Smoking Entire Bowl

[ThePottersHutch]

Just took to smoking a pipe in the last few months. Its become a great way to relax and make room to be or think. Most of my bowls become pretty troublesome near the last quarter, sometimes even nearing half the bowl. So far dumping ash, tamping a bit does seem to help.

Otherwise maybe sopping up a little moisture. Usually not much there though to soak up.
Always have mixed feelings about plucking the heel after I finish a smoke to see a decent bit of unsmoked tobacco.

Mostly have been getting along just fine but that experience has me wondering.. What's it like for you?
Do you smoke most bowls all the way down to ash or near it? Any tips if so apart from time spent smoking I imagine.

 

[didimauw]

I smoke as far down as I can. If the bottom doesn't relight properly after 3 attempts I dump it. Because then there's either no tobacco left, or it's too wet to smoke.

 

[Brad H]

I smoke it until I don’t like the flavor anymore.

“Why smoke something you don’t like”
TM @woodsroad

 

[Goblin_Walrus]

I usually smoke about 2/3-3/4 bowl. If I smoke past that, a rare practice, I use a hemp wick and keep the flame small and cool. Hemp wick is great for cool smoking, easy to control the flame in my experience.

 

[Bbailey324]

I smoke until the bowl is done, I'm done with it, or I don't like the flavor any longer. Frequently there isn't much left at this point, other times I may be done with a third of a bowl left. I don't worry much about it either way.

 

[punkeedo]

Under most circumstances, I smoke it until it's all ash.

I wonder if you could elaborate more on what the difficulty seems to be in the last half of the bowl? Are you having difficulty keeping it lit? Will air not pass through? Perhaps the flavor is unpleasant, or too much moisture is coming through the bit?

 

[okiematt]

Depends on the blend. Some are rough towards the last 1/4, some are good to the last drop. Maxwell House.

 

[sablebrush52]

Just took to smoking a pipe in the last few months. Its become a great way to relax and make room to be or think. Most of my bowls become pretty troublesome near the last quarter, sometimes even nearing half the bowl. So far dumping ash, tamping a bit does seem to help.

Otherwise maybe sopping up a little moisture. Usually not much there though to soak up.
Always have mixed feelings about plucking the heel after I finish a smoke to see a decent bit of unsmoked tobacco.

Mostly have been getting along just fine but that experience has me wondering.. What's it like for you?
Do you smoke most bowls all the way down to ash or near it? Any tips if so apart from time spent smoking I imagine.

Personally, I don't think that it matters one bit whether one smokes a bowl to the bottom or not. It's not uncommon for smokers to leave a little bit behind, and some smokers even used to gather the "leftovers" into a jar for later use, which used to be referred to as a "pensioner's mixture".

Drying your tobacco more and packing a little looser might also help. One thing to avoid is purposefully applying flame to smoke every last shred. The amount of heat generated can eventually cause fissures to form in the briar around the base of the chamber.

Also keep in mind that different blends burn differently. Some blends, like C&D Yorktown, burn very easily while others are more difficult.

Most of my bowls are completely smoked, though never as a goal, and I've been at it for awhile and have learned what works best for me. I never force a blend. Smoking a pipe isn't rocket science but there is a learning curve. Be patient with the process and you will be rewarded.

Another advantage to dumping the final bit is that you avoid smoking the part with the most tars and oils, which can taste a bit bitter.

Bottom line, don't worry about it.

 

[anotherbob]

the way I pack is to not really focus on packing at all until I get near the top. I use a rule of thumb which is that I don't pack any further in then the tip of my thumb. This leaves tiny little bit near the bottom that's not hard to part with. But if you really want to smoke more and are having trouble using a pick or match to stir the remainder and then pack it down super lightly will give you a little more mileage. But generally that little bit of dottle left over isn't worth the hassle.

 

[NookersTheCat]

Yeah I've spoke about this before too. I generally leave about the bottom 1/3rd to 1/4 unsmoked. As others and you have said.. generally because of moisture/tar buildup. Filters help with this.

Also pre-drying can, but ime you lose more flavor predrying (esp aromatics) than you do filtering... tho I know that may be controversial.

It depends on pack and blend type too but thats what I do. If I have a rarer aged/particularly smooth tobacco I'm generally more patient in relighting to experience every last puff.

 

[Waning Embers]

Pack drier and lighter and smoker slower. You'll end up with ash in your mouth before you realize there's no tobacco left.

 

[Dshift]

Just took to smoking a pipe in the last few months. Its become a great way to relax and make room to be or think. Most of my bowls become pretty troublesome near the last quarter, sometimes even nearing half the bowl. So far dumping ash, tamping a bit does seem to help.

Otherwise maybe sopping up a little moisture. Usually not much there though to soak up.
Always have mixed feelings about plucking the heel after I finish a smoke to see a decent bit of unsmoked tobacco.

Mostly have been getting along just fine but that experience has me wondering.. What's it like for you?
Do you smoke most bowls all the way down to ash or near it? Any tips if so apart from time spent smoking I imagine.

Don't worry, it will get better with time. General advice is to pack more loosely, tamp lightly and to leave a moister tobacco to breath for 20-60 minutes before packing. When it comes to your pipe's health is always better to have an even wear of the whole chamber, but in no way will the pipe get ruined if you don't always manage to smoke a bowl completely. Additionally the lower you go down the chamber the hotter it will get, so that balances things a bit on its own.

 

[Eireprof]

Good advice all around. Dry your leaf, pack loosely, smoke slowly. I still typically dump about a 1/4 bowl. Sometimes I pack 1/2 a bowl and I can get pretty close to the bottom in those instances.

 

[Sig]

I had a friend years ago who smoked Marlboros. He took his snubbed cigarette butts from the ashtray, emptied the disgusting tobacco from them, and rolled it in a Zig Zag.
Im not that guy. If it stops lighting or tasting good, its dumped.

 

[BingBong]

If there's unburnt at the bottom, it becomes the crown of the next bowl, even if it's a different blend. Yes. I am that mean with tobacco.

 

[warren]

Do you smoke most bowls all the way down to ash or near it?

Usually, unless I screw it up. Sometimes it's the tobacco. Usually it's me as the cause of a poor smoking experience.

 

[InWithBothFeet]

For me, the last 1/4 of the bowl usually gets dumped. Sometimes the flavor turns, sometimes I hear a sizzle when I try to relight. That tells me I'm done.

 

[ZenPipe]

I’m fairly new to the hobby as well, but I’m usually dumping some unsmoked tobacco, maybe a 1/4 or 1/5 of the bowl? I just go by the flavor of the smoke. Some I’ve enjoyed to the ash though. As long as I get a good 30-60 minutes I’m pretty happy.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

As you gain experience, I think you'll have less unsmoked tobacco left. You're likely smoking tobacco that is a bit too moist. Perhaps you're smoking a bit fast, creating excess heat and condensation as a result. Don't worry about it, just enjoy yourself.

There's very little tobacco left in the bowls I smoke. When I'm not enjoying a bowl any longer, I'm done with it regardless of what's left. It's not a contest and nobody else cares.

 

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

Maybe just fill the bowl half full, then you would smoke it all.

Seriously, for me, if the bottom half stops and a relight does not work…. It is knocked out into the ashtray. I suspect after some time, your technique will evolve and it will happen less and less frequently.