tossing tobacco?

[ragged claws]

I'm trying to enhance my pipe smoking experience this time around. I find that the smoke gets a little bitter and acidic toward the bottom of the bowl. I end up tossing out about 1/4 bowl of unburnt tobacco and I'm wondering if this is standard proceedure, or do you all smoke a bowl of tobacco down to the "bitter" end?

Thanks, Kim

 

[jefe1037]

The short answe is that we do both. That wet lump at the bottom is called dottle. Sherlock holmes dries his out on the mantle to smoke first thing the next morning. Mine normally ends up knocked out on the streets of chicago. It is caused by condensation collecting in the heel of your pipe which (normally) is the lowest geographical point of the smoking process.

As far as the enhancement of your experience, to decrease the amount of condensation, dry your tobacco by spreading it on a piece of printer paper for ten minutes or sobefore you load it in your pipe; on the other hand the most effective prevention of condensation gurgles and a wet sticky glob at the bottom of the pipe is to s...l...o...w d...o...w...n. not getting too much into the chemistry of it, the condensation is caused by the heat differentials. Keeping a slow cadence keeps the heat down, thus less condensation.

As a caveat, cold days, moist weather, and certain chemical additives (like propylene glycol) all exacerbate condensation issues. There is not a lot you can do about these, so don't feel bad about tossing a little dottle out. Well, Kyle moved to the desert so he can brag about smoking every bowl down to fine white ash with a single light from avintage box of strike anywhere matches that he bought from Prince Albert's estate, but he is weird. So beyond moving to the sahara, sometimes there is nothing you can do.

Good luck, I hope this helps

 

[ragged claws]

Thanks for the info, jefe. I'll try that drying technique and I'll try to slow down a bit as well. Everything about pipe smoking is enjoyable except for the last bit in the bowl.

Kim

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Well, Kyle moved to the desert so he can brag about smoking every bowl down to fine white ash with a single light from avintage box of strike anywhere matches that he bought from Prince Albert's estate, but he is weird.

Ahahaha! What'ev. You make my life sound glorious, so please, continue. :lol!:

I like my dottle, I ain't gonna lie. :cheers:

If you gotta toss the dottle dregs RC, so be it. No sense in torturing yourself if you don't like 'em.

8)

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

You can also run a pipe cleaner through the pipe mid-smoke. It will keep moisture in the bottom of the bowl to a minimum.

Still, it happens. I just dump it with the ash.

 

[monbla256]

Much of what you are encountering could be the tobacco blends you are smoking. Many of the aromatic blends do have more sweeteners/flavorings which are comprised of various sweeteners which can get hot and sort of carmelize when heated thru smoking. You may also just be smoking to hard/fast which can heat things up and the advice of a mid-bowl swipe with a cleaner also can help . Relax, take your time and enjoy. There is noe ONE way to smoke, rather there is many different ways for each individual. Take your time and find what works for you. BTW, if I have any dottle left at the end, I just dump it out with the ash at the end when done. No big deal :twisted:

 

[aadelma]

It depends what I'm smoking. Generally for me, the higher the quality of the tobacco, the more completely it will combust while still tasting good. It's best not to get too obsessive about this, so if I don't like the taste, have too many relights, or just get bored before the bowl is done, I dump it out.

 

[williamcharles]

For me the last 1/4 bowl is usually the best. Wasn't always that way. That wet dottle will gradually disappear as you gain experience and then it will be ashes only and they will be dry too. It just takes time, effort and some experimentation but mainly time.

 

[KevinM]

+1 to the above comments.

I eventually learned to stoically stop and toss the remains once the smoke gets bitter. At that point you've already smoked the best of the bowl.

Check where the air passage meets the pipe bowl. It should be centered at the very bottom of the bowl. In some case, there's quite a bit of space between the bottom of the hole and the bottom of the bowl, which means that pipe will never smoke to the bottom. But it will gurgle, stink and burn your tongue. The position of the air hole is is one thing to check before buying a pipe.

Even quality aromatics tend to end up a little wet. You can lessen the problem with "sipping," but even so . . .

Use pipe cleaners as if they're free.

 

[bosun1]

I don't worry about it. I smoke until it either goes out by itself (out of burnable tobacco) or no longer gives a satisfying experience. Different tobaccos, different pipes, and even different times of day all affect the experience IMHO..