Burnt Shisha

[billy]

Every session i have i ALWAYS brun my shisha, after i smoke i lift the foil and its all black!

I've tried double foil but still the same thing, Im using a medium phunnel and 4 easy light jap coals. If i use less coals I dont get any smoke or flavour.


Any help??

[Big Boss]

Every session i have i ALWAYS brun my shisha, after i smoke i lift the foil and its all black!

I've tried double foil but still the same thing, Im using a medium phunnel and 4 easy light jap coals. If i use less coals I dont get any smoke or flavour.


Any help??

pack less shisha. sounds like you have too much in the bowl and its touching the foil.

[billy]

I used to pack it alot when I first got my hookah and stuff, I also tried really less shisha and it still burns.

[frankenstein_666]

You know...I just got mine 2 days ago and I have the same problem...I have a thin layer of burnt shisha on the top and it's juicy at the base of the bowl?...i also get the shisha sticking to the bottom of my foil burnt. I have been using 2 small coals on the edge of my bowl too and moving them every so often for heat. I maybe packing it too much though...

What is the tobacco supposed to look like after smoking a bowl?..is it supposed to look burnt, still juicy a bit?..Mine is clearly crispy and black on the top.

[billy]

Mine is exactly as you desribed yours.

[Mapexdrumboi]

If you are getting flavour and thick smoke, which is easy 2 smoke and not harsh, there is no problem in having a shisha cake, its because all the tobbaco dries out faster at the top due to it being nearer the coals. If you are enjoying the smoking, there is nothing to worry about! hope this helps

[frankenstein_666]

Yeah, I am WAY new at this..I got hooked because I have some guitarists that swear by it and I now love it!...maybe someone has a photo or some advise for this thread

...update....yeah, mine has thick smoke and tastes great although I do get a slight burnt taste...not so much anymore but my very first bowl was...i think i just need to break in the pipe. Edited June 29, 2007 by frankenstein_666

[billy]

I do get thick smoke and good flavour but somtimes it does feel harsh.

[Mapexdrumboi]

you should be fine then, probs was the new pipe taste which is disgusting lol

[frankenstein_666]

Yeah, I agree...i could taste the hose too ...so, if you pack the bowl slightly under the foil (not touching of course)..it IS ok to have a dark burnt shisha on top?..is this typical or if you do it correctly the shisha should still be roasted (juicy) a bit?

[SmokeMojo]

I do get thick smoke and good flavour but somtimes it does feel harsh.

This is a common problem among a lot of newer smokers.. I had this problem myself.. I could never get it to "taste like the hookah lounge". I quickly found out that there are very few benefits from packing your bowl to the rim... You actually waste quite a bit of shisha this way. I usually leave a good 1/4" (quarter inch) gap between the foil/top of the bowl and the top of the shisha. Make sure your foil is TIGHT, I hold it tight as I poke the holes so it doesn't cave at all. You should be able to pat the top of the bowl with your finger and get a faint metallic drum sound. Try to poke a good amount of holes so it is not keeping a TON of heat in. When you place your coals on the bowl make sure they do not sink the foil in either. If you're using a medium or even a small phunnel, you do NOT need to pack it all the way to the foil, in fact in a medium bowl you should have quite a bit of air space between shisha and foil, especially if smoking on your own.

I can make a small phunnel with starbuzz or havana, packed halfway leaving nearly 3/8 - half an inch gap between shisha and foil and get a good 2 hours out of it with 2-3 people puffing. Your problem most likely is the abundance of Shisha and looseness of foil. I try to steer clear of the pre made aluminum grates they make as a substitute for foil because the holes are waaay to big. If you use less shisha you'll need less coals to heat it as well so you won't be burning it.

Give it a little time too, sometimes it'll take a good 5 minutes before you get the full effect/smoke/flavor of the shisha. When using mid-range to low end brands, you should definitely be patient.

[frankenstein_666]

I do get thick smoke and good flavour but somtimes it does feel harsh.

This is a common problem among a lot of newer smokers.. I had this problem myself.. I could never get it to "taste like the hookah lounge". I quickly found out that there are very few benefits from packing your bowl to the rim... You actually waste quite a bit of shisha this way. I usually leave a good 1/4" (quarter inch) gap between the foil/top of the bowl and the top of the shisha. If you're using a medium or even a small phunnel, you do NOT need to pack it all the way to the foil, in fact in a medium bowl you should have quite a bit of air space between shisha and foil, especially if smoking on your own.

I can make a phunnel with starbuzz or havana, packed halfway leaving nearly 3/8 - half an inch gap between shisha and foil and get a good 2 hours out of it with 2-3 people puffing. Your problem most likely is the abundance of Shisha. If you use less shisha you'll need less coals to heat it as well so you won't be burning it.

Give it a little time too, sometimes it'll take a good 5 minutes before you get the full effect/smoke/flavor of the shisha. When using mid-range to low end brands, you should definitely be patient.

Dude...that's sweet advice. I think I am packing it too much because like I mentioned...i have juicy leaf at the bottom still and hate throwing that away when i scrap off the top burnt cake.

I will try like half of what I normally pack today and post my results tomorrow ...

[ahwahoo2006]

SmokeMojo gives some good advice. Since you are new to hookah setup, just try lots of different ways until you get it exactly how you like - every hookah is different, really. That being said, coals are HOT and they do dry out the tobacco. So, there is a difference between a dried out bowl and a burnt bowl - mostly that if you take the coals off a burnt bowl it will keep smoking.

[Skarredmind]

This is something I've been messing with since I got my new, uncrappy hookah from Social Smoke, the bowl is very shallow (I would have a very tough time putting any shisha in it if I left a 1/4" gap at the top) I pack my shisha very loosely though. How tightly packed should it be??

Same question for the funnel/mod I have been thinking about buying one of these for a while, and I am seeing that they are meant to be used with 50g of shisha in the mediums (I am pretty sure it was the mediums) I can't fathom putting that much in a bowl what is the consensus here?? How full/tightly packed should one of them be??

Thanks!!

1 hour 56 minutes until I light up :-D

[Hannibal]

I dont have a funnel, but I assume the manner in which you pack it is the same as any other bowl (except for the fact that the shisha will be placed around the single hole/mod).

I hear a lot of people saying "sprinkle the shisha into your bowl", which is a good way to describe the action of packing a bowl, but if you smoke any really sticky shisha, then you may have noticed you really can't "sprinkle" the shisha. Just make sure that you seperate the shisha a bit as you pack it (try to loosen it up a bit). Smoke mojo brought up a really good point about leaving some air space between the top of the shisha and the foil, I know it seems like maybe you should have the coals touching the shisha through the foil in order to get any heat to it, but the coal burns quite hot and the heat WILL get to the shisha. Also, the way Smokemojo talks about poking your holes and keeping the foil taut is the best way you can set your foil. Make sure you rotate the coals as well, it will help distribute the heat so that you will not be constantly heating the same spot(s) during your session.

If the smoke gets a bit harsh try blowing out the smoke already sitting in the vase, then draw again. If the harshness continues right after that, then its a sign that your shisha is in fact burning. If its smooth once again, then you're all good.

[billy]

It might be the shisha but I use Al-Fakher.

[Hannibal]

It might be the shisha but I use Al-Fakher.

Well I smoke AF mostly too, what coals do you use and how many?

[billy]

Jap Easy Lights x 4

[Sonthert]

I do get thick smoke and good flavour but somtimes it does feel harsh.

This is a common problem among a lot of newer smokers.. I had this problem myself.. I could never get it to "taste like the hookah lounge". I quickly found out that there are very few benefits from packing your bowl to the rim... You actually waste quite a bit of shisha this way. I usually leave a good 1/4" (quarter inch) gap between the foil/top of the bowl and the top of the shisha.

Not with Tangiers. Everybody who has excellent results leaves no gap or a tiny (like 1/16") gap.

[holly]

Every session i have i ALWAYS brun my shisha, after i smoke i lift the foil and its all black!

I've tried double foil but still the same thing, Im using a medium phunnel and 4 easy light jap coals. If i use less coals I dont get any smoke or flavour.


Any help??

Pack less shisha. sounds like you have too much in the bowl and its touching the foil. Edited June 30, 2007 by Sonthert
Clean up quotes

[holly]

Every session i have i ALWAYS brun my shisha, after i smoke i lift the foil and its all black!

I've tried double foil but still the same thing, Im using a medium phunnel and 4 easy light jap coals. If i use less coals I dont get any smoke or flavour.


Any help??

make the bowl put foil over the bowl punch hols in the foil light your coal and the use another peice of foil to make a tent .then once its starts gettting to hot take the tent off.

[ezie]

If you are using a medium size funnel bowl 3-4 japaness coal is perfect but if you are using standart bowl [the one comes with your hookah] 2 japaness coal should be fine. Try experimenting with different types of coal. I also smoke mostly Al-fakher and some time burn the top part of the shisha but it doesn't taste harsh. I use 2 QL 3 kings brand and if i ran out of QL i'll use the japaness Easy lite coal. It you taste harsh it means you are burning the shisha so remove one of the coal and if the smoke is not thick enough just add one coal at a time.

If you are using QL try breaking them into pieces and use only what you need. 3 peices should be fine for me on a standart bowl [medium size] Peace have a nice session.

[Sonthert]

Tobacco does stick. If the bowl smokes fine, you never notice and never look to see it sticking. When you do have trouble you pull up the foil and find that its sticking and assume that it is the problem or at least part of the problem. If you pack a lot less, it won't stick, but that doesn't guarantee that it will smoke problem free. Establish good, consistent principles to preparing the head. If it sticks, but smokes well, ignore it.

[SmokeMojo]

Tobacco does stick. If the bowl smokes fine, you never notice and never look to see it sticking. When you do have trouble you pull up the foil and find that its sticking and assume that it is the problem or at least part of the problem. If you pack a lot less, it won't stick, but that doesn't guarantee that it will smoke problem free. Establish good, consistent principles to preparing the head. If it sticks, but smokes well, ignore it.

I noticed what Eric ( Sonthert ) said above is true. If you have a setup that works than you don't need to change it, even if it isn't the "norm". Every shisha smokes a little different too, like Eric said that Tangiers can be packed to the top, which I myself do with it. Other brands though just don't fare fare well when they're that close to the foil. Try a little bit of everything you've heard hear and you'll get the results you need.

One key to a good session is patience. If you have patience with your hookah and shisha, you'll get it right soon enough, and once you're there.... It is paradise.

[MechAnt]

I have a medium phunnel and all I use are three Jap style coals. That's it. I put them on and let them sit and heat the bowl up for about 20 seconds before I even try to draw. After waiting, i can pull up considerable amounts of smoke at each draw. I love me new phunnel! Mind you, this is while indoors, not quite experienced with a phunnel outside. On a standard bowl I use just two Jap style coals. Your heat management may be part of the problem so try using a little less heat then start working your way up. Edited July 1, 2007 by MechAnt