Good To The Last Drop

[newbroom]

OK, you've smoked your bowl of tobacco and put it down before it's completely burned. Later on, you pick up that pipe and see that it has the remains of a fill topped with ash, and you tenderly poke the ash to determine the value of unsmoked/burned tobacco remaining. You say to yourself, well, there's still some good smoke to be had, I'll just light er up and finish her off.

That's not always gonna happen for ya, if you have the same kind of experience as do I. Those heel shots seldom catch hold of the fire. Sure, while holding a match to the bowl you can generate a puff or two, but, it goes out almost immediately.

Is it worth the attempt to extract that last bit of flavor, or is it one of those things better left undone and dumped?

I guess a decent 'burn' requires a 'critical' amount of fuel in order to achieve ember.

Sometimes those Scotch lights pay off, but most of the time they seem to result in frustration and tongue bite.

 

[ravenwolf]

I don't bother typically. If I do, it is because I set the Pipe down half way for a bit because I needed my hands, and if it is half full I might give it a go. The results are a mixed bag.
In general, I don't bother too much. I am lucky to have amassed a LOT of tobacco.

 

[newbroom]

Isn't part of what we're discussing considered 'delayed gratification'? My impression of this is a bowl enjoyed in parts. I guess a larger bowl would lend itself to this practice. Flavors change as the components become more concentrated.

I'm not trying to smoke every bowl to the heel, but I do try to exhaust all value. It's a judgement call and my judgement isn't predicated upon my supply.

 

[Waning Embers]

I smoke the same bowl throughout the night on my breaks. Fill a big bowl, and puff on it when I get the chance.

 

[oldredbeard]

As a general rule, I have the same experience as you have described newbroom, in which case I dump it after the second attempt at a relight doesn't work. Like you said, if you keep trying, it just results in slight tongue burn. I'd rather dump it than mess up the rest of the days smoking pleasure.

 

[jkrug]

I've found myself in this same position a few times. I'll try a couple lights and if the results aren't positive I will pass on it and dump the dregs and move quickly to a fresh bowl. ::

 

[stvalentine]

When I started smoking pipes the first time many, many year ago there was a general understanding that smoking right to the bottom of the bowl is good for the pipe. I was quite relieved when I reada few month ago that you should dump the dottle as it is full of nic and tar anyway. Not much sense in spoiling the pleasure with a taste like burning crude oil!

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I've been filling the bottom of my bowls with activated carbon pellets.

It reduces dottle, but the biggest benefit seems to be simply the fact that it takes nearly everything with it when you dump the bowl. Much easier to clean.

 

[kane]

Like you guys, if the last of the bowl won't take to a couple of relight attempts, I consider it done. I can usually tell when I'm there any way: some hissing, some setting of the ash, a hotter smoke. I do enjoy relights hours after the pipe's been set down. Sometimes the first puff on a delayed relight will taste a bit sour, but often the rest of bowl tastes great, sometimes better than before.

Never tired saving the dottle. Didn't Sherlock Holmes do this and smoke it the next morning?

 

[okiescout]

Not much sense in spoiling the pleasure with a taste like burning crude oil! +1, stvalentine.

 

[voorhees]

I'm with the consensus, if I have to fight it, no thanks. However, on occasion I have smoked down to fine ash without ever knowing how I got there. Pipe Magic in my opinion.

 

[zekest]

Sprinkle a little fresh baccy into the bowl and enjoy the nic hit.

 

[menuhin]

I also put a few Denicool filter crystals at the bottom of the bowl if I know the tobacco may not burn as well beforehand. I do try to smoke to the bottom of the bowl though as I believe it is better an even built-up of cake for the tobacco chamber. So I generally would not buy any tobacco that doesn't burn well or that the taste changes bad at the last quarter of the bowl.