new to the brothers of the briar. have been pipe smoking for a year. favs are Frog morton and tinderbox reserve 1928. i've got some gl pease union square in my closet but i have to put on my big boy pants for that one. anyway, here's my problem. no matter what i smoke, the last half of the bowl is ashy tasting and not nearly as nice as the first half. i hate those tobacco reviews where they describe how wonderful that last third of the bowl tastes. i never get that far. maybe i'm a crappy packer, maybe too light or too tight--not sure. i've recently started using the german method. i like it for it's simplicity, but i'm still getting the ashy taste. i welcome all the wisdom that's out there. thanks.