Expert: James Yee - 7/6/2007

Question
Well, tonight I had smoked my first cigar.  I had smoked with my father in a relaxed setting.  About 30 minutes afterwards, I had started to feel a bit sick.  Not to long ago, I threw up.

My question is, Is there anything I can do to prevent getting sick?  Or is it normal to get a bit sick after smoking for the first times?

I did not inhale while I smoked, and had not rushed the cigar.

Answer
Hi Jordan,

Cigar sickness is often temporary nausea (very short-term vomiting and feeling lightheaded) and people who get sick from cigars are often beginners that rush their cigar smoking, get irritated by the smoke getting in their eyes or inhaling the smoke (either intentionally or inadvertently) into their lungs like what they would normally do with cigarette smoke.  

Even though you didn’t rush your smoking or purposely inhale, you still may have inhaled a tiny bit of smoke either into your throat or nostrils during smoking and this could be more than enough to irritate your body and cause you to vomit.  

Here are some tips to reduce and eliminate cigar sickness:

- Avoid getting smoke in your eyes or nose.  Smoke in your eyes is an irritant and not only can it ruin the moment but it can make you feel uncomfortable and quicken your smoking pace. If you’re smoking short cigars, it’s harder to keep the smoke away from your eyes but if you sit back in a comfortable chair and lean your head back in a relaxing and reclining position, the smoke will waft upwards and away from your eyes.  Smoke getting into your nasal passage can cause your sinuses to “burn” and also make you cough from the irritation; possibly causing you to inhale a bit of smoke (accidentally).  

- Don’t inhale.  Beginners and novices MUST follow this rule.  Cigar smoke is obviously stronger and much heavier than cigarette smoke so beginners and novice cigar smokers should not inhale the smoke.  Like getting smoke into your eyes, smoke getting into your lungs can be an irritant and make you feel uncomfortable and queasy.  This effect usually occurs only in beginners but fortunately, the more cigars you smoke, the more you’ll be used to it.  (Very experienced cigar smokers can and often inhale cigar smoke.)

- Smoke on an empty/full stomach.  Most smokers feel better when they smoke cigars on a full stomach but some people are quite the opposite.  Know how your body will react on full/empty stomachs and smoke accordingly.

- Smoke outdoors.  Most smokers that get sick often smoke indoors in tight, low-ventilated areas.  By smoking outdoors, you are allowing the smoke to escape your proximity as quickly and as much as possible which will reduce cigar sickness.  Avoid smoking against the wind as the smoke will only be blown back into your eyes and nostrils and irritate you.

- Take your time.   This is a very important rule.  Never rush a cigar when you smoke.  Puffing away on a cigar quickly can cause you to inadvertently intake cigar smoke into your lungs which is what will make you sick.  The majority of all the people I have met that suffered from cigar sickness were “speed smokers” that liked to rush their cigars.  The general rule of thumb for novice smokers is to take one draw/puff per minute.  (Experienced smokers usually take 1 to 3 puffs per minute.)  Smoking slowly will also allow the cigar to burn less hot which reduces the harsh flavours that can occur when you speed smoke.  The faster you smoke, the faster the harsh flavours develop.

- Be relaxed.  Cigars are always more enjoyable when you’re in a relaxed mood or location.  If your stress level is high and you’re smoking a cigar in rushed, tense pace, then the cigar will only add to your discomfort.  Find a good, quiet and relaxing moment to smoke your cigars.  Listen to some soothing music, sit on a patio deck or smoke after you’ve had a good meal.  Whenever or wherever you choose to smoke your cigar, be sure to be relaxed and you'll find that the time and your cigar will be more enjoyable.

- Have a glass of ice water with your cigar.  Most cigar smokers tend to enjoy their cigars with a nice glass of scotch, cognac, rum or espresso to compliment the cigar but for novice smokers, a glass of ice-cold water will work wonders and make a cigar – no matter how strong it is – more enjoyable.  Taking one or two sips between draws/puffs will make a cigar feel less strong as the water refreshes your palate.  As a result, you should be able to smoke an entire cigar without getting sick.  Also avoid alcoholic or strong-flavoured beverages as they will only further upset a cigar-sensitive stomach.

For beginning cigar smokers, getting sick is not uncommon and a large percentage of beginning cigar smokers do get sick their first time.  Fortunately, the more you smoke cigars, the less you’ll be prone to cigar sickness.

Hopes this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I’ll be happy to help.

Regards,
James