Unburnt Tobacco Left at the End

[davek]

"When I pack a bowl and start to smoke it, it burns well but after half of a bowl it starting to turn of repeatedly and it tastes different.

So I stop smoking and clean my pipe."
By which I assume you don't like the taste. I actually enjoy the taste near the bottom of the bowl. I usually smoke to the bottom because I like how it tastes. I don't like it re-lit later as much, and I don't think dottle would be tasty as much as Holmes liked it
"Sherlock Holmes was, as I expected, lounging about his sitting-room in his dressing-gown, reading the agony column of The Times and smoking his before-breakfast pipe, which was composed of all the plugs and dottles left from his smokes of the day before, all carefully dried and collected on the corner of the mantelpiece."
Anyway, before beginning to recognize the flavor change and smoke a little harder near the bottom I used to knock a pretty big coal into the ashtray when "done". But it wasn't after half a bowl. Have you tried re-lighting? Is it too nasty? Is there a big space below where the draft hole enters your pipe? How about a smaller pipe? A small, narrow bowl doesn't change flavor as much to me as it burns down.

 

[ignaciojn]

All good advice on this thread. I'll only add something that hasn't been addressed yet.
Sometimes (all the times, in my experience) around the bottom of the bowl, the accumulation of ash makes it harder to stay lit, and affects the taste.
If that's the case, just very slightly disturb the ashes with the poker of your tool and turn the pipe over your ashtray.

 

[bnichols23]

Roger on that last, ignaciojn. Ash? No go. If a tamp & thump doesn't give me a better smoke, out the dottle goes. I'm in my late 60s & if I have to struggle to enjoy it, it just ain't worth it.

 

[mrenglish]

I usually dump the ash about half way down the bowl and smoke the rest. I think a big part is the type of tobacco you smoke and its moisture content. Over the years I have come to like the tobacco on the dry end and this helps on smoking the bottom part of the bowl. Another thing that helps is to have a small amount of cake at the bottom of the bowl. This tends to have a slight cooling effect on the tobacco and keeps the flavor going.
I agree with bnichols, if the flavor is not there that last quarter of the bowl, then it gets dumped and I will smoke something else. Fortunately, this does not happen often but life is short enough as it is to suffer through something not enjoyable.

 

[bnichols23]

Yup, Michael. I'll normally tamp/relight at least a couple of times a bowl, which normally gets me almost to the dottle. If I think it's worth it, I'll give it a shot there, but in most cases it's scrape/thump/clean/pick next pipeful. Just another of those wonderful subjective things. }

 

[davek]

'Bout halfway down a bowl, my index finger somehow just tamps the ash on it's own. Same with two fingers on top to get a bowl going again. Never thought about either one, they just happen. Story of my life. My hands have always been smarter than me.

 

[newbroom]

I've found that expansion which occurs when the tobacco get heated, can choke off the draw.

Sometimes, when this happens, I can re-open the airway using a plunge with the pick on a Czech tool.

Also, you might smoke a bowl half way, rest it, let it cool, dump the ash, fluff & tamp the remains and try again.

Typically, we're puffing to hard and fast if we don't get a complete burn.

 

[sablebrush52]

I've found that expansion which occurs when the tobacco get heated, can choke off the draw.

That's interesting, because I've never had that happen. If that's a common occurrence, I'd suggest a looser pack.

'Bout halfway down a bowl, my index finger somehow just tamps the ash on it's own. Same with two fingers on top to get a bowl going again. Never thought about either one, they just happen. Story of my life. My hands have always been smarter than me.

Yep. Same here. It's pretty rare that I don't smoke down to the bottom on a couple of lights. With some blends, like Yorktown or Chatham Manor, one light does it. Moisture level first, packing second, cadence third. That's consistently worked for me for years and years.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I've found that expansion which occurs when the tobacco get heated, can choke off the draw.

In addition to going to a looser pack, drying more would help enormously. Since I started getting right on moisture, I've not had that happen at all. Even when I pack harder than normal.

 

[borzoo]

Thanks a lot for all your tips, you really helped me. Now I’m much more better in smoking pipe. The ‘Sip’ trick made my smoke more pleasent and I’m also worked on my cadence and dry my tobacco right before smoking.

It’s very enjoyable to be in your community

 

[cigrmaster]

ekert, are you dumping ash at all? Trying to light a pipe with a ton of ash is difficult. When my pipe goes out, I gently use my pick on the end of my tamper to gently stir the ash and then carefully dump it. I then scrape any tobacco on the sides into the middle and then tamp and relight.

 

[kickinbears]

+1 to cigrmaster’s advice, as well as +1 on the advice on lenghtening your dry time before smoking. I’ve learned that pushing the tobacco to the drier side before smoking improved my smoking experience, especially when combined with a mindful cadence. YMMV
If you’re an aro-only smoker, try a non-aro blend as well. It’s a different experience without the topping factor

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

+1 to Kickinbears. You could always try something along the lines of Carter Hall or Prince Albert, something that comes out of the pack pretty dry already. Those could give you a little idea of how dry it should be. Learned this the hard way myself. If I smoke a blend and maintain my usual cadence that takes me no more than about a half hour to burn a bowl and I don't get but about two thirds of the way down and get that beginning feeling of a tongue bite, I know I didn't dry it long enough. Those codger blends will give you a decent idea of how far to dry it. I used to think moisture wasn't too bad, but then I got tired of using 10 matches on a half a bowl and having to puff like a madman to keep it lit.

 

[mso489]

I've never been concerned about a little "dottle" (unburned tobacco) at the bottom of a bowl. When it stops tasting good, I scoop out the bowl. Some pipes seem to burn to the bottom more than others. For whatever reason, MM cobs seem especially good at burning the whole bowl. Sometimes I do not find any leaf at all.

 

[aldecaker]

Even if your moisture, pack, and cadence are perfect, there is just a point with most blends where the tobacco gets mangy towards the end. The same happens with cigars- most of them gather some bitterness toward the end, that point just varies from cigar to cigar. Remember, there are liars, damned liars, and the "it burned to a fine white ash" crowd.
EDIT: I'm not talking about you, MSO! I'm talking about the guys who say that every blend, every bowl.

 

[kickinbears]

Totally agree with the above. I have an Alpha freehand bent with the airhole intentionally drilled high to reduce gurgle (which really does help btw). I always have a little brown left in the dottle in that pipe, but I’ve never once thought it as an incomplete smoking experience.
That being said, as the OP stated, having issues with relighting halfway through the bowl is a sign something aint workin’ right imo