Cotton filtering smoke - improved taste?

Cotton filtering smoke is not a new idea. For example Falcon brand (tobacco) pipes have a cotton filter underneath the bowl. The very first filtered cigarettes (Parliament) used cotton filters. Camel cigarettes are also cotton filtered. The vast majority of cigarette manufacturers use an acetate filter, however, and cotton filtering in general seems quite uncommon.

Recently I've noticed a couple of new products using this idea. What's particularly interesting is that they seem to be marketed to cannabis smokers (maybe not openly but I'm sure you know what I mean). RAW has 100% cotton filters that are meant for joints. Scientific Inhalations has a bubbler that filters first through carbon, then water, and last cotton.

I liked the idea of cotton filtering last in the bubbler as it would remove not only tars but also moisture from the smoke. Figured I'd try it out myself and bought some chlorine free cotton from the supermarket (organic would be even better but they didn't have any). Copying the idea I attached a carbon filter to my bubbler and stuck some cotton into its mouthpiece like this:



Tried it out for a couple of days now and it works well. The smoke is a bit smoother. If too much cotton isn't packed in the mouthpiece it doesn't add too much drag, but the cotton stays in there quite well anyway (actually maybe even better than when packed tight).

But what was most interesting is I really feel like it improves the taste. This was a surprise I've always thought of filters as something that reduce taste (in exchange for other benefits). I have no proof but I attribute the improved taste to moisture being removed from the smoke. I think tobacco pipe smokers often speak of a dry smoke being desirable for taste.

Here's the piece of cotton from the above picture after just one bowl of Haze (maybe about 0.3g). Remember that before the cotton it was already carbon and water filtered.



The tars aren't just on the sides but also inside it:



This stuff is dark and smells nasty leading me to believe it's good it was filtered out. Sure there might be some actives in there but with the amounts many of us here smoke perhaps maximum efficacy for every bowl isn't such a high priority... I can't really tell a difference between the effects with or without the cotton filter, but something like that is hard to evaluate. Anyway, a lot of THC is getting through that much is certain.

Any ideas or experiences? Try it out if you've got some cotton and a bubbler with a mouthpiece it will fit into. Having cotton as the last filter in a bong is a bit more difficult, but I also tried that by only having water in the ashcatcher with some cotton in the downstem of the dry bong.

What kind of cotton are you using? It looks a bit like those cotton balls that ladies use to remove make-up.

SetHeh said:

What kind of cotton are you using? It looks a bit like those cotton balls that ladies use to remove make-up.

Click to expand...

Well this was a roll of cotton inside a bag but I believe those balls are made from the very same kind of cotton. Apparently it's called "cotton wool" in the UK and "absorbent cotton" in the US.

Great topic for a thread amigo. I just started stuffing some cotton I picked from a field I was passing on the way home in my new B.wilsom bub. I instantly noticed how much smoother the hits were and I have been using them ever since. I even tried it with out a ball o cotton in it and its much harsher and I can feel irritation after a few bowls. With a filter I can smoke twice as much with no probs. Iam sure it is also helping me with my smokers teeth. The piece stays way cleaner also.

Glass bowl cotton filter

Glass bowl cotton filter

Has anyone figured out yet how to use a cotton filter with a glass pipe like this one?


UPDATE #1:
I think I figured it out:
1. Cut a strip of cardboard (approx 6 mm wide - depends on the size of a hole), than shape it into an "U".
2. Take a piece of cotton and shape it into a cylinder. Put the cotton into the U-shaped cardboard.
3. Insert the filter into the mouthpiece hole. Filter should fit the hole snugly. Use scissors to shorten the filter if necessary.



I will test this thing during the weekend (I'm a weekend toker ) and post updates here.

UPDATE #2:
It doesn't work very well. The mouthpiece hole is too small and if you insert a filter it creates too much drag.

UPDATE #3:
The following actually works:

1. Cut a square piece of 3M self-adhesive medical tape (the thin, paper-like kind, not the thick one).
2. Place it gently over the mouthpiece hole. Poke a hole in the tape; it should be the size of a hole of the mouthpiece, or just a little bigger.
3. Take off the tape and place a small piece of cotton where the hole is. Don't pack cotton too tightly, or it will create too much drag.
4. Put the tape back on the mouthpiece, circumcise it a bit, and seal it tightly.
5. The final result should look like a bowl/pipe with a band-aid over the mouthpiece. I know it doesn't look pretty, but it filters out tars and other nasty stuff!

I just found a solution on how to make a working cotton filter for a bowl. See update #3 above.

i don't know about cotton filters , but i do have a carbon filter attachment on my roor filled with carbon pellets. it definately filters the taste , and keeps the bong clean.