Foiling A Bowl: The Tail Method

[jfeldstein]

Ok, I don't know what I had never looked to find an online hookah group. I've been smoking now since I was 15 (the last 4 years) and I wanted to share a little tip I came up with a few years back.


Foiling a Bowl: The Tail Method

What this will do is keep the bowl smoking as freshly as when it was first started, from the moment it's started to the last puff. There's less tar because the leaf is less charred, and the smoke is richer because it's always fresh. Done right, you'll notice that your hookah ditches that stinging bite in your throat that normally comes when you char the tobacco. This trick helps control the amount of heat, and how it's applied so that you have richer, smoother smoke.

Newbies love this because it barely feels like smoking.

I use Heavy duty foil, torn off to be half as long as it is wide and then folding it over. If you have normal foil, make a square and fold it twice. This keeps the foil nice and thick, and reduces a the heat of the coal a little bit for a more controlled heat.




Here's why it's called the tail. When you go to wrap the foil on, place it off center, like in the photo. When you wrap the foil, pull the extra long end out into a tail. This becomes a handle that you can use to rotate the foil around the bowl without it getting you too hot.





Now, when you poke holes, only poke a pizza slice that's opposite the tail. It should come to a point at the center, and be wider at the edges. The coal sits on this small patch of holes, off center, and you use the tail to rotate the very directed heat slowly around the bowl. As it starts to get a little harsh, move it half a coals width around and you start smoking fresh shisha again. It's like you just packed a new bowl! The bowl's done when you get back around to where you started.




Sorry about it looking so sloppy. I'm a lazy POS, but I hope I can get to drop some knowledge on y'all. Let me know if you like it, hate it or find some way of improving on it.

[AKammenzind]

Hrm, that's an interesting way of going about things. Is the effect markedly different from simply moving the coals around on the foil?

[skaplayer89]

Maybe not much difference to moving the coals if you´re using natural coals, but I can see this helping a lot to those using quicklites. Quicklites have all that ash that gets in to the holes and burns the tobacco when you try to move the carbon.

Good idea

[thugacation]

thanks for the tip, i use quicklites so maybe i'll give this a go

[chromecarz00]

Good call, but remember htat if the foil is not airtight it will screw with your smoke...

[Exile]

Good call, but remember htat if the foil is not airtight it will screw with your smoke...

You mean if the tail is not pinched down?

[chromecarz00]

Good call, but remember htat if the foil is not airtight it will screw with your smoke...

You mean if the tail is not pinched down?

If you can move the foil, it *probably* hasnt created a decent seal...

[Exile]

Just tried out the tail tonight (right atm actually ). Worked like a charm! Hit the pipe as hard as I could- no harshness.

Thanks for the tips Chromecarz00.

[Winter]

This looks pretty cool. I will try this next time I smoke.

[liquidglass]

so when you use coals I just wanted to clarify, you sit a coal directly on the hole? and just one I'm guessing. Then you smoke it a section at a time, just wanted to clarify

[Exile]

so when you use coals I just wanted to clarify, you sit a coal directly on the hole? and just one I'm guessing. Then you smoke it a section at a time, just wanted to clarify

You could go about it that way.

I sit one on the holes and another on the unpunctured foil. We tried different length tails, I can't be sure, but it seems like longer tails are more efficient.

[chromecarz00]

Just tried out the tail tonight (right atm actually ). Worked like a charm! Hit the pipe as hard as I could- no harshness.

Thanks for the tips Chromecarz00.

No prob

[liquidglass]

so when you use coals I just wanted to clarify, you sit a coal directly on the hole? and just one I'm guessing. Then you smoke it a section at a time, just wanted to clarify

You could go about it that way.

I sit one on the holes and another on the unpunctured foil. We tried different length tails, I can't be sure, but it seems like longer tails are more efficient.

got you just to keep the rest of it warmed I guess

so do you use natural coals for it? or QL?

[Exile]

got you just to keep the rest of it warmed I guess

so do you use natural coals for it? or QL?

Naturals.

[Khronokai]

hmmm.. I use quick lights, I think I'll give this a try.

[jakescakes]

It's so funny because the other day I was pondering a way of moving the foil, instead of the coal itself. Simply because if you don't have to move the coal, then there is no ash to worry about. This should make the smoke clean and fresh since the amount of ashes going down in the bowl will be greatly reduced.

I tried this out yesterday and the results where FANTASTIC. I also pack my standard bowl kinda like a funnel, where the center is empty. From the very first hit, the smoke was thick! The whole session was thick and never harsh. This was a perfect session. I only smoked for 45 min before heading to class.

The next day, I knew the bowl would still be good since only 1/3 of the tobacco was used. I rotated the foil a bit and lighted a large 3kings and began smoking. Same results, perfect smoke and flavor!!

All I can say is that this is a full-proof method perfect for standard bowls and I will be using it exclusively.

Great job sir

[liquidglass]

Hmm wonder if this would work for a phunnel, it would really cut down on coal usage

[jimmyspacebob]

I don't know how practical this method is but i always like when people have creative methods to add to hookah. Makes the whole process more interesting.

[jimmyspacebob]

I don't know how practical this method is but i always like when people have creative methods to add to hookah. Makes the whole process more interesting.

[tylop2]

Tried it the other night, helped the Sheesha last longer, and it was also alot smoother then usual.

Thanks for the tip!

[jezter6]

Interesting - I found almost the exact opposite. I was constantly moving the tail around because the section I was smoking off of died very quickly. I ended up smoking an entire bowl of Hookah Hookah out of my egyptian bowl in under 45 minutes.

Of couse, I was using these ghetto coals so that could have been part of it as well.

[bbf]

If anyone ever takes a peek at this thread again, here is my proposal to solve any problems concerning whether or not the tail method compromises the hookah being air tight.

If you're a cheapo like me, you have some low grade, worthlessly thin save-a-lot foil hanging around in your pantry, which means having two layers of foil between the tobacco and the coals won't cause much of a thermo-problemo. Just pack the bowl and foil it normally, but poke many many more holes than you usually would. Then put the tail foil layer on top, covering that first one.

Bingo, bango, no more worries about that there air, and you can still rotate the top layer of foil without moving those pesky coals around.

...in theory.

Either way, that's a neato idea, jfeldstein, thanks for sharing it!

[eVasKo*]

I shall try this... "tail method" you speak of, oh wise one.

Sounds good. Thanks ^.^

[Apoc Genesis]

I don't know how practical this method is but i always like when people have creative methods to add to hookah. Makes the whole process more interesting.

Yes it definitly does. I will defenitly give this a go once my hiatus is over. Sounds like a good idea though!

[jasonballou1]

Reynolds Wrap! What are you thinking? Household aluminum foil releases binding agents when used under the hookah coals. The fumes from these binding agents cause Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s! That’s why hookah foil exists; it is made to withstand the higher temperatures. Spend a couple of cents per sheet and save a bunch of brain cells.