Lucid Experience

[fcbayern]

Alrighty, I got my HJ order yesterday which contained my Lucid Horchatta. SO I packed up my phunnel and went to work. I started the bowl off with 2 CH QL coals and a windcover (phunnel sized from John). It smoked well for a few pulls, then got harsh fast. So I took the WC off, still harsh. Then I took 1 coal off, leaving only 1. The smoke then got thin and even more harsh. I put the WC on with 1 coal, more of the same. I remembered Cotsi said Tangiers loves lots of heat soo I added 2 coals (total 3 coals now) and it actually got better, with atomic clouds, but it was still pretty harsh with a nasty flavor.. After that I just gave up and repacked some SB Blue Myst and went to town..

I love the way this stuff smells in the bag, no BBQ/SOY smell. If I could get the flavor right with the atomic clouds I was getting last night it would be epic. But it was soo harsh I was coughing up a lung (no shisha has ever made me cough)

My setup is as follows: KM SSR, Small Phunnel (chinese), I spinkled the shisha into the bowl until just above the rim then pressed it with my palm so it ends up even with the top of the bowl. Double Generic brand Foil. Hole pattern is below..

Thanks for the help guys, I know it has to be something I'm doing...Looking forward to an epic smoke..

[mattarios2]

more holes and what kind of coals?

Tangiers actually requires very low heat.

So if you are using something like coco's you should crack them in half.

Also you should take chunks with 3 fingers and place it into the bowl, tang needs to be packed heavy, even if it is lucid it will smoke better if you pack it like it is OG. Don't sprinkle

[fcbayern]

THe coals are CH quicklights from john,, they are just like Cocos only quick light.. I love them BTW

MOre holes? for Lucid?

[mushrat]

What in the world makes you think the number of holes makes a difference for lucid vs. OG or any other brand. So the leaves are washed, that has NO effect on the smokign characteristics of the tobacco. And take 2 ch coals, split them in halves, place the halves arounf the edge of the bowl, smoke. It kills me how much people over think Tangiers.

Oh, and if you holes are big enough to see the actual tobacco, guess that happens when you put coals on it....it BURNS the tobacco. The foil is supposed to provide a barrier between the coals and the shisha so you arent directly burning the stuff like Zag.

[Boricua]

2 coals should be enough to get it going without the wind-cover, you probably burned it.

I would recommend: more holes

Also, from the pic it looks like you might have underpacked.

At least I'm telling you what works for me.

[Voski]

I have had problems with CH QL coals doing this to my AF bowls before. Try standing them up on the sides or using a different coal.

[mattarios2]

What in the world makes you think the number of holes makes a difference for lucid vs. OG or any other brand. So the leaves are washed, that has NO effect on the smokign characteristics of the tobacco. And take 2 ch coals, split them in halves, place the halves arounf the edge of the bowl, smoke. It kills me how much people over think Tangiers.

Oh, and if you holes are big enough to see the actual tobacco, guess that happens when you put coals on it....it BURNS the tobacco. The foil is supposed to provide a barrier between the coals and the shisha so you arent directly burning the stuff like Zag.

I disagree about the holes. My best sessions I ever had of tangiers was with huge HUGE holes. A smaller hole allows for more heat to be centered in that one spot, a bigger hole allows for more area to take in that heat, and as we know tang is a low heat tobacco, so the bigger holes allow for that heat to spread more evenly.

And I don't over think tangiers, it just doesn't like to acclimate for me so i try to think of other ways to make the stuff work.

[likespaceships]

Pack it in the phunnel like you would any other tobacco. Poke the holes the same way you would any other tobacco.

[fcbayern]

Pack it in the phunnel like you would any other tobacco. Poke the holes the same way you would any other tobacco.

I did, this is how I pack every other shisha.. SB NAK AF... Everything same hole pattern too

[mattarios2]

it's because coconut coals give off too much heat, crack them in half and add half by half by half and once the smoke is thick and good, you will be all set. I crack my cocos in half for nakhla, fusion, and everything else.

[likespaceships]

Pack it in the phunnel like you would any other tobacco. Poke the holes the same way you would any other tobacco.

I did, this is how I pack every other shisha.. SB NAK AF... Everything same hole pattern too

Don't sprinkle it in. Place it in even it out around the bowl with your fingers. Don't let it touch your foil because it sounds like you are burning it. That would be why it taste so harsh.

[shalowlow]

Actually, CH quicklights ash all weird so I personally don't think they are the best when it comes to any tobacco. Japanese style coals are probably your best bet.

I would also add more holes despite what Mush said....lol

[JByer323]

It kills me how much people over think Tangiers.

If this forum had a rep system, you would have totally gotten some with that comment.

In all of my experience, I have never really seen the amount of holes poked in the foil make any significant difference of how the shisha smokes, other then effecting how it draws. Without the holes in the foil, a hookah is a totally sealed system. Poke enough so that it draws comfortably for you, and the shisha is gonna get enough air, as you're drawing it through each time you take a pull.

I poke maybe two concentric rings of medium sized holes (when I'm sober) to smoke Tangiers. It draws fine, and it smokes like a champ. Stop blaming poor heat management, packing technique, or improper acclimation on the foil. Heavy duty vs. light? Only reason I rock out the heavy is because it's easier to reuse in case I have to ghetto rig a new bowl. It might smoke a touch hotter, but that's where that whole heat management thing comes in.

Sorry to sound preachy here, but some of you guys turn this shit into a fucking science project. Edited April 23, 2009 by JByer323

[shalowlow]

It kills me how much people over think Tangiers.

If this forum had a rep system, you would have totally gotten some with that comment.

In all of my experience, I have never really seen the amount of holes poked in the foil make any significant difference of how the shisha smokes, other then effecting how it draws. Without the holes in the foil, a hookah is a totally sealed system. Poke enough so that it draws comfortably for you, and the shisha is gonna get enough air, as you're drawing it through each time you take a pull.

I poke maybe two concentric rings of medium sized holes (when I'm sober) to smoke Tangiers. It draws fine, and it smokes like a champ. Stop blaming poor heat management, packing technique, or improper acclimation on the foil. Heavy duty vs. light? Only reason I rock out the heavy is because it's easier to reuse in case I have to ghetto rig a new bowl. It might smoke a touch hotter, but that's where that whole heat management thing comes in.

Sorry to sound preachy here, but some of you guys turn this shit into a fucking science project.

But you just made the point for everyone here. The more holes, the more air, the less "hot" and smokey the air is, the easier it is to take it in.

I think Tangiers is just too strong for a lot of people at first, and it doesn't need crazy long inhales like I think people are probably doing.(although lucid is a lot easier but it seems people still are having trouble)....I didn't have that much of a problem because I've "acclimated" my lungs for years before I ever really got it to hookah...come to think of it, maybe everyone should smoke black and milds for a few years before they go trying Tangiers. It'll make their lungs ready for the ride! lol

[inino]

ok here is what happened. holes really dont matter. you put 2 coals with a windcover on, and that provided way too much heat, then you smoked it and burnt the top layer of tobacco making everything taste bad. then you took the windcover off and the phunnel was still hot ( phunnels hold alot of heat and take time to cool down) so you thought it was harsh still. then you took a coal off, the phunnel cooled down and it was thin. then you gave up. here is what you should do. pack the bowl tight, press the foil down, pull the foil tight, poke your holes. put 2 coals on, i honestly dont think you need to cut them in half. 2 coals is perfect heat. no windcover! well not til the coals die down a little bit.

-also even though its lucid, acclimate it for an hour or 2 anyways. the flavors will be stronger.

[Click]

When Cotsi said that tangiers love heat, I believe it was referring to OG tangiers and that the burning point of the tobacco is lower than the nicotine.  So if you don't have enough heat you'll be smoking up mostly nicotine and get sick.  Has happened to me.

[jeremyk]

i agree with matt you gotta pack it in there i used to underpack it and i had the same problem you did

[annual]

Pack it tight with a fork, have a good little brim above the rim of the bowl. Put the foil on shiny side down. Poke 3 - 4 rings of holes, none in the middle. I do 3 coco's to start on the edges and its perfect.

[Sapphire]

Pack it tight with a fork, have a good little brim above the rim of the bowl. Put the foil on shiny side down. Poke 3 - 4 rings of holes, none in the middle. I do 3 coco's to start on the edges and its perfect.

Agreed ! Thats how I did mine the first time and it was PERFECT ! But I took off the 3rd coal once it started goin good.

[fcbayern]

OK so here is the up date:

On the second try I packed the shisha the same as always, with the same hole pattern in the above picture. I started with 3 Halves of CH coals and A windcover.. I got a decent smoke but not much flavor..So I added a 4th half about 15 minutes into the session.. I got much better clouds and a slight tingle.. Still not much flavor (at least not what I expected).. At least it was smokeable..By the time I had messed around with it that much the first coals were going dead so I added 4 new halves..Smoked a little harsh for a few pulls then evened out.. But then all of the sudden the bowl went supper harsh and unfixable.. I mean I was coughing up a lung..So I figured I finished off the bowl, and it was done.. When I looked at my watch I had only been smoking it for 1 hour..WTF? So the only thing I can think of is that I packed the bowl too light.. IDK

[fcbayern]

3rd try:

So since I figured that I under packed, on my 3rd try I packed the crap out of the bowl.. I packed it just like people pack OG. The shisha was way above the rim of the phunnel I pcaked it down foiled it and opened a similar hole pattern but with a few more holes. This time I started off with 4 halves of CH QL's no wind cover.. It was smokeable from the start, but lacking in flavor.. but I ran into the same issue when it was time for a second set of coals.. Super harsh, I pulled coals off and still not any better.. I doubt seriously I'm burning this stuff with 4 halves spread around the bowl.. If soo why do I get thin smoke with 3 halves? I this stuff so finicky that it needs 3.5 halves of coal to be perfect? Is this stuff really worth all the hassle? I like the way the package says "how come I cant get this to smoke right"..I must not just be me..

Look I'm giving this everything I got with an open mind.. I'd love to get this stuff to work out.. But for real how hard is it to pack a bowl and smoke it.. This isnt rocket science.. Why is this so problematic. According to MUsh this should smoke like any other shisha,, So why doesnt it?

[likespaceships]

3rd try:

So since I figured that I under packed, on my 3rd try I packed the crap out of the bowl.. I packed it just like people pack OG. The shisha was way above the rim of the phunnel I pcaked it down foiled it and opened a similar hole pattern but with a few more holes. This time I started off with 4 halves of CH QL's no wind cover.. It was smokeable from the start, but lacking in flavor.. but I ran into the same issue when it was time for a second set of coals.. Super harsh, I pulled coals off and still not any better.. I doubt seriously I'm burning this stuff with 4 halves spread around the bowl.. If soo why do I get thin smoke with 3 halves? I this stuff so finicky that it needs 3.5 halves of coal to be perfect? Is this stuff really worth all the hassle? I like the way the package says "how come I cant get this to smoke right"..I must not just be me..

Look I'm giving this everything I got with an open mind.. I'd love to get this stuff to work out.. But for real how hard is it to pack a bowl and smoke it.. This isnt rocket science.. Why is this so problematic. According to MUsh this should smoke like any other shisha,, So why doesnt it?

have you tried packing it in a standard egyptian bowl yet? If not try it out. Just pack it like you would anything else and it should work just fine.

[Sonthert]

Too much coal is my call. 90% of the time, when its smoking well for awhile and then gets uber harsh, its scorched from too much charcoal.

You probably started out underpacking the bowl, established a heat threshold that was too high and didn't try adjusting it down (less heat). When people underpack the bowl, the tobacco frequently smokes weakly, so they add more charcoal than they should to get it to smoke somewhat, then when they try adding more tobacco, they keep using the same amount of charcoal. 1 1/2 should be the right amount.

[clickhea]

i pack lucid like i pack af (sprinkle it in)

then use tooth pick sized holes (not pushed through) with 3 coals on a medium and its perfect.

[Sonthert]

Somebody was saying they good results with 1 coconara split into two pieces.