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Hello -

I am new to the list, but not to Hookah.

My first time using a shisha pipe was at al-Fishawy in an alley of Cairo's Khan al-Khalili.

However, this is the first time I've looked at getting a new pipe here in the US.

I have noticed that smokers use foil/aluminum to hold the charcoal. Why is this? In Cairo the server would just pile the charcoal on top of the tobacco.

Cheers!
Larry in Kansas
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Chances are the tobacco that you are thinking of is either Tombac or Nakhla Zaghloul. Those are more natural forms of shisha and those you smoke without any foil (using foil with Zaghloul is debatable tho). Anyway almost all hookah pipes these days are used to smoke Mo'assal, or flavored tobacco. This requires using foil. HOpe that helps
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from what i understand having something between the coals and the shisha prevents the shisha from burning to quickly and hitting harsh, ive smoked without a screen before and it def does allow for bigger clouds but the drags are very harsh. Keyword though that screens and foil allow is heat management which leads to the best and longer sessions
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  • 2 weeks later...
Okay - this makes sense. The tobacco I got at the local Middle eastern store is a lot different that what I had at al-Fishawy's.

In fact, I looked on the internet for pictures of hookahs at al-Fishawy's and noticed that a lot of them now have foil.
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Go Land Rovers!!!!! That was the last thing I was expecting to see on this forum!

Is that series IIA your only one or do you have another? Only reason I ask is because most Rover fans have more than one--my Dad owns 3 (a Series 2A, Series 3, and a '04 Disco). haha

My Dad and I have been restoring a 1974 Series 3 for a while now. Even rolled it over (And then slid down a hill in it haha) which has added some work. He's transferring the title to my name soon and I'm so excited!

...Sorry, thread-jack. Anyway--what they said, it just depends on the type of tobacco. For brands like Al Fakher, Tangiers, and Nakhla, the coals go on the foil and not directly on the tobacco.
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Hey - I just smoked a bowl about an hour ago. I used one of those metal screens. It was very difficult to get it to work - little smoke. So, I removed the screen and plopped the coals on top of the tobacco and it worked great.

What did I do wrong?
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HA! Grover the Rover!!!
I like it. I like it alot!
and about the shisha and coals, yeah, foil unless you're smoking honey and water soaked wet funky tobacco. Shisha is in another caliber. btw I feel that everyone needs to smoke nakhla without foil at some point in tier lives, its not too bad for the 1st 3 minutes or so. The flavor is a bit fucked up though.
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QUOTE (Correus @ Aug 19 2009, 06:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hey - I just smoked a bowl about an hour ago. I used one of those metal screens. It was very difficult to get it to work - little smoke. So, I removed the screen and plopped the coals on top of the tobacco and it worked great.

What did I do wrong?


You used a screen.

Pack the tobacco light, but up to the top of the bowl. Put foil over it, poke lots of holes with a thumb tack or toothpick.
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QUOTE (Correus @ Aug 19 2009, 07:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
It came in a box, but in a metal/tin bag.

I'm 90% sure it was this one: http://www.hookahreviews.com/2008/03/31/67/


Yeah Nakhla is good. If you're using a standard Egyptian bowl, pack it normally, foil it and throw some coals on. You might need to add a coal for Nakhla.
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Yup...it is so gooey and sticky I could stick something on the wall with it.

I had to wash my hands twice to get the stickiness off.

Even with the coals (three small ones) on the tobacco it was a smooth smoke and the flavor was good.
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If you underpack a bowl and put the charcoal directly on the tobacco, its fine. If you underpack something like Nahkla and put coal on a screen or on foil, the smoke will be thin and harsh; put more tobacco in the bowl if you are going to use foil or a screen.

Man. I haven't heard the name Fishawi in like 8 years.
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