Hookah Noob Week 1

[Panther]

Hi everyone, I lurk around this forum alot but haven't ever really posted before except once along time ago. I just bought my first hookah a week ago and have been smoking it quite a bit with my friends, I'm really enjoying it. I have a number of questions on a variety of topics and I thought I might stick them all in this one thread and you guys could answer whichever you want. Hopefully that's alright forum protocol...

By the way my setup is basically just a Mya Vortex, one hose, with all the stuff I got with it from Hookah-Shisha. The shisha I got is the Romman Pineapple and Rose that came with it and also I went ahead and bought Starbuzz Blueberry and Tangiers Kashmir Peach too. Golden Coals 33m came with it too.
(Forgive me if I ask anything really stupid, or that's already been asked a million times before)

--I am pretty sure my hookah is supposed to be autoseal, but I'm not really sure what that is. I know across from where my hose goes there is a spot I can supposedly add another to, also I noticed that has holes in it and when I wash it out water goes through easily etc. Do I have to ever do anything to that or can I just treat it as if it were completely closed off?

--When washing my hookah how should one clean out the shaft part of it? I've been having real issues doing anything more than running water through it. The hookah came with a rod with a hook thing at the end which I have looped wet paper towel through, but I don't really feel like it's doing much when I run it through the thing. Also one time the paper towel fell off inside the thing and I had to spend about half an hour getting it out of one of the spherical parts. Probably next time I order anything offline I'll buy a brush, but I hadn't been planning on making any orders for awhile. Any advice?

--Screen or foil? Is that just a matter of preference? It came with a screen so I've used that more often that not, but the screen only sits on it very loosely whereas when I use foil I can wrap it around the bowl. Also the screen is getting very dirty with hookah and coal stains despite scrubbing after every use, is that alright?

--Is there anything I should do to clean the base out other than washing it out with hot water after each use? I've assumed nothing other than water should be used for any of my hookah parts.

--Is there nothing to do with the hose except blow it out after each use? I feel like I'm not really doing much, and I know when I smoke my friend's hookah it constantly puts ash and gunk in my mouth and I'd really prefer my hookah never gets like that.

--How can I tell when my shisha is done vs. when I'm just having heat management issues or some other problem? Usually when I'm cleaning out my bowl it looks like there's still good shisha in it. The times I've smoked for have ranged from 45min or so all the way up to 2 or 3 hours I think. Usually don't have a clock on me so I'm not really positive. Is this just something I'll get used to?

--Any tips on what sort of stuff I still might want to buy? Is the standard bowl alright, I've heard lots of talk about phunnel bowls, modded bowls, etc.? Do diffusers make any difference, I saw them on H-S too and was intrigued? Also next time I buy coals any advice on what brand or type, I'm in a dorm room usually or some other odd college setting so it's nice if they're easy to light?

-- I know there are already about 20 tangiers threads a day so no need to turn this thread into another, but after reading a number of them and smoking all my other flavors I did try it once. All in all it was pretty successful actually, my friend and I smoked it for what must have been at least close to 2 hours. I started by breaking up my coals into thirds or fourths and putting two or three of those pieces on at a time. After the first hour or so I treated it like I do the others with a normal coal on top. I think I might of had two on by the end also. It started out good but I couldn't take very big draws, and then after about 30min it was usually just maybe a bit too thin and light. My friend and I really liked it anyways though so I'm hoping with practice to get it down. So any tips there are nice too.

--Storing shisha. Starbuzz was the only one that actually came in a container, all the others came in bags. I've just had them wrapped in what they came in because I don't really have any gladware containers or anything else to keep them in, should I be going out and buying some or is there some other preferred method of storage?

I think thats about all for now. Hope I haven't asked too many questions and that I don't sound like a total idiot. All in all I've really enjoyed all my hookah experiences and without even realizing it this forum has already been a big help to me a number of times. Thanks in advance for any advice you offer me.

[nofrendo]

About the screen: Yeah that's bound to happen... I think there's probably a way to prevent it, but it's normal. I have a glass screen that I use every day and it is pretty much completely black.

About the cleaning: Some people use lemon juice or vinegar to clean their stem. If your vase is really dirty (Like REALLY dirty), I find that a mix of rubbing alcohol and rock salt works to scrub the inside out, just swish it around. This is similar to the glass cleaning formulas that you will find at many smoke shops

[TheAlmightyClaw]

1st off, I think a phunnel bowl is the best investment you can make (personal opinion after having a good hookah which it sounds like you have)
In my opinion it makes for a long flavorful session (as long as you have good heat management which it sounds like you do).

I think screens are a personal preference. I like foil, and it makes for a good seal. I don't think you heat it up to cause problems (I think).

Brush is a must. It makes it easily to keep your stem clean.
Also LEMON JUICE is great for washing to make it extra clean
DO NOT put water unless you know its a washable hose (Like a nammor, there great hoses).

Finally, WELCOME! I have found these forums to be the best of help, and its a great source for everything you need to know about hookah. These forums have helped me pick a great hookah and help improve my set-up enormously in the past year. Sorry I can't help you will more of the specifics of the Mya Vortex (although I wish sometime in the future to eventually own a hookah, because my first hookah I really used was a cheap one I bought at a smoke shop).

[rbyers]

Unless you have a washable hose you can't really do much to clean your hose other than to blow it through with maybe compressed air or just blow hard into it.

Cleaning your stem - use lemon juice or rubbing alcohol or something good like that. Salt is good to put in it as well if you have hella gunk buildup on the sides; it acts as an abrasive.

Shisha being done is hard to judge. Just smoke it with a coal or so for an hour or so and if you want to extend the bowl put on another chunk of coal. If it gives no more smoke then you can put it out and clean out your bowl, record the amount of time that it took to smoke the bowl and that's around your average bowl I would think.

I also use foil, since I made my funnel bowl it didn't fit screens so I always put on foil. I really like foil as being a part of the setting up process; makes me feel cool to have a lot of setup things to do. I like the process.

Storing it; tupperware is good i've read. I am thinking of going and getting a bunch of nice mason jars to hold my shisha in. They're only $.5 a piece at this place a few towns over, I might go there in a while to get a buttload of jars for my future purchases of shisha.

[Skitalets]

About cleaning the hose:

Hold your finger over the end of the hose that goes into the hookah, then blow in and release the finger. That builds up some extra pressure in the hose -- if you've used it a lot, you'll probably see a cloud of black stuff fly out. (Don't point that end of that hose at anyone or anything you like. :-) )

It's hard to say when the shisha is done -- if you're managing heat well, it's usually just baking, not burning. When other hookah aficionados I know say the bowl is done, I usually am still enjoying the smoke -- there's less flavor, but the tobacco is still fine. But I was a pipe and cigar smoker before I started smoking hookah frequently.

Coals: I really love the Exotica naturals I picked up a couple weeks ago. I always disliked the burnt charcoal-y smell of quick-lites but put up with it for convenience. But the extra couple minutes to put a natural on the burner is worth it (in your dorm room you could get a cheap hot plate -- make sure to unplug when not in use), and the Exoticas are square, which is really convenient. They won't roll off the burner or the foil.

Tangiers: It's temperamental, but exceptionally tasty. You just have to get a feel for how to smoke it and you'll get huge clouds of nice smoke. The Tangiers knowledge base thread might be useful to you. Also, the phunnel makes smoking that particularly brand a lot nicer. I bought one and never used it, then I accidentally dropped my Mya bowl on the floor and packed the phunnel so I could still smoke. I bought a replacement Mya bowl the next day, but I haven't used it a single time. I smoke everything out of the phunnel now.

Storage: I highly recommend picking up some of those cheap semi-disposable tupperware containers they sell now. I just picked up 10 of them (generic) for about $4-5 at Target. Most of the containers shisha is sold in will not keep the shisha as moist as it should be.

And really, there is nothing better than finding a knowledgeable hookah bar owner or aficionado to teach you stuff. Experience helps a lot, and your smokes will be a lot more enjoyable as you learn the tricks. Edited October 13, 2007 by Skitalets