Ive been enjoying cigars since 2008 but in limited moderation. Maybe 60 sticks a year so about 2 a month but now that I am fully retired (I'm 46) I plan to ramp that up. Put plainly, I am a total lightweight when it comes to nicotine but I love full flavor and body cigars (just not full strength) - I just hate the muscle aches, head aches, dizzyness and nausea even the lightest, non-ligero sticks cause me (yes I smoke slow. Yes I eat beforehand. Yes I take in sugary drinks during and after as an antidote and yes I am healthy). I want the nicotine effects to go away so I can enjoy the tastes and experience better and maybe get out of this US Connecticut Shade rut. I wanna go full nicaraguan!

I'm sure I just need to smoke more and build a tolerance and I'm sure some of the lower brows on here will chime in that this indicates a lack of manliness or gayness or that my name is probably nancy - but I can assure you, my bench press is well above average, I am told often I 'coulda been a contenda', I chop wood (and lay pipe...with females) on a regular basis, sport an epic beard and kill and eat bears while they are still twitching (mostly of the gummy variety, mostly) - so it's not the level of man-ness that causes nicotine intolerance. And my name isnt Nancy.

I'm asking folks to post about your cigar/nicotine journey. How did you get to where you can smoke a full strength cigar and not feel the least bit nauseous. When and how many of what kind did you start on, what kind and how many do you smoke today. Where you a cigarette smoker before? (Ive never had one). Are there some here that never seem to build a tolerance but like me you do it anyway because the baby is better than the bathwater?

Thanks in advance to any that take the time to answer this. Smartass quips...whatevs.

LawOfMD wrote:

You lost me at 2 a month, what year do you recognize that has 30 months?

shaun341 wrote:

Must be that law school math

shaun341 wrote:

You are obviously too much of a lightweight to smoke cigars, give it up and try knitting or crocheting instead.

tonygraz wrote:

Switch to Cuban cigars. You'll get the flavor without as much nicotine. Won't be as heavy bodied as Nicaraguan cigars though.

Thunder.Gerbil wrote:

Got a link or competitor reference? JK

Yes, I have Monty 2's and 4's, very well aged and some others on the way from blankety blank blank. Doesnt matter. Still get issues even from those.

LawOfMD wrote:

I used to smoke cigs so it was no problem for me

corey sellers wrote:

Montecristo is one of the fuller bodied (ie stronger) Cuban cigar marques, along with Bolivar, Partagas, Upmann, Punch & Cuaba.

Fonseca and PL are the mildest ones I can think of offhand. QdO, HdM* and SCdLH are somewhere between mild and medium.

LFdC, ERdM, Trinidad, Cohiba, HdM* SLR, SP & LGC somewhere in the medium range.

RyJ, VR, RA towards the upper end of medium.



*: HdM seems to span the entire spectrum depending on which vitola.


These aren't hard and fast groupings either, sometimes there are exceptions. EL & Regionals can be anywhere in the spectrum. For example the Bolivar EL14 (super corona) was shockingly mild (at least when it came out - haven't had one since). And there have been some PL EL & Regionals that have been quite full bodied.

Thunder.Gerbil wrote:

^ no denying he's a smart(azz) guy.

HdM Petite robusto (search here for help on this particular one)

PL petite Corona is a favorite a.m. cigar for me.

Also try an Illusione Epernay.

ZRX1200 wrote:

PL petite Corona is a favorite a.m. cigar for me.

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ZRX1200 wrote:

Seems to be a lot of crossover and confustion between FLAVOR, BODY and STRENGTH. I really like it when reviews specifically break the three apart and comment on nicotine strength as a separate metric to body and flavor.

LawOfMD wrote: