Bottom of bowl taste

[pritch13]

Hello again guys. I just smoked a bowl of frogmortons cellar and thoroughly enjoyed it more than any other time I've had it. Truly my best pipe smoking experience yet!
But toward the end of my bowl I could only taste what I can best describe as licking an ashtray. I know I wasn't just smoking the dottle because after cleaning I could see a small amount of tobacco left at the bottom.
Is this normal? Should I just finish when that taste begins? It looked like there was a third still left to smoke but it was an MM cob with under ten smokes on it. The shank is still in place as I didn't cut it and maybe I'm starting to burn that perhaps?
Thanks for the help in advance

 

[prairiedruid]

It happens.....don't get hung up on smoking every last bit of tobacco in every pipe bowl. If you get down to the last 1/4 or less of a bowl and it starts tasting bad just dump it out. No sense in smoking that last 25 cents of tobacco and not enjoying it just for the sake of not "wasting" it.

 

[wilson]

None of us like to waste tobacco but there is nothing gained by burning every last leaf if it is not enjoyable. If it starts to taste bad or becomes harsh or whatever, time to dump it. There are no gold stars for suffering through the dregs.

 

[gloucesterman]

Cobs will do that. If you get down to where the shank comes through the bowl you can burn it and you get that taste. Just don't smoke it that deeply into the bowl. You do waste a little tobacco but it's a lot better than a mouthful of ash.

 

[pritch13]

Oh okay, well I tried to keep going but like you said them few last leaves just aren't worth it! Would really love a bigger bowl as I feel this Washington and legend leave me wanting more.
I am going to invest in my first briar very soon though. Thanks for the help everybody

 

[ccdeere]

Happens to me periodically. Often wonder if it's not due to the tobacco burning too hot through the first part of the bowl.

 

[andrew]

Most people don't smoke cigarettes to the filter, cigar smokers don't finish every last bit of the cigar, just be glad you don't live in a country where a 50gram tin costs around 45$. Cobs will also taste bad towards the bottom until they're broken in and you've burned out the shank. You should be pretty close to that point at 10 smokes.

 

[shroedingerscat]

What is happening is that the ash is building up as you smoke the pipe down, and that is what you are tasting. This can be avoided by periodically scooping out the top ash, down to the burning embers. It also helps keep your pipe from going out. The ash buildup will smother the embers, requiring a relight, which will give you a good dose of the ash taste again. This is why most pipe tools have the little spoon-shaped scoop on them...for spooning out ash. If you try to just dump it, many times, the entire tobacco load will come out, and that will be the end of that smoke. Or, all the embers will come out, requiring a relight, which can be tricky when the level is deep down into the pipe, especially on a tall one, like the County Gentleman, General, freehand, or MacArthurs.
I am almost always able to smoke my pipe to the bottom of the bowl with nothing left but fine grey ash, and no relights. And never any ashy-taste. It just takes a little practice. Look into your pipe bowl every so often. If you can't see any burning embers, it's time to scoop out the ash.

 

[brudnod]

Pritch, sounds like you are heading along the right path; questioning every aspect of the hobby. When you are ready to buy an briar, think DEEPLY about whether you want to break in a new pipe (there's a thread for that) or would rather test the estate market (there's a thread for that). Or start your own thread!

 

[pritch13]

Thankyou very much, and yes Spencer i am already having my own conflict in my head which path to take in regards to estate v new. I didn't think it was going to be such a hard decision haha

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Oh cobs... I was going to say that I absolutely love that bottom of the bowl flavor, but I meant on real pipes. :wink: :: Just messin' w u.

 

[mso489]

Yup, the guys have said it all. When the good taste stops the smoke is over. Thrift or bragging rights are no excuse for nasty tasting smoke.

 

[hextor]

i have the same problem, I also smoke from a mm cob , and once its starts getting like half way through I get that ash taste, I always thought that I was smoking to fast, also noticed that when I smoke and take my time the flavor last longer and when its at the bottom, I dump my ash out and mix the tobacco and tamp it down, I get the flavor again until I finish it

 

[jpmcwjr]

You might want to omit the mixing part. Even though you've dumped ash, some remains and you will get less ash if you don't "stir the pot".

 

[aggravatedfarmer]

Dump it pal. We enjoy taste and leisure, not ash and crap.

 

[brudnod]

If it tastes nasty, it probably smells nasty. Only good if you want to chase folks away!

 

[easterntraveler]

Definitely normal, especially after some moisture builds up in the bottom. No sense in ruining the experience.