I don't get ash
 

Ok, I'll still fess up to being a cigar noob. So wassup with the facination with ash. White, black, lasted 2 inches before it fell off, etc. What do I not know? Personally I bump it off ASAP so it doesn't fall off at an inopertune moment. I get being concerened about the burn. plugged, viens..... just not ash. :hm

Re: I don't get ash
 

It can be like trampled grass to a tracker.. indications of things. As cigars age their ash tends to lighten up from whatever starting point. You can see the rolling method, how much binder vs filler etc. Not a big deal but a lil diversion in the anally retentive process.

My fascination with ash is directly related to smoking enjoyment. Keeping a longer ash helps the cigar burn cooler by restricting the air for combustion. There are many times where real or perceived I thought the cigar tasted better by holding a longer ash. In PPP's it can really help reduce the heat on a cigar being hit more frequently than is desired.

Plus the patterns and swirls are cool to look at while "dosing". :D

Re: I don't get ash
 

I also find that a cigar that holds its ash seems to burn better, less chance of runs. I will agree with Da Klugs, whether perception or reality they seem to taste better.

On a side not it is always entertaining when I wait a little to long (most times it seems) and drop hot ash in my lap.

Re: I don't get ash
 

I love your analogies Klugs!!

Re: I don't get ash
 

I just like a nice piece of ash every now and then :ss

Jason

Re: I don't get ash
 

Thats why his pelt has holes in it :ss :r:r

Re: I don't get ash
 

I don't give ash too much thought except when I smoke naked.

Re: I don't get ash
 

While I like to see how long an ash I can get goin', I'm always worried once I get a good one that the dang thing is going to land in my lap. Not the end of the world of course. Just stand up and shake it off, don't rub and that usually takes care of it. But then, what's the ashtray I bought for? :D I'd rather the ash fall in the tray rather than on the deck but the wind will take care of that. So it's all a matter of the mood I'm in. Either let it build and not worry about it or gently roll it off in the tray.

Re: I don't get ash
 

The longer ash does help keep the smoke cooler. And for that reason, I will try and keep from ashing but I just never understood the game of seeing how long the ash can get. Seems a bit juvenile to me.

Re: I don't get ash
 

I read that the "lightness" of the ash has to do with the soil that the tobacco is grown in. The whiter the ash, the more rich the soil. I think it was the editor of Cigar Afficionado.....
Anyone else heard of this?

Re: I don't get ash
 

My reasoning right there!

Re: I don't get ash
 

I agree with Dave and Hairball as for the cigar being better if the ash stays on longer. I have often wondered why the color was so different from very dark almost black to close to white. I really like a firm ash personally. They seem to "hold" better if you know what I mean. However, getting a little ash in my lap has never bothered me at all. :)

And ash makes for great thread topic as well.

Re: I don't get ash
 

dont worry, Bao doesnt get much "ash" either!!!

Re: I don't get ash
 

How does the longer ash make it cool better? I can't see how that works.

As for keeping the ash, for me it's an indicator of how well rolled the cigar is. If the ash breaks away half an inch, more than likely it's a bit too lose. I also like the look of a cigar with some ash, but I always tap it 1/3 way through (more if it's a lancero).

White ash means that everything is combustable, while a black ash means that everything has not combusted. Nee explains the ash thing, but basicly, as a cigar ages, the fermentation starts to break down everything. A white ash means that more things are broken down and it can be easily burned. A dark or black ash means that there are still a lot of raw materials that have not been broken down from fermentation and therefore not as combustable. Next time you see a dark ash, light it up and you'll see it turn white.

Search my post for "Illustrated Encycopledia" which has the Cliff Notes version of what Nee is saying.

Re: I don't get ash
 

:r:r:r

Re: I don't get ash
 

Al, have you noticed that younger ash tends to be firmer?? I also like firm ash, but the color doesnt really concern me. A piece of ash is a piece of ash




did somebody say something about juvenille???

Re: I don't get ash
 

From Cigar Aficionado's web site:

Q: Some cigars have bright white ashes, others are almost a charcoal gray. What determines the color of a cigar's ash?
A: The magnesium content of the tobacco.

High magnesium yields a white--and flaky--ash, low magnesium a grayer one. As for taste, it's generally considered more desirable to have high magnesium, and thus a white ash, but that's by no means a firm rule. Some of Cuba's great cigars often have very dark gray ashes.

Re: I don't get ash
 

This could be true but I don't smoke many fresh ones any more. I can say however that some with a little age on them have a very firm ash.

Re: I don't get ash
 

well, at your age, im not suprised!!!

Re: I don't get ash
 

OMG :r :r :r

funny sequence of events

Re: I don't get ash
 

So CigarAfic wrote, so it must be... fertilizer. :D Specific to Cuban cigars there is a wide variation in ash color in their freshly rolled cigars. Light to dark gray, sometimes both. With NC cigars the range seems even broader.. from pure white to black, with the tendency towards a lighter ash vs their Cuban counterparts when fresh. Pure white, how boring is that, no evolution of color over time to contemplate. :D If you subscribe to MRN's thinking, there are variables which can affect a cigars off the boats ash color. Improper or incomplete curing and fermentation would seem to yield a darker ash. Triple fermentation like in the Cohiba Linea classico series would under this line of thinking start life out lighter. Dunno if there is an easy explanation. Some taste better than others fresh. Others taste better than some after a few years. Still others evolve into something real different after even more time. The ash color does change with age though. Is Magnesium a byproduct of cigar fermentation? Dunno.

We need out friend Seangar to chime in here.

Re: I don't get ash
 

The ash works like a heat sink to disperse the heat, thereby keeping it a bit cooler.

Re: I don't get ash
 

I personally think the super-white ashes of Nic cigars are really cool. You know when you have a Nic puro. Plus the added Mg is like smoking a vitamin! ;) As others have stated, the stick seems to burn better when the ash buffers the burn from the environment. You can set it down for longer times and come back to a lit cigar in those cases.

Re: I don't get ash
 

Well cured tobacco should have a white ash with a definition of the leaves' pattern. The ash should be fairly firm. Some do the technique of resting the cigar upside down on the ash to determine if it is firm or not, but that can be easily seen just looking at the cigar. This tells a lot about cigar. A dark ash means a lot of stuff didn't burn clean, like impurities within the tobacco or not cured fully.

I find the that non-Cuban cigars tend to have better cured tobacco from the start, but many box age Habanos long enough to correct this.

Re: I don't get ash
 

I really notice how white the ash is on an Oliva Serie O :cb

Re: I don't get ash
 

Hmmm interesting thoughts

Re: I don't get ash
 

Dang 2 pages on ASH.... Who would have thought. It does confim to me that a lot of folks are concerned with it though. :)

Thanks for all the input guys.

Re: I don't get ash
 

I bought a dust buster just for the ashes that fall on the deck. That thing comes in handy, at least in the summer.

Re: I don't get ash
 

A long ash keeping the cigar cooler has never been proven or disproven to my knowledge. As mentioned it is all about perception (which is the case in most of this glorious hobby).The concept is that the ash acts like a radiator to help pull heat away from the cigar as well as a reduction in the oxygen that is needed for combustion of the tobacco.

Try it with or without long ash and see whether you can tell the difference your preference is what matters.

Re: I don't get ash
 

What if you barrow the laser thermometer that the guys on the rink? You could do a study and report back.

Re: I don't get ash
 

I always thought that a cigar with a longer ash burned cooler as it was not effected as greatly by external oxygen sources.

IE it keeps the wind from directly blowing on the "cherry" and causing burn more intensly.

Don't know if there is anything to this but that is how I rationalized it in my mind.

Re: I don't get ash
 

:r

I just let the cigar do its thing. If a long ash develops, then I try to leave it alone, but I become weary when it’s over an inch or so…just sick of it landing in my lap and hearing the misses laugh. :r Some of the best ashes I’ve experienced have been with Fuente cigars. Man, do they know how to roll a good cigar.

Re: I don't get ash
 

Hmmmmmmm

I am pretty sure you meant that as a funny but now I am intrigued.

Re: I don't get ash
 

I was dead serious.

Re: I don't get ash
 

To someone with your advanced age........don't most things......:rolleyes:


I have noticed ash directly corresponds to rolling style and smokability.

Re: I don't get ash
 

You're a pip. :D

Re: I don't get ash
 

You can tell the difference after numourous ppp's. ;)

Re: I don't get ash
 

I can see maybe where the ash could possibly dissapate the heat like a heat sink would...

As for air induction restriction, yes. The lower amount of air intake would cause a slower combustion which would allow for a cooler draw of smoke. This would allow your taste buds not to be overwhelmed by the heat of a hot cigar.

Think of how an engine works. If your air to fuel mixture is off (computers and fuel injection dont count) your fuel will not totally burn. Then you get exhaust that still smells like gas.