Having A Burning Problem

[xdreamtheaterx]

ok to start off im a newb when it comes to hookahs. my buddy has one and ive smoked with him a few times, and then i realized i have to get me one of these! so i was looking online and found my way to hookahhub.com. i ordered a 19 inch modern, and some hookah hookah tobacco. (and unfortunately i also bought a box of roland quick lights which i hope is my problem) i waited patiently for about a week until it came. when it finally did arrive i was like a kid on christmas. i had been researching hookahs and how to set them up the whole week so i figured i could put this thing together and have it up and running in no time. hah little did i know. its been 2 days and ive had nothing but problems. i pack the bowl loosely to about the top, just enough to where the shisha doesnt touch the foil(i have hookah hookah shisha). ive tried single and double foil and couldnt really tell a difference. i poke tiny holes in the foil like ive seen in pictures on this forum. then i light up the coal, which takes too damn long with a bic lighter so ive been using a blowtorch which seems to do the job pretty good lol. ive tried using a full one or a half one, and i set it on the outside of the bowl. then i start taking small hits to get it going. but after a few hits it starts tasting burnt. i tried so many things i just dont know what im doing wrong. the only thing i can think of is that its the roland quick light because ive heard nothing but bad things about it. its a pretty small bowl, so im not sure if that has anything to do with it. its just kinda depressing because at my friends house i could take giant hits and it would never ever taste burnt. i also noticed that there is not much taste to the smoke(maybe it has something to do with me smoking a pack of marlboro reds a day, i duno) which probably has something to do with the water level not being right. the reason my water level is probably off is because my base is a very dark color so i cant tell when the stem is submerged, but i can take care of that by using a little measuring. this burnt taste is killing me though so any suggestions are welcome and appriciated. thanks

[hookah hippie]

Okay first I would consider adding more water to my base
Then if a bowl is burning it is recieving to much heat
in that case lower the temperature by reducing the amount of coals
I would also suggest adding ice to your base to cool it down a bit but it isn't that neccessary
good luck I hope this helps

[Calcartman]

NOTE, this is my take on the problem and my method of solving it. Nobodys methods are the same.

I have rolland quick lights that i use in a pinch, and realistically with half a coal on, your not burning it.
So what youre tasting is coal.

More tobacco.
Pack it the bowl, put foil on it (Not hovering over the tobacco, on the tobacco, actually wrapped on the top portion of the tobacco)
Flip the bowl over and blow through it a couple times with your hand holding the foil around the bowl.
Flip back over, and take a toothpick or fork or whatever you use for poking, and poke straight through the tobacco to the bottom.
-
I say toothpick, cause thats what i use, but thats about as small a hole as i like, usually i wiggle em to make em a little wider. Poke enough of them. I poke them probably 1/8th to 1/4 inch apart, going around the circumfrence making circles. Usually i get to 4 or so rings on small bowls. Then poke 3 or 4 more holes anywhere you see a bigger gap than everywhere else.
This is just my method.
-
Fill your base with water, put the stem in, and take a pull through the hose port. If it doesnt gurgle, add more water until it does. If its too hard, pour some out.

Light a coal. a whole coal. wait until its glowing red and forms a bit of dust on the outside, EVERYWHERE. if any part is still black, it will taste terrible.

Place that coal on the bowl, on the outside, touching or very lightly over the edge.
Puff.
If it tastes like coal, your coal is still black, or it sucks. keep puffing anyways.
Take in air between puffs, dont just go constantly or you'll get sick.
Sooner rather than later you should get some flavor.
And if it starts actually burning, you will know.

If all else fails, have your friend or someone who knows show you how they do it. Edited June 7, 2007 by Calcartman

[ezie]

Here's a tip, try breaking your coal into 2 pieces and if you still taste the burn shisha try putting less coal. Use one QL coal at a time. If the smoke isn't thick enough add some more coal. Try using a windscreen for the first half hour, it helps to heat the shisha and if you taste the burn just remove the windscreen. A tip for your water level. If you already have the perfect water level just take an empty bottle and pour it to the bottle and mark the water level so you know that it's just perfect. I learn this from people here in the forum it's a good tip. I hope you have a great session later peace.

[Jamal]

It might be the small bowl, i've had that problem to like I would add a real strong flavour but all i'd get was this digsuting tobaccowey flavour which ruined the experience, i'd recommend getting a bigger bowl.

[xdreamtheaterx]

calcartman you were totally right. i wasnt letting the coal get tottaly lit up and thats y i was getting a burnt taste, and that would explain the killer headache i had later that day. thanks for the help man. and thanks for all the suggestions everyone else made.
i just got done mixing strawberry with lemonade, which was a kick ass combo i heard someone talking about on this forum.
this seems like an awesome forum ill definately be hangin out on here more often.
thanks again for the helping the newb!

[Calcartman]

calcartman you were totally right. i wasnt letting the coal get tottaly lit up and thats y i was getting a burnt taste, and that would explain the killer headache i had later that day. thanks for the help man. and thanks for all the suggestions everyone else made.
i just got done mixing strawberry with lemonade, which was a kick ass combo i heard someone talking about on this forum.
this seems like an awesome forum ill definately be hangin out on here more often.
thanks again for the helping the newb!

glad to be of help
just watch out, cause this gets addicting and expensive
just like women!

[billy]

I have some quicklights, but I dont know how to heat them. Do I put them on the stove until it starts flickering and then take the coal off and blow it until it glows?

[Allia22]

Just flick your bic.

[billy]

Bic??? whats that??

[The King]

Bic??? whats that??

a lighter... Just hold a lighter under it and it'll start sparkling then for me I let it spark till its done, then heat it up a bit more with the lighter and blow on it till its glowing all over

[billy]

Hmm, I;ll give it a try soon.

[Allia22]

Whoops, forgot you were from over the pond, my bad >.<