I have a fairly new pipe that I've been breaking in. It was quite a long break in process, but it's finally come around and the Virginias I usually smoke are tasting as they should. My perceived problem is that the last third of the chamber's capacity the tobacco becomes ashy and very skunky. I smoke dry tobacco, take it slow and pack lightly. This is a commissioned artisan pipe, it has a good light draw and I'm very satisfied with it except, as I perceive it, the amount of tobacco getting quite nasty at the end. Does the image below seem like it's on the plus side of unsmokable dottle? Most of my other pipes don't have this much. Chamber size is 1 3/4" deep and 3/4" diameter. Also, at half bowl things start to get a little ashy so I usually dump ash at this point which helps, but that last third is consistently skunky.
Regards, Eric
Regards, Eric