smokeandmirrors Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hey guys. I've been a fan of hookah for a few years now, and just bought myself one. Nothing fancy, just a nice looking hookah from the shop down the street from me. Came with a stock Egyptian ceramic bowl, an un-washable hose and some brushes for cleaning. Bowl is a bit small for my liking, but the shop owner said it's deep enough for a good hour long session, which I figured was perfect. Had he had any others I would've bought a few, but he only had others just like the one I just bought. I bought 8 flavors of AF shisha, a box of Three Kings coals, and a washable hose, and before I knew it I was way over my hookah budget for the month, so I've gotta make do with what I got.Anyway, here's the question. My shisha ALWAYS burns on the top. I think I'm packing it pretty well (loosely for airflow, and to the top) and using just regular Reynold's foil (doubled up) on top. Hole pattern is like I've seen on here, not too many, not too little. I get pretty good clouds of thick, white smoke after I get it started, but the session turns sour about 20 minutes in because the shisha burns. What am I doing wrong? I'm only using 1 coal, started in the middle to get the bowl heated, and then I move it off to the edge, and rotate it around the bowl clockwise until it's small enough to put back in the center. Any ideas?Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattarios2 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 crack the coal in half or in 1/4th's either place half on one side and half on the other, or place 1/4 in each corner of the bowl. Sounds like since you are fluffing the tobacco in there, one coal gives off too much heat in that one spot of the bowl, so you need to spread that heat out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeandmirrors Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Sounds good man. I'll give that a try. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arhutch Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 ya just sound like a heat management problem. break the coal and spread it out. let us know the results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cotsi95 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 are you using 33mm coals or 40mm? Try what matt said, also no need to double up the foil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeandmirrors Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 QUOTE (cotsi95 @ Mar 10 2009, 02:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>are you using 33mm coals or 40mm? Try what matt said, also no need to double up the foil.33mm. I started out with just a single layer of foil but that destroyed my throat because the smoke got so harsh, so I tried to fix that by doubling the foil.I'm setting up now, I'll try a single layer of foil with the coal broken into 4 pieces this time and see how that goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeandmirrors Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Breaking the coal up and just using a single layer of foil seems to have done the trick. Thanks! The shisha is still burning a bit on the top, but I think that might just be a result of how shallow the bowl is, but it hasn't gotten harsh yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuburbanSmoker Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 make sure you rotate the coals. think more of heating the entire bowl rather then 2 or 3 spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookah S Moka Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 what quicklights are u using, ive noticed that there are major differences in the top brands of common qls, like 3ks are really hot burners and tend to scorch the shisha insanely quick, if you can move on to a natural coal, it may help the problem a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeandmirrors Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 I'm using 3 Kings. Breaking it up and moving it every 5 or so pulls seemed to keep too much of the shisha from getting burnt. I bought a box of the 3 Kings so as soon as I burn through these I'll be sure to get some natural coals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternalSoil Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 the shisha getting crispy up top is not gonna hurt it...you may think that it would cause it to taste bad but it doesn't.i would say use 2 halves of a QL on opposite sides.As long as you are not hitting it every 3 seconds it shouldn't get to harsh or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonthert Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Yeah, gravity is going to tend to pull the juice downwards, as well as suction from a standard bowl will help alot so the top will dry out and seem crispy. It should be able to smoke fine if you're not using too much charcoal. If the bowl goes harsh after smoking for awhile, reduce the charcoal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now