What Am I Doing Wrong

[Huskysibe]

Heres the deal, everytime I smoke, I have burnt shisha on the top. I have tried foil punched with 25-30 holes in a random fashion, moved the coal around etc etc. Now I am using a Mya QT, same deal, burnt shisha, granted the bowl is smaller but I have tried foil and screens but it always gets burnt. I only use 1 coal and I let it sit on the foil or screen for a good 5 mins to heat up the shisha, I dont take huge pulls on the hose either. I fill the bol loosly with Shisha but am careful not to let it touch the foil or screen but it always end up burning. Any tricks, how about hole placement, is there a better way to arrange the holes than random, maybe break the cole in half....I dunno I am at a loss here.

Billy

[mushrat]

It's not unusual to end up with SOME tobacco burned to the bottom of the foil when yu are done. Is it effecting the flavour any? What type of coal are you using?

[mrmonk7663]

When you say burning, I am assuming you are talking about a burnt flavor right, and not just tobacco that looks dark after you are done? Are you sure none of your tobacco is sticking to the foil. I used to often find that every single solitary time my shisha tasted burnt, that there was a small bit stuck to the foil. Even a small bit stuck to the foil can change the entire taste. When that happened to me I would simply take off the coals, remove the burnt stuff from the foil, give it a good stir in the bowl, reseal with the same foil, and continue smoking. When I had a normal bowl I used many many random holes all over and that worked great for me.

Michael

Also, if you are using quicklite coals, try starting the coals on the edge of the bowl, so that a small portion of the coal is hanging off the edge. Rotate around the bowl as you smoke, and when the coal goes low put it in the middle. I also, when using a normal bowl, would wallow out a little hole in the middle of the shisha in the bowl. I also only used one coal on my regular bowls. This is just what worked for me, your mileage may vary. Hope this helps. Edited July 7, 2007 by mrmonk7663

[chinamon]

i always have some shisha touching the foil when i pack my bowls and i dont experience any burnt taste or harsh smoke.
i dunno...

[EternalSoil]

you are baking the shisha, that's what is supposed to happen. if it is packed loosely then the shisha may move slightly as the temperature changes. I usually leave 1/8 of an inch (about 2.5mm or so) between the foil and the shisha. You can tamp down the shisha a little bit without greatly effecting the smoke like pressing it down hard. Just get a nice even bowl tamped down a bit. you might even try changing th holes around to suit you. I used to poke a whole lot of little holes, now i just make sure there is "enough," i guess i have been smoking often enough to just kinda know when i have enough. I use a Phunnel, but i used a metal screen when i had my combo bowl (no windcover) As long as it does not taste burnt, you shoud be fine. I have left almost 1/4 of an inch between the foil and the shisha and it still ended up slightly crispy because the heat dries out the tobacco.

[Huskysibe]

Ok, I guess everything is good to go then. No burnt taste, I just thought that the crispy burnt shisha on top wasnt supposed to happen. I normally use Akhla quick lites and I used a Golden that I received with my Mya. The only negative thing I have had happen is after i used a screen that came with my order because I was too lazy to cut the foil, I got that chemical irritation in the back of my throat. Not sure if it was teh Layalina I bought today or the screen. I tend to think it was the screen since that was a major change from the normal way I do things. Thanks for the replies, I think I will try and tamp the tobacco down just a little and keep on smokin and not worry about the top layer of crispys at teh end of the smoke.

Billy

[mrmonk7663]

Billy, I used a couple different screens when I first started. All of them changed the flavor slightly, and none compared to a piece of foil. The ease of use does not outweight the better session achieved with foil, in my opinion, others may vary though. Just my .02

Michael

[newsman]

Not sure if it was teh Layalina I bought today or the screen. I tend to think it was the screen since that was a major change from the normal way I do things. Billy

I've been smoking for a while with screens without any harshness until I started smoking Layalina. A couple of the flavors (watermelon and guava) gave me a harsh feeling in the back of the throat. I tried those same flavors in a funnel bowl and the harshness went away. You might want to try it.

[Huskysibe]

Thanks for the tips, I may pick up a funnel bowl and see what happens, gonna experment and try some foil today and see if the harshness goes away.

Billy

[EternalSoil]

if you are using QL's (i use 2 each bowl) and it gets too harsh, turn the coal over onto the dome side (not the side that has the dip in it). This should help with some of the harshness if you cant fix it by moving the coals around. Also, if you turn the coals over and are not getting much smoke after that, you might give the hookah a break for a few minutes. I find that if i take more frequent draws, there is a higher chance of it being harsh. Purging (blowing the stale smoke out of the vase) after you get a harsh draw and do some heat management will get rid of the smoke that is in the vase that is already gross.

[Sonthert]

I've thought about this question on and off for several years.

I believe that foil and tobacco will stick together if they are close enough. If there is too much tobacco, it will cause additional problems. The natural but, I feel, incorrect solution is to leave a gap between the tobacco and the foil. The problem is, people rarely look under the foil when it smokes well...why screw with it? When something doesn't work right, people have a natural tendency to disassemble it and see what looks out of place. They see tobacco sticking to the foil and they think "That doesn't look right." it must be too much tobacco. The heat conduction though just reduces the amount of heat that reaches the bottom of the bowl, the larger the gap, so more charcoal is needed to get the same heat transfer. So, essentially, its a waste of charcoal. A well designed tobaco should be made so that it won't scorch when subjected to direct heat, or heat on the other side of the foil its touching. Just because a little sticks to the foil, on the other hand, doesn't mean its scorching.

[Huskysibe]

I get a top layer of crunchiness is all and I thought that was bad, the smoke was never bad so I was just checking. I am smoking Romman Orange right now with foil, I punched 35 random holes and I tamped down the tobacco a bit but not much and used my poker on the tongs to ensure there was air gaps. The tobacco is just under the top of the bowl and its smoking great! no chemical harshness either. I need to try this with that Layalina Blueberry that I had trouble with yesterday. I have some Tangiers on the way also, I cant wait to try it!

Billy Edited July 8, 2007 by Huskysibe