Why do cigars make you poop? A quick talk about the plop

By Briley Kenney October 8, 2024 12:00PM

Wooden Outhouse in the woods, for why do cigars make you poop? — Amy Reed / Unsplash

Has this ever happened to you? You’re relaxing, enjoying a particularly flavorful cigar, and then, all of a sudden, your stomach starts churning. It’s making the noise, signaling that it’s time to find a porcelain throne. It’s time to drop the Raisinettes off at the pool. What sparked that urge? Is it your coffee? The meal you had recently? Your cigar? Why do cigars make you poop, anyway? You have lots of questions and need some answers, and if this is happening to you right now, you have plenty of time while you sit on the toilet. Let’s flush out this information.

Why do cigars make you poop?

AVO Synchro cigar resting on top of filled whiskey glass. — Matthias Jordan / Unsplash

Caffeine and nicotine are known to act similarly when it comes to your body and your bowels. Both chemicals speed up the muscle contractions in your digestive tract, kickstarting that urge or feeling like you need to poop. In addition, both of these chemicals enter your bloodstream after being ingested, so it happens fairly quickly.

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No, not all cigars will give you this experience. In other words, not all cigars make you poop. The most likely culprits are stronger cigars with more nicotine, which usually use Ligero leaves and sometimes even Maduro. Unless there’s something else wrong, it’s not generally an emergency, like you’d get with runaway bowels or serious laxatives. However, it can definitely become uncomfortable, depending on when it happens and how much of the cigar you’ve smoked.

Does that mean you can rely on cigars to make you poop regularly?

No. Cigars are no substitute for healthy amounts of fiber. While they can induce that feeling like you need to poop, it’s something that affects everyone differently. Just like cigar sickness — which can happen on an empty stomach or because of a reaction to nicotine — not everyone is susceptible to these effects. Furthermore, the strength or amount of nicotine consumed doesn’t necessarily dictate how likely it is to happen.

Then why do people drink coffee with their cigars?

Man sitting at table drinking coffee — Andrew Neel / Unsplash

Knowing that caffeine causes that “really have to poop,” feeling, tells you that pairing a coffee with a cigar can amplify that. But that doesn’t really matter. Coffee and cigars are delicious, and usually, when you have coffee, it’s in the morning or midday, so you’re probably not smoking anything too strong — breakfast of champions.

Cleaning yourself out on the regular is something you should be doing anyway. If caffeine or your morning cigar helps with that process, let’s just say there are worse things that could happen. But again, in the interest of the powers that be, it’s important for me to say that smoking is no substitute for a proper diet. You should never rely on cigars to help you have regular bowel movements, no matter how strong they are.

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Staff Writer

Briley has been writing about consumer electronics, technology, and many lifestyle topics for nearly two decades. When he's…

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