Smoking to the bottom...

[gottaride]

Smoking one of these things is kind of a zen thing. You start to get feel for which tobacco likes to be loaded and packed in which way. Ribbon for instance takes a firmer pack than cake or flake and then there's the tamping. You listen to and feel the fire. You learn how to harness it an maintain it for optimal enjoyment of the blend you're sipping. There is definitely a learning curve involved. The more you play, the better you get. It's why I take the "zen" approach. It's a be here now endevour and you'll definitely receive more gratification if you listen to the fire asking to be tamped more, less, gentlier, harder or more heavy handed, and whether or not it needs more or less air. You'll instinctively....with more time, learn these things and will find yourself doing things like putting your fingers over the bowl to carburate and bring your fire back to life, as opposed to instinctively grabbing another match. Give it time and be patient, You will be rewarded!

 

[elbert]

Welcome to the forum, gottaride! I always like to find someone who shares an interest in Buddhism.
Dump the dottle. Matter of fact, dump the ash every once in a while, too. Nothing improved my smoking like that one little change. I grind the ash and dump it before nearly every relight nowadays--and consequently I have far fewer relights.

 

[gottaride]

Thanks! Good to be here....anywhere, for that matter.

 

[thomasmartin]

I made the observation, that pipes tend to turn sour more quickly, when the bowl is not smoked as far down as possible. I think the heat burns away the juice that accumulates at the bottom.

 

[briarhillgeoff]

I'm probably going to highly criticized but when it's down to the end of the bowl, I'll use my pick tool and loosen up the stuff at the bottom of the bowl and lightly tamp it down and then smoke the rest.

 

[elbert]

Oh, I don't think you'll be criticized for that, Geoff. Heaven knows I TRY to smoke as far down as possible, but there's no use being a fool about it. If it requires constant care and attention to keep lit, it's just not worth it.
As to Thomas Martin's point--could you solve that problem by packing a half- or a quarter-bowl now and then, so you can smoke it further down?

 

[jpmcwjr]

I suspect the bottom of the bowl dampness can be cured by taking out moisture before packing, and of course not stoking the fire beyond a gentle point.

 

[drezz01]

I really thought I was making headway with my pipe smoking techniques; I was having cool, flavourful smokes with comparatively little dottle and no gurgle - still plenty of relights but I've conceded that that will be my burden for some time yet.
In the past dozen days or so I have really been moving backwards however. A wet gummy ball of tobacco accrues in the bottom of my pipes, the 'smoke' hit's that point in which it turns to biting hot flavourless vapour, and the damn thing refuses to hold an ember.
I'm not sure if it's because the relative humidity in my area has increased as of late making it hard to discern the dryness of my tobacco, or if I used too much alcohol while cleaning my pipes the other weekend, or something I've yet to identify. I know that I compound the issue, however. If I'm not getting as much flavour from my pipe I tend to greedily pull at it more; my cadenced sips turn in to impetuous gulps punctuated by too many relights. I'm less a stoic piper, more a frenzied crack fiend desperate for that hit.
I think my Friday night will be spent letting a rubbed out flake dry out wayyyyy past what would be good for it and trying to reestablish the foundations for a disciplined chasing of embers.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sounds like you've made a good analysis and will soon return to a happier place with your smokes. Enjoy!

 

[thomasmartin]

Another thing is that I find that some tobaccoes really shine at the end of the bowl. The aromas are really concentrated. Something you would'nt want to miss. Always try to smoke as far as possible to the bottom is the rule IMHO.

 

[jpmcwjr]

There is no such rule. And a lot of people have been burned, literally, by trying to do just that. But whatever floats one's boat!

 

[gottaride]

My experience has been that when the offering has been smoked to completion, the pipe gains something from it. The resins have been reduced to ash and the residual moisture in the bowl was burned off from the combustion of all the residual material. This leaves you with a dry tool for the next offering. You'll be happier because your pipe is dry and ready to be smoked again. Not to mention you've allevited the possibility of a festering mess in the bottom of or sides of your pipes chamber. I've heard it said that smoking a pipes contents to fine white ash is a "wive's tale" or better yet, an experiment in masochism. Not to tread on others observations, but mine have been the polar opposite.

I have personally experienced that if I don't finidh a bowl and must discard some degree of dottle or goo, that I am setting myself up for a less than satisfactory experience with my next smoke.

I almost always attain a grey or in perfect situations, fine white ash burned to completion in every bowl. After 30 plus years of pipe smoking,I consider it a skill worthy of acheiving. Let it be said, I don't generally suffer to accomplish this. The last of my bowls are generally as good and sometimes better than the middle. That being said, I will sometimes experience a mouth full of ash on the final sip. An excellent notification the tobacco is gone, albeit an unwelcome one. If I come across a new pipe that wont meet the aforementioned criteria, I will move her on...finding it not fit to be in my rotation. Learning to burn your tobacco is your number one criteria as a pipe smoker. Until you've accomplished this, you really aren't experiencing the full extent and breadth of your pipe.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Well, I won't say the above is horse pucky, but your experience and your methodology is your experience and methodology. I imagine it's very much a minority view among experienced smokers. But I am glad it works so well for you!

 

[gottaride]

Thanks...glad it works for me as well. As you said, you suspect I'm in the minority and that's been my experience as well. I have always been the odd duck. Don't mind at all. Just voicing an opinion and appreciate your magnanimity. Thanks for the voice on my post!

 

[stflorian]

I wont' type the whole thing here, but I am going to start a new thread explaining the light bulb that came on, and while it didn't end in a "1 match to fine white ash" smoke, it was darn close!

 

[thomasmartin]

Care to post the link to this thread?

 

[carytobacco]

Do a tobacco review. I guarantee you'll smoke it down to white ash all the way to the bottom.

Great line.
I have the same problem. Stopped worrying about it, but frustrating when you have a good bowl going and can't get that last little bit smoked.

 

[stflorian]

Here is the link to my other post...
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/light-bulbs-and-cadence

 

[mso489]

There are various ways to reduce dottle (unburnt tobacco) at the bottom of the bowl. Please be wise and don't bother. When the pipe stops re-lighting, and always when it stops tasting delicious, dump it out, scoop it out and start over, preferably with a new dry pipe if possible. This white ash in the bottom of the bowl is of absolutely no interest. It happens now and then to us all, and goody two shoes when it does. But we should be fined for admiring it, recommending it, or thinking it's a good thing. It's kind of nifty for seven seconds, then forget about it.