ioannisds Posted July 2, 2005 Share Posted July 2, 2005 So what am I supposed to be left with when I finish a bowl of ma'assell? I have been smoking pipes for years, and am always left with a bowl of ash, but after I have a smoke with the hookah, it's just a dried up cake of tobacco. I was assuming that this is because the ma'assell never actually gets burned or comes in contact with the coal. Is this correct? I guess I should also talk about how I smoke. I have a stainless steel bowl (I know, I know, BLASPHEMY!) which is pretty shallow. I loosely fill it up to just below the rim with ma'assell. I use a metal screen, two 3 Kings coals, and I'm off and smoking. I usually go for about an hour or so with this setup, if I don't add any more coal (which I usually do not). Anyway, thanks for any input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR Bubble Posted July 2, 2005 Share Posted July 2, 2005 Good question. No good answers. If you are going for an hour, and you're getting the smoke thickness you want, and the flavor that pleases you, then I'd say you are better off doing what you're doing. Simple. Some will tell you the steele bowl isn't as good as the clay, and I have to wonder how it's not getting burned with that and 2 three kings, but it works just fine for you. And yes, you are correct about the tobacco cake at the end. This is the by-product. MR Bubble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioannisds Posted July 2, 2005 Author Share Posted July 2, 2005 [quote name='MR Bubble']Good question. No good answers. If you are going for an hour, and you're getting the smoke thickness you want, and the flavor that pleases you, then I'd say you are better off doing what you're doing. Simple. Some will tell you the steele bowl isn't as good as the clay, and I have to wonder how it's not getting burned with that and 2 three kings, but it works just fine for you. And yes, you are correct about the tobacco cake at the end. This is the by-product. MR Bubble[/quote] Yeah, I am actually quite surprised I am not burning the ma'assell as well, especially after reading quite a few posts on this board regarding the steel bowls. I tried 1.5 coals, and the smoke was good, but the half coal burned away quite quickly, and I found myself adding another one to keep the thickness and taste going. Thanks for the feedback on the remains of the ma'assell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidal105 Posted July 2, 2005 Share Posted July 2, 2005 hi there, Keep in mind that the reason you are left with a cake of tobacco, as opposed to the ash found in pipes and cigarettes, is that the tobacco burns at a much lower temperature in hookahs than it does in pipes/cigarettes. The hookah tobacco reaches about 450 degrees celcius while a pipe or cigarette can burn at up to 800. cya nidal105 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mo Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 most of it should be burnt. If you try to extract every ounce of flavour then you will get it all pretty much black. to find a mixture of black and normal tobacco is perfectly fine, as to be honest, by the time you get through the whole thing you'll find the taste will have deteriorated considerably. Just make sure you don't fill it above the rim, otherwise you're wasting too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemartin Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 I always end up with a weird cake type thing, maybe the syrupy stuff just makes everything hold its shape Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 The cake like patty is just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NERV Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 i would like to add that if the top of the patty is grey and ashed youve been burning it, and that can screw up the flavor so if the patty is grey on top ease off the heat or put less tobacco in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Or you've been sucking iin ash from your coal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seandoo Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 I've had that similar experience once...like a week or two ago, first time smoking AF GS Esk...really wet stuff. Ya know though, I have no idea how that worked out since I was pulling the HUGEST clouds...so big we had to stop playing poker each time someone took a hit...and once the coals were about 1/3 original size, I moved them to the middle (since we figured we'd be done after the coals were out) and actually pressed down with tongs whenever it was being hit. It lasted for a good hour and a half...not sure how, and even less sure as to why this particular session gave me a perfectly symmetrical cake at the end, but mine's usually burnt, even when not packing all that much. Then again I'm still in the stoneage sucking in the Aluminum Oxide stuff =) I think I might invest in a screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seandoo Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 In short, I think both ashed and caked are normal, but somehow I feel that caked might not be as hard on you =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NERV Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 i wouldnt say ashed is normal, but its not exactly a problem either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 If whatever you are doing works for you and you enjoy the bowl to its fullest, who cares what the remains look like? Relax and smoke! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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