used ma’assell look

[the mobile blacksmith]

Hey all, just wondering if this is normal.  After a session with the hookah, I take the bowl off and clean it.  The ma'assell is fused together into a black mass, the top is smooth and the bottom looks like the fresh stuff, but black.  It does not seem charred, just hard.  When I load it I put about a teaspoon in the bowl, pat it down with my finger, and place a screen on top.  The indented side of the screen goes down, like this ---____/---- and then I place foil on top of that.
Thanks!

[mushrat]

Sounds about right to me. The ma'asell is soaked in sugar or honey, which will carmelize and then carbonize hard and black when heated.
If your bottom stuff looks fresh but black you may try taking your coals and screens off about half way through your session and mix your bowl. I do and it tastes like I just started a fresh bowl. Get you even longer on your session.
$.02

[the mobile blacksmith]

Thanks Mushrat!  I had wondered about flipping the stuff over halfway through, but last night when we smoked, it was black all the way through, and we could tell when it was done.  Lasted about an hour, which was just right for the two of us, smoking Nakhla double apple!

[piperdown]

I also remember someone here saying that they would pull off the foil
& coals, flip the cake, and replace for a fresh blast of
flavor 

[piperdown]

Sorry - shoulve said flip the cake and replace the foil and coal(s). 

[cypress]

I would just load a new bowl before I flip the cake. It seems like it would get too charged. 

[mushrat]

Depends on when you mix/flip it.
I do it at the first hint of slacking in the flavour or smoke and I don't get any overcooking or burning myself. Probably have to do a little experimenting on your own blacksmith.

[entrailsgalore]

Ill usualy smoke the bowl untill i cn ano longe rtaste any flavor other
than burned tobacco or when the coal runs out. Then load a new bowl.
But fliping then smoking over would work as well, just my preferrence.

[wyteboy]

For me, I have found that "flipping the cake" doesn't really do much...I'd just assume pack a new bowl - it may keep the bowl going for like 10 mins or so but it's still never nearly as good as the original flavor so I just unpack and repack...
Question for those who smoke 2 or more bowls quickly...Do you use the same hole-punched foil you used for the first bowl or do you replace the foil with a new cut and re-hole punch?  Just wondering

[SMOKE~N~BUBBLZ]

 
I could never flip the cake.....it would not tast right....also i use a deep bowl so it would be hard to flip. What i have found is i start on one end of teh bowl and slowly work my way around the circumfrence of teh bowl.....this gives be a good smoke all the way through teh bowl and when i am done the massal is all used up.
I think teh bigest problem with tobacco burn is peopel either try to get it going to fast by sucking in teh air hard....this will just burn right away, also people try putting too much heat on to get a quick thick smoke, but that just burns teh top layer of massal to fast and then you cant get to the bottom part.
You need i nice constant burn all the way through. Dont forget you are not trying to burn teh tobacco but instead you should be trying to evaporate teh molasses, that is what gives the taste.
 
like mushrat would say "just my .02c"

[mikem]

I always change the foil every time. I wrap the maassel in the foil and toss it.

[entrailsgalore]

I always load a new bowl, put a new foil and add new water...alot of
wrok it may seem, but for me a fresh bowl every smoke is worth the work.

[mushrat]

Hmm.. starting a new bowl is one thing i guess, if you want to smoke another 40-50 minutes. I was only talking about giving my ma'asell a little stir near the end for a freashening of the flavor.