Bottom of the Bowl

[Tom Greene]

Good Evening All,

I read or heard somewhere that it was best to leave the dottle in the
bottom of the bowl (if not excessive) after smoking. The theory is that
this will aid in building a cake in the bottom of the bowl. Any
thoughts?

Tom Greene

[Terry Freeman]

Tom Greene looked over at me with a glazed eye and some bovine

Tom,

If you want the cake to extend all the way to the bottom, it'd be best
not to have /any/ dottle left - only ash and a few blackened scraps of
tobacco. This, however, can be shaken around to coat the bowl and
left in until you do a thorough cleaning or load the bowl again.

You don't want to try to turn every little piece of tobacco to ash or
you end up drying the heel of the bowl so badly that no ash will
stick, thus inhibiting the start of your cake.

Here's a post from Jim Beard on the subject:

__________________________

If you are having trouble smoking to the bottom of the bowl (wet
dottle, raw tobacco not even charred) you might consider stirring
the bottom of the bowl or shaking it up and relighting before
finishing the smoke.

The tobacco should not be 100 percent turned to ash, though. Resins
are needed to act as an adhesive to stick the ash to the wood and
then to the covering cake once you have some, and if the wood/cake
is baked totally dry ash will not stick. If all turns to ash, these
problems predominate.

After you have finished a bowl, put a thumb over the chamber and
shake up the ashes. Then tilt and turn the bowl to shift the ashes
around and check on how the ash coats the interior of the bowl. A
nice gray coating everywhere is ideal, but rarely happens,
especially when there is little or no cake already present.

Most often, you will get a gray coating over most of the interior,
with black spots or splotches where burning embers pressed against
the wall and baked things dry in that area. If the location of such
black areas varies from smoke to smoke, you will eventually get some
carbon cake built up everywhere and once started carbon cake builds
faster.

But if the black area is in the same place after every smoke, you
could be heading toward a burn-through. In such case, you may need
to change your packing technique, or run the pick of your pipe tool
down between bowl wall and tobacco in that area before lighting up,
or stir the bottom of the bowl/shake it up when the fire approaches
the bottom. If you do stir/shake the ashes, be sure to _gently_
blow out before drawing in, to open an air channel for an easy draw
without a mouthful of ash!

_______________________

Reg'ds,

Terry

--
"I'll carry your books, I'll carry a tune, I'll carry on, carry over,
carry forward, Cary Grant, cash & carry, Carry Me Back To Old Virginia,
I'll even Hara Kari if you show me how, but I will *not* carry a gun."
-- Hawkeye, M*A*S*H

[Tom Greene]

Thanks Terry for answering my post. I'll try your suggestion.

Again thanks,
Tom

[Mark Tinsky]

I disagreed with Jim on this. I dont find it necc. to smoke every last
drop of tobac and most time leave some dottle. A big reason is the
residual tobac is getting pretty strong by then, I smoke big bowls and
I ve had enough at this point, it s just too much of a good thing!

Also when he posted this I was afraid peole would feel they have to
smoke right down to the bottom everytime. Trying to lite tobac ash is
a good way to burn out the bottom of the pipe and char the airway,
another good reason not to do this or at least do so carefully.

I would suggest smoking a couple small bowls in a new pipe to get down
to the bottom so the bottom does develop some cake to further
protect the bowl and season the pipe, but dont feel it necc. to do
everytime there after. Smoking is for enjoyment and not a tobacco
burning contest..... MT

[Mike Jacobs]

Ah, the Gospel according to St. Jim Beard lives!

"Terry Freeman" ...

> > Here's a post from Jim Beard on the subject:
>
> __________________________
>

> If you are having trouble smoking to the bottom of the bowl ...

[bohemian]

this bottom of the bowl thing is a good topic. i often wonder about
it... mainly, because i never think i'm doing it right.
i almost always end up with some unsmoked tobac in the bowl... as tinsky
implied, it is often nasty down there, and also, by that time i'm about
done with the smoke anyway. i agree with mark.... why mar a beautiful
smoking experience by fouling around with the muck at the bottom of the
bowl? ... but i often do. why? because i think that's the 'right' way
to do it, in order to build cake down there. when i get a new pipe, i
always dutifully smoke 1/4 bowls for a while, &c, but it never seems to
make any difference. the 'bottom of the bowl' syndrome is something that
i think pipe smokers just have to live with.

comments..?

.02
bohemian

[Jeff Folloder]

Mark Tinsky wrote:

> I would suggest smoking a couple small bowls in a new pipe to get down
> to the bottom so the bottom does develop some cake to further
> protect the bowl and season the pipe, but dont feel it necc. to do
> everytime there after. Smoking is for enjoyment and not a tobacco
> burning contest..... MT

I would echo Mark's comments. Pipe smoking is a relaxing pursuit. Worrying
over smoking every last scrap is a bit O/C and not necessary. It has been
my experience that you will actually do more physical harm, accidentally, by
trying to insure that all the dottle is incinerated. Scorched rims,
ingested embers, cracked cakes....

--
Jeff Folloder

"To call it a dull wail, a doom-dragged whine or a hopeless
howl of chorused anguish and stricken flesh without mind
would be to miss its most quintessential loathsomeness
and soul-sickening overtones."
-H.P. Lovecraft, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

[Mike Jacobs]

Tapio: ah yes, based on your posts I've come to appreciate the bottom half,
but that charring light is the BEST. I've actually taken to smoking
1/3-bowls often, just so that I can enjoy more charring lights. Of course, I
know I'm doing damage to the briar because I can often *taste* it, but I
really love that taste, too (just not too often).

Another problem with 1/3-bowls is that you don't get the benefits of the
bottom half, but I'm all for immediate gratification!

Regards,
Mike Jacobs

"Tapio Pentikainen" <...
> On the contrary, au contrairč mon ami !
>
> The _real_ bowl begins about half way down. The top is just the embers
> that bring out the real flavor of the tobacco.
> I smoke to the bottom of the bowl because: it tastes good, it creates
> a bottom cake (do not burn the wood) and I just love to turn the pipe
> upside down after a smoke and pour out the fine ash.... <G>

[David Seng]

Mark Tinsky <m...@epix.net> wrote in article
<mt-33234A.21...@newsserver.epix.net>...

>
> Also when he posted this I was afraid peole would feel they have to
> smoke right down to the bottom everytime. Trying to lite tobac ash is
> a good way to burn out the bottom of the pipe and char the airway,
> another good reason not to do this or at least do so carefully.

Indeed. Been there . . . done that! (Not to my Tinskys though!)

Dave

[G. L. Pease]

On Sat, 14 Apr 2001 17:53:54 -0700, Tom Greene wrote
(in message <3AD8F122...@attglobal.net>):

> I read or heard somewhere that it was best to leave the dottle in the
> bottom of the bowl (if not excessive) after smoking. The theory is that
> this will aid in building a cake in the bottom of the bowl. Any
> thoughts?

I may be the odd man out in this discussion, but here 'tis.

I nearly always smoke a bowl down to clean, dry ash, with little or no
tobacco shreds to be found. I have no perfect packing technique.
Sometimes, I relight dozens of times, sometimes only a few. I can count
on three fingers (in decimal, not binary) the number of times I've been
able to smoke a bowl the the bottom with one light.

When I break in a new pipe, I fill it with tobacco and smoke it. If it
starts getting hot, or I can taste wood, I slow down, or even let it go
out and rest for a while. If I get to the point where the tobacco really
doesn't want to light anymore, I'll empty the pipe. The next bowl will
likely go a little farther down, and so on. Soon, the bottom cake is
forming just fine, seemingly all by itself. (I simply will not, CAN not
claim any sort of superior smoking technique. I'm a hack. I stuff weeds
into a bowl, and puff away. Okay, it's not QUITE that random, but you get
the idea.)

I've read that this will guarantee an uneven cake and do irreparable
damage to my pipes. After slightly over 20 years of collecting, I've got
about 300 pipes, and if you ask any one of them, they'll tell you this
just ain't so. Every one of them has an even, hard cake, all the way to
the bottom and up the other side. So, despite my admittedly sloppy
technique, I must be doing something right. (I've tried every packing
method ever written down or told to me, and I somehow manage to screw
every one of them up!) By the way, I've experienced only one burnout, and
it was clearly a defect in the briar - a cavernous pit in the briar.

It *is* important to develop a bottom cake. Be mindfull of what you're
doing down there. Don't keep puffing if you taste wood. If you don't burn
every last shred, it's no big deal, but don't leave large amounts of
tobacco in the bottom of the bowl. This will almost surely get pretty
nasty pretty fast...

Smoke carefully, mindfully, slowly, and the pipe will take care of
itself. Puff like a locomotive, and you'll burn the briar. Leave lots of
dottle, and you'll end up with a soured pipe. The heat of smoking helps
to vaporize some of the nasty organics that result in Sour Pipe Syndrome
(SPS).

I've often said there are as many ways to smoke pipes as there are pipe
smokers, and all of them are right. The more I learn, the more I think
this is true.

Just my thoughts. YMMV, etc..

-Greg

[Mark Shelor]

Agreed. In fact, the bottom flavor is so good that it's ashamed to have to
start up again with another pipe loaded to the top, where the flavor isn't
nearly so full.

I'll definitely take yet another match to the bowl if there's the slightest
fraction of an unburnt shred of tobacco left. It seems to be a real art to
fluff the tobacco in such a way as to expose the unburnt tobacco without
having ash ending up in the mouthpiece. The only way I've found to get
around this is to fluff *very* gently, repack, and puff *very* lightly.
Well worth the effort.

Regards,

Mark

"Tapio Pentikainen" <tapio.pe...@pp.inet.fi> wrote in message
news:7i9jdtgkn3gpn23il...@4ax.com...

> On the contrary, au contrairč mon ami !
>
> The _real_ bowl begins about half way down. The top is just the embers
> that bring out the real flavor of the tobacco.
> I smoke to the bottom of the bowl because: it tastes good, it creates
> a bottom cake (do not burn the wood) and I just love to turn the pipe
> upside down after a smoke and pour out the fine ash.... <G>
>

> This is why I see all the pipes with the smoke holes bored even just 1
> mm up the bowl bottom as 'faulty'.
>
> Use drier tobacco and pack lighter, don't tamp with all relights but
> tap gently.
>
> Tapio

[bohemian]

In article <01HW.B6FF676F0...@news.value.net>,
g...@glpease.com wrote:

> Sometimes, I relight dozens of times, sometimes only a few.

you know, lately i've been sort of enjoying letting the pipe go out.
i'll fill one up with a delectable blend (i'm working my way thru my
first tin of renaissance, and _thoroughly_ enjoying it, btw), and
'sip' the tobacco slowly and deliberately. i used to pretty much keep
the pipe in my mouth most of the time, but i am now taking it out more
often, and just letting it go out. i enjoy the re-lighting process.
i guess it just boils down to the fact that i'm slowing the entire
process down a bit... enjoying it more, as well. also, if/when the pipe
starts getting hot, i just let i go out and set it down 'till it cools.
it is much more pleasant then messing with a red-hot bowl.
patience is a definite virtue in pipestry, i'm finding. it's helping me
to slow down the world. i love everything about it.

thank all of you for making each visit here an enlightening and
enjoyable experience.

.02
bohemian

[crwydryn]

G. L. Pease wrote in message
<01HW.B6FF676F0...@news.value.net>...

>On Sat, 14 Apr 2001 17:53:54 -0700, Tom Greene wrote
>(in message <3AD8F122...@attglobal.net>):
>
>> I read or heard somewhere that it was best to leave the dottle in the
>> bottom of the bowl (if not excessive) after smoking. The theory is that
>> this will aid in building a cake in the bottom of the bowl. Any
>> thoughts?
>
>I may be the odd man out in this discussion, but here 'tis.
>
>I nearly always smoke a bowl down to clean, dry ash, with little or no
>tobacco shreds to be found. I have no perfect packing technique.
>Sometimes, I relight dozens of times, sometimes only a few. I can count
>on three fingers (in decimal, not binary) the number of times I've been
>able to smoke a bowl the the bottom with one light.

I have to second Greg's thoughts here. I've never really had a special
packing technique, though the one that I just sort of developed over the
years sort of corresponds with the loose 1/3, middle 1/3, tamped 1/3 method
that is often presented here as one of the best (disclaimer: it works and is
easy to explain, but is not necessarily the best - use what works for you)
I almost always smoke right down to ash, sometimes have to light once,
sometimes use a whole box of matches. But I always get down there; dottle
is just nasty.

I have to say, though, that the fact I prefer smoking clays as my daily
pipes influences my thinking. There is after all no chance of burning out a
clay. I understand the concern that many have of burning holes in the
bottom of their pipes, but I don't think it's really that serious. When I
first started smoking pipes, I worked hard to get down to the bottom, and
didn't apparently damage my first pipe (which was 8 dollars at
Woolco...including a pack of pipe cleaners and a sampler of tobacco) -
stopped smoking it because the stem cracked and wasn't worth the effort of
repairing. Think I still have the bowl around somewhere...(though by now,
which of three continents it's on is anyone's guess)

When it comes right down to it, there really isn't a *right* way to smoke a
pipe. There are some basic rules to avoid problems, however:

- smoke to the bottom whenever you can to encourage cake and discourage
souring. If you know you're not going to make it all the way because of
time constraints or because the tobacco is quite strong, try to stop
somewhere around the mid point and leave the rest for DGT

- *Stop* if you can taste anything other than the tobacco.

- *Stop* if the pipe feels hot, especially if you have hot spots

- While getting right to the bottom on one or two matches is a wonderful
goal, *never* be afraid or embarrassed to relight a hundred times if you
need to. Even for the Dread Elders of Mystic Zargon, the fabled one match
bowl is a transcendent experience that comes anything but regularly. If you
*really* *really* like that experience though, here is a secret: clay pipes!
I get right down to the bottom on minimum lightings much more regularly with
my clays than with my other pipes.

- There is no substitute for your experience. You can get all sorts of
advice for keeping pipes lit or getting right to the bottom without
scorching the inside of your bowl, but in the end such factors as the
specific qualities of the pipe, the tobacco you smoke and (perhaps most
importantly) you are important factors in getting that perfect smoke. The
advice you get will help somewhat, but you can really only learn what works
for you, with your tobacco, in your pipes through experience.

My advice for beginners is this: although people often recommend that you
buy the best pipe within a price range that is comfortable for your budget
(just because some people are talking about getting more and more $400 pipes
doesn't mean you have to - you can build a really good collection without
paying more than $30 per pipe) if it's your first pipe, you might want to
move into a lower price range if you can. That way you're not losing much
of an investment if you go and burn through at the bottom.

Cobs are great for this. I've found them to be even more sensitive to
oversmoking than briar, which means if you can keep one going without
burning out, you should be able to smoke a briar with no problem. And if
you do burn one out, you can replace it for around $10 at most. And if you
can keep them going long enough to season them properly they smoke really
nicely.

--
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kevyn Winkless
kevyn@canada"r e mo v e".com

Qui me amat, amet et pipem meum

See the ASP faq at www.pipes.org

[Joe Duffy]

In article <mt-33234A.21...@newsserver.epix.net>,
Mark Tinsky <m...@epix.net> wrote:

>everytime there after. Smoking is for enjoyment and not a tobacco
>burning contest..... MT

I like that!

Joe

[Ian Rastall]

"bohemian" <tal...@prohost.net> wrote in message
news:tallon-5FCE71....@news.teleport.com...
> In article <01HW.B6FF676F0...@news.value.net >you know, lately

i've been sort of enjoying letting the pipe go out.

I have to. Sometimes just holding the unlit pipe is just as satisying as
smoking it, provided of course that there's more in there to smoke.

Ian
--
http://home.earthlink.net/~irastall/links.html