Cigars and Your Health

[Robusto]

Concerned about anything?...

More from me later.

[Mr Moore]

shades of " the day today" there Robusto !

[Robusto]

Spotted, MM.

I was going to write an essay about this on here last night, but thought I'd spare you.


SOME NEGATIVES

• Oral cancers are the main cancers of cigar smokers
• Nicotine ingestion clogs up your arterieries

So why do we do it?

(Pausing here to earn an honest crust).

[shed17]

Spotted, MM.

So why do we do it?

(Pausing here to earn an honest crust).

Enjoyment

[Robusto]

Hole in one, shed.

I examine my vices.
Smoking cigars is my only dangerous vice.

I examine the benefits.
Taste, smell, variety, etc etc.
I sleep very soundly after a good cigar. I am an occasional insomniac. This is good, therefore.
I am at my most relaxed when smoking a good cigar, and this is great with a rushed life.
I concentrate well when I smoke a Havana.
I often feel a million dollars with a good cigar. I just feel good.
Herfs and chances to smoke with others are relaxing and convivial.
Smoking let's me say bollocks to the world in my own way. (ie Fuck the lot of you. This is ME). This is good for a law-abiding boy.

So...

As far as I'm concerned, I acknowledge the gamble there is in smoking cigars, but I try to balance the negative sides by knowing that I am moderate in my consumption of other dangerous 'substances' and that my personal list of enjoyments from cigars is a very long one - and one I do not want to do without.

[ACMCC]

Well put... it brings the gamble out of all of us, I be interested to know, Bering in mind when smoking a large cigar indoors it's unavoidable, what
percentage of a puff is inhaled, I tend to inhale about say 5%, which I find allows me to taste more of the cigar! I know a lot of cigar smokers who inhale about 40% and exhale through the nose which i think is way to much, I know its suppose to be 0%, but lets say you where in a small room, passively you must be inhaling a fair bit? (Historically, I do not belive the originators did not inhale) be interested to here others views?

[Mr Moore]

I draw into my mouth and let the smoke gentley escape out the hatch and as it rises towards my waiting nostrils I snatch a tiny, yet perfectly timed pre'emtive sniff.
Thats how I do it everytime.
What about you ? how do you smoke yours.

[Robusto]

I'll blow a good portion down my nostrils a few times per Havana.

[Davros]

I don't and never have inhaled any cigars. I did enough inhaling when I smoked cigarettes.

As far as I'm aware there are no taste buds in my lungs

[daverave999]

I'll hold it in my mouth, perhaps swilling it round my cheeks, and occasionally blow it out through my nose. I do this by keeping my mouth closed but my throat open, and then breathing out through my nose.

Health concerns are not major for me as I smoked cigarettes since I was 13, so I see a couple of cigars a week INSTEAD of 15-20 a day as a huge improvement. There are many lifestyle choices we make and I don't consider cigars to be that high on my list of things that will do me serious damage. The meditational aspect of cigar smoking is a big plus for me. The time I am smoking is a time of quiet mind, with the focus on the taste and experience.

The addiction potential is lower IMO, as the stimulation from the nicotine is spread out, rather than a quick hit from absorption through the lungs like with cigarettes.

I recall reading that the form of nicotine in cigarettes and cigars was different, with a higher proportion of the free base in cigars which makes it easier to absorb through mucous membranes. Cigarettes contain a higher proportion of the protonated form which means you are less able to absorb it through your cheeks and more gets destroyed by the heat, ie. you HAVE to inhale it to absorb the nicotine. There have been cases of cigarette companies adding ammonia to the tobacco to release more of the free base to make them more addictive. The upshot of it is to me, that cigarettes have been purposely designed as a drug delivery vehicle, whereas cigars taste nice and just happen to be stimulating. Just an opinion though, that only takes into account how I smoke...

[whisky77]

In the zone

"The meditational aspect of cigar smoking is a big plus for me. The time I am smoking is a time of quiet mind, with the focus on the taste and experience."

Very well put dave, I had never really thought of it like that before.I can sit and enjoy a smoke without really thinking about anything in particular, just tuned in to the experience of smoking the cigar itself, in the zone so to speak.

[Davros]

I would think it's a possibility that the sense of calm and relaxation you get from chilling with a good cigar would help to outweigh some of the negative health implications from smoking. In particular if you only smoke a couple a week.

[Robusto]

I would think it's a possibility that the sense of calm and relaxation you get from chilling with a good cigar would help to outweigh some of the negative health implications from smoking. In particular if you only smoke a couple a week.

I couldn't agree more.

[ACMCC]

I shall experiment a little I think, currently i swill the smoke around in my mouth and exhale gently, then inhale a little (maybe 5%) of the passive smoke back in through both nose and mouth. I can't agree more that there has to be some relaxation benifits in todays fast life styles spending an hour or so chilling with one of your favorite sticks....

I have read some of the reviews in cigar magazines where thay have detected an amazing array of flavours and aromas! purchased said puro
and been lucky to detect more than three, maybe there is a special technique they have!

[Stevieboy]

I don't and never have inhaled any cigars. I did enough inhaling when I smoked cigarettes.

As far as I'm aware there are no taste buds in my lungs

LOL! That's exactly the same as me Dav! For one thing it's f'ing agony to pull cigar smoke into the lungs.