What Am I Doing Wrong....?

[engineonmute]

This happens quite often, but not all the time.
I set up my mya qt with water in the base and some shisha, usually starbuzz. I use 2-3 3k ql's throughout the session, usually one whole one at once broken up because i use the standard bowl that came with the hookah and it's kinda small. Anyways, the first 30 minutes is horrible. It's harsh, the shisha starts burning too much, tastes like ash, clouds are thin, and blehh....
I do what i can. I continually ash the coals and move them around. I'm pretty sure i put enough water in the hookah. the stem is about 3/4 to 1 inch under.... I also use a windcover and the 72' mya hose.

After that first bad half hour-ish, its all okay. Im not doing anything different, same amount of coals (1 broken up) and all, and suddenly i got thick clouds and flavor and its not harsh. But by then ive scared off all my friends who wanted to try hookah for the first time....

Any ideas of what's going on and what i can try to do to fix it? Thanx in advance!

[PSKmustang]

This happens quite often, but not all the time.
I set up my mya qt with water in the base and some shisha, usually starbuzz. I use 2-3 3k ql's throughout the session, usually one whole one at once broken up because i use the standard bowl that came with the hookah and it's kinda small. Anyways, the first 30 minutes is horrible. It's harsh, the shisha starts burning too much, tastes like ash, clouds are thin, and blehh....
I do what i can. I continually ash the coals and move them around. I'm pretty sure i put enough water in the hookah. the stem is about 3/4 to 1 inch under.... I also use a windcover and the 72' mya hose.

After that first bad half hour-ish, its all okay. Im not doing anything different, same amount of coals (1 broken up) and all, and suddenly i got thick clouds and flavor and its not harsh. But by then ive scared off all my friends who wanted to try hookah for the first time....

Any ideas of what's going on and what i can try to do to fix it? Thanx in advance!

Well, my problem wasn't the same as yours but maybe it will help. I found that hookah hookah shishah burned far too quickly, but it also needed lots of heat to get going. Basically a bitch to keep heated. Here is how I had a great smoke (best and longest some I've ever had with HH).

My old method was:

1) shishah almost to top of a medium phunnel but leaving space so that the shisha did not stick
2) one layer of foil paper
3) 3 rows of holes around the foil paper
4) 2 coco nara's well lit (about 5 mins on a burner). Every 10-15 mins I would ash and move the coals to a different part of the bowl.

My new method is:

1) shishah level is the same, added a bit of glycerin
2) two layers of foil paper
3) still 3 rows of holes around the foil paper
4) 3 coco nara's well lit, once I got my first good puff of smoke, I removed one coal. Then once the two coals on the bowl went down to half of their original size, I added the 3rd coal that was sitting in the ashtray.

It sounds like you are using too much heat. Try removing the windcover. Use less coals and see how it works. Basically what I'm saying in comparing my old and new method is just to play around with different ways of controlling heat. Whenever I got harshness, it was just far too much heat. Also, an overpacked bowl would cause shishah to stick to the foil paper and thus continually burning.

[vin13]

If you're using coconaras, make sure to keep them well lit. I've noticed that if we use a windcover, the bottoms of the cocos will become a crispy black, making the smoke very thin and harsh.

[liquidglass]

here's my 2 cents.

- make sure your foil is tight
-sprinkle the shisha (or even cut it up with a knife some before sprinkling)
- use a # sign as your holes
- halve the qlites (in case you're 4thing them) so try using 2 or 3 halves on the very edges
- after it's packed and holes are punched blow thru the bottom of the bowl to make sure you have good air flow


That should solve your problem unless your hose is rusted out, just depends on how long you've had it.


Good luck!

[engineonmute]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm ok thankyou
ill give your guys' methods a try

[Sahara Smoke Co]

It really sounds like your coals might not be fully lit in the beginning.

Spend some time making sure you're really getting them going.

[Victim026]

Yeah sounds like the coals could not be lit enough and that you may possibly be using too much heat once they do get going.

[NarghileNights]

for quick light coals to not be lit for 30 minutes makes little to no sense.

sounds like after 30 minutes you have finally destroyed the shisha that has been over packed and is basically being torched by the coals. that gives it a nice barrier to evenly heat the bowl and give you a good smoke even though the flavor said bye 15 minutes ago.

try and get your hands on a normal mod bowl, sprinkle your shisha just below the rim, extremely tight foil, enough holes so you arent losing airflow, and then 2 QL's or 3 1/2's around the edges.

[coplinb]

Id say, try letting the coals heat up before you put em on, and dont use the wind cover until you think you need it.

[Imsomint]

I was also thinking you're overpacking it. Make sure your shisha isn't touching the foil when you pack your bowl.

Also, this is my first post from my G1. (H).

[engineonmute]

hmmmm i pack it pretty light. but i was thinking you guys are probably right about putting the coals on too soon....
they weren't fully red all around when i put them on and that might be it.
heh im too excited about hookah; i can't wait that long and then i prob burn the top layer :/
im gonna wait longer tonight! we'll see how it goes. thanx again guys

[antouwan]

umm, thin AND harsh smoke at the SAME TIME?

that sounds like underpacking to me. everyone here has such an obsession about OHEMGEEZDON'TLETTHETOBACCOTOUCHTHEFOIL that they underpack it, and THAT happens. the foil touching the tobacco a little bit is normal, you CAN'T avoid it, so don't try to avoid it and end up with shitty sessions...that being said, don't pack it like tangiers, either.

[busterhax]

Sorry i know the topic is a bit old but i have noticed with my QT that the inside has gotten a rusty smell and a brass/green color(im assuming from rinsing it and letting it sit). The stem had a metal ordor. I believe this caused me to instantly get harsh tastes. I tried cleaning it today with lemon juice and baking soda. the color did not go away, but some of the odor did. i hope it works. Edited January 9, 2009 by busterhax

[Scheetz]

Surface rust is what you are seeing. Nothing harmful about it really, just wash the hookah and wipe it off as best you can. The smell is just what happens as the shisha is burned. I have never found a way to truly remove that god awful odor.

[engineonmute]

hmmmm odd i wash my qt after every session with baking soda and lemon juice and im getting that metal odor as well..... i thought it was a good clean smell...