Need Tips On How To Get The Most Smoke

[solar2504]

Hi, I've had my hookah for about a week now and I'm having a good time with it but one thing is kinda bugging me.

I watched a few hooka videos on youtube and I noticed that these people are blowing out heaping gobs of smoke when they exhale but I can't seem to get that kind of smoke when I do it. It doesn't seem to make a difference wether I inhale for 5 seconds or 20 seconds, I always seem to blow out the same piddly amount of smoke!

Here's what I'm working with:

I have a junior hookah (about 10 inches tall), one hose attached to it, the other hole is capped.
I'm using El Basha Molasses Tobacco and quick start charcoals with foil screen.

I do break up the tobacco with my fingers before filling the ceramic thing (forgot the name LOL), I poke about 12 to 15 holes all with the supplied poker that came with it. And I fill the bottom part with cold water, the stem is about 1 inch deep in the water, and that's pretty much it.


Is there some special trick to getting lots of smoke, or am I just not using the right type of tobacco?

[ASUSEAN1]

what kind of quicklights are you using and how many? If you want to blow thick clouds, heat management and setup is key and it sounds like you are setting it up right.

[Johnny_D]

El basha is basically nahkla.

You are probably going to need more heat to really get it going.

You *may* want to consider adding some glycarin to the el-basha tobacco. But only a small amount
and mix it in well. This will make it more moist. Mix it in and leave it for a good 12 hrs.

And don't add too much - all you will taste is glycarin.

But experimentation is the key.

JD

[solar2504]

I'm using nakhla charcoal, I only light one piece every time. I'll look into getting some glycerine sometime this weekend if you think it'll help.


Quick question: is it normal for the tobacco to stick to the foil? Because after I'm done smoking when I pull the foil off a bunch of tobacco is stuck to it and it's usually burnt, is that normal? or am I over filling the ceramic. I never go over the top but I do fill it up, I guess the weight of the charcoal pushes the foil down and it sticks to the tobacco. Edited April 20, 2007 by solar2504

[mushrat]

Yup, heat management = smoke. Just have to experiment until you hit the "oh crap i burned the bowl" heat level, then step back a little .

As for the tobacco on the foil. Since the foil does sit on the tobacco, and there is a heat source on top, you are going to get some stick and burn. One reason I prefer screens, no sag even with a half filled bowl. (and here comes the foil vs. screen discussion again.) Edited April 20, 2007 by mushrat

[Allia22]

The reason foil sags: Even if you've got it stretched tight as a drum across your bowl, when you plop your coal on it it will still sag. The heat's causing the metal to expand!

But nah, don't worry about it. If anything, it just makes your bowl easier to clean afterwards if all your cooked shisha's on the foil

[ASUSEAN1]

personally, i always leave a space between the foil and the tobacco. Try adding 2 coals instead of one.

there are some examples in the FAQ sticky on the top, you will find some good pictures Edited April 20, 2007 by ASUSEAN1

[Hammerhead]

I am new at this and I had the same experience at first. What I did was broke a coal in half and added it to get more heat and the smoke really billowed. With Tangiers I hardly need any heat to get massive amounts of smoke but it is much wetter (more glycerin I believe). With Nahkla I need a lot more heat. So with practice I am getting it down. I have the same issue of the shisha sticking to the foil but do not get a burnt taste so it is fine.

[GordonMac]

simply just add more coals

[metalhead209]

ok for starters a mini hookah only can hold so much smoke. size does kinda matter cause the biugger the base the more smoke it can hold. also heat managment is key!!! quick lites dont burn as hot as other coals wich isnt essentialy bad you just need to put more on. try 2 or 3. heap them on till the smoke get harsh then pull some off till you get nice smoke consistency. also some tabbaccos just smoke better then others keep this in mind. glycerin could help but i think its a waste. whats the point in buying shisha with added glycerin if your just gonna add more. i guess im a purist and think brand shisha should be left untampered. finaly are you putting ice in the base? if you can you should try because ice will cool the smoke inabbling your lungs to hold more which equals bigger clouds. try this out you should start smokin like a champ

[Bean]

actually, quicklites burn hotter than alot of other coals. I wouldnt say heap them on until it gets harsh, simply add in half or quarter coal incriments. start with a half coal, add another and see what that does, lather rinse repeat. also before you add more coal give the bowl some time to warm up, about 15 minutes of smoking and you will see what one coal does. be careful not to burn the stuff because after that its best to start over.

[metalhead209]

actually, quicklites burn hotter than alot of other coals. I wouldnt say heap them on until it gets harsh, simply add in half or quarter coal incriments. start with a half coal, add another and see what that does, lather rinse repeat. also before you add more coal give the bowl some time to warm up, about 15 minutes of smoking and you will see what one coal does. be careful not to burn the stuff because after that its best to start over.

now when you say quicklites burn hotter then other coals which ones are you speaking of because through my experiance quick lites dont last a long time and they wont burn as hot as any natural coal.

[Bean]

actually, quicklites burn hotter than alot of other coals. I wouldnt say heap them on until it gets harsh, simply add in half or quarter coal incriments. start with a half coal, add another and see what that does, lather rinse repeat. also before you add more coal give the bowl some time to warm up, about 15 minutes of smoking and you will see what one coal does. be careful not to burn the stuff because after that its best to start over.

now when you say quicklites burn hotter then other coals which ones are you speaking of because through my experiance quick lites dont last a long time and they wont burn as hot as any natural coal.

what i mean is, when lit they burn at a higher tempature than say, a japanese coal. Some natural coals may be hotter than a single QL but that also depends on the size, form, etc. of the natural coal.

[Ecstacy]

ok for starters a mini hookah only can hold so much smoke. size does kinda matter cause the biugger the base the more smoke it can hold.

Actually I dont think the base size has much to do with the amount of smoke. Sure the base only holds so much, but as you inhale it constantly gets resupplied with smoke ready to be inhaled.


Look at this hookah here made with a 20 oz(?) arizona tea bottle. He's pumpin out a pretty solid cloud. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZROqYKPjc

[Hookah_Bob3]

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned..How is the draw on the junior? Different draws will make pulling (more smoke) easier or harder

[sdmopar]

If it is tough to pull, i say drill out the hose port to make it easier to pull. If the stem doesnt go all the way down I suggest using vinyl tubing to make and extension for the down stem. Just fixed my friends mini hookah which would barely get any smoke. Once those things were done it smoked like a champ, almost as much as bigger ones. Ive done this to all my hookahs and it works like a charm! Just my opinion...p.s. I have no experience with that tobacco but if those things dont work then it could be the tobaccy. Edited April 20, 2007 by sdmopar

[Mapexdrumboi]

yeh the glycerine will help alot, its cheatin but you always get thick, white clouds. you only need a teaspoon full in a bowl. make sure you mix it in the shisha alot before you put it in the bowl, otherwise it will leak down your pipe and into the base and your liquid. gd luck