Running from the Nicotine Monster

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.

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Uncle Sin

Thanksgiving is always a wonderful experience in my family as it is in so many other families. In many ways, it is my favorite holiday because it focuses me on gratitude, something that always improves my disposition and outlook.

This Thanksgiving has been especially good, due in no small part to my nephew, Alex, coming down from New York to join Wendy and me for the weekend. My younger brother Tom’s son, Alex is in his junior year at West Point where he is studying international relations.

Alex was last here during his plebe year. During that visit, he asked me to help him acquire cigars for a traditional dinner held at the academy during the Christmas season. Every year, the plebes are given this task and – like other assignments – they had better not screw up. So, I bought him a good travel humidor and the requisite number of Padron Anniversarios . If a Roan is going to be giving his company cigars; he’s going to make sure the experience is a good one. His table loved ‘em. That’s the way it should be.

Earlier this week, before he came down, Alex let me know that he wanted to give the pipe a try while he was here. Needless to say, I was delighted. Wendy, on the other hand, was mortified.

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A Magnum Opus Experience

Scott Stultz in his studio smoking his Cornelius Mänz bent blowfish.One of the best aspects of my business life is that I travel quite a bit, and - as a result - I get to meet and spend time with my pipe friends around the country. The experience of community that I have from these times with friends is wonderful. I’m grateful for it.

Monday evening, I spent several hours with my friend, Scott Stultz, in his studio in Marietta, Pennsylvania. Thanks to my wife, Wendy, we shared a fantastic French Cabernet Sauvignon which Wendy sent along with me for the trip. We also savored some extraordinary tequila as a nightcap. Good tequila is a little like cognac; it is delicious at the end of the evening.

Perhaps the thing I love most about seeing Scott is sharing tobaccos together and discussing our experience of them.

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Agincourt

Updated on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 6:30PM by Neill Archer Roan

The weatherman says, “Expect snow today.” The chances of snow this afternoon are 100%. Not much ambiguity there. One hundred percent says, “Snow’s happening. Get used to it.”

Snow? The calendar says it’s October 29th. While I expect October snows in Wyoming, snow is usually fashionably late for the party here in Northern Virginia.

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The Experiment

I have always relied on blenders to create the blends I love to smoke. When I have strayed from my reliance upon their judgment, I haven’t found the results amenable at all. While I think it is understandable to want to experiment, I’ve kept my expectations low and still failed to meet them. Until this week, that is.

Like many pipe smokers, I am a fan of Esoterica Tobaccos and of Jersey Isles’ Germain who manufacture them. Last week, I purchased a tin of Margate from the Tobacco Shop in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The tin had considerable age; the tobacco I removed from it was oily, moist, and fragrant.

Margate– described as a “Full English Blend” – is comprised of Cyprian Latakia and Orientals. The Orientals in the blend are sweet and creamy. They beautifully balance the latakia which is far from overpowering.

I was surprised to learn that Margate had no Virginias in its composition. When I think about the English blends I enjoy most, they all contain a healthy measure of Virginias. Margate contains none. For me, Margate is a wonderful smoke. A rich smoke. An exotic smoke. Although I like it, it is not an everyday English – at least for me.

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