I have read a few articles online about the color of pellets and why the darker ones are not considered as good. The biggest arguments I've heard against the darker pellet is that they are comprised of more ash, have been perhaps sitting outside in the rain, or heaven forbid they have been sitting outside -- maybe uncovered -- for sometime. Anybody else read/hear anything about the color of pellets, the correlation between that and performance, and residue output? If we agree that pellet color is a factor in the quality of pellet (and I'm not convinced), then I will say that the pellet color of the douglas fir Bear Mountain premium pellets many of you living out East claim is one of the best pellets out there (and golly I don't disagree) is far more darker than the great DF pellets I've been buying out of Shelton, WA (Cascade or Sierra Supremes) or North Idaho premium pellets. I also believe the latter ones put out a little more heat. So given my experience with the lighter pellets performing slightly better in my experience than the darker ones, it would seem this 'theory' is true. So what say thee? Is the color of pellet really just a marketing tool used as leverage to promote/demote another product over another? (Psssssssssst. I ask because this is one of those questions that has been lingering in my head)
Can’t go on color. We’ve burned many brands, and can say with certainty that color is not an indicator of burn quality. I’ve burned some light, medium, and dark pellets that were great and some that were not. Some of the best pellets I’ve burned are darker in color. For example, Vermont’s, Blazers, and even the Somersets I just threw in the hopper last night. All dark and all very good. On the other hand, some lighter color pellets like North Country, Spruce Points, and La Crete are all very good too. I think the confusion comes from the fact that in some cases, the dark color can be an indicator of excess bark in the fiber mix. In that case, quality can be affected. I don’t think we see too much of that anymore these days though. You really need to do a bit of research and testing to know for sure what you are getting.
I've always though wood darkens as it aged. My light colored white oak ended up pretty gray by the time I seasoned it 2 to 3 years. Still get startled though every time I rip open a bag and them dark ones stare at me. Never know what to expect. Don't really know until you burn them(like tt said!).
Graying of firewood is actually a mold i believe. Wood pellets i believe the darkness has a lot to donwith the die temperature. Too hot and it chars the outer most layer. Shouldnt impact heat or ash.
I actually just thought soft wood pellets were lighter and hardwood pellets were darker? I'm burning Energex blends right now and they're wicked dark. Not happy with them to be honest...
The only time I've had an issue that was related to color was when I tried to burn pine horse bedding pellets that a lot of people were raving about during a pellet shortage. I got 5 bags out of curiosity and they were horrible. Came to find out everyone that was raving were getting bags of light pellets, and those of us that got dark pellets were severely disappointed. As far as pellets specifically bagged for burning, IDK if I've ever really noticed a correlation between color and burn (course I normally burn chit to middling pellets).
The drying process affects the color more than anything else. If you are using dead wood that is already dry (beetle kill from the north west for example) you don't have to expend energy to dry the wood. If you have fresh-cut wood, you have to apply a lot of energy to dry it - even more in the winter when the wood is frozen. I can see a big difference in color between when the dryer is at a low firing rate and when it is at a high firing rate. But, the pellet test results are the same.
Simply put, you want pellets that are a tan to brown color. If you start getting primary colors mixed in there, you have a small dosage of plastic. Generally, that's not good.
If my dementia is cooperating, 4 yrs ago some very nice green label lignetics were practically black & pretty dang hot.. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I buy Bear Mountain or Olympus. Bear Mountain is considerably more dark if not Oreo and they burn pretty damm hot. They are one of the hottest. Meanwhile the Pacific Coast pellets are lighter and burn slightly hotter. But the BMs clearly suggest color is not very relevant.
