Well, i made a homeade bong using a bottle, a pen tube and foil. I tried it out just using some bits of paper towel and when i did it, i sucked in and i looked in the chamber, and the "smoke" was clearish. Maybe a tiny bit gray but almost all clear. Is smoke in bong supposed to be clear. Oh yes, i can still taste the smoke, almost as if it is just being filtered well. ???
Ya the density and color of smoke is determined by oils in the plant matter, along with how wet it is.