Viva la Snorking! Also...how to nose smoke.

B

Bobb

je snork donc je suis
Snorking, a.k.a. nose smoking, is something I am starting to LOVE!!! At herf's I tend to do it once and a while to help me appreciate fantastic cigars that people are willing to share...now I do it with every cigar I place against my lips. The amount of flavor you get through your nose is AMAZING!! You can really taste the subtle nuances of a cigar when snorking. Think about hoe food looses a ton of flavor when you are sick. That is because a lot of our taste is dependent on our sense of smell.

It came across me yesterday that not everybody practices snorking...and some people do not know how...so I am going to attempt to explain how I do it, and hopefully I can help some people out.

To begin, you may want to start with a milder cigar that still has a lot of flavor. I am smoking a Rocky Patel 1999 Connecticut right now and it is very smooth and slightly complex...IMO, a perfect candidate for snorking.


  • The first thing to do is take a decent sized breath and hold it in your lungs...not a huge breath, but enough so you are not uncomfortable holding it for 10 seconds or so.
  • Next, take a mouthful of smoke and hold it in your mouth for a second or two
  • Now blow out about 70%-80% of the smoke, holding the rest in your mouth.
  • Now, close your mouth, relax your throat, and WITHOUT inhaling, blow the air from your lungs out your nose. Thanks to our wonderful friend physics (The Bernoulli’s Principle) the current of air will suck the smoke out of your mouth and send it though your nose.
  • Finally, expel any extra air that might be in your lungs out of your mouth so when you inhale, your mouth will be empty of smoke. Remember, there are no taste receptors in your lungs, so smoke does not need to enter them.

This might sting/burn a little the first time...if it does, try blowing more smoke out your mouth before sending it out your nose. Eventually, you should be able to tolerate more and more smoke out your nose without the burn.

I hope this helps some people who have heard of snorking and are having difficulties with it; and opens a whole new world of flavors to the people hearing about it for the first time.

Enjoy!
~Bobb
 
good write up. I learned how to do it at shack herf last year. Once you get good at it, becomes like second nature.
 
I agree, once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature but I really like your entry as I see lots of guys just blow thru their noses and not savor the flavors produced, your how-to is right on - thanks alot!
 
I will have to try this out - i always try and fail miserably.
Translation:
I end up making faces and looking stupid. :tu
 
King James said:
good write up. I learned how to do it at shack herf last year. Once you get good at it, becomes like second nature.
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Thanks man! I might be going down to your neck of the woods soon. When that happens I'll let you know...there my need to be some herfin' involved :D
 
Honestly, I can't imagine not nose smoking cigars. It is an absolute must! I'm actually surprised at how few people actually do it.

Thanks for the thread Bobb.:tu
 
i don't understand the necessity of having air in your lungs "pre puff?"

I usually will puff, blow out my mouth, close my mouth and wait about 2 seconds, then exhale out my nose.

Please explain why step 1 is necessary so that I can try to sharpen this technique.

I actually tend to blow a lot of smoke out of my nose on each puff. And then I open my mouth at the VERY end of the smoke going out my nose to really taste everything at once.
 
This has been the most helpful thread on nose smoking yet, imho, I finally got it after about 20 mins
 
:r

Next thing you know folks will admit to not putting grape jelly on their grilled cheese. :)

The modulated nose exhale is inherent to the enjoyment of all a cigar has to offer.
 
Mullet said:
i don't understand the necessity of having air in your lungs "pre puff?"

I usually will puff, blow out my mouth, close my mouth and wait about 2 seconds, then exhale out my nose.

Please explain why step 1 is necessary so that I can try to sharpen this technique.

I actually tend to blow a lot of smoke out of my nose on each puff. And then I open my mouth at the VERY end of the smoke going out my nose to really taste everything at once.
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I am not sure if step 1 is 100% necessary or not...but it's something I do. I find that if I take a draw on my cigar and I do not have air in my lungs...I sometime feel the need to take a breath and the accidental cigar smoke inhale is more likely to happen.
 
I've tried blowing the smoke out my nose it the past, but it has burned like no tomorrow.

I think it's because I'm blowing to much smoke out. Nice guide, I'll have to try it tonight!
 
Also I've found that I can tolerate medium lighter smokes this way, but Maduro smokes burn the h.e.double hockey sticks out of my nasal passages.
 
Dwharmsway said:
I've tried blowing the smoke out my nose it the past, but it has burned like no tomorrow.

I think it's because I'm blowing to much smoke out. Nice guide, I'll have to try it tonight!
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Depends on a few things: strength of the cigar, how now you are to doing it and and much of the exhale is exiting through your nose. Personally only about the last 25% of my exhale goes through my nose and it has dramatically enhanced my cigar smoking experience.

If you are new at this you might want to start with
1). a milder cigar
2). Waiting until about 1/3 of the cigar is completed (I've noticed that the nose exhale is much milder at this point in the cigar and is less likely to "burn" your nose).

Great topic!
 
JordanWexler said:
I will have to try this out - i always try and fail miserably.
Translation:
I end up making faces and looking stupid. :tu
Click to expand...

Is it because you can't get the smoke out through your nose, or because it stings when you do?
I have never smoked anything that I've inhaled before, so my sinuses and such are fresh. I find that when I used to try this nose thing, it would just hurt. Since I don't want to damage my sinuses anymore than they might already be, I just stopped doing it. I don't know about anyone else, but I've never had to blow a steak through my nose to fully appreciate it. :r
 
I also do this, and yes I agree it becomes second nature. When I draw a cigar I almost never notice I am "Snorking" what I do is a little different though. I draw on the cigar then inhale through my nose not and enjoy the taste in my mouth. Then when I exhale I tend to let it go half and half through my nose and mouth. If you do it this way make sure you have your mouth closed or else the smoke will go out your mouth an in your nose and you will inhale it all. I believe its called something like the "French inhale" or something it looks cool like an upside down waterfall of smoke but its no fun with a cigar, I would only do it with something extremely mild like a hookah unless you smoke cigarettes. So for starters I would do what Bobb said and Inhale first then when you get the hang of it do whatever you want.

I also do agree if you are interested in doing this and haven't before Definitely try a nice mild cigar (with good flavor) most Dominican cigars with a Connecticut wrapper will be the best and once you make it up to the cigars you were smoking before you will notice you palate has become much more perceptive of the nuances of the cigars you smoked before but never tasted.
 
I thought that I was hopeless and lost for a time. Trying to "Snork" and having my girlfriend laugh at me because I could never do it while she did it with ease. Well, after this write up yesterday I got it on the first try :tu And by doing it a few times over the length of the cigar it was a whole new flavor experience for me (tried it with an old favorite and noticed things I had never noticed before). Thank you for the write up, many have tried, all have failed, but your explanation got it done for me. Thanks again. ~KD
 
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