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Every time I read a tobacco review where it's clear that the reviewer likes the tobacco, there seems to be high incidence of the phrase "burns to a fine grey ash".

Now, maybe it's just me, but I can never make that happen. With the blends I smoke, the ash is always a salt and pepper color, and somewhat coarse. Even stuff that others describe as burning to a fine grey ash, always ends up a little coarse, and grey with flecks of black and white.

Is it just me? Do I not know how to smoke a pipe? Or is the "fine grey ash" really just a myth, a hyperbole of tobacco enjoyment?

You are just not a pipe smoker until your ash is fine and grey. White would also be acceptable. But it still must be fine.

Rad

Dang. I hope there's no tests for that....

I like my ash to be lumpy with turd-like chunks in it.

I guess it depends on how much you tamp. if you're a frequent tamper, your ash should be pretty mashed up and mixed together. If not, it my be lumpy. Clearly you're not spending enough on fine, high grade tamps!

KurtHuhn wrote:Dang. I hope there's no tests for that....

Don't worry, Kurt, I also fail that test with a tobacco touted as burning all the way down to nothing but a fine white ash.

I think this myth goes hand in hand with burning up every last shred of tobac to the very bottom of the bowl. For the most part, trying to accomplish the nothing but fine grey ash to the bottom of the bowl just coats your mouth with said fine grey ash and hot flames lick your tongue if you attempt to re-light. I have only a couple pipes in which the bowl and airhole configuration allow a complete burn to the bottom with very careful and gentle sips of smoke - but don't try to re-light! Normally, I leave a little dottle on the bottom to filter or screen the ash out of my mouth... but on top of that is a nice fine white-grey ash. When I poke the remains and give a good shake with my thumb on the top of the bowl (this coats the bowl wall with dry fine ash) and dump it, it's nice and "lumpy with turd-like chunks" as Nick so eloquently put it.

I think the point is that gooey aromatics or tobac with a lot of additives does not burn cleanly. The "burns to fine grey ash" catch phrase, I think, is meant to indicate that the tobacco is relatively unadulterated.

I burned my fine white ash once. I couldn't sit for a week.... ba-dum

Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week, folks.

KurtHuhn wrote:Dang. I hope there's no tests for that....

Actually, they won't let you into the Chicago Show, unless you can smoke your pipe to a fine gray ash. If you get caught dumping dottle, they'll kick you out.

Rad

Well, maybe I'll just drop some cigar ash into the bowl. "Look everyone, fine grey ash!"

Last year in Chicago, someone said they found a little ash hole to dump your fine ash in.

i've 9 times out of 10 had fine white ash. i stuff as much as i can in the bowl and tamp down with my thumb hard. at least i'm doing something right. i don't know if fine white ash is necessarily the mark of good tobacco.

I guess it depends highly from tobacco type and cut. I truly don't care about the consistency of the ash... I smoke for pleasure not a certificate

Who the hell looks at their ash? I mean who cares? Its ash. No longer useful. Its like saying, "The steak was excelent and came out of my ass in a firm log of shit."

Nick wrote:Who the hell looks at their ash? I mean who cares? Its ash. No longer useful. Its like saying, "The steak was excelent and came out of my ass in a firm log of shit."

Classic Nick.

Nick wrote:Who the hell looks at their ash? I mean who cares? Its ash. No longer useful. Its like saying, "The steak was excelent and came out of my ass in a firm log of shit."

Carve this into a piece of marble and send out into the space in a time capsule!!!!

You amateurish pipemakers! This pipe consistently achieves it!

m.c. wrote:You amateurish pipemakers! This pipe consistently achieves it!

I bet you have to pull damn hard to get that filter down to fine grey ash!

"The bottom 1/4 of the bowl became a bit rough...."

*SNORT LAUGH!*