Smoking Entire Pipe Bowl to The Bottom

Should I smoke the entire bowl all the way to the bottom?

I was having a conversation with a fellow pipe smoker yesterday and the "smoking a pipe to the bottom" matter came up. I've had this conversation with many pipe smokers, and there are several arguments on both sides of the chasm. My approach is a relaxed one, but if you feel like you have to do burn your tobacco to the bottom, here is a way to do it: smoking pipe to the bottom. But if you want my take on it, please keep reading.

         Image source: ehow.com

Some insist that all the tobacco MUST be burned to ash all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Others, like myself, are content to smoke the pipe until it is no longer pleasant or enjoyable (or until I run out of time!). If that means I burn every bit of tobacco to a fine gray ash, excellent. But if I stop while the bowl still has tobacco remaining, so be it.

Since there are good and practical reasons to stop a pipe at any given stage of the smoke, I tend not to establish hard and fast rules about such things. I realize this more relaxed approach frustrates some who desire a clear-cut, check-list type of approach. But it fits very well with my own philosophy about pipe smoking. For me, the pipe is a peaceful, relaxing pleasure to be savored and not a burdensome task to be completed according to a bunch of rules.

Of course, there are some practices that should be avoided and others that are worth learning and perfecting. But as I often say, there is no "right" or "wrong" method for enjoying your pipe. Simply do what works for you and brings you the most pleasure from the hobby.

Smoking Pipe to The Bottom

I'm having trouble smoking to the bottom of the bowl and can't develop cake in the heel of my pipe. Can you offer any tips or advice?

It is a common refrain among pipe smokers that "you must smoke all the way to the bottom of the bowl." To some, it seems this adage is the "prime directive" or "first commandment" of pipe smoking. They act as if failure to burn all the tobacco in your pipe will result in severe penalty or loss of life and limb. Perhaps secret agents of the "Cake-Building Task Force" will hunt you down and force you to eat the dottle from a thousand pipes. But I laugh in the face of such danger and boldly challenge the necessity of building "heel cake"!

         Image source: pipesmagazine.com

Melodrama aside, I believe far too much is made of this issue. There is only one factor that should compel you to smoke to the bottom of the bowl: your enjoyment of the tobacco. If your pleasure diminishes at any point along the way, you should feel free to stop. If your tongue becomes sore, if the flavor becomes unpleasant, if you run out of time, or if you simply want to show your spite for this stupid "rule," then by all means stop smoking and dump out the dottle!

I can already hear the naysayers: "But what about building cake at the heel of the bowl?" Well, what about it? Not a single one of the pipes in my collection has ever developed cake at the bottom of the bowl. And yet I've never experienced a single adverse effect due to this fact. After breaking them in, my pipes smoke beautifully, are flavorful, and I've never experienced a burn out due to lack of heel cake development.

Obviously, there's nothing wrong with building cake at the heel of the pipe bowl. And if you're able to regularly burn the tobacco down to the bottom, that's great! But many folks find it difficult to do so, and they shouldn't have to feel guilty about it.

There are several reasons that contribute to the difficulty. Some reasons are self-evident and others are more difficult to identify. Moisture content of the tobacco, personal smoking habits (are you a drooler?), shape of the pipe (some are more prone to collecting moisture), briar quality (more or less absorbent), and even weather conditions can affect how well a particular bowl may burn.

Of course, even moist dottle will still burn if it gets hot enough. However, trying feverishly to reduce every bit of tobacco to ash can make you feel like you have a mouthful of hot lava. But if you insist on burning to the bottom, try taking frequent breaks to let your pipe cool. Then relight and smoke a little until it gets too hot again.

Some prefer to dump out the ash and let the pipe and tobacco rest overnight. This allows some additional drying time for the moist dottle. Then light up the dottle the following day and keep burning. This approach may work effectively, but many tobaccos taste poorly on relights. If your favorite blend retains its flavor, or if you're a glutton for punishment, then this approach may work fine for you.

You could also try dehydrating the tobacco until it is as dry as dust. This may produce adverse affects in terms of flavor and comfort, but if getting to the bottom of the bowl is your primary concern, removing as much moisture as possible will certainly aide in the goal.

These methods are, indeed, tedious. But if you feel compelled to persevere, it will likely pay off in the end. If you smoke it, cake will come.

But if you share my perspective that heel cake is vastly overrated, it simply may be time to acknowledge that life will continue just fine if you dump out the dottle and move on.

Smoking Pipe to The Bottom

I'm having trouble burning the tobacco all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Is this necessary? Do you have any tips for doing it?

It is generally considered a good and desirable thing to smoke your tobacco down to the bottom of the bowl. Doing this during the break-in process helps to properly develop a carbon cake, which will make your pipe smoke cooler and drier. The cake on the inside of the bowl insulates the briar from the heat of combustion. The carbon itself absorbs or deflects much of the heat and protects your pipe in the process. This also has a positive effect on helping to keep your pipe lit. Since the heat will stay in the chamber, rather than dissipating through the wood, it is easier to keep the tobacco ember burning. One additional benefit of a good carbon cake lining your bowl is that it can help intensify the flavors of your tobacco. This is especially true if you smoke only one type of tobacco in the pipe. This is called "dedicating" a pipe and is not necessary, but I thought I would at least mention it.

          Image source: http://forum.pipes.org

But as you're discovering, it can be very difficult smoking all the way to the bottom of the bowl, especially on new or refurbished pipes. One of the chief reasons for this difficulty is the moisture that collects in the bottom of the bowl. This moisture is a result of combustion and is unavoidable. However, excessively moist tobacco or heavily cased (i.e., flavored) aromatic tobaccos can be especially problematic. (This doesn't mean you should avoid aromatics--I've broken in many pipes using nothing but aromatics.) As you smoke through the bowl, the tobacco at the bottom soaks up the moisture that collects there. This makes it very difficult to keep your pipe burning and requires frequent relights. Unfortunately, frequent relighting at the bottom of the bowl often causes the smoker to draw the heat from the flame directly into the mouth, which can lead to serious tongue bite.

So, how do you burn it to the bottom? Well, I'm afraid there is no "secret technique." I've broken in dozens of pipes and no two have been the same. Some broke in very quickly and easily. Others required far more smokes than I would have imagined before a good cake began to form. Below are few general suggestions that may help.

1. Try smoking only small, partial bowls in your pipe. This will help prevent excessive moisture building up in the heel throughout the smoke. Since you're only filling the very bottom (say 1/4 or 1/3 of the way full), there should be less buildup of moisture. This means the tobacco will stay drier and should make it easier to burn down to ash. You still have to exercise care not to draw too heavily or you run the risk of scorching your tongue. Once you notice the cake starting to form at the bottom of the bowl, you can begin filling the chamber more fully. Keep in mind, as I noted above, the cake itself will ultimately help to keep your pipe lit and aid in burning the entire bowl of tobacco.

2. Make sure you're smoking slowly and steadily. Puffing too rapidly or sporadically can cause uneven burning and makes it difficult to reduce the tobacco to ash.
Tamp regularly to make sure the tobacco ember stays in contact with the unburned tobacco. Tamping also maintains the ash "crust" on top of the tobacco which aids in burning.

3. If you notice a large amount of moisture in the bottom of the bowl, it may simply not be possible to burn all the tobacco down to gray or white ash. In those cases, don't worry about it. In my opinion, it's much better to tap out the dottle (unburned tobacco) than to fry your tongue by puffing too hard or drawing the hot flame through that moist tobacco.

4. Lastly, keep in mind that there is absolutely nothing wrong with relighting your pipe--even many times. Even the most experienced smokers often relight their pipes frequently depending on a number of conditions. In fact, some actually prefer to allow their pipes to go out on purpose, let the pipe rest a few minutes, and then relight it again. But the point is, there is no shame in having to relight.

In the final analysis, I encourage you not to be overly concerned about burning the entire bowl of tobacco. Even though burning the tobacco all the way to the bottom of the bowl is a worthy goal, it is not something that should become the focus or emphasis of your pipe smoking. Sit back, relax, and puff away. I have often told my son, who is a novice pipe smoker that smokes very infrequently, that "pleasure comes before precision." That's simply my way of saying that pipe smoking is more about your enjoyment of the hobby than it is about perfecting your techniques. Good technique comes with time. It takes patience, practice, and perseverance. But if you don't enjoy it, you'll never spend the time necessary to develop good technique.