The glowing red char light

[papajoe]

In the last week my smokes have improved very much. I'm having fewer problems with packing, don’t have to relight a lot, the smoke is quite cool, and I'm even starting to get some feel of taste and smell. But now my question is this: I read and heard a lot about the red glowing char light. I don’t have it. Is it really supposed to glow in red? I don’t see red in my bowl just gray ash, and the smoking seems fine to me. Am I really supposed to see the red glow or is it there under the gray ash and as long as I enjoy the smoke it doesn’t matter if I see it or not?

 

[papajoe]

And another question: What do you do with the ash? Do you leave it to the end and clean it after smoking or do you empty it from the bowl every now and again?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You will only see it if you smoke in the dark.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You can do what you want with the ash. I tend to dump it into the ashtray after I've finished. I don't have any reason to save it or anything.

 

[phred]

You might see the glowing red of the char light while you're applying the flame, and perhaps a little longer as the top layer chars, but it fades quickly - thus the "true light" that follows the char light for most (not all - I've occasionally had a bowl catch on the char light and just stay lit, but it's still rare for me).
But yeah - pretty soon, the top layer of ash covers the cherry, and you'll only see it if you're smoking outside after dark, or inside with the lights off.

 

[phred]

As for the ash, some folks will knock out some of the ash partway through the bowl (usually just prior to a relight/tamp). Others leave it in place if it doesn't seem to be affecting the draw at all. I've tried both methods, and I usually just leave it alone unless I'm trying to determine whether I've actually finished the bowl or not. :D

 

[daimyo]

If people are producing a big red cherry, they are likely over lighting.

 

[papajoe]

Thanks everyone

 

[phil67]

I never dump any ash while I'm smoking.

 

[johnnyreb]

I never dump any ash during a pipe either, even in my tallest billiards or Freehand's.

 

[lostandfound]

I dump ash from time to time. Some blends produce a very fine light grey/white ash that seems to affect the smoke. Like Old Dark Fired.

 

[highlander]

I just try to keep it lit. Dumping ash, or anything else, is a bit beyond my comfort and skill level.

 

[huntertrw]

If the char light is glowing red, then it means that your pipe is "on." If not, then your pipe is "off."
Sorry, but I couldn't resist! :D

 

[danielplainview]

Everyone has their own method. I leave the ash until about halfway. Before tamping and relight of last half of the bowl, I'll dump the ash.

I think it hinders the taste if you tamp half a bowl of a ash into the unsmoked portion.

 

[tppytel]

Most of the time I leave ash in until I'm done. I find that dumping it is more likely to disturb the unburned tobacco and make things worse than it is to help the draw. However, with some of the more troublesome flakes I'll sometimes do a little reengineering as I smoke. If the bowl is burning unevenly, breaking up the partially burned stuff on top and relighting before tamping again can sometimes even it out. And as I get to the last 1/3 of a bowl in larger pipes, I might poke a draft hole through the ash with my pick. But I'd say that 95% of the tobaccos I've smoked don't require any of that.