Monday, November 29 1999
Q. Gary, you often refer to "heady cigars" in your reviews. I think I now know what you mean. The other night I smoked a strong cigar, and not only felt a little high, but I was nauseous, too. Has this ever happened to you, and how did you deal with it?
- Jake from Baltimore
A. Actually, a couple of years ago, I was smoking a CAO Brazilia Ipanema out on the deck of my parent's condo and started to feel nauseous. I was three-quarters of the way through it, and since I had already enjoyed most of it, I figured it would be better to be safe than sorry, so I let it go out, and within a few minutes I felt a lot better. However, at the time, I didn't know about the following antidote:
According to one of my sources, some sugar on the back of the tongue will help alleviate the effects of nicotine nausea. All you need is a sugar packet or a teaspoon of sugar; let it settle on the back of your tongue and chase it with a glass of water.
One final note. Before smoking a full-bodied cigar, try to do so on a full-stomach. Good full-bodied cigars should be felt in the stomach, but not like a Joe Lewis punch.
