Dottle and Stummel Absorbency

[Casual]

I’d love some more educated opinions on a phenomenon I think I’m seeing. If I smoke the same blend in different pipes, I get vastly different amounts of dottle, from zero to quite a bit.

I’m wondering if this is because some pipes absorb more moisture during the smoke, and so it doesn’t collect in the tobacco at the bottom of the chamber. Do people find this? To add to that impression, my expensive briars and meers tend to have less dottle than my less expensive briars. Maybe this is what people mean by saying a pipe smokes wet?

Of course, I have done no real control for all the confounders, humidity of the tobacco, smoking pace, that sort of thing, so maybe it’s just my own variability. I’d appreciate to hear others experience with this.

 

[pitchfork]

Briar hardly absorbs any moisture at all, and even then but slowly. There may be minuscule differences between different pieces of briar, but except for a couple of rare exceptions (that I've only heard about second-hand) it's not a difference you would notice. Pipes smoke wet or dry because of airflow.

 

[Casual]

Briar hardly absorbs any moisture at all, and even then but slowly. There may be minuscule differences between different pieces of briar, but except for a couple of rare exceptions (that I've only heard about second-hand) it's not a difference you would notice. Pipes smoke wet or dry because of airflow.

The biggest difference I notice is in my altinay meerschaums. They smoke right to the bottom and I don’t get that last bit of wet dottle flavour before it goes out. It just smokes out dry. Any idea of the relative absorbency of meerschaum?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Briar is very dense, and really doesn't absorb anything. Several forum members posted experimentation a few years ago. Briar doesn't breath either. A wet smoke tends to come from a poorly drilled airway, wet tobacco, tightly packed tobacco, or smoking too fast. Meers are like sponges, much like cobs and absorb a lot of moisture. If you stick your tongue to the chamber of an unsmoked block meer, it will adhere to your tongue.

 

[Casual]

Meers are like sponges, much like cobs and absorb a lot of moisture.

This appears to have the effect of covering many of the wetter sins of technique or preparation. For which I am grateful.

 

[Chasing Embers]

This appears to have the effect of covering many of the wetter sins of technique or preparation. For which I am grateful.

A lot of smokers favor them for that reason. ?

 

[BROBS]

I believe what you are noticing is the superior construction/drilling of a more expensive pipe.

the meers are probably absorbing some.

 

[pitchfork]

Right, meerschaum is noticeably absorbent - which is why they darken so much over time.

 

[bullet08]

Last week or so I have been drying my tobacco to right before turning crisp. Today, I didn't take out enough tobacco to pack tight like I always do. So instead of packing partial, I loaded up very light. Smoke was quick, and smoke to ash. I rarely smoke to ash and try to avoid that. Was rather mildly surprised.

 

[davek]

I only get dottle in briars.

 

[samuelgawith01]

The cut of the tobacco can effect its burning.It's humidity can also.The shape of the chamber does have an effect.I have a pipe where I removed alot of charring from the chamber,leaving it wider than it was originally,especially at the bottom. This hurt the draw,made it hard to keep lit,hard to get chamber up to temperature,leaving abnormal wetness and dottle at the bottom.My mistake,and I learned from it,but the pipe pretty much unusable at this point,unless I can modify the chamber in some way.

 

[Chasing Embers]

The shape of the chamber does have an effect.

I've never noticed a difference, all shape configurations smoke the same to me.

I have a pipe where I removed alot of charring from the chamber,leaving it wider than it was originally,especially at the bottom. This hurt the draw,made it hard to keep lit,hard to get chamber up to temperature,leaving abnormal wetness and dottle at the bottom.

Try packing it tighter.

 

[donjgiles]

The cut of the tobacco can effect its burning.It's humidity can also.The shape of the chamber does have an effect.I have a pipe where I removed alot of charring from the chamber,leaving it wider than it was originally,especially at the bottom. This hurt the draw,made it hard to keep lit,hard to get chamber up to temperature,leaving abnormal wetness and dottle at the bottom.My mistake,and I learned from it,but the pipe pretty much unusable at this point,unless I can modify the chamber in some way.

Try applying some "pipe mud" to the areas that remain after the char was removed. That may fix your problem.
I like this stuff ... Aristocob Miracle Mud - Aristocob - https://aristocob.com/Aristocob-Miracle-Mud-P3248829.aspx

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Briar is very dense, and really doesn't absorb anything. Several forum members posted experimentation a few years ago. Briar doesn't breath either. A wet smoke tends to come from a poorly drilled airway, wet tobacco, tightly packed tobacco, or smoking too fast. Meers are like sponges, much like cobs and absorb a lot of moisture. If you stick your tongue to the chamber of an unsmoked block meer, it will adhere to your tongue.

What motivated you to stick your tongue inside the bowl of a Meer? Was there hair on the rim?

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I suspect you're seeing the difference in the quality of drilling.

 

[Chasing Embers]

What motivated you to stick your tongue inside the bowl of a Meer? Was there hair on the rim?

Traditional block meer test.

 

[mso489]

For shear burning down to ash, white or otherwise, my cobs are the champions. I don't have much dottle with any of my pipes, after long years of wringing the value out of every bowl, but I often have a few bits of unburnt tobacco with briar. I notice so little diminishment of flavor with MM cobs that by the time they just don't relight, all that is left is ash.

 

[Casual]

I notice so little diminishment of flavor with MM cobs that by the time they just don't relight, all that is left is ash.

This is the effect that prompted my question, although for me it was with meerschaum pipes.

 

[Pipe Daddy]

I keep lighting and tamping mine till it all comes out gray like cigarette ash. That said, I smoke pretty dry by using the breath method, thoughtful packing, and keeping my pipes clen and dry while at rest.

 

[anotherbob]

my largest bowl gets wet dottle if I pack it too tight and the one with a conical bottom seems to get wetter at the very bottom of the bowl. Otherwise I've seen no difference.