New Hookah!

[HookahDude08]

I've smoked from my friends hookah a couple of times then decided it was time for me to get my own! I got a blue striped modern hookah with 2 hoses. It's 19" tall and looks awesome!

I've noticed though that my friends egyptian style hookah always smokes a little better. We can have the same blend in both, but his just has better taste than mine. I have some ideas as to why this is and I'd like to hear your input also...

1) Hookah's need to be broken into, just like a new baseball glove
2) I don't have things right yet...like amount of shisha, amount of water, amount of heat etc.

Another difference between his and mine...he has a single hose, but there is a place to clear out the smoke. My 2 hose hookah doesn't have that, and the ball bearings don't allow me to blow air into the chamber to clear the smoke. Is this normal for a 2 hose hookah?

Thanks for any info! Happy smoking!

Ps...the other day we mixed some pineapple and rose.....it was absolutely teriffic! I'm gonna start my girlfriend on that mix

[Ralleac]

I've smoked from my friends hookah a couple of times then decided it was time for me to get my own! I got a blue striped modern hookah with 2 hoses. It's 19" tall and looks awesome!

I've noticed though that my friends egyptian style hookah always smokes a little better. We can have the same blend in both, but his just has better taste than mine. I have some ideas as to why this is and I'd like to hear your input also...

1) Hookah's need to be broken into, just like a new baseball glove
2) I don't have things right yet...like amount of shisha, amount of water, amount of heat etc.

Another difference between his and mine...he has a single hose, but there is a place to clear out the smoke. My 2 hose hookah doesn't have that, and the ball bearings don't allow me to blow air into the chamber to clear the smoke. Is this normal for a 2 hose hookah?

Thanks for any info! Happy smoking!

Ps...the other day we mixed some pineapple and rose.....it was absolutely teriffic! I'm gonna start my girlfriend on that mix

1. Not really. You should definitely clean new hookahs before using them, but they don't need to be broken in. Oxidized metal, rust, and the nasty residue sometimes left behind by the smoke aren't going to add good flavor for future sessions.

2. This is probably your issue. The type of coal you use can also have an impact on flavor.

His egyptian probably smokes better due to him being more experienced, a wider stem, and the ability to purge. It is normal for some multi-hosed hookahs to have ball-bearings in all the hoses, but I'd personally try to remove at least one of them. It shouldn't be that difficult. Edited April 15, 2008 by Ralleac

[teq]

It's astounding how many variables can affect the taste and thickness of the smoke.

The shisha alone varies obviously by the brand and freshness, but also by the cut, how well you mix the juices, and how much heat is required to boil the glycerin and make that particular flavor vaporize. If you have a finely cut shisha, it'll allow more airflow through, meaning it'll probably need a denser pack. Using stems will provide you with more nicotine, but they don't carry much flavor and will cause the shisha to burn faster. Tobacco only absorbs so much, so you need to make sure you're getting the juices and not just damp tobacco.

Quicklight coals can impart some chemical taste to the shisha and should always be completely cherry all around before even putting it near the hookah. Natural coals(especially ones that aren't formed and look like chunks of wood) will impart no chemical flavor, but they also require a stove to light. Quicklights burn hotter than naturals when excited. If you don't have much experience with a certain brand of shisha, it's always good to start with just one coal closest to the rim of the bowl and add more as necessary. Also, having two layers of foil with the top layer shiny side up and the bottom shiny side down will protect the shisha until you figure out how much heat it needs.


With a multi-hose hookah, you're better off removing one of the auto-seal bearings and use a hose cap for that hose.

The water in the base should only submerge the stem by about an inch; any deeper and you're going to dillute the flavor more. The temperature of the water can also affect the taste and density of the smoke. Colder water will condense the smoke more and give you less flavor, but will be less harsh.

[Snoopy1966]

More pics of the Hookah please

[*HOT&SMOKING*]

+1 to more pics!!!

-H&S

[paiintballa182]

+2

[HookahDude831]

trying to jack my name... psh noobs.

[Snoopy1966]

trying to jack my name... psh noobs.

D'oh

[mathuv]

[HookahDude08]

trying to jack my name... psh noobs.

haha my bad dude! I didn't even know another one of us "dudes" were on here! However, you should be informed that I'm not gonna change my name...we can be friends though!

[HookahDude08]

I had most of the critical things correct, like amount of Shisha, right amount of heat, water level correct...

I think my problem was the coals I was using. I was using those quick light coals and that's where I was getting my chemical taste. I got some better coals and that made a WORLD of difference!

As requested, I made a small album of some pics.
http://www.hookahforum.com/index.php?s=&am...m&album=122

[otaking]

I had most of the critical things correct, like amount of Shisha, right amount of heat, water level correct...

I think my problem was the coals I was using. I was using those quick light coals and that's where I was getting my chemical taste. I got some better coals and that made a WORLD of difference!

As requested, I made a small album of some pics.
http://www.hookahforum.com/index.php?s=&am...m&album=122

Hookahdude,

I had a similar hookah like this a long time ago that I bought from saharasmoke/hookahhookah.com. I got mine to smoke well, but it never really smoked anywhere near as well as my Egyptians and Mya's that I have. One of the main problems that I had with it was the hose ports were a bit too constricted so I ended up taking a drill to the hose connectors and that helped a good bit. You can also take a ball bearing out of one of the ports and just use the other as a purge valve. Also be sure to check that the ball bearing are not rusted or else you'll get air leakage when smoking.

[*HOT&SMOKING*]

I had most of the critical things correct, like amount of Shisha, right amount of heat, water level correct...

I think my problem was the coals I was using. I was using those quick light coals and that's where I was getting my chemical taste. I got some better coals and that made a WORLD of difference!

As requested, I made a small album of some pics.
http://www.hookahforum.com/index.php?s=&am...m&album=122

Thanks for the pics. Nice hookah! I really like th blue color, the "swirly" color scheme vase.

-H&S