Finishing The Last Little Bit?

[HopHand]

Any recommendations for finishing the last little bits of a bowl? Without it turning into a licking an ash tray experience or getting a mouth full of ash? Its never much but by the end of the day I can't help looking at my ashtray and feeling wasteful. I knock the ash out or stir it and I seem to get a blast of yummy ash to the mouth. I do nothing and the flavor becomes what I would describe as ashy or like those giant Uber cheap bags of unpleasant roll ur own labeled as pipe tobacco the locals buy to avoid tax. Was never an issue when i ran a filter but after a month or so unfiltered I don't think I'll ever go back. It's not particularly a big deal to me just waste not want not and such ?‍

 

[Effortlessdepths]

Some blends are better than others, with regards to smoking the dottle. Everything you're doing to try to get the last bit of flavor out is correct, it's just that sometimes there's no way you can save it. Think of the "wasted" dottle as an offering to Grandfather Tobacco, and I'm not being sarcastic. And going no filter helps you taste the full spectrum of blends, but the caveat is that you can't smoke the dottle very easily. Some folks around here might think im sensitive, nitpicky, or pay too much attention to detail, and sometimes I am when I WANT to be, but honestly I just power through the dottle anyway, ashtray taste and all.

 

[trouttimes]

You smoke because you enjoy the taste. When you get down to the seeds and stems and it taste like crap…throw it out. The amount of waste is really nothing. Why spoil the experience? Put it in you flower bed if it bothers you.

 

[didimauw]

I usually smoke it untill it's no longer good tasting. However, sometimes I'll stir the bowl at the bottom, and cover the bowl with two fingers, slightly separated, and blow the ash through. The big bits will stay. Most times the effort isn't worth the reward but sometimes it is.

 

[workman]

There's almost always some waste in my bowls. Most often it isn't much, sometimes more.
During the smoke, moisture will accumulate in the bottom of the bowl. At some point, the moisture ruins the tobacco that's left. Then you're done. Pipe's finished.

 

[HopHand]

"Think of the "wasted" dottle as an offering to Grandfather Tobacco"

I don't know why I never considered this especially as I've done exactly that with cannabis for almost 20 years. Intentionally brushing a pinch from every bowl onto the ground for the "Ganja fairy" much to the horror of many a witness. Thank you. Sometimes a change of perception is everything.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Not long ago, I ceased giving any thought to completely finishing off a bowl. Happy I did. Wasted time finagling with tamping, relights, etc. About a quarter to a third of my bowls will burn to fairly fine ash with minimal or no effort. I'm happy to just dump those few little remaining strands of tobacco in the remainder. Probably will less than a nickels worth of tobacco, not worth any time or hassle.

 

[Servant King]

Yeah, it's pretty normal ending. It bothers me too, but much less so than it did at the beginning. You just get desensitized to it over time, I guess. Hoosier is spot on, it's just not worth the hassle IMHO.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

You've identified two problems already. So don't knock the ash out, and don't stir it.
If you get the tamping right in the first place, and tamp occasionally as you smoke, that's the greater part of the solution.
it's going to take practice to get it right. There ain't no short cuts in this game.

 

[cfreud]

This is not like "You can't get up from the table until you eat your vegetables," when you were a kid. If you're done, you're done. This is meant to be fun, people.

 

[gamzultovah]

I never ever finish the last NASTY bit of tobacco. When the taste goes sour/harsh I just dump it, no matter how much tobacco is left. The way I look at it, the last portion of the tobacco is my filter…and why would I smoke a filter?

 

[bullet08]

Last third of the bowl is best for me. But, when it's done, it's done. Clean out the bowl and move on.

 

[anotherbob]

if you pack the pipe lightly especially the bottom bit there won't be much dottle anyways. If it really bothers you get those little pebble stone things for the bottom of the bowl or a screen to make an air bubble at the bottom. Either of those should eliminate dottle. Though the fact those aren't more popular probably says how little dottle matters.
talking about these things.

 

[lawdawg]

The last bit is called the “dottle.” It’s got a name distinct from the rest of the tobacco in the bowl because people often don’t smoke it. Don’t feel like you’ve got to smoke the last little bit.

 

[OzPiper]

A mate sent me a few Philtpads to try sometime ago. I also got in a box of meerschaum chips with a pipe purchase recently.

I've been experimenting with both and I'm pleased to report that dottle is reduced to minimal with both. There is also less gurgle.

The meerschaum chips are very inexpensive and can be reused a few times. I chuck them when they turn completely black.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

Judging by HopHand's description of his ash, he has already learnt how to smoke without gurgle or moisture.
In that respect he is streets ahead of a lot of the guys on this forum.

Why would he need such irrational ephemera like pieces of meerschaum etc ?

 

[cigrmaster]

I have sucked in ash more times than I can count chasing the flavor to the bottom. It has been a while since it has happened to me as I learned to avoid it as I dump ash before lighting for the last time and I check real good to make sure there is tobacco to be had at the bottom.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

As others have mentioned, pipe smoking is about pleasure and enjoyment. Once you reach the point that the tobacco taste is no longer pleasant, toss it out. How far down the bowl you can smoke depends on the pipe, moisture content of tobacco, cadence, etc. I feel that the tobacco down near the airway kind of acts as a filter which absorbs moisture and tars. I have learned over time (30+ years) that I tend to smoke a little faster than others. As such, the last fifth or so of my bowls of tobacco tend to be damp and at that point the experience is over for me. When I look at my pipes, I tend to have cake almost down to the bottom and this is consistent for me across the board. This is what is typical for me. At any rate, don't worry about it. Smoke till it doesn't taste good and move on.

 

[perdurabo]

I thought this was going to be about the last little bit in the tin. I toss it. I don’t like parfaits. As far as the last bit in the bowl, I started tossing that too. It’s not worth all the heat that will burn the edges of the draft hole(I guess that’s what you call it). Unless you’re like Cosmic and can smoke the damn thing all the way down to white ash.

 

[Chris81]

when I'm close to reach the bottom I usually remove the excess ash on the top. It works for me. I also have some residue but not so much, usually only a few black carbonized tobacco bits, I also avoid smocking too hard at the end to avoid some ash reaching my mouth. If it tastes bad I stop smoking and if there is some unburnt tobacco I use it for my next smoke!

It also depends on the pipe: bent Petersons with their system for me are the best to smoke every bit of tobacco without sucking any ash, with a straight pipe it can be trickier. I also have a bent Viprati that gave me headaches since the beginning because the bottom will always get wet, making it impossible to smoke the last bit.