Hookah Flavor Problems

[JJG411]

I had a question I was hoping you could all help me out with.

I've been smoking for about 3 years now and I have quite a collection of shisha but i've always had a general issue with taste/flavor no matter what brands I smoke. I don't get burning, the smoke never makes me cough or is harsh or anything like that-- I just don't get much flavor.

I usually smoke Starbuzz because of the general quality of the hookah, duration of session, cut and smell, but I never get a really strong potent and enjoyable taste, clouds yes but the taste is usual either quite mild or just flat out not there. This is even true for the coveted blue mist.

I am using a 28" Mya Gold with a pyramid base.
I use a medium phunnel bowl.
I use 3 coconara coals.
I use ice in the base (although I've tried it many times without).
I use a heba diffuser.
I submerge the stem into about an inch or an inch 1/2 of water.
I alternate using a windshield depending on the smoke I am getting.
I wash my hookah with soap and water every few sessions.

I have tried many brands of shisha: Hookah-freak, AL Fahkar, Starbuzz, Tonic, Romman, Fantasia, Fumari, and countless crap brands from the corner store.

I usually pack my medium phunnel with about 40-50g of shisha, and duration is never a problem, I usually wear out the 3 coconaras and still get good smoke right until the end.

I have tried doubling up on the tinfoil to prevent possible burning of the shisha just for precaution. I enjoy a really knock your socks off overpowering flavor session with thick clouds-- something I very very rarely get. Any time I get giant clouds I don't get any flavors and at times when I get flavor the smoke is severely lacking.

The hookah freak rose-berry is one of the only shisha's I got a very strong flavor from, the only problem is that is great for a once in while smoke but I can't smoke that flavor more than once a month. I got a hint of a really strong flavor using the "pink lemonade" shisha from Fantasia, however I was trying to conserve shisha and packed a medium phunnel bowl with only 20gs of the stuff and I wasn't using a scali mod so I never was able to get it going. I also got a really strong flavor session with Al Fahker watermelon but that has been about it.

Should I be using 2 coconaras and the windshield? Should I be buying different shisha? A vortex bowl?

Just to give you an idea of the flavors I like: starbuzz strawberry-margarita is my favorite, starbuzz safari melon dew, starbuzz blueberry grape, and starbuzz fuzzy-naval. My least favorites have been anything from the fumari brand- I literally get 0 taste from fumari.

Any advice would really help. THANKS!!!

[antouwan]

50g for a medium does not sound like nearly enough tobacco for an authentic Tangiers Medium. either add more water or forget the diffuser (the water should be about an inch up from the exposed stem - so, start measuring that 'inch' from where you can see the metal)

make sure you rinse THOROUGHLY after using the soap.

also, check for leaks; it may even be your hose.

[DarkParade]

if anything add more heat... that has helped bring out more flavor for me on occasion

[Baric]

When I started smoking shisha this was a major problem for me too, and still can be at times. When I started I had great clouds and hugely enjoyed my sessions but equally was frustrated by the lack of flavour (usually nil); I checked and changed every single part of my set-up, from the shisha to grommets to the whole pipe, and although much cleaning and the pipe change allowed me to get flavour from AF DA, I couldn't from anything else so I doubt the problem will be with your set-up.
:The problem for me lay in how I was packing the bowl. Antouwan is right, i think: you should try using more shisha. The breakthrough for me came with Nakhla DA; by filling a medium phunnel until it was about half cm over the rim then placing on the foil and pushing down the shisha to below the rim before finally tightening the foil as per usual, i managed to get great flavour and clouds from three easy light Japanese coals. (Three rings of toothpick holes). I would recommend you give some nakhla a try; its cheap so not much lost and its worth a shot for flavour.

Good luck!

[Vladimir]

I concur, I think medium funnels are for 100g shisha normally aren't they?

[BLUE&GOLD]

When I started smoking shisha this was a major problem for me too, and still can be at times. When I started I had great clouds and hugely enjoyed my sessions but equally was frustrated by the lack of flavour (usually nil); I checked and changed every single part of my set-up, from the shisha to grommets to the whole pipe, and although much cleaning and the pipe change allowed me to get flavour from AF DA, I couldn't from anything else so I doubt the problem will be with your set-up.
:The problem for me lay in how I was packing the bowl. Antouwan is right, i think: you should try using more shisha. The breakthrough for me came with Nakhla DA; by filling a medium phunnel until it was about half cm over the rim then placing on the foil and pushing down the shisha to below the rim before finally tightening the foil as per usual, i managed to get great flavour and clouds from three easy light Japanese coals. (Three rings of toothpick holes). I would recommend you give some nakhla a try; its cheap so not much lost and its worth a shot for flavour.

Good luck!

good info, i have the same problems
gonna try that next time
tho it seems to defy the general "hookah law", overpacking
seems to work especially for unwashed tobacco like Nakhla
and brands like Tangiers from what i've read. go figure.

[NimbleCow]

Is there a good video that shows this technique of filling to above the rim, then placing foil, packing down, then re-foiling?

[Baric]

Is there a good video that shows this technique of filling to above the rim, then placing foil, packing down, then re-foiling?

There's no need to re-foil, if you're taking that to mean two sheets of foil or taking it off and putting on again; when you're ready to foil up just push down the tobacco with the foil then tighten the foil up as usual.

This is a good video to demonstrate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjQ33LXMh6A