White Spots in Ash

[big bopper]

Probably another noob query but what the hey!

Had a Party Short yesterday and noticed there was a fairly significant amount of white spotting in the ash as per the pic. The stick smoked fine and tasted ok, only issue was uneven burn all the way though. Bought a couple of weeks ago and been in the humidor, which is at a pretty constant 65/65.

Not really seen this to any great degree before and wondered what it was? (if anything!).

IMG_00000012.jpg

[cigarmo]

They call it tooth from the little bumps on the wrapper leaf not common on cubans but you do get it, can also be a sign that the soil had a high magnesium content, nothing to worry about.

One of the more experianced BOTL may have more to say

[Sean]

Had that myself on smokes and always wondered what it was

[dazzer]

I couldn't wait so smoked the montecristo 520 earlier, saw this in the ash:

2013-09-22 14.44.02.jpg

[cigarmo]

I couldn't wait so smoked the montecristo 520 earlier, saw this in the ash:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13601[/ATTACH]

That looks nasty bug eggs?

[dazzer]

I burn the ash once in ash tray and the flaky drier pieces burn off and these balls sort of coalesce.

I have done it on most of the cigars I have smoked so far and the ash from all of them do it to varying degrees.

I imagined it was unburned oils, especially as in this pic they seem to be created on the veins...where I imagine the highest concentration of moisture/oil to be?

It was a disappointing smoke though, I had been really looking forward to it.

[dazzer]

double post.

[cigarmo]

Could be the natural sugar in the leaf,

[sheppsea]

I couldn't wait so smoked the montecristo 520 earlier, saw this in the ash:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13601[/ATTACH]

I think that just what happens with the ash when exposed to a flame - it certainly does whenever I have to relight a cigar!

[cj121]

This is an interesting article.

edit: there is a link in the word This, but it doesn't seem to show my end, sorry if my reply seemed a bit random. It is working though

[big bopper]

They call it tooth from the little bumps on the wrapper leaf not common on cubans but you do get it, can also be a sign that the soil had a high magnesium content, nothing to worry about.

One of the more experianced BOTL may have more to say

Thanks mate, I did have a few half baked theories whilst smoking the stick but wouldn't have got to that explanation in a million years!

[monkey66]

I have heard many theories over the years regarding the little white balls. The most convincing one was around the little pockets in leaves that allow the leave to breath and these are the result of their combustion.

Ryan can probably contribute on this a bit further if he spots this thread.

Either way it is normal.

[Ryan]

I have heard many theories over the years regarding the little white balls. The most convincing one was around the little pockets in leaves that allow the leave to breath and these are the result of their combustion.

Ryan can probably contribute on this a bit further if he spots this thread.

Either way it is normal.

It's just my theory, I'm looking into it. But to me those little white spots (and I sometimes see them too) look very much like stomata from the tobacco leaf. Every leaf that photosynthesises in air (i.e. is green and not an underwater plant) has them.
They are normally not visible or very hard to see but what reminds me of them is the size, density and pattern of them.
Excess ozone in the air can cause stomata damage, called "weather flecking", a term I first heard on a Cuban tobacco farm where they believe the excess ozone comes from industry in Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. Whether that's true or US/Cuban "politicking" I don't know. I do know that "weather flecks" are one of the issues taken into consideration when the Cuban tobacco institute decides which hybrid to plant the following season. Some hybrids are more susceptible to the effect than others. I can't remember which right now.
It is possible that slight damage to the stomata on the leaf could cause a more visible effect in the ash i.e. those spots. I would doubt very much if there is any effect on flavour or burn. Severe weather flecking will cause very visible damage on the leaf, making it unusable for wrapper tobacco, that is, if the leaf has not been damaged badly enough to make it unusable for reasons other than appearance.