This morning I lit up a Mr. Fahrenheit from Black Star Line Cigars. You can read my review here. I have smoked this cigar a few times before and have enjoyed it quite a bit. I will say, this morning was the first time I got a strength kick from this blend. It’s also the first time that I smoked it in the morning on an empty stomach.
When it comes to strength in cigars, some folks love it, others hate. Some are indifferent.
To be clear, when I talk about strength, I mean nicotine. Strength is harder to detect than the obvious things like flavor level and body (sometimes body is used to describe strength. I disagree with that, as body is its own thing). Oftentimes full flavored cigars get deemed “strong” just because the flavor is “strong” in terms of its level.
Most of the time, in my experience, it is true that a cigar that is at least medium in strength is usually also full in flavor. This makes sense if you are familiar with tobacco. I am not going to get into all that today, but as you move up the plant you get heartier leaves that are more potent in flavor and nicotine.
Now, how do you detect strength in a cigar? Some people call out strength based on how peppery a cigar is. True, strong cigars often have peppery components, however, not all peppery cigars are strong. When it comes to pepper and how it relates to strength, I liken it to actual peppers. How the pepper is presented and how your body reacts. A cigar that has pepper flavor, to me, is like black pepper. There is a spice component to it, but it doesn’t linger long and you don’t feel it beyond your mouth (or nasal passages if you retrohale). A strong cigar presents pepper more like a jalapeno. You get pepper flavor, but you also feel it a bit in your throat and chest.
That’s the way this Mr. Fahrenheit was this morning. There was always a peppery component in the flavor, but around halfway, that pepper started to linger and I started to “feel” the pepper. Then I started to actually feel the strength. When you feel the strength, you know you are above a medium strength level. This is when you get a nicotine buzz. Some folks like it. I don’t. I get a bit sweaty and my stomach gets uneasy.
What’s interesting is I have a high nicotine tolerance, between years of chewing Copenhagen, and in recent years, from high cigar consumption. I only get a nicotine kick once in a great while when I smoke, and typically it is like this morning - early, first cigar of the day, and on an empty stomach. When I start feeling it, the best thing for me to do is to slow my puffing frequency way down and wait it out. I am not one for drinking things other than water or coffee, and I don’t like to eat while I smoke, but I know that a sugary drink or snack is an easy fix, especially for any nausea.
Are you a fan of strong cigar?
Take care,
-Trevor