a Cain. Hell, I get a little queasy every once in a while when smoking Opus... There is definitely a lot of nicotine in cigars, it just gets absorbed slower, because it is delivered through the mucous membranes in the mouth, rather than the lungs.
    That sounds like a logical fallacy to me, along the lines of "I've never heard of X, therefore it does not exist". Is it not possible for the nicotine to be mostly cured away but still be present in sufficient quantities for one to feel it? The answer is that yes, it is possible, and unless you've done chemical tests on the tobacco before and after curing, you just don't know. Also keep in mind the minuscule amount of nicotine it takes to kill a human, and it makes sense that there does not need to be much present for one to feel it.
    some of the nicotine goes away. some does not.
    cigars deliver nicotine in a very different way than cigarettes. inhaling changes this dynamic quite a bit. through the length of the cigar there is way more nicotine than in one cigarette (think about the difference in the amount of tobacco). Cigarettes deliver an overall lower dose of nicotine directly to the lungs over a very short time. cigars deliver a bit more nicotine over the course of a the 1-2 hours that you are smoking.

    though the nicotine per square inch of tobacco is lower in cigars than in cigarettes, there is more nicotine overall in cigars.

    the lack of an immediate delivery system (not inhaling) in conjunction with less nicotine per square inch, and how fast the body metabolizes nicotine all leads us to why most who smoke cigars are not "addicted" to them.

    im not sure if that explains why you get sick when you smoke or not.
  • jship079jship079 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 621
    kuzi16:
    cigars a bit more nicotine over the course of a the 1-2 hours that you are smoking.

    though the nicotine per square inch of tobacco is lower in cigars than in cigarettes, there is more nicotine overall in cigars.

    the lack of an immediate delivery system (not inhaling) in conjunction with less nicotine per square inch, and how fast the body metabolizes nicotine all leads us to why most who smoke cigars are not "addicted" to them.

    im not sure if that explains why you get sick when you smoke or not.
    Yeah the fact that there is so much cigar leaf was my presumption on why I am affected by the cigar and not the pipe tobacco. I figure there is about 3 grams of tobacco in a standard bowl but maybe six or more in half a cigar that with the type of tobacco makes a big difference just wish it was not the case because it ruins allot of my enjoyment from a cigar which is why any more I smoke alot more bowls than sticks.
  • jlmartajlmarta Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,440
    What you guys are saying may be true but the article I referred to also said that not only is cigarette tobacco not cured (thereby retaining all its natural nicotine) but cigarette manufacturers also add more nicotine along with a bunch of other additives in an effort to increase the addictive qualities of cigarettes.

    So, IMO, it's not a matter of merely comparing the amount of tobacco in a cigarette to that in a cigar. I think one also has to take into account the added nicotine in the cigarette tobacco as well.

    Sure wish I could find that article again.....

    Marty

  • ellinasellinas Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 329
    i wish i could answer your question, interesting topic though i've been wondering about nicotine content myself
    j0z3r:
    docbp87:
    jlmarta:
    I wasn't able to find it again, but I read somewhere that tobacco used for cigars is cured (as opposed to cigarette tobacco, which isn't) and that about 98% of the nicotine goes away during the curing process.
    I have never heard that, and find it very hard to believe, given the amount of nicotine some cigars deliver... Think about how sick a new smoker can get smoking, for instance a Diesel Unlimited, or a Cain. Hell, I get a little queasy every once in a while when smoking Opus... There is definitely a lot of nicotine in cigars, it just gets absorbed slower, because it is delivered through the mucous membranes in the mouth, rather than the lungs.
    That sounds like a logical fallacy to me, along the lines of "I've never heard of X, therefore it does not exist". Is it not possible for the nicotine to be mostly cured away but still be present in sufficient quantities for one to feel it? The answer is that yes, it is possible, and unless you've done chemical tests on the tobacco before and after curing, you just don't know. Also keep in mind the minuscule amount of nicotine it takes to kill a human, and it makes sense that there does not need to be much present for one to feel it.
    it's actually two fallacies ;)
  • sightunseensightunseen Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,130
    Throwing this out there, but nicotine levels in cigars can also be a function of plant varietals, growing method, and curing/fermentation method, which all can affect the oil content in the leaf.
  • Amos UmwhatAmos Umwhat Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,523
    jlmarta:
    What you guys are saying may be true but the article I referred to also said that not only is cigarette tobacco not cured (thereby retaining all its natural nicotine) but cigarette manufacturers also add more nicotine along with a bunch of other additives in an effort to increase the addictive qualities of cigarettes.

    So, IMO, it's not a matter of merely comparing the amount of tobacco in a cigarette to that in a cigar. I think one also has to take into account the added nicotine in the cigarette tobacco as well.

    Sure wish I could find that article again.....

    Marty

    I'm not sure that "not cured" is correct for cigarette tobacco. I live in tobacco country, and it all gets cured. We went out to eat yesterday, and probably passed 50 - 100 tobacco barns, all for curing. It's great in the fall, all those smoking barns. What an aroma. Not "aged" might be a more accurate terminology.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 14,471
    Amos Umwhat:
    jlmarta:
    What you guys are saying may be true but the article I referred to also said that not only is cigarette tobacco not cured (thereby retaining all its natural nicotine) but cigarette manufacturers also add more nicotine along with a bunch of other additives in an effort to increase the addictive qualities of cigarettes.

    So, IMO, it's not a matter of merely comparing the amount of tobacco in a cigarette to that in a cigar. I think one also has to take into account the added nicotine in the cigarette tobacco as well.

    Sure wish I could find that article again.....

    Marty

    I'm not sure that "not cured" is correct for cigarette tobacco. I live in tobacco country, and it all gets cured. We went out to eat yesterday, and probably passed 50 - 100 tobacco barns, all for curing. It's great in the fall, all those smoking barns. What an aroma. Not "aged" might be a more accurate terminology.
    it is cured, it isnt fermented


  • nikostewartnikostewart Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 451
    Interesting article:

    "The debate about the amount of nicotine available in cigars and cigarettes has raged on for a while now and the information generated as a result is just enough to confuse anyone instead of giving them the true facts as they are. Like most debates involving the diaspora, this debate has its shared amount of unfounded theories based purely on emotion and personal views than on scientific study

    Scientific reports have established the difference between cigars and cigarettes which difference can be summarized in the mode of manufacture. The majority of cigars are manufactured by using one single type of tobacco taken through an air curing process and fermented and they also have a tobacco wrapper. The amount of tobacco in cigars varies from 20 g to 1 g.

    Cigarettes on the other hand are manufactured from varied blends of tobacco which are not fermented and they are wrapped in paper. The cigarettes contain lower than 1 g of tobacco and they are all of one size. This is unlike cigars which come in three basic sizes: large cigars, cigarillos, and little cigars.

    From the outset, it should be clear to everyone that none of these two habits (cigar smoking and cigarette smoking) is healthy in any kind of way. The purpose of this article is to get the difference in nicotine levels of these products. In the process of manufacturing cigars especially at the fermentation stage, the tobacco used in cigars loses about a third of its nicotine content.

    Cigarette tobacco likewise loses some of its nicotine content during its curing process but not as much as fermented tobacco does. A fully processed cigarette contains 50% nicotine the other half being made up of additives and other compounds to enhance taste and mask the bitterness of the products. Cigars fully processed are made up of 100% tobacco.

    Studies conducted to establish the different concentrations of compounds in cigars and cigarettes point to the fact that regular users of cigarettes consume more nicotine than regular cigar users. The reason for this is that cigarette smokers are known to increase their consumption of cigarettes over time while cigar smokers have been found to keep to modest use of the product some even using fewer as time passes.

    Nicotine being the single most dominant property in tobacco thus becomes the substance most critically examined. Strictly speaking, the nicotine content of a single cigar is equivalent to the nicotine levels in a number of cigarettes even a whole pack. The difference in the amounts in cigars and cigarettes comes in their consumption, the packaging of cigarettes and the aging of cigar tobacco.

    Cigar smoke is largely alkaline which makes it harder to inhale and thus the nicotine can be delivered orally where the nicotine is absorbed through the oral mucosa which means the delivery to the brain will be more concentrated only slower. Cigarette smoke is normally acidic and the kind of nicotine it has can only be delivered to the body through inhalation."
  • sightunseensightunseen Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,130
    nikostewart:
    Interesting article:

    "The debate about the amount of nicotine available in cigars and cigarettes has raged on for a while now and the information generated as a result is just enough to confuse anyone instead of giving them the true facts as they are. Like most debates involving the diaspora, this debate has its shared amount of unfounded theories based purely on emotion and personal views than on scientific study

    Scientific reports have established the difference between cigars and cigarettes which difference can be summarized in the mode of manufacture. The majority of cigars are manufactured by using one single type of tobacco taken through an air curing process and fermented and they also have a tobacco wrapper. The amount of tobacco in cigars varies from 20 g to 1 g.

    Cigarettes on the other hand are manufactured from varied blends of tobacco which are not fermented and they are wrapped in paper. The cigarettes contain lower than 1 g of tobacco and they are all of one size. This is unlike cigars which come in three basic sizes: large cigars, cigarillos, and little cigars.

    From the outset, it should be clear to everyone that none of these two habits (cigar smoking and cigarette smoking) is healthy in any kind of way. The purpose of this article is to get the difference in nicotine levels of these products. In the process of manufacturing cigars especially at the fermentation stage, the tobacco used in cigars loses about a third of its nicotine content.

    Cigarette tobacco likewise loses some of its nicotine content during its curing process but not as much as fermented tobacco does. A fully processed cigarette contains 50% nicotine the other half being made up of additives and other compounds to enhance taste and mask the bitterness of the products. Cigars fully processed are made up of 100% tobacco.

    Studies conducted to establish the different concentrations of compounds in cigars and cigarettes point to the fact that regular users of cigarettes consume more nicotine than regular cigar users. The reason for this is that cigarette smokers are known to increase their consumption of cigarettes over time while cigar smokers have been found to keep to modest use of the product some even using fewer as time passes.

    Nicotine being the single most dominant property in tobacco thus becomes the substance most critically examined. Strictly speaking, the nicotine content of a single cigar is equivalent to the nicotine levels in a number of cigarettes even a whole pack. The difference in the amounts in cigars and cigarettes comes in their consumption, the packaging of cigarettes and the aging of cigar tobacco.

    Cigar smoke is largely alkaline which makes it harder to inhale and thus the nicotine can be delivered orally where the nicotine is absorbed through the oral mucosa which means the delivery to the brain will be more concentrated only slower. Cigarette smoke is normally acidic and the kind of nicotine it has can only be delivered to the body through inhalation."
    That is interesting. Would you mind posting the link?
  • docbp87docbp87 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,521
    So my reasoning as presented in my original post may have contained a fallacy, but it was correct... If you've ever smoked a cigarette, and felt the nicotine that it delivers, and then have ever smoked a cigar with any real strength to it, it becomes immediately clear that the dosing is significantly higher in a cigar, but it is delivered much slower (obviously, because a cigar burns much slower, and the delivery is through mucous membrane (basically buccal) absorption, compared to inhalation). Most people don't consider it necessary to have food on the stomach to smoke a cigarette, but many would recommend it for smoking a cigar. The reason is the dosage of nicotine.
  • phobicsquirrelphobicsquirrel Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 7,349
    I love all the info on this. I wondered about this as well. Rarely, and I do mean rarely I will get that dizzy feeling. It's strange I mean, I can wake up, have some coffee and light up any cigar and be fine. But at times I can have the lightest cigar and get that feeling. Not sure why but it is strange.
  • phobicsquirrelphobicsquirrel Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 7,349
    btw, anyone know if by pushing smoke through your nose one gets affected by more nicotine?
  • jship079jship079 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 621
    phobicsquirrel:
    btw, anyone know if by pushing smoke through your nose one gets affected by more nicotine?
    I dont have the science to prove it but my experience says I am affected more when I do it. The first few times I thought I was just crazy but I notice being hit more the more frequent I retro hail.
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