Running from the Nicotine Monster

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Dutch

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Most of us pipe smokers have experienced that nauseous, head-spinning experience that accompanies an over-strong nicotine hit. It’s a horrible feeling that can take hours to fully dissipate. When I have been struggling in its green claws, I’ve wondered why I smoke a pipe and, indeed, if I ever will again. I gush all sorts of prayers and promised in this state: “Please God, help me get over this quickly and I promise….”

The prospects of getting tobacco head go up for those of us who are adventurous in trying new tobaccos, especially given that many blenders do not disclose the component tobaccos that comprise a blend. Speaking personally, I find that I am generally – but not always – safe with English blends and with Virginias. Burleys, on the other hand, will cold-cock me if I’m not careful. It doesn’t take much, either, for me to feel burley’s effects on my system.

The whole tobacco-head thing is complicated further by the fact that flavor-intensity and nicotine-intensity are unrelated. In flavor terms, burley is comparatively mild but is higher in nicotine than other tobaccos. Latakia is comparatively more flavor-intense than other tobaccos, but light in the nicotine department.

The problem with nicotine is that you can’t judge its intensity by taste. By the time you start feeling its presence, it can be too late.

Because I want to do everything possible to avoid tobacco head, I’ve spent a lot of time researching the chemistry of various tobacco varieties. Fortunately, there is a significant body of research findings that were created by professional chemists employed by major tobacco companies. These chemists wrote and presented papers at various industry conferences.

In the exhibit below – from my presentation on the Thermodynamics of Pipe Smoking that I gave at the Chicago show – you can see the nicotine concentration in various tobacco varieties. When you compare the nicotine content of various tobaccos, Burley is significantly higher in nicotine than is Virginias, Maryland, or Turkish (what Orientals used to be called in the industry).© 2010 Neill Archer Roan, All Rights Reserved

In an American Tobacco Company memorandum, chemists Harlow and Rayburn wrote, “The concentration of nicotine in cigar and pipe smoke is much less (generally about 1/3) than the concentration of nicotine in cigarette smoke.” This may explain why long-time cigarette smokers who have abandoned cigarette-smoking for pipe-smoking seem able to smoke most pipe tobaccos without feeling any ill effects. Some can smoke the dreaded 1792 or Royal Yacht and get only a light nicotine buzz. Those tobaccos would kill me.

Master blender Russ Ouellette recently sent me a sample tin of a new blend, Virginia Nights. Virginia Nights is a blend of tangy red Virginia Cavendish, a toasted red Virginia, a natural red Virginia ribbon, and a stoved black Virginia. When Russ wrote me about this blend, I was very excited. It promised to be a blend that I would just love.

I was right. In my first bowl, I found the flavor of Virginia Nights to be exquisitely rich and complex. The sweetness of stewed fruit overlaid a somewhat tart, smokey foundation. The natural ribbon endowed the blend with that uncased tobacco flavor, as well. I loved my first bowl.

I was so excited about the blend that I took the tin with me to my weekly Saturday morning pipe-smoking klatch. I told the guys about the blend over breakfast; we were all looking forward to having a bowl when we reached our Old Virginia Tobacco Company home.

Three of us lit up a bowl. We all loved the first flavor hits, but after some 30 minutes, we looked at each other – all of us were a little pale. “Are you getting a nic hit?” I asked.

“Absolutely! I need to stop,” one friend responded.

“Yeah, I’m really feeling it,” another piped up.

As an aside, both my friends are avid cigar smokers. One smokes fairly strong cigars:
Opus X, Chisels, etc. He’s usually not bothered, but Virginia Nights got him along with the rest of us.

While none of us were reeling from tobacco head, we all felt more nicotine from this blend than we expected. We were able to recover fairly quickly. We had an interesting conversation about the vicissitudes of trying new tobaccos.

I observed that it is hardest for me when I discover I love the flavor of a tobacco but have adverse nicotine effects if and when I smoke it. Perhaps the best personal example is Stonehaven. I love Stonehaven, but if I smoke it too fast or on an empty stomach, I will find myself in various degrees of nicotine-induced distress.

I feel the same way about Virginia Nights. I love its sweetness and flavor complexity. It is one of the most interesting Virginia blends I’ve ever smoked.

What to do?

I felt confusion. Because I’ve never had Virginias affect me this way, I wondered if Russ had used some burley variety, e.g. Dark-fired Kentucky, as a condiment tobacco. Was there something in there that I didn’t know about? I decided to write Russ to tell him about our experience. It wasn’t long before he replied:

“All that’s in Virginia Nights is a regular red Virginia ribbon-cut, a matured red Virginia Cavendish, a toasted red Virginia, and a yellow Virginia stoved until black,” he replied. “That’s it - no Burley or any other varietal. My guess is that the nicotine content increased with the heat and pressure-processing of the matured, toasted and stoved. They are the culprits. I wouldn’t have noticed it myself as I seem to have a high tolerance for vitamin N. The high nicotine level is not all that unusual in processed Virginias (see: Full Virginia Flake).”

So, I couldn’t blame Burley. “Drat!” I thought. “Now I have to start being careful with Virginias.”

I read Russ’ message further.

“If you really enjoy the flavor, I might suggest having a piece of chocolate before lighting up. It will help avoid the blood sugar peak and crash that is the cause of most nicotine-related side effects.”

“Wow,” I thought. “Here is a possible preventive measure that might make it possible for me to expand my pipe-tobacco repertoire.”

I have barely begun my experimentation with Russ’ suggestion, but so far, so good. I’ve had a couple of smallish bowls of Stonehaven after a half chocolate bar. While I still felt the nicotine somewhat, the effect was much less than usual. I am currently trying a bit more chocolate after about fifteen minutes of smoking time in order to extend the effect. So far, so good.

I will report on this process more when I have more experience and information. In the meantime, if you are like me and concerned about nicotine distress, here is a possible strategy to enjoy some new blends.



http://passionforpipes.squarespace.com/neills-blog/2011/12/19/running-from-the-nicotine-monster.html
 
Cool read, thank you. 8)

I have a pretty good handle on nicotine intake, although a few times I was wondering why the hell I couldn't write a coherent string of text by hand and it was pissing me off. Had the shakes a little. Never gone seriously overboard, though.

I guess I have some lessons to learn yet. 8)
 
Thank you for an interesting and informative post. I also suffer from Vitamin N poisoning and avoid burley blends, but have also had problems with a larger bowl of G,H & Co 'Balkan Mixture', which to my knowledge is burley-free.
 
Dutch":t1jrwz3i said:
Most of us pipe smokers have experienced that nauseous, head-spinning experience that accompanies an over-strong nicotine hit. It’s a horrible feeling that can take hours to fully dissipate. When I have been struggling in its green claws, I’ve wondered why I smoke a pipe and, indeed, if I ever will again. I gush all sorts of prayers and promised in this state: “Please God, help me get over this quickly and I promise….”
LOL More than once friend, more than once... :lol:

Thanks for the post, it was interesting and informative... and it gave me another reason to eat chocolate, as if I needed another reason. :roll:

Jack
 
I found this article very informative,especially since I spent many hours last night from being sick from burley/virginia blend (I heard burley/virginia blends are best for breaking in new pipes?) I dont know if I inhaled any smoke unintentionally or the blend had a higher than normal nicotine level?! I was dizzy, nausea, shortness of breath etc.. Is there anything that helps you feel better quicker,when you have had to much nicotine? How can i tell if im inhaling smoke while puffing? Are there any tricks to prevent me from inhaling? Improving my puffing (long slow draws? Short more frequent sips/puffs?) cadence? I enjoy pipe smokng for the enjoyment and inner peace it gives me, it is a form of meditation or reflection which forces me to slow down and relax.
 
Dutch":p2fuu0oa said:
The problem with nicotine is that you can’t judge its intensity by taste. By the time you start feeling its presence, it can be too late.
That's sometimes true, though I can say that there are a number of tobaccos that, I can taste from the first puff, I need to take the blend slow. Brown Bogie, for instance, tells you from the first puff that it plans to rough you up. If I taste a baccy in a blend like air cured burley I know I'm going to be in for it too.
 
C'mon Dutch, you gotta be careful proceeding from the general to the specific.
There are wimpy Burlies and there are potent Virginias.
 
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