Thanks To All!

[ronald_dooley]

Thanks to all for the advice on how to improve my smoke.

I did the following:

packed my bowl with more tobacco
pushed the skewer to the bottom to increase airflow
warmed the bowl with coals for a minute before pulling

It wasn't perfect, but I did get a few minutes of smooth, thick, cool smoke about 15 or 30 minutes after starting, and it was bliss. After that... it sort of went to it's old dastardly ways: thin, harsh, weak smoke or thick, burning, ass-tasting smoke.

But I think I'm getting there. Next time, I'm going to use something smaller in diameter than a skewer (which makes huge frickin holes), and try to increase airflow more. I still haven't mastered the manipulation of coals for heat management yet. My bowl gets hot as an oven.

God... this really is an art that takes time to master!!!

-Ronald

[Big Boss]

What kind of bowl do you have? Movement of the coals is key. Once you get that figured out, you'll be golden.

[NickReppinThe909]

yea move the coals around more and ALWAYS take off heat if it even hints at getting harsh

[Winter]

Movement of the coals is key. Once you get that figured out, you'll be golden.

+1 This has improved my sessions infinitely times more. I generally move my coals around every 5-10minutes. Don't wait until the smoke gets harsh before you start moving the coals.

[ronald_dooley]

I break a 3K coal into two halves and place them on the edge of the bowl. It doesn't take five minutes for the smoke to get harsh... it happens almost immediately. If I move the coals around, it still make immediate harsh, bad-tasting smoke. If I take the coals off... no smoke, obviously. What am I doing wrong?

Movement of the coals is key. Once you get that figured out, you'll be golden.

+1 This has improved my sessions infinitely times more. I generally move my coals around every 5-10minutes. Don't wait until the smoke gets harsh before you start moving the coals.

[Dereksd]

kinda a pain but could you video your prep maybe we can see whats goin on

[Bulldog_916]

Too much coal, too little tobacco it sounds like. Pack it nice and fluffy to where it's even with the top of the bowl for brands like Starbuzz, Nakhla, Al Waha, AF, etc. Foil it. Poke pin sized holes in the foil all over it. If you're using QLs, use 2 halves on the bowl and put them on opposing sides. If you arent getting smoke, add another half till you're getting good smoke then take the third half off if it gets harsh. If you're using naturals, use 2 quarters of the stick or finger coal you are using. Once again put them on opposing sides of the bowl. That should do it.

[ilikemyusername]

try tangiers in a funnel, you'll get it right the first time, everytime!
no...no, not really

[ilikemyusername]

i'm sorry but what kind of shisha, and what kind of pipe? Edited May 29, 2008 by ilikemyusername

[ronald_dooley]

It's a Mya QT/Chic (I bought it at a store and later found out that it's a QT stem on a Chic base)... 14" (very small hookah). The bowl is a ceramic bowl (glazed outside, bare white interior), wide and deep, and doesn't fit well on the stem. I use Al-Fakher tobacco (using Melon now 250g tub made in December 2006...smells wonderful, nice and gooey on the bottom, mixes up to make a wonderful moist fluff).

Today, I went to a hookah lounge and bought a different bowl. BIG IMPROVEMENT! My new bowl is much smaller, shallower, and longer and made of glazed clay. Key differences:

it doesn't get scorching hot all over like the ceramic bowl
it doesn't leave burnt, charred tobacco at the top and wet tobacco on the bottom
it's not impossible to manage the heat and smoke
after a 45 minute smoke, the tobacco is evenly smoked and *not* blackened and charred

I think I've isolated the problem... and it was the bowl. It didn't fit well on the stem, so it might have been a crap bowl that was not the original Mya.

Of course, I've only had one smoke with my new bowl, so I'll have a few more tomorrow and report on the results.

- Ronald

i'm sorry but what kind of shisha, and what kind of pipe?

[Dereksd]

awesome man good to hear

[ronald_dooley]

After two more smokes, I've conclusively realized that the BOWL was the problem. The new bowl lets me smoke my tobacco with pleasure, rather than burning it to a crisp.

Man... I had no idea that the bowl mattered so much...

awesome man good to hear

[burton_o6]

That must be my problem as well. You say you bought a clay bowl?

[ronald_dooley]

Here are the pics of the two bowls. As you can see, the original bowl is a ceramic Mya bowl, purchased with the hookah at a local shop. The new bowl is a clay bowl purchased from a local hookah lounge. The clay bowl is the same height, but is much smaller and shallower. As you can see in the picture, it's maybe 1/3 as deep and much smaller in diameter.

Here are the reviews of both bowls:

The ceramic bowl heats up like a furnace, and I somehow always end up with burnt, black tobacco on top and wet tobacco on the bottom. Even with relatively careful heat management, the ceramic bowl get hot all over, even the very bottom of the bowl's stem is almost impossible to touch mid-smoke. The smoke is either thin and harsh or thick and harsh, depending on coal management... but it is never good. I've tried everything: double foil, smaller coals, more frequent coal rotation, smaller holes, tiny holes, fluffing the tobacco more, cutting airholes in the tobacco mass, packing more tobacco, etc.

The clay bowl never gets hot around the base and, in fact, rarely gets very hot around the top. I've found that the top layer of tobacco never burns black, even if it is pressed against the foil and the coals. The smoke is easy to manage. I just place 1/2 of a 3K coal on the edge and rotate it around the bowl. I can smoke it like that for hours, just replacing the coal when I need it.

In conclusion, the problem was definitely the bowl. SCREW ceramic bowls. They blow in a BIG way. If you have a small hookah, definitely get a small clay bowl. Make sure it's well glazed, though. They're cheap to boot. Thank you to all the pros in this thread for your advice!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ronald_dooley]

Here's my hookah on the porch, ready to smoke with the new, superior clay bowl. As you can see, it's a Mya Chic stem on a Mya QT base.

[antouwan]

that old one was the original mya head...i'm not really a fan of them either