This species has a somewhat slender usually glabrescent habit, oblanceolate to obovate leaves, short cymose inflorescences that are borne with and shortly below the leaves, rather small pedicellate flowers, shortly funnelform yellow or greenish yellow corollas, and subglobose to broadly ellipsoid fruits. This is a very characteristic species of Hoffmannia, without unusual or notable distinguishing features. This is the most commonly collected species of Hoffmannia in Central America. It is somewhat variable morphologically, in particular in leaf size and length of the peduncles and pedicels, and will deserve re-evaluation as to whether only one species is included here but this species is circumsribed more narrowly than by recent authors. The leaves of Hoffmannia nicotianifolia characteristically dry with weakly bulliform, stiff, and with a brown color, though this is not seen on all specimens. The leaves are rather consistently oblanceolate to obovate with a tapered basal portion than frequently is then shortly obtuse where it meets the developed petiole. Hoffmannia nicotianifolia is recognized here also by its inflorescence form, which is characteristically umbelliform with a developed peduncle that bears 3-7 flowers on pedicels all about equal in length. There may be 1-4 peduncles per axil. Some plants included here have the inflorescences cymose with 1 order of branching, but the flowers still pedicellate. The corollas have a funnelform (rather than cylindrical) tube 2.5-3 mm long and lobes about as long or a little bit longer than the tube. The fruits of the plants included here vary from subglobose and ca. 3 mm long, to narrowly ellipsoid and 5 mm long; this variation may deserve further evaluation.

Hoffmannia nicotianifolia was circumscribed by many recent authors to include several species that are separated here, or at least to include specimens that are here treated in those other species. In particular Burger (Flora Costaricensis; in herb.) diagnosed Hoffmannia nicotianifolia mainly by its general leaf form and inflorescence arrangement, and included within it plants here included in Hoffmannia tilaranensis, Hoffmannia conzattii, and Hoffmannia rotata. Hoffmannia nicotianifolia is similar to Hoffmannia longipetiolata, and their separation is somewhat subtle and difficult to quantify but these species seems distinct. Hoffmannia nicotianifolia is also similar to Hoffmannia aroensis of Venezuela.