Japanese Coals

[HookahEnthusiast]

I've been wanting to try out some Japanese square coals and am wondering if anybody can give me a review of them and also how well do they burn, how long do they last, and how hard are they to get going? just a few questions i have before i actually go out and buy a box of them but from what ive been hearing they sound like a good investment as far as hookah goes. any inputs?

[yashman19]

Search for "Japanese Coals" in the forum search section. Its been
brought up quite a few times, and you should be able to find some solid
reviews.

[the hookah hitman]

Make sure you get real Japanese coals and not imitation japanese coals from CHINA.  One exception is the coconut coals from. . . I think Indonesia, they are different from Japanese coals but equally good.  They get your fingers a little messy tho.

[cambo]

i've been using chinese made japanese coals. They do the job well, but are a bit hard to light without using the stove.
I just place them directly on the electric coil, turn it on med-high, and start setting up the bowl. Flip once, and finish the hookah set-up and they're ready to be used.
They come in sticks of 4 sqaures, i usually break it in half and use 2 square at a time either as 1 rectangle or 2 smaller squares.

[zzzzzT]

  I only use Japanese coals now. They do take quite a bit of heat to light, but
burn perfectly once you get them going. They are flavorless and do not have the
problems that come with using natural coals and do not give off flavors like
quicklights. I use a propane torch to light them. The torch can be bought for
little money at Homedepot. They light perfectly this way and are no fuss. They
also give off good heat and burn a long time. I love them and have had no
problems using them. It only takes a minute and a half or a little more to get
them cherry red with the propane torch and they do not burn out like naturals.
They also give off zero smoke and smell.

I really enjoy them.

[yashman19]

[quote name='zzzzzT']and they do not burn out like naturals.  
 [/quote]

What do you mean by burnout? Just curious. Do you mean burn out as in they are lit and then will suddenly go out?

If so I'm curious what brand this was? I've smoked Nour, Diamantes and
Manara and haven't whitnessed anything similar to what you are saying.

As for the Japanese coals, I don't recall exactly what brand they were,
but they were silver rectangle shaped coals and they did work pretty
well. The only problem I had with them is that they actually gave off
too much heat. I would notice that the foil was getting black rings
around the holes that I punched from burning. With my large bowl, one
Japanese coal wasn't enough, and two was too much, so I gave up on em.

[MR Bubble]

Whenever I do japanese coals, I take each small square and snap it in half. In all, I use 1 1/2 silver squares. This turns into 3 pieces of snapped in half squares, arranged in a triangle pattern. Works great, but it's a pain snapping them in half. A serrated steak knife helps with this.
MR Bubble

[hooka_honey]

The Japanese coals are a very good coal to use. They are "silver coated," so are not always classified as natural coals. However, like natural coals, they need a heat source much stronger than a lighter to get going. The silver coating helps it to light faster, but a lighter still won't do it. The good thing is that once you get it lit, it gets hotter than other coals and lasts longer. Many people complain that the quick lighting coals give off a smell, and make your tobacco taste funny. This is very true, as I use these coals myself. You can't truly enjoy the flavoring of some tobacco. However, it takes a long time to get this coal going. Mr. Bubble had a great idea. I definitely recommend splitting the squares into about 3 pieces.