New Hookah User

[Tiffany530]

Hi All!!

I was just introduced to the Hookah a couple of weeks ago and I must say I LOVED it! It was a buddy of my fiance's and I want one now. I don't know the first thing about Hookahs, tobacco, etc. If anyone has the time I would love to pick your brain a bit! First question, what is a good hookah pipe? Size, cost, etc. Thank you so much

[joytron]

Hopefully someone moves this to the main section. One of the most important part of picking a hookah is personal preference. As for starting out I would suggest a MYA Bambino, portable, easy to clean, smokes like a champ and comes with a case. THat hookah is around $45 i think.

[Big Boss]

I can't claim that any hookah is better than another (magdy zidan, khalil mamoon, maya saray... etc.) because I lack personal experience with them. But I highly suggest that you get a small one hose hookah for a starter, and then graduate to the "big leagues" once you know what you're doing and when you know you'll continue this wonderful hobby/life-style. Happy smoking!

[RingsMaster]

i would start off on a middle sized hookah, i started on a 24" syrian and it helped alot. sometimes the smaller hookahs can be tricky to nail for me and the big ones were too much when i started. right in the middle was a nice median lol. and alot of different people like alot of diff tobaccos so just get 50g samplers of stuff that sounds good and go to town lol

[speel]

Hi All!!

I was just introduced to the Hookah a couple of weeks ago and I must say I LOVED it! It was a buddy of my fiance's and I want one now. I don't know the first thing about Hookahs, tobacco, etc. If anyone has the time I would love to pick your brain a bit! First question, what is a good hookah pipe? Size, cost, etc. Thank you so much

Awesome and welcome, what every one else said is pretty much on point, one thing I want to point out is that preparing the best hookah is a process, kinda like driving. You can't just expect to just drop coals on the bowl and poof..Aladdin clouds. Just keep that in mind. And while you can try out every tobacco brand possible to find out what you like.

[Molson]

Ah yes the same question everyone asks within their first 10 posts here (i did the same several years ago) and if i just yelled and told you to do a search...well then none of us would have anything to post as most things have already been answered.

Choosing a hookah
This is kind of like asking which shoes should I buy. Well now that depends on if i'm running, playing basketball, skateboarding, lounging, or going to a formal dinner. Well choosing a hookah is the same thing. There is no right or wrong answer although everyone has their own opinion and remember as time goes on opinions change and what was once great will soon be trashed and others that were thought to be garbage will see the light. That being said their are a few things to consider.

First off is size. The age old question "does size matter" and the correct response is well depends on how you use it. It is mutually agreed that anything over 12'' and over will be fine. SImply put the bigger the hookah the cooler the smoke. That being said i have had a mya bambino (its around 12-13'') and I didn't think the smoke was any hotter then my 22''. So to answer that in my opinion size dosen't matter, and if your really worried hell just put ice in the base.

Second is brand. Honestly for your first hookah stick to something reputable. These being a KM, MZ, or mya. Yoy really won't miss with any of these pipes, and if you want something different check out the review section and that should answer your questions. Don't worry to much now about upgrading your hose, your bowl, etc... Just year or 2 ago none of these upgrades were available and the pipes were around for thousands of years. An egyption bowl that comes with the pipe and the stock hose will do just fine for now. Spend your money on shisha.

Speaking of shisha there is no right or wrong brand. THe forum goes through phases and when I started here Romman was thought to be the best, Al waha was great, Nakla was crap, Starbuzz was amazing etc...

Now the pendulum has swung where Nakla is making a comback, starbuzz is thought to be over priced and over rated. The same goes for fumari. And tangiers is thought to be the best (although stay away from this one for now...its kind of a hard tobacco to smoke properly).

So which ones should you start with? Well starbuzz smokes very well and is very easy. Al falker IMO is a favourite again easy to smoke with great flavour and not to pricey. Nakla is cheaper but still good. Hookah Hookah is supposidly a harsh smoke and the list goes on. To start get many many 50g samples of different brands. Brands I would definitly get would be Al Falker, Nakla , Al Waha, and depending where you order from either romman or starbuzz. As stated earlier tangiers takes a bit of practise to smoke right.

Now with shisha there are 2 types washed and unwashed. All that means is nicotine content. Washed will give you less of a buzz as it has less nicotine, and vise versa with the unwahsed. Unwashed tobacco's are Al Waha, Nakla, and tangiers. I believe the rest is washed but i may have forgotten a brand or two.

Lastly is coals. This is a big one. You dont want a great pipe with great shisha only to taste burn gun powder. As stated earlier the forum goes through phases. Golden quicklights were the best and now any quicklight is bad mouthed. But to be honest get a reputalbe coal. For quick lights either golden, three kings, or chronic. As for natural coconara, or chronic naturals are my prefered ones.

The difference between natural and quick light (QL). Is a natural coal must be lit using a stove top or blow torch, they impart less coal flavour and usually stay lit longer. The QL are much more convinient as you can use a lighter and it just sorta sparks up. The downside is you may detect some flavour. A good note is if you are using QL light them off the hookah and onces they are fully lit (red hot) then place them on the bowl.

Now once you do set up your hookah, pack the bowl, and light the coals. Give it a few good pulls and it should get going. Be sure to rotate the coals around the bowl starting at the edges and work towards the middle.

Lastly start reading, tons of great information here and the only way to get it is to read.

Enjoy the ride and welcome, we have a great community here and are happy to have you. Be sure to be a contributing member and help others that were once in your position. We are all here to help! Have a good one.

Oh and I know i'm lacking on some stuff but I hate typing. The Hookah guru's will chime in and fill in the blanks

[Arcane]

sooooo, yeah...Molson's on the money there. i'll offer different recommendations for certain products though.

Shisha
Nakhla - can be packed several ways, fairly difficult to mess up, CHEAP (this will be a bonus if you keep fucking up sessions)
Starbuzz - easy to smoke, somewhat difficult to mess up, but EXPENSIVE (i wouldn't recommend learning on this shisha)
Al Fakher - similiar to Starbuzz, but more affordable (if you're dead set on smoking Starbuzz flavors, i'd practice with AF first)

Coals
Canary Golden Hookah Charcoal - i love these things. they can be light with a burner, torch or even a lighter (take a good bit of time, but still possible)

CH Coals Nat or QL - for coconut coals, these are great and i believe the most cost effective.

Once you get your supplies, you can do a search on the forums, youtube, or google video for packing technique and heat management techniques. Or...come by HF Chat and ask questions till you're content. There's usually people there and always willing to help out.