malignity Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Alright, I've had some hookah weirdness going on lately. For some reason my hookah seems to be hitting harsh after I replace the first charcoal. I guess I'll give information on what I use, etc. I smoke Al-Fakher Strawberry, and am always putting different types of kool-aid at the bottom. When i first started smoking, i never had a problem with harshness really, however, it seems to have gotten to a certain point, and then always seems to get harsh. I've got a modern hookah, where you screw the bowl into the base, and it's appoximately 18" tall or so. I use aluminum foil with tons of tiny little holes, and always start at the edge of my ceramic bowl, and go around so it lasts the longest without getting harsh effects. I use Three Kings Charcoal, a type of charcoal i've been happy with for quite some time, and a 'big' ceramic bowl, one that holds 20mg of tobacco or so. Anyway, getting back to things. I start at the edge, and normally can smoke a bowl for approximately 2 hours with the way I pack things, etc. After 30 minutes or so, my first charcoal burns out to where it doesn't create enough heat to get anymore smoke. I'll light another and add it next to the first one, and then it starts to get harsh, to where I have to blow into the hose and release the smoke every 2-5 hits. It hasn't always done this, and I'm not exactly sure why it's doing it. I wash my hookah after every use, and have used water to clean my hose. If anyone has any other suggestions as to why it's hitting harsh after I replace the first charcoal, it'd be much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molson Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 i incredibly new so don't take my word for it but more as food for thought. but i thought when you add the second charcol your supposed to put it on top of the first. so if you put it beside ur getting to much heat on the foil and possibly be burning it??? no clue also how do you pack a bowl to last 2 hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malignity Posted August 8, 2005 Author Share Posted August 8, 2005 I pack it tightly, but not too tight to where I can't suck in any air. After that, I'll blow into it a few times to loosen things up. I typically pack it to near the top to where the foil can dip into the inside of the bowl about a 1 cm. I do put the 2nd charcoal on top of the first until it's lit, then eventually move it off and set it partially next to, and partially on top of the old one until the old one is completely burned out. That's when the harshness begins. Maybe I'm setting it too close to the already burned tobacco, I don't know. I've also noticed that the coals after the first seem to burn out twice as fast for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmexx Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Hey,There are a couple of things you can try. First off, make sure you scrub the pipe with a brush, with there is a lot of build up, you will get a harsh taste. Second, like Molson mentioned, make sure the ma'assel is very loose and that includes the way you put your tinfoil on. Don't just wrap i tightly, make sure to leave some room, give your tobacco some space. Thirdly, which will probably be the solution, after your second coal is light, pull off your bowl and blow into it, this separates the tobacco and gets all the coal/left over smoke out of the bowl for a fresh continuation. And to Molson, I've had bowls of hookah that would last roughly 8 coals, being close to 4 hours. It's all in the tobacco and how you prepare/smoke your hookah. I had to stop after 4 hours because me and my buddy thought we were going to pass out! If you use fruits as bowls (I normally use a pear when I want the bowl to last for awhile, ie: parties). I suggest to try it out, you get absolutely no harshness throught your whole session and you get a much more fresh taste.Happy smoking!Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathazar Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 In my experience, when I pack the bowl to the top, which I usually do, after the first coal burns-out I have to replace the foil because there's always burnt ma'assel stuck to the foil. I also have to pick away the top layer of ma'assel in the bowl because it's always burnt. Maybe if you try replacing the foil with a fresh sheet, and pick away the blackened ma'assel in the bowl before adding your second coal, that ought to take away the harshness that you're experiencing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmexx Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 I don't want you to think I'm trying to insult you Math, but isn't that a waste of ma'assel? You might as well pack a small amount, smoke it without having to change the foil then just packing another bowl, no?just my $0.02!Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathazar Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 How it wasting ma'assel? I smoke a bowl, pick away the black stuff and then smoke another bowl. With Romman and Al-Fakher I usually pack half bowls because the ma'assel is a wetter than what I'm using right now, and I usually use better coals. Right now, I'm smoking Nakhla Double Apple which is a very dry ma'assel and I'm using Vivi Natural Wood Coals. I'm not getting much smoke having packed the bowl to the top. When I packed it half-way, I wasn't getting hardly any smoke at all. I think the charcoal I'm using isn't burning very hot. Plus, the dryness of the Nakhla I think is causing me to not get very much smoke. So that's why I pack the bowl to the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmexx Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 You said you over packed it and after each coal you had burnt ma'assel and had to change the tinfoil, I just figured it was a lot of work for nothing. And the reason why you don't have a lot of smoke is because you 're using Gold coals Haha!Happy smoking,Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathazar Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 I didn't say I over-packed the bowl, and I didn't say that I was using Golden Coals. Are you trying to be a WISE-ASS? By the way, I PM'd adrock, the admin, and advised him of your problem and asked for his email address to give to you so you could resolve your problem. Don't expect a quick response, because adrock is rarely ever here. I'll let you know as soon as he responds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slayman1 Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Hi guys,I know how you feel when you're happily smoking when all of a sudden the flavour goes and your throat feels rough.I have the perfect solution.When you pack a bowl of tobacco,no matter what brand or flavour,pack it up to the brim but only level with the top of the head,then put in it a small amount of honey on top,say about a drop of honey.Then you mix it into the tobacco until the tobacco is soaked in the honey. You then notice the tobacco gets lower and goes underneath the level of the head.This is good as it stays clear of the foil and you wont have any more problems with burning and your tobacco lasts longer.You then get a toothpick and put it into the middle of the head making sure that you have full flow through the head.Then you put on the foil and poke holes with a pin making sure you can poke many holes.Thats it hyour head is now done.After an hour or so,pull of the head and blow through the bottom of the head and put it back on.Enjoy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmexx Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Thanks again, math! Slayman, it sounds like a pretty interesting experiment, I'll have to try it for arguments sake. Although my Al Amir is still very juicy, the honey might help in some situations (I rarely get harsh encounters, but it does happen from time to time.)ThanksJon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malignity Posted August 9, 2005 Author Share Posted August 9, 2005 If anyone tries the honey experiment, please let me know. I don't have any honey at the moment, otherwise I would do it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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