Non-Health Related Effect of Smoking a Cigar

[kurtdesign1]

Terrible title, I know.

This thread will deal with things like what you feel like the morning after a cigar, what your mouth tastes like while smoking, what happens to your sinus' during/after a cigar, etc.

Mike's post about black coffee lending a bitter taste to a cigar pairing is the reason I'm posting this up but not the genesis of the idea. Over the years I've noticed a LOT of "symptoms" from smoking. None (or very few) are related to my health, but rather they leave me wondering if I'm the only one who experiences them and WHY DO I experience them. Here are a couple for discussion:

-If I smoke an evening cigar, even if I brush, floss & "Listerine" when done, I always wake up with a rough, dirty cigar taste in my mouth. This is despite "feeling" clean the evening before. A side note to this is that the longer between "cleansing" and sleep, the more I detect the same sort of "rough, dirty cigar taste" creeping back into my mouth. My dad tells me he's never experienced this in his life from either a cigarette or cigar. I experience it every time I have a cigar though, have never smoked a cigarette. One item of note is that I almost feel like the "taste" comes from my esophagus rather than my trachea. I can "taste" it coming on, rather than detect it when breathing. This may just be a subjective idea but I figured I'd mention. I want to know if you've experienced this. I want to know if you've eliminated this. I want to know if you have any theories about this. Two final things; I experienced this long before I started retrohaling during smoking, and eating certain foods after smoking & brushing can eliminate this from happening the next morning. I have not determined a pattern with certain foods that help and/or certain cigars this works for.

I have other little "questions" but am curious about your thoughts. VERY curious!

[Stewmuse]

I also know, post-sleep, that I've had a cigar. Always. But another tooth brushing and things are fine. Then again, I ALWAYS wake up with a crappy taste in my mouth, regardless of cigar presence, or sleep duration (more than a just a few minutes, anyway).

[IWinchester]

Maybe I just don't notice it as much anymore, but I only get that with flavor-strong cigars. My dad always says,"it feels like the Red army was marching around my mouth in their socks!" after he smokes with me the night before. Also, My usual smoke time is late afternoon rather than evening. That might give my mouth more recoup time.

Here's a question: do you ever have a cigar that's so earthy it tastes like mold? Usually I get this when earth is the dominant flavor and totally overrides any other flavors. Sometimes on Gran Habano Vintage '02s (which is why I stopped smoking them) but I also noticed it a lil on the new Joya Red.


Kid Corona

[Kip]

We call that "morning after" flavor the "Monkey" - meaning, the monkey that secretly took a dump in your mouth while you were sleeping.

I know exactly what you're talking about, but I haven't experienced it personally in a few years. I don't know if the difference is found in the quality or make of the cigar, how often you smoke, or some other factor - but the only real difference in my smoking tendencies since it stopped happening is that I smoke basically every day now. I have an occasional anomaly with some cigar-influencce, but my routine morning breath is pretty standard stuff.

[Kip]

Here's another thought - we know that nicotine itself is absorbed throughout the oral and nasal mucosa. Could this be "other stuff" that was retained in the linings of your mouth during the smoke that seeped back out? Maybe it still happens to me, but I don't notice because I don't give it a chance before I'm lighting up again

[kurtdesign1]

Interesting thoughts from all. The one constant amongst those who don't experience this (even if its an "any more") is smoking regularity. I wonder if there's something there that may be centered around the loss of finite ability to detect such pollutants in your mouth/sinus/mucosa, et al. I used to refer to the phenomina as "trench mouth" but I couldn't tell you exactly where I picked that up.

Here's a related question. Do you get bad breath that is directly attributed to smoking? My wife says my breath is horrendous during and after smoking. It's not just "smokey" but literally halitosis. I understand each person's make-up is individual but I've always been curious if there are common threads of bacteria, etc that some people have, some of the time, which react negatively (e.g. bad breath) with the chemical makeup of smoke. I do not have bad breath on a daily basis and have (what I would describe as) good oral hygiene. I hypothesize this because on extremely rare occasions I will not have bad breath afterward. I can recall two such occasions specifically (12 years ago with an Industrial Press and about 5 years ago with a 35 y/o El Rey del Mundo). The two cigars had ZERO in common; strength, origin, age, flavors, size, etc.

I like the theory that this could be the "radioactive waste" left over after the synthesis of products your body absorbs mucosa-wise whilst smoking. Odd question on this though; wouldn't eating have no effect on it then? If it was absorbed then expelled, friction from swallowing food would likely not take that away.

Ian, do you ever experience did odd flavors/taste later in the day if you smoke in the evening? kinda like a hangover at 7pm at night when you were tailgating for a football game at noon? Also, your Dad's analogy sounds like he has extreme drymouth after smoking, which is something ive heard described by others. This is commonly resolved by drinking an abundance of water BEFORE having a cigar. Tell your dad to give this a try and see if it cures his symptoms. He might just be eloquently describing exactly what we're talkign about but I think its actually another potential effect from having a cigar.

It does stand to be noted that Mike is often right about the solution: Brush your teeth and its gone. I have rarely, RARELY, had a cigar that sticks with me more than the next morning's brush & rinse. A couple have done it; Anejo & Opus come to mind, as well as multiple Bolivar Coronas Gigantes', but that is the exception to the rule. Even then the nastiness is subsided quite a bit.

Good Thoughts. Any others on this?

[Kip]

On my phone so I'll make this artificially brief.

1. If the smoking frequency caused a "finite ability to detect such pollutants," wouldn't it do the same to other flavors? I don't seem to have lost any depth of perception with food or other flavors.

2. Yes, my wife absolutely notes a cigar giving something other than smoky breath. She has even correctly determined specific cigars. She *always* knows when I've had a My Father, and picks up differences when I've smoked something made with young tobacco. Apparently, the remnant breath is harsh as well.

3. I often brush right after a cigar or smoking session. That usually takes the after effects away or significantly reduces them - which may be partially responsible for my lack of "monkey visits" overnight.

...just a hillbilly, Tappin' and a-Talkin'

[IWinchester]

Good point about staying hydrated. Two more things: I can add anecdotal evidence about my wife mentioning bad breath after some, but not all, cigars. It doesn't seem to be just the strong ones. She doesn't mind smooching me after a smoke, but sometimes she just say 'no way, that was a stinky one.' And second, no, I've never had an evening visit by the monkey after smoking in the afternoon. Love these discussions!


Kid Corona

[Steve D.]

My $0.02. I usually brush immediately after and it's rare that I don't enjoy bourbon with a cigar and after. Never have the morning after effect, though I occasionally have a flavor reminiscent of a cigar, but pleasant. I find that bourbon has a mouth-watering effect that prevents the dry mouth some cigars cause. Perhaps a dry mouth is a player in this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kurtdesign1]

Perhaps a dry mouth is a player in this.

I totally agree and have long been aware that hydration plays into your overall feel during and after a cigar. I mentioned it above, actually. I think it's another issue, though. Case and point; I drink an entire 32oz tumbler of water during Half Ashed. That's on top of drinking throughout the day. I love water. I drink it regularly. My wife gives me a hard time about being a water "nazi", as a matter of fact (for the record, she doesn't drink nearly enough...). I truly think hydration is a separate issue though. Regardless of whether I'm hydrated, I will feel the effects of the "Monkey".

I have long postulated that this is more related to the amount of saliva someone has on a regular basis. Have you ever seen one of those people who have so much saliva that it pools up at the corners of their mouth? Have you ever spoken with anyone who comments that they typically have a very dry mouth? I think that within the "normal" spectrum, the dryer the better. You don't want to be without saliva but excess captures (i.e. filters) the impurities out of the smoke and allows them to accumulate in your mouth. Moist mucosa lining (be it from mucas or saliva) "captures" the smoke that contributes to the related halitosis. The more moisture, the more captured. I first started hypothesizing about this when I listened to the Dogwatch episode discussing "3rd Hand Smoke". While I can't quite attribute clinging particulate in your self to clinging particulate on the furniture, it did get me thinking...