Tobacco Not Burning Evenly

Skapie · Sep 18, 2017

I've noticed that when my pipe goes out and I remove some ash before relighting that the ash is concentrated in the middle, and that some unburnt (brown) tobacconis still present along the sides of the bowl.
I smoke slowly (just a tad faster than the breath smoking method) and I try to take long, slow puffs to get the "cherry" to spread.
Is this something to correct or is it pretty normal?

cosmicfolklore · Sep 18, 2017

The flavors that we taste is from the oils and essences of the surrounding tobacco being released by the heat from the cherry... not the actual burning tobacco. This is the same as with cigars, except the cigar flavors is from just behind the cherry. This is why I don't worry so much about pulling the spent tobacco back into the center to burn. But, yes, the cherry is usually just center of the bowl, not all of the way across.

Skapie · Sep 18, 2017

Thank you. So much to learn.

jpmcwjr · Sep 18, 2017

You may want to try not removing ash, unless it's thick, and gently tamping everything back into contact before a relight.

Skapie · Sep 18, 2017

Okay I'll try that. I read elsewhere on the forum that the ash doesn't take a light well so that's why I removed it.

jravenwood · Sep 18, 2017

I also used to remove the ash when I started out, easy mistake to make. Remember the basics my friend, you the tobacco drier than you think, and packed looser than you think. Lightly tamp the ash down as you go, as the ash kind of insulates the cherry and keeps the bacco down below smoldering. Practice makes pretty good hehe : puffy

:

jvnshr · Sep 18, 2017

Totally agree with Cosmic and jpmcwjr.

warren · Sep 18, 2017

I twist my finger a bit when I tamp. If, for some reason I'm using a tamper, I do the same to nest the ash and tobacco, leaving room for air.

olkofri · Sep 18, 2017

What is 'the cherry'?

pipestud · Sep 18, 2017

I'll chime in with a tip I learned way back in 1996. I was reading an issue of P&T Magazine that featured the great pipe maker and tobacco connoisseur Michael Butera. He said that he used a one speed food processor to chop up just about every blend he smoked. He said the quick blending does two things; it makes the various leaf in blends more uniform, than say, a chunk of Latakia on the left side of the bowl and a wad of Virginia on the right with a little Oriental in the center. And two, the packing of the chopped up leaf is much easier which keeps the tobacco burning evenly.
I first tried my wife's 10 speed blender but at even the lowest setting, I wound up with tobacco puree' and got chewed out the next morning when the wife found Latakia shards in her freshly made orange juice. I then went out and bought a 1 speed Black and Decker food processor and have been using it ever since. Butera was spot on.

admiral · Sep 19, 2017

That goes for shag and ribbon cuts or indeed all tobacco?

Skapie · Sep 19, 2017

Olkofri, the "cherry" is the burning tobacco, the round red glow in the bowl.

olkofri · Sep 19, 2017

Thanks, skaaphaas. Still trying to get the pipe smoking terminology down.

anthonyrosenthal74 · Sep 19, 2017

When I tamp th' baccy down, I tend t' tamp around th' edges o' th' bowl, sometimes a bit at an angle as if makin' a wee mound in th' center. Usually works well fer me.
Edit to add: It's September 19th. International Talk Like A Pirate Day :mrgreen:

alexnorth · Sep 19, 2017

+1 on that Anthony ye scurvy beast!

I first got that tip from user baronsamedi and that usually works great for me , tamping at an angle. I rarely dump ashes mid-bowl

skaukatt · Sep 19, 2017

Consistent tobacco size on the load and tamping are two key elements that when done correctly work to deliver an great smoke.

Skapie · Sep 19, 2017

Smoking now. It helps to not screw with the thing and just enjoy the smoke.

Thank you all for the comments.

anthonyrosenthal74 · Sep 19, 2017

+1 on that Anthony ye scurvy beast!

I first got that tip from user baronsamedi and that usually works great for me , tamping at an angle. I rarely dump ashes mid-bowl

Blisterin' Barnacles, Baronsamedi! Th' Baron o' Black House, as I used t' call 'im. He created a fandom o' Black House (Black Bloods) much like Captain Ember's Brothers O' Th' Black Frigate here on th' forums. But on a greater scale. We shall reach that level o' greatness!

blendtobac · Sep 19, 2017

It would be nearly impossible for the tobacco not to burn down deeper in the middle. The chamber wall restricts airflow, so the tobacco will always burn more in the center. I agree with tamping from the edge toward the middle, and I always leave the ash on top to help keep the combustion temperature a bit lower.
Russ

quint · Sep 20, 2017

Interesting topic. I have no problems with uneven burning. I avoid wet aromatics, smoke my tobaccos on the dry side, tamp regularly, and dump the ash once about halfway through the bowl. And it usually burns down to the bottom of the bowl in a fine ash with no wetness or dottle.
But if one is smoking a wet aromatic or a very wide bowl, then uneven or incomplete burning may be more of a problem.

Tobacco Not Burning Evenly

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