Cigar vs Cigarette
The most noticeable difference between cigars and cigarettes is their size. Both cigars and cigarettes are harmful to your health, as they are common sources of nicotine. Though they are both meant for tobacco consumption, there are some differences between the two.
Many people who smoke are aware of the harmful effects of tobacco and seek safer alternatives. Some believe that cigars are safer than cigarettes. However, any kind of smoke is carcinogenic, as tobacco is full of cancer-causing chemicals. Sadly, cigars and cigarettes harm passive smokers even more than the smokers themselves.
Key Takeaways
- Cigars are tobacco rolled in a tobacco leaf or another material containing tobacco, while cigarettes are tobacco rolled in paper.
- Cigars have a higher nicotine content (100-200mg) than cigarettes (around 10mg).
- People generally do not inhale cigar smoke, while cigarette smoke is inhaled almost instantaneously.
What is a Cigar?
A cigar is made of tobacco rolled in a tobacco leaf or another material containing tobacco. There are obvious differences in the size and outer wrappings of cigars, which also use a different type of tobacco than cigarettes. There are many variations in the thickness and length of cigars.
The nicotine content in a cigar is 100-200mg, meaning that the amount of nicotine found in a pack of cigarettes is in just one cigar. It takes a person more than an hour to smoke a cigar. Cigar smoke is irritating, and not many people inhale it. They usually keep it in their mouths and let it out. Generally, cigar smokers keep the smoke in their mouths, and the ingredients of the smoke are absorbed by their mucous lining. This may explain the lower incidence of lung diseases and cancers in cigar smokers compared to cigarette smokers. However, this difference in inhalation means cigar smokers get different types of cancers than cigarette smokers. Mouth cancer can still be caused by smoking cigars.
A cigar lasts for about an hour, which is like smoking 10 cigarettes or a pack. Thus, smoking 1-2 cigars a day puts one at the same risk levels for various cancers as a smoker who inhales a pack of cigarettes.
What is a Cigarette?
A cigarette is made of tobacco rolled in paper. Cigarettes usually have the same thickness, and only minor variations can be seen in different brands. A cigarette contains around 10mg of nicotine. Most cigarettes burn in less than 10 minutes. Cigarette smoke is inhaled almost instantaneously by smokers when smoking a cigarette.
What is the difference between Cigar and Cigarette?
• Definitions:
• A cigar is tobacco rolled in a tobacco leaf or another material containing tobacco.
• A cigarette is tobacco rolled in paper.
• Appearance:
• A cigar is a thick cylindrical form that is usually brown in color.
• A cigarette is a thin cylindrical form that is usually white in color.
• Nicotine Content:
• A cigar has 100-200mg of nicotine.
• A cigarette contains around 10mg of nicotine.
• Burn Time:
• It takes about an hour to smoke a cigar.
• Most cigarettes can be smoked within 10 minutes.
• Inhalation of Smoke:
• People do not inhale cigar smoke.
• People do inhale cigarette smoke.
• Cancer Risk:
• Cigar smokers develop cancers of the mouth, head, and neck.
• Cigarette smokers get cancers of the lung and throat.
• Price:
• Cigars are more expensive than cigarettes.
Despite the popular misconception that cigars are safer than cigarettes, cigars have been found to contain higher levels of carcinogens. Cigars have more tar than cigarettes, and their less porous wrapping means smokers have to take in a lot of unburnt or not completely burnt tobacco. As a result, there are more toxins and carcinogens in cigar smoke compared to cigarette smoke, and despite not inhaling this smoke, the mucous lining of the smoker absorbs all chemicals.
