Al Fakher Noob

[Cybersist]

So I cant for the life of me pack a good bowl of Al Fakher. Got a medium phunnel bowl packed normally to what I would do for Starbuzz (I never mess that up...) and coconaras. Everything else is a standard setup, water at normal levels, HD raynolds wrap, shiny side down, with very small holes, none in the middle where the phunnel hole is.

Ok, so last night I did 3 cocos(fully lit) to start out with. Easy draw, no leaks, little flavor and little smoke. Threw on another coal and got some smoke, some flavor, but after about 5 minutes it burns. Take off a coal and "cool off" the bowl....and then back again to no smoke or flavor. Tired this process a few times before giving up.

Al Fakher Berry Production date July 2007.

So why cant I get AF to smoke?

[rigor]

Check the link in my signature. I use that hole pattern for AF all the time, smokes very well. Give it a try even if it's different than your normal hole size and pattern, since yours is not working too good at the moment anyway (for AF at least). Let me know how it goes. Good luck!

[Cybersist]

Yea, I was just reading that. Ill give it a try later once I get home.

[annual]

If you have 4 coco's on there, it should be smoking. I would say 3 is ideal for a medium. Pack it light, up to the brim. I personally poke a hole in the middle it doesnt hurt. The hole pattern above works great, add some more to that and your golden.

What kinda hookah are you using?

[Cybersist]

mya gelato

[mattarios2]

and you are sprinkling the shisha in and then lightly pushing it down? You want to rub it in between in your fingers to get it to break up and just let it fall in the bowl. Once you have a pile of lightly fluffed shisha give it a gentle push down to get it level with the top of the bowl. cocos and you should be sailing. Oh and I find a crap load of tiny holes works way better than big holes with AF.

[slingham]

I use a ton of push pin holes with both AF and SB. I make three rings around the phunnel an then fill in the gaps. I then do a five hole pattern right in the middle to get good airflow. Then I throw three 1" exoticas or now that I have them, 3 coco's. This is my go to method now, an I can't pack a normal egyptian bowl for the life of me. It doesn't even seem to matter how much or how little shisha I put with this method either.

[modisess]

Oh and I find a crap load of tiny holes works way better than big holes with AF.

Yep, 100% agree on this.

Smaller holes seems to help heat up the tobacco a bit more evenly i think.

[Codename067]

Not tiny, not big, not too many.


Medium -toothpick- sized holes for any tobacco I use.

[Cybersist]

Definate success last night, thanks for the hold pattern Rigor