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jorgesoler

Can't Leave
Dec 3, 2014
401
74
It does not matter how slow I am going to smoke that, at the end of it, I always a dottle at the bottom of my bowl, which I hate. I have noticed, though, that some mixtures, if properly dried, leave much less residue than others. Say for example Nightcap or Durbar. On the other hand, some VaPers, such as the Elisabethan Mixture, which I love, will leave more dottle even if properly dried. I usually leave my tobacco tin open for 24 hours before smoking, and depending what mixture, it could be more, but I can never get rid of the insidious dottle at the bottom of my bowl.

14928


 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,343
Does your draft hole line up with the bottom of the tobacco chamber or is it a little above it?

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
jorgesoler, having dottle at the end of the bowl, or not, is a small issue. I know a lot of pipe smokers take

some pride in burning a bowl to white ash every time, but many of us don't put much store by it. You don't want

to be throwing out a third of a bowl every time you smoke, it's true. But a small sprinkle of unburned tobacco at

the end is not a worry. It serves to filter what was burned, and serves as a bed for the fire. You can dump out some

white ash, tamper down what's left, and often smoke to the bottom or nearly so. But the real issue is, does it keep

tasting good? If not, go ahead and get rid of the ash and dottle. Pipe smoking is a pleasure, not an exercise.

 

phil67

Lifer
Dec 14, 2013
2,052
7
mso489 has got it.
This idea of smoking down to a white or grey ash is simply BS, albeit it can at times happen. But, to try and achieve that is simply foolish and serves no purpose. Dottle is dottle and that is why they call it..... dottle! Dotttle is an integral piece of the space time continuum and to upset, much less try to rid it can upset the universe and lead to an implosion of our galaxy.
Bottom line.... don't be concerned about it. :wink:

 

jitterbugdude

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 25, 2014
993
8
Someone define dottle for me! I have always thought it was a small amount of gooey stuff at the very bottom of the bowl left over after smoking. I only have a small bit of unburned tobacco at the bottom of the bowl.. it's not gooey, just tobacco. Is that dottle?

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,087
6,394
Florida
I've tried smoking dottle, and found it not worth the effort.

Sometimes a half finished bowl from the previous evening will get 'attempted'...some are fine, and other times...eh.

 

freakiefrog

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 26, 2012
745
2
Mississippi
I've never paid it any mind. I smoke till I'm done. If that's ash in the bottom so be it or it could be half a bowl because I had to run out or just got to cold (I smoke outside). It not a contest with myself its warm briar and tasty baccy.

 

okiescout

Lifer
Jan 27, 2013
1,530
6
I think a lot of people just over think the whole pipe smoking experience. Burning a bowl isn't supposed to be a stressful, mind consuming endeavor.

I agree, mmjk.
:puffpipe: My dottle goes in the fire. If there is any, and frequently there is some.

 

jorgesoler

Can't Leave
Dec 3, 2014
401
74
Oh, thank you all, really. I was somewhat worried about this as many people say too much dottle residue could give a foul flavour to your pipes when this happens frequently, that is, in the long term. About Watson and Holmes, I think it was rather Watson the one who would smoke those dottles the day after and not Holmes, but I haven't read much about it.

 

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,219
5,338
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
jorgsoler:
No, it was Mr. Holmes, described in the following passage from "The Engineer's Thumb" as related by Dr. Watson in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes":
"Sherlock Holmes was, as I expected, lounging about his sitting room in his dressing-gown, reading the agony column of 'The Times,' and smoking his before-breakfast pipe, which was composed of all the plugs and dottles left from his smokes of the day before, all carefully dried and collected on the corner of the mantlepiece."

 

grouchydog

Can't Leave
Oct 16, 2013
413
1
Never worried about it. Most folks don't worry about pitching an inch or more of cigar nub, a little dottle in the bowl after it's given its best is no different.

 

pipebaum81

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 23, 2014
669
235
For a half step I thought I as in the wrong minority for leaving behind a tiny amount of unspent tobacco. I was told early on leaving a bed would help protect the bottom of my bowl, especailly before a healthy cake was established.
It's also a flavor thing. I know when I have hit a dottle point, and thats when it's time to pack things up.
Again the wisdom of the forum prevails providing better bowls in our near future! Speaking of which :puffpipe:

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Dottle, as I understand it, is unburnt tobacco leaf. It doesn't relate to the texture, whether it is

dry or "goopy," just that it is leaf that is unburnt.

 

k1j3l

Might Stick Around
Nov 29, 2014
57
12
33
Eastern Shore, MD
Sometimes I have a lot, sometimes only a bare dusting. It's not you, it's just luck. Personally, I've taken to saving any "salvagable" looking dottle, mixing it in a jar with my leftover cigar nubs (cutting them open, pulling the tobacco out). Due to the flavoring of the cigars, usually vanilla or cherry, the dottle has slowly taken on a new flavor itself. Good for a smoke when I don't have the heart to break into what little "fresh" tobacco I've got.

 

darthcider

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 24, 2014
717
2
Wales
When I have finished smoking, I bin what's left.

Could be just ash or half a bowl.

Do what feels right for you.

 

elduderino

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 4, 2014
186
1
St.Paul, MN
I've only stressed over dottle if it was too wet to relight. The few times it has happened I mostly blamed my cadence, smoking too fast. Another it was when I smoked from a gifted estate freehand. I salt/alcohol treated it and scrubbed it clean. Smoked a few gurrrgaly bowls. Then hit the forums. After some research I've figured out my pipe had a poorly drilled chamber. The draught hole was a 1/4" above the bottom of the chamber. Filled it up with some pipe mud. Now she smokes to white ash most the time.
Best 0'smokes,

Donavan

 
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