Smoking to the bottom

[davesussex]

I find that i always leave a bit of tobacco in the bottem of my pipe and never seem to smoke down to a fine ash that I read alot of people talking about. When im near the bottom of the bowl I find the tobbaco seems to taste a bit nasty which is why I leave a bit at the bottom, does anybody else find this? Could it be a result of the tobacco being to wet or poor packing/smoking technique?
Also probaly because of this the cake build up seems to be thicker at the top of the bowl with hardly any cake at the bottom of the bowl, is this a bad thing?
Any advice very much appreciated

 

[openbook]

Hi Dave,
I've been dealing with the same issue myself. It's almost definitely too-wet tobacco. To fix this, do two things. First, make sure you're not letting saliva get into the stem as you smoke. A good way to do this is to keep from touching the bit with your tongue. Second--if it's not a saliva problem--you need to dry out your tobacco. I prefer to dry it out one bowl at a time, as opposed to just leaving the whole bag open. It's better for the tobacco this way, since you won't need to rehydrate it sometime down the line, which I've heard detracts from the qualities it develops as it ages. I'd recommend starting with an hour and a half to two hours, and work up if it's still too wet. My last smoke was after about 2 hours of drying, and it was the best I've ever had--only a tiny bit of wet tobacco at the bottom. I'm going to kick it to 2 1/2 next time and hope for the best

 

[pstlpkr]

You can have "dottle" left over from the very best of smokes. It isn't unusual.

As for the cake being thicker at the top and none at the bottom isn't unusual either.

However; if you maintain the cake, making it even on the sides and (IMO) thin your smokes will be more consistent.

The bottom of the bowl is the most difficult place to build a cake.

(Most of the time you will have some dottle left at the end of your smoke. Not every smoke is going to be perfect.)
Moist tobacco at the bottom could come from two different aspects of your smoke:

1) The tobacco may simply be a bit to moist.

2) The moist tobacco could be smoked to fast/hot causing steam and as the bowl progress toward the bottom the moisture content will increase, resulting in wet dottle. (Sometimes you will hear it sizzle in the bowl when you relight, and your pipe may gurgle.)
Try drying your tobacco for a bit before packing your pipe, and go slow.

Also, once your cake is established, and you have tended to it, and it has an even thickness on the sides; maintain it by screwing a paper towel into the bowl (firmly). You should do this while the bowl is still warm, for best effect.

This will do two things:

1) It will smooth the cake and maintain a consistent thickness.

2) It will remove excess moisture from the bowl and the cake.

This will allow the cake to really become solid without flaking, or excess build up, virtually eliminating the need to ream or scrape the bowl.

IMHO makes for a better smoking pipe.

Just remember; cake on the bottom of the bowl can cause the draft hole to diminish in size and can cause the pipe to become difficult to smoke. Very few of my pipes have more than just the merest coating of carbon, even after 20+ years of regular use.
Edit: Saliva isn't going to be the problem. The gurgle you may have while smoking comes from the condensation of the steam created in the bowl and collecting in the draft hole where it enters the bowl.

 

[schmitzbitz]

Dave; in addition to the awesome advice given above from both Open and Lawrence, I would suggest trying to pack a little looser...I went through the same thing as you until I tried using a hybrid Frank/Air-pocket method; all of a sudden, even straight from the tin tobacco's started burning to the heel with a minimum of fuss. Of course, part in parcel with this is tamping less/lighter.

 

[capnbellamy]

I get the same, but mostly because I often let it go out when the smoke gets to the bottom. Relighting it is just fairly pointless, so there's usually a little bit of left over tobacco by the end.

 

[jimbo]

I make an effort to burn every last bit of tobacco in the bowl. Yes, it tastes stronger at the bottom, but I think it is better for the pipe to evaporate the moisture that may remain in the heel and sour the pipe.
I don't usually dump ashes during a smoke. I tamp them down gently, until I can't get a good draft. Then with the spoon of my pipe nail I run it down through the ashes to the bottom of the bowl on the OPPOSITE side of the draft hole. Relighting pulls the flame down that gap in the ashes and across the bottom to the unburned tobacco. I might do this twice for each bowl. When the technique gets no draft at all, that means all the tobac is burned and the smoke is finished. When dumping the ashes I usually have a few blackened, charred pieces that did not completely burn, but NO unburned, brown pieces of tobacco. I consider that a successful smoke.
Leaving soggy, unburned tobac in the bottom every time is asking for a soured pipe.

 

[cortezattic]

Ditto Lawrence's thorough response.
Nobody has ever been forced to turn in their pipe smoker's ID card because they didn't smoke a bowl to the bottom.

As for the need to build a bottom carbon cake, as Russ Ouellette has opined: if you don't usually smoke a bowl

down to the bottom there's no need to be concerned how much cake is there.
As for drying out tobacco, I almost always do it; but I don't waste time air-drying. (Truth is, I don't exercise the

forethought, and I'm too impatient.) This has become a standard piece of my pipe smoking equipment:

Heat It Craft Tool, a high heat / low velocity blower, ~ $20.00

 

[openbook]

Jimbo that's a really intelligent method. I've habitually shaken out my ashes before relighting, but I'll try your method.

 

[davesussex]

So moisture gathering at the bottom of the bowl is what makes the last bit of tobacco taste rancid? Thanks for your help guys

 

[jimbo]

davesussex,
It's not just the moisture. When you draw on your pipe, you are filtering the smoke, and everything in it, through the tobacco in the heel. It's just more concentrated then. Cigars are the same... "gamier" at the butt end.

 

[cortezattic]

Jimbo sez

with the spoon of my pipe nail I run it down through the ashes to the bottom of the bowl on the OPPOSITE side of the draft hole

As it appeared several months ago, I think this is the single best piece of advice I've read in the forums since I joined.

Thanks Jimbo! :clap:

 

[tiltjlp]

To add just a bit to the excellent advice you've already received, a slightly looser pack might help keep the tobacco burning deeper into the bowl. Also, a pipe cleaner in the stem for 3 seconds if you hear/sense gurgle might help too.

 

[jimbo]

Shucks, cortez... you're makin' me blush.

 

[james]

Jimbo, I just "discovered" that the other day with the spoon on my czech pipe tool. It's just kinda nice to hear it from someone else I suppose.

 

[sjpipesmoker]

Glad you brought this up. I've alawys thoought that i'm not a "real" pipe smoker if I leave some at the bottom...or that I'm wasting tobacco...But tobacco is inexpensive and i NEVER smoke to the bottom, like others are saying, it's nasty, too moist and it's the "filter" for the tobacco... I like to enjoy my tobacco and the bottom tobacco makes it not enjoyable.

 

[jimbo]

To each his own.
Some people only smoke half a cigar. I smoked them down until I'd almost burn my fingers. It's not just "economy".
I look at a pipe like a car. If you drive only a short distance, you are not getting it hot enough and you will have problems with condensation in the crankcase, etc. which can ruin your oil (and engine). I guess that's the same reason I try to smoke my pipes to the bottom.... to get rid of the condensation of combustion.

 

[baldy]

With cigars I'm a chronic nubber. With the pipe I'll smoke until I'm burning the briar. That's just me. Hey as long as you enjoy what you're smoking, that's all that matters.

 

[PeriqueMyInterest]

Some pipes will not smoke to the bottom very often because of the placement of the draft hole. I have also read that any cake in the heal of the pipe is not a true cake because of the physics of carbon buildup but I am not sure if it is true. I do try to smoke to the bottom whenever I can though, I was told by the local tobacconist (a brilliant tobacconist) when I started smoking pipes that "1 unburned leaf at the bottom is dangerous and 3 is a waste" so I generally try to follow those guidelines.

 

[jimbo]

I agree with what assaad said. My pipes don't have a true cake in the heel. It's blackened but not caked.
When breaking in a new pipe, I usually get to a point where I can taste/smell the briar burning. It's distinctive. You shouldn't be able to miss the different taste. When that happens, I STOP smoking immediately, let it cool off for a few minutes, tamp and relight, smoking SLOWLY to the bottom. This happens less and less often as the break-in progresses, until finally, you are not burning the briar anymore... it's charred on the bottom and cake is building on the sides... you shouldn't have that happen again. ::