Hookah Owner Virgin seeks advice

[txbrit31]

Greetings!
I've had my first hookah experiences as a grad student.  Typically I smoke a pipe with a mango or other fruit like pipe tobacco.  However, after multiple experiences- I have decided to purchase my own setup. (for which, I am perusing the forum for purchase advice)
I've been reading many of the tobacco reviews.  What I am still confused about is how to pack the bowl.  As a pipesmoker I pack a bowl down a bit- but make certain there is good airflow. Is this the same with packing shisha? The other thing that has me confused is the "wetness" of the shisha.  How much liquid (if any) shoudl remain on the shisha before packing it? Do you let it drip off?  I've also read that some (Yashman19?) cut their tobacco up if it isn't cut  right.  What does proper shisha look like? I have asked my friends who own the hookahs- but they typically just pack the bowl straight out of their tubs.
I apologise if this is too many questions- but I figure I should get them all out at once! I'vebeen looking for a "primer" to hookah set up but keep finding the general stuff on Hookah company sites.  Was hoping for a bit more detailed instructions.  (I'm a doctoral student so I'm a natural geek)
thanks!
TxBrit

[yashman19]

Different brands are all going to have different cuts from each other.
Al Waha tends to be sort of stringy, and even a little leafy, while Al
Amir's cut so fine that its almost a gritty paste. Because of the
different cuts, they will often smoke differently.

For example, Al Fahker tends to be REAL juicy, but thats ok. It may
take a few minutes longer to get going, but people have great sessions
with tons of smoke from AL Fahker.

And then there are dryer brands like Al Waha or Nahkla whos cut is
fairly leafy, and sometimes often dry. For these, they will need less
heat compared to the juicy Al Fahkers.

As you get more experience with different brands, you will find out
which brands take  more heat than others, and how the smoke
compare to each other.

As for packing a bowl, a solid general rule to follow is to pack it
lightly. If you start shoving your first into the bowl packing it down
so tight, the draw you will find is going to be tight. Get a bunch of
loose tobacco, sprinkle it into the bowl, maybe give it a LIGHT pat
down so its even, make sure the tobacco is touching the walls of the
bowl nicely, leave a few millimeters  from the top of your tobacco
to where the foil goes. If the tobacco is touching the foil, you will
sometimes burn the tobacco due to their close proximity.

Lots of people pack their bowls differently though. But if you try it
this way, you should have succuss. But most will agree that you don't
want to mash the tobacco in too tightly, cause no one likes a hard draw
(atleast I think?)

Give it a shot, and see how you perform. No ones perfect their first
time, and after practice, you will find your own little niche, and what
works best for you.

If you have any problems, ask away. There are a ton of knowledgable people on this here board

[dizzing]

yeah, you want the tobacco in the bowl as loosely as possible, because it has to breathe well in order to smoke well.  i don't put any pressure on mine at all, i just sprinkle it in and then spread it out as gently as possible so that (as yashman19 said) it is touching the sides and is slightly below the rim so as to avoid touching the foil.other than that, looks like yashman's got you covered.  one thing tangiers will always point out is that you should , upon getting any new shipment of tobacco, open it to the air and stir it about a few times over a period of one to a few hours in order to get any humidity issues worked out (a lot of this stuff is made in the desert, after all)..  don't let the tobacco dry out or anything, just let it get accustomed to the humidity of wherever you'll be smoking.  i generally halfass this procedure, and i get halfass results.  when i don't do it at all, the results are abhorrent.  it would seem that there is something to the idea