White or Gray Ash?

[Lapithicus]

I always thought that white ash was supposed to signal good nutrients for tobacco, but I have seen CC's touting their "signature gray ash". I'm now smoking a Gurkha Beauty; a decent stick but not what I would call a high-end ‘gar. Its ash is as white as Al Gore in the Winter. So which is it?

 

[Nacho Daddy]

white ash signals plenty of calcium.
Cuban ash is historically dark grey.
I have Cubans which show pale grey/whitish ash,lending weight to the claim of outside wrapper sneaking into Cuba.

what is your question?

 

[Lapithicus]

So I guess my question is: Does a gray ash or a white ash cigar signal the chances of a better cigar. A more mature growing field like a CC or a somewhat more less mature field found in Nicaragua, Honduras, or the Dominican Republic (relatively speaking). Which is more desirable?

 

[Ga Gator]

I believe white ash indicates a higher level of oxidation during the burn.

 

[King Kill 33]

I thought that the whiter the ash, the higher the potassium content in the soil. I read that awhile back and I could have the wrong nutrient. Not sure why I'd need to retain that knowledge either.

 

[oldglory]

hope this helps https://paynemason.com/blog/cigarblog/is-white-ash-a-sign-a-of-quality/

 

[danmdevries]

Ash is the part of the cigar that's dead to me and gets tossed in the trash.

What's currently burning and the experience I'm having is how I gauge the cigar.

Do you judge your beer by the color of your pee too?

 

[Nacho Daddy]

"Is white ash a sign of quality?

This myth was promoted by many of the new cigar smokers in the cigar boom of the nineteen nineties. The fact is the color of the ash has no relevance to the quality of the cigar. The color of the ash is a direct result of the composition of the soil from which the tobaccos where grown. White ash simply means that the soil from where the tobacco was grown was high in phosphorus and calcium. Dominican, Honduran and Cuban soils are generally low in phosphorous and calcium and higher in magnesium. Magnesium tends to offer a sweeter smoke, with a darker and flakier ash. In most cases, gray ash will indicate healthier tobacco. Ash that is too white or too black is generally less desirable."

So here we have a published article that dispels a myth (white ash being better),then stating that in most cases gray ash indicated healthier tobacco,and then stating that ash that is too white or black is undesirable.It also states that it is a "Fact" that ash color has no relevance to quality.
This sounds more like a political finding than anything factual ,relevant,or quotable.

"So I guess my question is: Does a gray ash or a white ash cigar signal the chances of a better cigar"?
You need to find a better indicator to judge cigar quality.........

 

[TomF]

It depends on whether or not you like lutefisk.

 

[Nacho Daddy]

MMMMMMMM.. lutefisk....Norway's answer to gefilte.........

 

[Smoqman]

"Is white ash a sign of quality?

This myth was promoted by many of the new cigar smokers in the cigar boom of the nineteen nineties. The fact is the color of the ash has no relevance to the quality of the cigar. The color of the ash is a direct result of the composition of the soil from which the tobaccos where grown. White ash simply means that the soil from where the tobacco was grown was high in phosphorus and calcium. Dominican, Honduran and Cuban soils are generally low in phosphorous and calcium and higher in magnesium. Magnesium tends to offer a sweeter smoke, with a darker and flakier ash. In most cases, gray ash will indicate healthier tobacco. Ash that is too white or too black is generally less desirable."

So here we have a published article that dispels a myth (white ash being better),then stating that in most cases gray ash indicated healthier tobacco,and then stating that ash that is too white or black is undesirable.It also states that it is a "Fact" that ash color has no relevance to quality.
This sounds more like a political finding than anything factual ,relevant,or quotable.

"So I guess my question is: Does a gray ash or a white ash cigar signal the chances of a better cigar"?
You need to find a better indicator to judge cigar
quality.........

This is "useful knowledge".

Let us all reference it from time to time in hopes that we don't again overthink the quality of our own individual experiences.