Packing A Hookah Bowl.

[dattebayo]

Ok, this should be more simple than I am making it, but I cannot for the life of me seem to get my hookah to smoke correctly. I have a little 12" pumpkin, or some small height, I have filled the shisha to the brim as some articles have recommended, I have also filled it so that it does not touch the foil as other have recommended. I have poked large holes, I have poked small holes (more of them), and still I find the smoking experience to burn about 20 minutes into it regardless of what I do. It gets this really nutty or burnt flavor. I use Layalina tobacco and Exotica coals (2 quarters at a time, sometimes 1 quarter, only changes the smoke amount, not the fact that it burns it). What the HECK am I doing wrong?

Also, the smoke is barely thick at all, more like a whole bunch of cigarette smoke rather than the thick clouds of hookah smoke I get at the hookah bar. I have typed all sorts of things into google and watched like every you tube video, but I'm not sure what's the matter. I"m starting to think it's the size of my hookah, but ultimately, its the tobacco that's burning... so it will burn in a large one as well as a small one.

Also... the phrase is "packing" the bowl and I have some confusion on this. Are you supposed to "pack" as in apply compression or sprinkle it and leave it in an uncompressed state. Or are you supposed to apply a little pressure to even it all out. I could experiment with all of these things but honestly... it gets expensive to waste tobacco. Any help would be appreciated. Edited August 26, 2008 by dattebayo

[modisess]

i sprinkle the tobacco in then press on it a little just to even them out. IMO the size of the hookah doesn't affect the amount of smoke in a largely noticeable way. I've smoke on small hookah but they still produce a massive amount of smoke. If you're smoking alone, try using less tobacco, probably fill it 3/4 way up the bowl.

[agentscot]

its probably a combination of the width of the stem and the width of the hose. i used to have a mini pumpkin hookah that i could never get thick smoke out of either, and i am definitely not inexperienced.

The easiest thing is going to be getting a new, thicker hose like a nammor or a razan. if you dont want to spend 20 bucks on a new hose, just go to lowes and get some vinyl tubing for a couple bucks. either 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch inner diameter does the trick.
Other than the hose, you probably are just gonna want a new hookah. Everybody starts small and then graduates upward.

[hippomania7]

never tried it, but I heard using milk instead of water helps the smoke quality.

[dattebayo]

So, I think I have figured out a normal bowl. For a phunnel bowl with non-tangiers tobacco, is it packed differently since there is a ventilation hole in the middle? Or is it packed lightly as well and just below the foil?

[D-Rock]

the phrase is "packing" the bowl and I have some confusion on this. Are you supposed to "pack" as in apply compression or sprinkle it and leave it in an uncompressed state. Or are you supposed to apply a little pressure to even it all out. I could experiment with all of these things but honestly... it gets expensive to waste tobacco. Any help would be appreciated.

Smoking alone (75% of the time), i will either loosely pack the bowl (sprinkle the tobbaco until bowl is full) with a single coal or, tightly pack it (lightly compress until full), using two coals.
Either way, experiment until you find what you like.

Post up your results later.

[dattebayo]

Smoking alone (75% of the time), i will either loosely pack the bowl (sprinkle the tobbaco until bowl is full) with a single coal or, tightly pack it (lightly compress until full), using two coals.
Either way, experiment until you find what you like.

Post up your results later.

Well what seemed to work for me was packing it slightly, and then creating a ventilation hole in the middle with like a pencil or whatever. I also figured out that in order not to just char the tobacco, I have to move the heat around the bowl, which is two quarters of an exotica finger coal. However, the smoke was more, but still had somewhat of a burnt taste that I don't experience when i go to the hookah bar. When I pull the foil off, it's not stuck to it, but it is black and dried. Should it still be moist on top after 45 min, it's still moist on the bottom (makes me think there should be like a way to fiddle with the tobacco mid-smoke)?

[Shogan]

I'm having the same problem you are. Burnt tobacco, thin smoke.

[boulderkid303]

NO! lol. Stick to water.

never tried it, but I heard using milk instead of water helps the smoke quality.

[himynameismark]

Do not compress the shisha. Let it be loose and not filled all the way to the top of the bowl.

Put the tin foil on, shiny side down.

I used to use toothpicks to punch the holes, but recently I have actually been using an exacto blade.
One side punches holes, spread these evenly (not too big, not too small), then take the blade and gently make small slits in the foil. This makes bigger holes for more air ventilation, essentially, but the wholes are still tight enough to prevent coal particles to fall into the shisha and make it taste harsh.
If you are using a toothpick or a fork, be careful with the holes. Don't let them rip the foil. With a fork, I read somewhere to do four rows of four holes. My friends tried that when they set my hookah up before I got off work last night and it seemed to work really well.

Experiment with different things to put in the base of your hookah. Until last night I have always just used water with ice on occasion. If you have a while before you plan on smoking the hookah, put it in a refridgerator with the water already in it. Then add ice just before you put the top piece on. Make sure the water level isn't too high though because it will come through the hose. That is a shitty situation! My friends used to rarely clean their hookah out and I pulled with too much water and spit black water all over the place.
We had read to mix half water and half milk in the hookah so we tried it last night for the first time and it worked really well. It was a very creamy smoke and made the flavor so much better than the shisha mix we use with just water in the base. We plan on trying fruit juice for more fruity flavors next time.

It's all about experimenting with shit and getting it to work how you want it. Good luck, and I hope I helped!

[VDDZ]

never tried it, but I heard using milk instead of water helps the smoke quality.

Dude, dont, did you ever blow bubbles in your milk as a kid? same rules still apply.

I bet it's your bowl. I had a really deep small bowl that i got with my china pumpkin hookah and it was such a bitch to get to smoke well; I could do it, but you CONSTANTLY had to adjust the coals and regulate the heat. Get a new bowl.

The best bowls are shallow but wide, so the tobacco can heat evenly, but flat so the juice burns not just drips down.

If your bowl is like this, try fluffing the tobacco as much as possible and fill the bowl level (this should easily take you five to ten minutes), then take a damp paper towel and pat the tobacco down evenly to about 3/4 the full height. Put the heat on, put the coals on the rim of the bowl and slowly bring them in as more heat is needed. A wind cover will help regulate the heat, it will make it hotter.

When you find the sweet spot, hold it there, but you may need to pull them back as you go as the bowl is "started" now. It should never have that harsh burnt taste, if you still get this, you may want to try a different tobacco, as some brands and even flavors within the brand don't smoke as much as others.

Hope this helps, happy hookah'in!

[Voski]

So, I think I have figured out a normal bowl. For a phunnel bowl with non-tangiers tobacco, is it packed differently since there is a ventilation hole in the middle? Or is it packed lightly as well and just below the foil?

Check out my video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-Ja5OUPeac