Peterson - Irish Oak was like a mule kick to the head for me. I smoked three bowls on separate occasions and I instantly got a horrible Nicotine headache each time. I can manage some vitamin N but not that much. Gave away the open tin and traded the sealed one.
What everybody else said, stay away from anything with flake in the name that stuff is strong, and University Flake especially is the strongest tobacco I've ever sampled. On the flip side I'd suggest Walgreens bulk tobacco, I've tried both the Vanilla Cavendish and the Burly and Black and I swear there's NO damn nicotine at all in there. In fact if you lived next door I'd trade you my entire stock of 12 OZs of Burly and Black for something stronger, I don't even taste Burly in there, it's just hot candy air!
Are you telling me it's stronger than University Flake? I'm not sure I'm ready for anything stronger than that stuff.
As the great Angelo Dundee would say, "keep off the ropes". I had a few small samples sent to me from a friend a few years ago and I still havent fully recovered. They all had a reputation of not only being quite strong but also of having a terrible room note which is why I decided to try the Black Irish out on my way to the Post Office, I never made it to the Post Office !! After no more than 50 yards after lighting up the weather changed from deep blue skies and warm breeze to an almost 'End of Days' black sky, Arctic gales and with skeletal hands reaching through the cracks in the now crumbling pavement attempting to drag me down to the depths of Hades. Some invisible claw had reached in through my rib cage and had not only my lungs but every cell of my being in an awful vice like grip, the bones in my legs had completely dematerialised and my only support seemed to be made of pure bone marrow, which probable explains why I found myself sitting on a wall , quivering and muttering some inaudible groans with passers by giving me that 'How dare he and at this time of day' look. I couldnt even mutter the word 'help' as I no longer had any kind of control over my tongue or senses. Since that day I look on every bowl of Pirate Kake or Old Dublin as a blessing.
Hi All, I must be oblivious, I have never been hit by nic in pipe tobacco nor cigarettes either for that matter. I have smoked 1792 Flake, Peterson's University Flake, Brown Bogie and Black XX as well and it has not hit me at all. I have felt it in certain cigars now and then. La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel hit me upside my head once in the morning on the way to work. I though I had been hit in the solar plexis. But no pipe tobacco has done that to me yet. Paul
Another one that has not been mentioned that has a bunch of nicotine in it is Cornell & Diehl's Night Train. It's delicious but you don't want to smoke it on an empty stomach.
With your constitution Paul I certainly won't be going on any drinking sessions with you, no offence like. I once tried a Capstan Full Strength which knocked me sideways too, awful things.
LOL, Paul......you know how I can tell if a tobacco has a high nic content?.....it gives me the hiccups.
Really? I mean, I guess I could see that, since the first time I smoked it I noticed the nicotine, but it certainly didn't wallop me like Irish Flake or anything like that. I really enjoy Irish Oak, it's got a nice, nuanced bunch of flavors to it. You really have to devote your palate's full attention to it, or you'll miss a lot. And you guys talking about University Flake, are you saying it's got more nic than Irish Flake? That would be impressive. And Paul, I'm not surprised that pipe tobacco doesn't wallop you if you can smoke a cigar in the morning! Lol, I can't smoke a cigar until at least after lunch, and I usually don't have one until the evening. Especially if it's an Opus X day, or a Perdomo Grand Cru day. And you know, surprisingly enough, I got a pretty solid nicotine wallop from a Montecristo Platinum Series one time, which has a light colored wrapper and is supposed to be "mild". And I am also one who gets hiccups, especially if I smoke out of something with a really wide open draw, like a cob. First time I smoked Hal O' The Wynd in a cob, it gave me some pretty raucous hiccups, that's for sure. That's some fairly strong tobacco, too, while we're on the topic of nicotine. Not one that I would want to smoke first thing in the morning.
I generally stick to the milder stuff myself. I did once try a vintage Owl Shop English blend and on an empty stomach. The resulting feeling reminded me of when I tried chewing tobaccoin my teens.....nausea, cold sweats etc. Speaking of chewing, those English ropes were made to be smoked OR chewed by miners, sailors and others working in flammable places.
I've found the biggest thing about nicotine is the manner in which it is received. Smoking a cigarette any more gives me a headache, as the absorption is quick and so is the rate of decline. Although pipe smoking isn't listed on the chart, the curve is likely a lot like chewing tobacco, except that the absorption rate is more gradual. I will admit a dependence on nicotine, but I like a nice constant even amount in my bloodstream as opposed to violent swings. Nicotine Absorption Chart from Wikipedia
Cigars for some reason can turn someone green. lol. I don't inhale a pipe or a cigar but on an empty stomach a cigar can wallop me. On the other hand a pipe has never done that to me, never made me nauseous. I have to smoke something in the morning, I have an hours ride to work. A pipe or cigar with my morning coffee relaxes me while I'm driving. Paul Paul
I totally hear you on that. I live about 40 minutes from town, and I always fill a nice pipe before I head out. Usually, when I go on a long road trip, I'll get a nice sized cigar to smoke for part of the way, which is nice, but I often take over an hour to smoke a cigar, so I wouldn't want to try to smoke one on the way to town, but that's just me. It's also partly because I smoke Coronas and Toros and Robustos, and usually, the Robusto is the smallest I smoke, mostly because I don't want to spend nearly the same amount of money for half the cigar, because they're expensive enough for my limited budget. But I'm getting more and more into cigars, that's for sure, and hell, maybe one day I'll actually be able to afford all these cigars I smoke! Certain cigars are more nicotine-heavy too, especially some big, bad Maduro as opposed to a mild Connecticut. But it'll still be awhile before I smoke one in the morning.
I smoked some GH DF unscented BEFORE supper yesterday, and it gave me the hiccups. Could've been timing to blame, but there's some nic there.
Abenaki has an aromatic blend called SeaBreeze that's supposedly made with low-nicotine leaf. Not a bad little blend.
