Could Use Some Advice

[Fleqs]

Ok so i've been to hookah lounges numerous times and have always been able to pull nice smoke that holds its flavor for 1hr+. About 2 months ago i went out and bought my own hookah. This is what i

Currently Have:
Mya QT Hookah - from my knowledge this is a great beginner hookah
Regular Size Bowl - one that comes with the QT
Reynolds Wrap Heavy Strength Aluminum Foil
Coco Nara Coals - i light these for 6-8 mins on an electric stove
Laylina Mixed Fruit Shisha
Hookah Hookah Strawberry Shisha

Just Arrived:
Extra Hose Attachment - so me and my buddy can smoke at the same time
Starbuzz Sex On The Beach Shisha - taste damn good when i tried it at the lounge
Starbuzz Blue Mist Shisha - heard it is amazing

This is what I do:
I know how to pack a bowl. Sprinkle the tobacco to the top (if smoking for 2+ people), shiny side down, wrap foil tight around the bowl, toothpick punch about 15 - 20 holes scattered throughout. I even give the bowl a light blow from the bottom to make sure air can travel through with no problem. Place coal on rim of bowl, not in the center.

Problem:
First few puffs taste great, about 3-4 mins in it doesnt taste so good anymore.

Trials:
I've used some crappy quicklight brand and it just tasted horrible, but that was the first couple times I ever packed a bowl.
Then I tried the coconaras with the hookah hookah shisha. 2 coconaras and still tastes bad after a few hits. When I'm cleaning it out i notice the shisha is burnt and dried out.
I tried 1 coco nara with laylina and hookahhookah because i thought it was too much heat, same story.

After reading some posts i see a lot on phunnel bowls. I'd like to get one in the future but i want to hold off until i can master the regular bowl. Some posts also reccomend using 2 sheets of foil for heat management.

So my question. What am i doing wrong? Can someone please give me some advice?
I would appreciate any input.

[Tyler]

Hookah Hookah generally loses flavor in ~30 min, that's normal. Layaline Mixed fruit is light flavor so it could just be that your pallatte is getting used to it. Try using a SB bowl, since the bowl that the QT comes with is really small, you'll probably only ever need 1 coco the whole time, 2 could burn it. Also if you're using really cold water, it can diffuse the flavor a bit, room temp water is usually the best, the colder it is the less harsh the smoke, the warmer, the more the flavor comes through. If you're looking for full flavor, go with SB, Tangiers, or Fantasia. If you're looking for buzz go for Tangiers, Nahkla, or AF. Tangiers offers the best buzz flavor combination while SB offers the best flavor. When you try a SB with your set up and still have the same issue report back and we can trouble shoot for you.

[Vladimir]

Sounds like you may be burning the shisha, try stacking it not so high. Also generally you will want to spread the coals out, so if you are only using one you may want to break it in half. Honestly one coal sounds like NOT enough, but it sure sounds like its burning... Generally when you pull it out, if you have smoked it all, in my experience, it will look charred and burned. This shouldn't happen on a GOOD bowl in just an hour though.

EDIT: I tried two layers of foil once and it was a miserable failure. I also use a thumbtack to poke my holes to get them really small. I used to poke TONS of holes, like TONS, I am thinking about going back to that too but we will see after another smoke tonight or tomorrow or so. Edited April 28, 2009 by Vladimir

[EternalSoil]

you might try smaller holes with starbuzz. Also, dont hesitate to let it touch the foil, it's ok if it gets stuck and burned to the foil when you peal it off.

On that bowl, one coconara should be fine.

You say it doesn't taste good. What does it taste like? coal? is it too hot (burns your throat a little)? tastes like nothing?

[Zinite]

The QT bowl is REALLY small... I've burnt the crap out of shisha with only 1 coco on one of those bowls. Try cutting the coco in half with a steak knife and place the halves across from each other on the bowl.

[Fleqs]

thanks for the replies thus far. i'm open to try anything so tomorrow i'll try and cut the coal in halves since it looks like a heat issue ( little difficult since im in a college dorm at the moment )

as far as the smoke i was getting before, it was def harsh, hurt the throat a bit and i could only describe it as a 'burnt' taste.

from my understanding natural coals produce more heat than quicklights. but from my experience quicklights ash a lot more. hopefully cutting them in half will allow to stick to naturals because im a little sketchy about quicklights

[TheShishaDoctor]

Sounds like things are too hot.

Pack a bit tighter with much more holes. Try having the foil not touching the tobacco. Leave a few millimeters spacer. Start with a small amount of coal, then add more after 10 minutes if you still need it. It can take a few minutes to get going.

[ToncSTAR]

what i did with my qt, when i had it was packed it normally, and just out of habit, i would poke the holes as if the bowl were a phunnel bowl (with a tooth pick, making one ring of holes around the perimeter of the bowl, then one more ring around the inside of that, and a center hole) used two coco nara coals on the edges when their fresh off the stove. rotating and ashing them maybe once every 5-10 minutes. then progressing towards the center of the bowl.

though, i did burn Hookah Hookah and Hookah Freak alot with that hookah

[Tom1]

you might try smaller holes with starbuzz. Also, dont hesitate to let it touch the foil, it's ok if it gets stuck and burned to the foil when you peal it off.

On that bowl, one coconara should be fine.

You say it doesn't taste good. What does it taste like? coal? is it too hot (burns your throat a little)? tastes like nothing?

I agree with Eternal, try both smaller holes, or less holes of the same size. 15-20 toothpick size holes on a ceramic MYA bowl sounds like way too much. Use a windcover too if you only have one coal on it. (or make a tinfoil one if you don't have one)

[shalowlow]

The QT bowl is REALLY small... I've burnt the crap out of shisha with only 1 coco on one of those bowls. Try cutting the coco in half with a steak knife and place the halves across from each other on the bowl.

I agree.

You might want to get a bigger bowl, or better yet, a phunnel. But for the meantime, like Zinite said, cut coals in half and but them on opposite sides for now.

[ahwahoo2006]

Combination of too much heat and too much air. On my QT with the small bowl I only use like 10-12 holes arranged in a #.

[sjcrain]

I'm running into a similar issue, only I'm not getting hardly any flavor at all. Plenty of smoke, moderate to no harshness, but no flavor.

Equipment:
I've got a no-name Egyptian circa 2006 from Hookah Company and another no name Chinese hookah from a local vendor.
I've used a standard bowl and a MNH mini-phunnel with the glass screen and scali mod.

Coals:
3 kings
Golden

Tobacco:

Starbuzz Blue Mist, Kiwi Strawberry, Mint, and Strawberry.
3 year old Tangiers cool strawberry, melon blend, f-line cocoa, and orange soda

Technique:

I've tried light and heavy packs with 2 Three kings and 2 Goldens. The SB smokes fine, but the flavor is terrible. The Tangiers smokes but gets harsh very fast.


I'm looking to get the best flavor that I can, because, so far, I've never had good luck at home. I'll occasionally have good experiences at various hookah bars (which is why I started this hobby) but I'd really like to get a better technique down for home.

[evilded777]

I'm running into a similar issue, only I'm not getting hardly any flavor at all. Plenty of smoke, moderate to no harshness, but no flavor.

/snip

follow the above advice: break the coals; make sure and rotate them if things get harsh. Personally, I would ditch the mod on the mini. I see no reason to use in on a mini. I pack anything into a mini, use 2-3 halves of coconut coals and just about anything smokes. If I use a whole coal, just about anything burns.

3 year old Tangiers, huh? Wonder how good that would still be?

[Fleqs]

hey guys just want to thank everyone again for their advice. unfortunately i havn't been able to smoke since i posted this topic. due to the rainy weather and not being allowed to smoke in a dorm. but i'll be sure to post results after my next smoke!

[sjcrain]

3 year old Tangiers, huh? Wonder how good that would still be?

Dunno. I'd read elsewhere in the forum of using glycerine to revive old shisha, so I gave it a shot.

The lack of flavor in Starbuzz is what's getting me though. I'll give it a shot without the mod tonight and see. Out of curiosity, without the mod on the mini, how do you keep the juices from running down the stem? It seems to me that the MNH mini has a pretty low hole which would allow an awful lot of the juice to drip down.

As an experiment, are there any SB flavors that are consistently stronger than another that I should try?

[evilded777]

3 year old Tangiers, huh? Wonder how good that would still be?

Dunno. I'd read elsewhere in the forum of using glycerine to revive old shisha, so I gave it a shot.

The lack of flavor in Starbuzz is what's getting me though. I'll give it a shot without the mod tonight and see. Out of curiosity, without the mod on the mini, how do you keep the juices from running down the stem? It seems to me that the MNH mini has a pretty low hole which would allow an awful lot of the juice to drip down.

As an experiment, are there any SB flavors that are consistently stronger than another that I should try?

Can't help you with SB, I don't smoke it.

As far as the mini goes... um, don't pack so much? I pack mine with Tang, AF, etc... and I don't believe I have ever had a problem with stuff going down the stem other than ash. There are pictures around here somewhere of how I pack my mini. I can't find the thread, but if this link works its a pick of my mini packed with Tang Lucid Apple.

Lucid Apple in a Mini

[sjcrain]

Can't help you with SB, I don't smoke it.

As far as the mini goes... um, don't pack so much? I pack mine with Tang, AF, etc... and I don't believe I have ever had a problem with stuff going down the stem other than ash. There are pictures around here somewhere of how I pack my mini. I can't find the thread, but if this link works its a pick of my mini packed with Tang Lucid Apple.

Lucid Apple in a Mini

Pic worked. That's a lot less than I thought would be in there. Do you use the glass screen too?