Dottle

[ashauler]

I read on some boards where guys are talking about "smoking it down to ash". I've never been able to do this and always....I mean always...have some dottle left in the bowl. It's not much, but there is always unburnt tobacco in the bottom of the bowl.

Do you experienced guys have dottle often? Is there some kind of trick or technique that will eliminate it?

I've gotten much better with my packing technique, I've reduced my relights quite a bit, and am enjoying the tobacco.....I just can't figure out why none of my bowls burn all the way down.

[Paddy]

I always have "dottle" with tinned tobacco.
OTC tobacco such as Middleton's cherry I can smoke it down to just a few specks of charred pieces.

[cigarsarge]

Dottle is steam from the water in the tobacco and saliva. Dry the tobacco till it no longer sticks together when pinched before smoking. If your pipe starts to gurgle while smoking run a pipe cleaner through it...pulls out some moisture.

[nhcigarfan]

I get dottle more with some pipes than others, as well as with aromatics more often than straight. Plus time is a factor.

If I'm smoking something like nightcap, which I almost exclusively smoke out of the churchwarden I got from the pipe maker Sarge introduced us to, I get down to nothing but ash. Usually with no gurgle.

[cigarsarge]

I get dottle more with some pipes than others, as well as with aromatics more often than straight. Plus time is a factor.

If I'm smoking something like nightcap, which I almost exclusively smoke out of the churchwarden I got from the pipe maker Sarge introduced us to, I get down to nothing but ash. Usually with no gurgle.

Lots of aros have PG sprayed on them to keep them moist. I avoid most aros for that reason. Altadis bulk aros are full of it...I really avoid them. Better quality briar has less moisture issues as it is drier than lesser quality.

[ashauler]

Dottle is steam from the water in the tobacco and saliva. Dry the tobacco till it no longer sticks together when pinched before smoking. If your pipe starts to gurgle while smoking run a pipe cleaner through it...pulls out some moisture.

I hate having to run the cleaner through. It kinda breaks the "beat" of the smoke for me. Nothing I seem to do stops the gurgle in the Charatans make. The KW I have never gurgles, but I don't like the straight shape of it much. It's an estate and the bit isn't in all that great of shape, but it smokes ok.

I never have gurgle with my cobs, ever, so that's what I smoke most often. I've been rubbing out the flakes I smoke, and drying out just about everything for a bit now, and like I said have been getting enjoyable smokes, I just always seem to scoop and dump some unburnt tobacco, never just dump ash.

[craig]

Um, I've heard that a brass screen at the bottom of the pipe helps assure complete combustion. ;-)

I used to smoke a pipe at school - I don't remember ever having "dottle" or "gurgle" - I suspect due to the tobacco I smoked (black cherry Virginia Cavendish) and how dry I smoked it.

[WinstonSpencer]

I always have some unburnt tobacco at the bottom of a bowl. My pipe almost always gurgles about half way through a smoke. A single pipe cleaner usually fixes the gurgle. I attribute the dottle and gurgle to the specific pipe, the specific tobacco, and my technique. I'm still not quite at the point where I can smoke a pipe without constantly fucking with it.

[Roger]

I know when I smoke my pipe (without a screen LOL) I usually smoke it down until I have ash. Once in a while I catch myself off guard and take it too far finding that I inhale some hot bits of tobacco at the end. Hack! Wheeze! When it does happen i just take it real easy on the draw. If I have too much trouble with extra debris coming through the stem just empty my bowl out, reload and go! I guess I want to make sure I am using up all of my tobacco in my pipe. Have not had much trouble with gurgling yet, but the pipe cleaner to draw out moisture does work good. Roger.

[Paddy]

Um, I've heard that a brass screen at the bottom of the pipe helps assure complete combustion. ;-)

I used to smoke a pipe at school - I don't remember ever having "dottle" or "gurgle" - I suspect due to the tobacco I smoked (black cherry Virginia Cavendish) and how dry I smoked it.

I sort of have the same issue , the more expensive the tobacco the more trouble it gives me
The cheap shit smokes like a dream.

[TheGreekTitan]

Lots of aros have PG sprayed on them to keep them moist. I avoid most aros for that reason. Altadis bulk aros are full of it...I really avoid them. Better quality briar has less moisture issues as it is drier than lesser quality.

Do you avoid them because of the Propylene Glycol or because they are too moist? PG is in so many things, I know its purpose generally but I have often wondered about its safety. Thanks.

[MoeCizlak]

I would be willing to bet that there are few days of the week that you don't either ingest or absorb PG into your body. I'm not sure of it's exact toxicity numbers, but I doubt you could reach whatever levels would deem it toxic short of doing a PG keg stand. The company I work for sells a shitload of it in tanker loads and 55gal drums. If you need a couple of 55gal drums to do some toxicity testing, lemme know. I need to get my numbers up this quarter.

[TheGreekTitan]

I would be willing to bet that there are few days of the week that you don't either ingest or absorb PG into your body. I'm not sure of it's exact toxicity numbers, but I doubt you could reach whatever levels would deem it toxic short of doing a PG keg stand. The company I work for sells a shitload of it in tanker loads and 55gal drums. If you need a couple of 55gal drums to do some toxicity testing, lemme know. I need to get my numbers up this quarter.

Ha! No thanks, I don't plan on producing any rock concerts that need a fog machine anytime soon. I was just interested in Sarges' thoughts on the matter.

[cigarsarge]

Do you avoid them because of the Propylene Glycol or because they are too moist? PG is in so many things, I know its purpose generally but I have often wondered about its safety. Thanks.

PG for me equals too much moisture in tobacco. No matter how much dry time you have PG laced tobacco produces gurgle. C&D Tobacco uses distilled water to keep their tobacco moist. You can dry it ad much or as little as you like. Different pipes smoke differently...You can adjust the moisture to your own tastes with non PG blends.

[TheGreekTitan]

PG for me equals too much moisture in tobacco. No matter how much dry time you have PG laced tobacco produces gurgle. C&D Tobacco uses distilled water to keep their tobacco moist. You can dry it ad much or as little as you like. Different pipes smoke differently...You can adjust the moisture to your own tastes with non PG blends.

Ok, thanks. That's what I suspected. I've only had the aromatic tobaccos served from the giant glass jars at my B&M. I'm still focusing mainly on cigars but it is fun to dabble in the pipes a little as well. I'll have to pick up a tin of non PG next time I'm there to try something different.