Ash is burned leaf. A long, pale ash can mean an even burn and a well-bunched cigar; it can also mean you have not tapped it. A flaky dark ash can mean uneven combustion or a wet stick. None of this is a score.
Wrapper, binder, and filler all become ash together, so you cannot read a single country or a single priming from the color of the column. Let it fall when it wants to. Balancing a three-inch ash is a party trick, not a blending note.
If the ash tunnels or sheathes a hollow core, look at draw and bunching, not at the color wheel.