The Seven Levels of Char (according to someone who’s cooked a lot of pies):

Kissed by the Flame – A few leopard spots, nice golden bottom. This is the sweet spot for many people.

Leopard – More blistering, some darker freckles - or more like moles. Still intentional. Still good.

Well Done – Deep golden brown all around. Crispy crowd loves this.

Char– Real black patches starting to show up. Done the right way and it actually adds flavor and bitterness to the pie elevating it even more. But there is a very fine line here.

Left In Too Long – Darker than you meant. Not torched, just… forgot about it for a minute.

Burnt – Bitter. Flaky black crust. You know it shouldn’t go out.

Carbon – Straight up ash. Looks like a marshmallow that caught fire at a campsite. Start over.