Cigars vs Cigarettes: What’s Worse
There are many myths surrounding cigars and cigarettes. Some have endured for decades, others thrived during certain generations and have since been disproved. For instance, they used to believe that cigarettes were good for you and they even came recommended by doctors.
One of the myths that endure in the modern age is that cigars do not cause cancer and are somehow much healthier than cigarettes. Believers point to the fact that you inhale little to no cigar smoke, whereas you inhale all cigarette smoke.
This may be true, but there are two things to consider, both of which blow this belief out of the water. Firstly, cigars are unfiltered, thicker and stronger, so while you may be inhaling just a little, they are much more potent. Cigars are also longer, although cigar smokers tend to smoke less than cigarette smokers on average.
Secondly, you can still get mouth cancer even if you don’t inhale. This cancer is very common in smokers and cigar smokers in particular. And like all forms of cancer, it is not pleasant. So, don’t fool yourself into thinking cigars are okay because they are somehow healthy. That’s akin to saying that a petri dish of e.Coli is healthier than a vial of arsenic—that may be so, but you shouldn’t be consuming either of them.
Who Invented Cigarettes?
Tobacco has grown in the wilds of North America for over 8,000 years and it has been consumed for over 2,000 years, with many early forms of the plant being dried and then chewed or smoked. However, it wasn’t until 1865 that commercial cigarettes were made available, with James Bonsack credited with their creation.
Bonsack owned a 300 acre farm, on which he grew and rolled tobacco, before selling these cigarettes to soldiers who had just returned from the Civil War. This practice spread across the United States and then around the world, before cigarettes took on a more modern form.
Tobacco was still available prior to this date and it had been smoked in many countries, the US included, before this. However, it was not a widely used drug simply because it wasn’t accessible or affordable to all. When Bonsack changed this he laid the foundations for an industry that would go on to generate trillion of dollars, and to cause the deaths of hundreds of millions of people.
Of course, he wasn’t to know that this product would be so dangerous and not until 100 years later did the risks start to become clear.
Who Invented Cigars?
Technically, cigars were invented by ancient civilizations such as the Mayans, who are said to have wrapped tobacco in leaves. After Columbus brought tobacco from the New World, it began to be cultivated throughout Spain and Portugal. It was grown, dried and then wrapped in specialist papers, essentially the very first cigars.
In the early days, Spain was the place to grow and produce cigars, but the Spanish then moved production to Cuba, which was seen as a better place to produce. The climate was, and still is, considered ideal for going tobacco and producing cigars.
How to Smoke a Cigar
A cigar is often smoked differently from a cigarette. That applies whether you are smoking a big cigar like a Cuban cigar, or a small one, like a Hamlet. They are harsher and thicker and there is no filter (as with marijuana), which means the smoke is very harsh and can be very damaging, As a result, they are rarely inhaled, with some smokers choosing to inhale only a small amount of smoke, and with most simply enjoying them for the taste as opposed to any nicotine hit.
To light a cigar you may need a match or a Zippo lighter, to make sure it covers the end. You will need to draw the flame to the end, hold it there by sucking the cigar, and then blowing the smoke out. Do this a few times to make sure the cigar is lit (at this point, thick acrid smoke will become grey white smoke) and then you can sit back and not worry about it going out.
There are other things to consider as well, including humidors and the cutting of a cigar. However, we don’t want to go into detail purely because we don’t want to advocate smoking of any kind. Even without inhaling, it’s still dangerous and there are still many health risks associated with smoking a cigar.
Can You Buy Cigars Online?
You can buy cigars online in most countries and indeed from most countries. Just bear in mind that certain restrictions will be in place. These include an age restriction on ordering; a restriction on where you can order from; and restrictions on the taxes that need to be paid.
Do Cigars Have Nicotine?
Yes! In fact, as we discuss below, they contain quite a lot of nicotine purely because they are bigger and there is a lot more tobacco packed in there.
Nicotine Cigars vs Cigarettes?
So, just how much nicotine is in a cigar compared to a cigarette? There are some strange myths out there concerning these two smokeables, one of which is that there is little to no nicotine in a cigar. In fact, there is almost as much nicotine in a single full-length cigar as there is in an entire pack of cigarettes.
Of course, most people don’t inhale cigar smoke, or at least not all of it. They also don’t smoke large cigars in one sitting. So, they’re not getting anywhere near that much nicotine in a single smoke. But it’s definitely there and it is preposterous to suggest that there is very little nicotine in these beasts.
Does a Hookah Have Nicotine?
It depends, but the majority of them do. There are different mixes, flavors and types of smokeable to enjoy in hookahs, but traditionally they use tobacco. This tobacco is often less potent, with more of an emphasis on a clean, enjoyable smoke, but the nicotine is still there.
Is Vaping Without Nicotine Bad?
There have been a lot of concerns surrounding the act of vaping. This is still very early and there’s a lot the experts don’t know. But early signs indicate that problems can arise from vaping, regardless of the substance being used. That’s mainly because many vaping liquids contain toxic chemicals. But there are also stories of people who have suffered serious long-term problems after excessive vaping, mainly because of the significant fluid intake.
It may only be vapor, but where there is vapor there is liquid and when you consider that any liquid is bad for your lungs and that the liquid used here is a mix of chemicals, then you have to wonder just how “harmless” this trend is.