From Burning Coals To Ashes

[HookahDude08]

So I was smokin my hookah the other day and I couldn't help but notice that whenever I move the coals after they've been on for a while, they leave ash behind. Most of the ash gets "swept" off the foil, but that which doesn't can fall into the shisha under the foil. Is this bad at all, other than affecting the heat?

What about the size of the holes...bigger holes obviously let more ash fall down, but bigger holes also allow more heat. Are there any other trade-offs other than heat control between bigger holes and smaller holes?

[bassman65]

More smaller holes are usually better than fewer bigger holes. I find it distributes heat better. Its not affecting heat unless its actual lit pieces/sparkthings of the charcoal falling in. The ash falling in can affect the flavor though.

[erufiku]

Depends on the baccy a lot. I noticed that wetter brands smoke best with many small holes, while drier brands (like Nakhla) react better to bigger (and less) holes. Exception being Tangiers, which works best for me with bigger sized holes. If you're not lazy, poke the toothpick/whatever you're using all the way down into the shisha, helps get better smoke.

And to address your second question, I noticed that not moving the coals is the way to go. When there is too much ash or you need to flip the coals, pick it up gently by the sides using the tongs and drop it lightly on the ash bowl, then put it back on. A bit of ash will get away into the bowl anyway, but a lot less than just moving/flipping the coal on the bowl.