Bacca Left in Bowl

[LikeDadDid]

There's always leftover tobacco in my bowl, as pictured. Is that normal? This is a Cavendish, if that matters.

I pack the bowl loosely, loading the entire bowl at the same degree of packy-ness. After smoking for a while, I tamp the char down and then continue till it suddenly goes out. No relights up to that point.

It goes out at what appears to be the halfway point, and I can't burn the remainder even with a relight.

 

[mso489]

That's called dottle, and a little is standard. For some reason, MM cobs tend to end up with almost none, but most pipes leave a little. No problem. Ignore it. Sherlock Holmes, in the stories used to pick out unburnt bits and collect them to smoke. Since the dottle has already acted a sort of filter, I don't think it would be particularly good, but Sherlock liked it.

 

[maduromadness]

Your process stirs up many questions. Sounds like you might be tamping too hard. The tobacco should be relit and smoked unless it is no longer enjoyable. Tamp softer and more frequently to ensure burning of the remaining tobacco.

 

[LikeDadDid]

Tha

Your process stirs up many questions. Sounds like you might be tamping too hard. The tobacco should be relit and smoked unless it is no longer enjoyable. Tamp softer and more frequently to ensure burning of the remaining tobacco.

Thank you!

 

[kcghost]

Nothing to worry about, maduromadness, suggests you could try tamping a little less firmly.

 

[LikeDadDid]

That's called dottle, and a little is standard. For some reason, MM cobs tend to end up with almost none, but most pipes leave a little. No problem. Ignore it. Sherlock Holmes, in the stories used to pick out unburnt bits and collect them to smoke. Since the dottle has already acted a sort of filter, I don't think it would be particularly good, but Sherlock liked it.

Thank you mso489. This is one of the reasons I'm enjoying this hobby so much - you can just smoke, or you can dig into a surprisingly deep "bowl" of history, technique, camaraderie, and even a whole new vocabulary. I can't wait to tell my fellow contractor friend his work is dottle.

 

[anotherbob]

normal and some blends will give you more some less. If it bothers you, you can make sure you pack the bottom super lightly, dry the tobacco more, or even buy screens or clay pads to create an air pocket. If you're a freelance old time detective with a doctor side kick you can even put it in a slipper over your fire place.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

The tobacco is either too wet to start or you may be smoking too fast, heating it up, which creates steam and in turn, causes the tobacco in the bottom of the bowl to get wet. It's not unusual to have some dottle left in the bottom of the bowl but no 1/4 to 1/2 of the bowl. My personal experience is to have only a fine ash left to maybe a couple of crumbs. Occasionally, either I pack too tight, smoke to hot or my tobacco was too wet and I end up with a mess of unsmoked tobacco at the bottom. It happens from time to time, I don't give it much thought.

 

[bullet08]

I save them to see if my grandkids can bring it back using left over DNA.

 

[BROBS]

it looks awfully wet. How dry is the tobacco when you start smoking?

 

[kg.legat0]

I used to dawdle over dottle but I have learned to let go a bit. So many variables factor into the smoke. For me, properly dried tobacco and thoughtful packing are key. In the humid summer months, I won't hesistate to toss a flake in the microwave.

That said, if I end up tossing a small wet plug at the end of the bowl, no big deal. That chunk of leaf did its job as a filter and I am not gonna fight to smoke a small bit of sour/wet tobacco.

Good luck!

 

[mparker762]

There's always leftover tobacco in my bowl, as pictured. Is that normal? This is a Cavendish, if that matters.

As others have said, some is normal. The amount of dottle I have is heavily dependent on the ambient humidity, in winter I have almost none, in summer here in Houston it can be quite a bit. Cavendish blends tend to leave more dottle. Gourd calabash pipes will always smoke to the bottom for me with no problems, but they're pretty much the only pipes that will do that in this weather. Meerschaums and cobs are probably next best.

 

[PipeIT]

Look Kiddies, we’re even in the Dictionary and Wikipedia! LOL

Dottle - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Definition of DOTTLE

unburned and partially burned tobacco in the bowl of a pipe… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words

The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years!

www.dictionary.com

 

[BarrelProof]

I used to run into that a lot and I’ve found that after the first 2-3 tamps, when it’s time to tamp again, I’ll dump the ash before tamping and that’ll keep things moving right along to the bottom of the bowl.

 

[LikeDadDid]

I save them to see if my grandkids can bring it back using left over DNA.

Ummm.....

 

[LikeDadDid]

it looks awfully wet. How dry is the tobacco when you start smoking?

It lights and smokes easily, so I would have said it's dry enough, but now I'm not sure. I will dry it further and see what happens.