Dealing with tar

[bobarian]

Try smoking slower, one puff a minute is a good pace. Sometimes in the cold weather we tend to hot box or smoke too quickly. This can lead to tar buildup. Re-cutting is about the only way to get rid of tar at the head.

[Salvelinus]

I've been told I smoke painfully slow, though I don't think it is 1 puff a minute slow, and I am sure the winter has speeded me up. I do tend to cut too little of the cap and find myself needing to open up the draw with a new cut on occasion so I will give a more robust cut a try.

I don't find that a wipe helps, and neither does my wife when she washes my pants

This needing to make precise small cuts leads me to believe that I am in the market for a better cutter, time to pitch the cheapo

[Sauer Grapes]

Originally Posted by bobarian

Try smoking slower, one puff a minute is a good pace. Sometimes in the cold weather we tend to hot box or smoke too quickly. This can lead to tar buildup. Re-cutting is about the only way to get rid of tar at the head.

It happens a lot more in cold weather. I've been lucky to only see it twice, but I don't smoke in the cold too much anymore.

Originally Posted by bobarian

Try smoking slower, one puff a minute is a good pace. Sometimes in the cold weather we tend to hot box or smoke too quickly. This can lead to tar buildup. Re-cutting is about the only way to get rid of tar at the head.

I agree. My Yoda told me that tar builds up quickly if you smoke too fast. If you can reduce your sucking motion to every 1-2 minutes, you shouldn't have any tar problem.