Bowl finishes bitter.why?

[bryant]

Just another noob with another noob question ...why is it that when I get to near the bottom of my bowl that the smoke gets very bitter? My thinking/analysis/research suggests I am either smoking too fast? (Which I am nearly certain is at least part of the problem) It's part of the process of my MM cob breaking in? (Seems to be some difference of opinion on this...as the wood stem chars it may be producing this bitter taste and will go away with time as the cake and char settles) Is it a characteristic of the PA tobacco I am beginning my journey with? (This seems least likely to me)

Thanks for the advice!

 

[john parker]

Newish to pipes as well. Have noticed bitterness in the end of smokes with both my estate briar pipes, as well. No idea why. Figured it was just the way things were meant to be until I saw the question above asked.

 

[Hirsute]

With a new cob, you will get some burning wood in the bottom of your bowl, which definitely won't taste good. That should improve dramatically after your first half dozen bowls in a new cob.

In general, though, moisture (including water and tar) tends to accumulate toward the bottom of the bowl. It it's tasting bitter, pass a pipe cleaner down the stem and absorb some if this. You may also be smoking too hot at the bottom of the bowl. Try tamping and relighting.

If none of that helps, go ahead and dump the bottom of the bowl when it gets bitter. I hate wasting tobacco as much as the next guy, but life's too short to not enjoy your smoke.

 

[jiminyshiznit]

I'll be curious as to what the experienced pipers have to say here, too. A potentially related thing came up in a recent conversation I had with a very experienced smoker.. we were talking about loading the pipe, and he mentioned that some guys will put a pipe cleaner in the pipe while loading it, which will protect the air hole from getting plugged and will keep a little air pocket beneath the tobacco. As a side note, he said to keep that cleaner handy for use during the smoke.. As I looked puzzled, he explained that running a cleaner through at around mid-bowl will get the moisture out, which can also interfere the draw and flavor.

To tie that back to this topic, I once made the mistake of tipping the pipe upward while smoking a bowl and my tongue was hit with the most bitter, disgusting taste.. I imagine that if that moisture soaks the tobacco at the bottom of the bowl, and you manage to keep it lit, the taste would be bitter. Not sure that's it, but I will say that I tried the loading suggestion with the pipe cleaner in, as well as using that cleaner during the smoke, and it seemed to make the 2nd half of the bowl more enjoyable, and I was able to smoke to the bottom of the bowl, which doesn't happen for me too often.

 

[Commander Quan]

Yes, pipe cleaners are not just for after you're done smoking, thread one of those babies down through the stem into the bowl when it starts to gurgle, or if you're a little too liberal with your tamping privileges. If you fill the pipe poorly or over tamp, some think the tobacco becomes too compressed to burn well, this can be the case if you really jam it in there, but most likely the draft hole is blocked restricting your draw. The gurgle is when condensation builds up on the end of the tenon. The airflow becomes turbulent when it enters the mortise, and moisture collects when is restricted into the bit.

As far as the bitterness at the end, it could be any number of factors, but that's usually just a good time to let the pipe go out, Unless the pipe is drilled perfectly with the draft hole coming out at the lowest point in the chamber there will always be some dottle left over.

 

[Tim_McD]

Even a light casing will condense moisture toward the last quarter of the bowl. I have found stirring it with the pick on my pipe tool, giving it a VERY light tamp and relighting it will restore the tobacco. Also, if you are getting a gurgle puff gently down the stem and send some smoke up the bowl.

That send the steam up through the ember and clears it out some

 

[the_edski]

Yep, it's just the dottle and moisture and what not left at the end. Dottle is a good thing, it's the workhorse keeping your smoke cool and flavorful. When it rears its bitter head, you know the bowl is over. Dump it out and thank it for its service!

 

[john parker]

Think perhaps I picked up what I have been smelling/tasting at the end of the bowl - ashes. The taste is like licking a burnt log. Usually begins around the last
1/3. Is this just me?

 

[the_edski]

Think perhaps I picked up what I have been smelling/tasting at the end of the bowl - ashes. The taste is like licking a burnt log. Usually begins around the last
1/3. Is this just me?

There is a lot of ash in the bowl towards the end, so that makes sense. You can try to lightly tamp down the ash to keep it trapped, or gently dump the fine ash out without disturbing the rest of the bowl.