Tobbaco Keeps Burning

[Extra Mint]

how do you smoke it without burning the flavour, i dnt full the bowl but still it burns and smoke gets harsh after a while.

i use alfakher flavour with mya QT.

[JOE]

try using less coals, what type of coals and how many are you using? what type of bowl?

[newjacksm]

thats your problem. fill the bowl to the top..

[Genie]

In addition to the other suggestions, try another piece of foil or try a heavy duty foil. Experiment. Maybe splitting the coals, using less, making sure they are fully lit before putting them on your bowl.

[evlpengwyn]

How to load Tobacco in a Hookah Bowl

Also, try putting the coal(s) near the edge of the bowl until they cool down a bit.

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

using less tobaco wont help it will just burn faster and worse..fill the bowl like your used to but use less coals..how many coals are you using and what brand of shisha are you smoking?

[beantownhookah]

yeah all the above suggestions are right on the money, you can also go with less coals + a windcover

[Hippo_Master]

Al fakher is a very bad tobacco. The only saving grace is the flavor of their White Grape. Their cut is too small to allow an amount of heat that could let you have strong flavor and big clouds - two coals is not enough, 3 coals is too many. Also, many AF flavors smoke with a bite, I believe it is a product of the nicotine. What you will get every time, except on rare occasions, is either a session with lower-volume clouds and dumb-downed flavor, or a tingly/burning session with large clouds of harsh smoke.

Acclimation doesn't help it of course, adding more or less of any ingredient doesn't either. Before the cut change, it used to smoke superbly. Now, it's just terrible.

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

Al fakher is a very bad tobacco. The only saving grace is the flavor of their White Grape. Their cut is too small to allow an amount of heat that could let you have strong flavor and big clouds - two coals is not enough, 3 coals is too many. Also, many AF flavors smoke with a bite, I believe it is a product of the nicotine. What you will get every time, except on rare occasions, is either a session with lower-volume clouds and dumb-downed flavor, or a tingly/burning session with large clouds of harsh smoke.

Acclimation doesn't help it of course, adding more or less of any ingredient doesn't either. Before the cut change, it used to smoke superbly. Now, it's just terrible.

dont forget cappuccino..

[Hippo_Master]

I hate smoking fishsticks!

[evlpengwyn]

I love fishdicks. I mean fishsticks.

[Extra Mint]

im using the round quicklites, i use only one and break it in half and put it on the sides, i have tried using natural al fakher lemon charcoal which improves it alot but i hate lighting it up as it takes forever and have to go downstairs to the kitchen to burn them,

also with one round coal i dnt get enought smoke, with 2 coals it becomes very harsh.


al fakher and nakla seem to be the only flavour availble in the uk is well. Edited September 11, 2009 by Allah Hu Akbar

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

im using the round quicklites, i use only one and break it in half and put it on the sides, i have tried using natural al fakher lemon charcoal which improves it alot but i hate lighting it up as it takes forever and have to go downstairs to the kitchen to burn them,

also with one round coal i dnt get enought smoke, with 2 coals it becomes very harsh.


al fakher and nakla seem to be the only flavour availble in the uk is well.

then use 1.5 also how tight is your purge? if your smoking fast and your pruge is on tight it will be harsh..what kind of hookah are you using? how is the purge system?

[Chreees]

Hm, sounds like your heat management is definitely off. I too use AF with a QT. I usually get good sessions, but I usually use Coconaras natrual coals. I'd say you're not packing the bowl properly or not getting the coals right.

[Genie]

I don't have a problem with AF burning, but I do take extra measures to keep the coals off of it.

There are two different things I do to raise the coals off AF. One is to use two layers of HD foil that have been scrunched a bit to create hills and valleys, then wrap the bowl with it. It doesn't droop and it raises the coals up a bit and the double layer HD helps protect the shisha.

Another thing I do is to sometimes use a screen, upside down depending on the screen and the bowl, with the tabs snipped off. I cover that with a piece of HD foil then poke the holes through. This raises the coals up a bit and provides some extra protection against burning.

As long as I get the AF good and fluffy in the bowl, it always does well. I do this by fluffing it with a toothpick after I've sprinkled it into the bowl.

Everyone says Nakhla loves heat and that it should be packed densely, but I've had little success with this. I pack Nakhla light and fluffy too. I get good clouds, great flavor, and no burning.

[RingsMaster]

never had a problem with alfakher that wasnt my own fault. trust me its your packing or heat management.

[dizzbizz]

I don't have a problem with AF burning, but I do take extra measures to keep the coals off of it.

There are two different things I do to raise the coals off AF. One is to use two layers of HD foil that have been scrunched a bit to create hills and valleys, then wrap the bowl with it. It doesn't droop and it raises the coals up a bit and the double layer HD helps protect the shisha.

Another thing I do is to sometimes use a screen, upside down depending on the screen and the bowl, with the tabs snipped off. I cover that with a piece of HD foil then poke the holes through. This raises the coals up a bit and provides some extra protection against burning.

As long as I get the AF good and fluffy in the bowl, it always does well. I do this by fluffing it with a toothpick after I've sprinkled it into the bowl.

Everyone says Nakhla loves heat and that it should be packed densely, but I've had little success with this. I pack Nakhla light and fluffy too. I get good clouds, great flavor, and no burning.

I don't understand why you'd do all this. I smoke it perfectly fine in a mya bowl or even a small tangier's phunnel. Just fill up the bowl and rotate the coals every 5 minutes for the first 15 and after that you dont have to rotate for another 15 or 20.
The way you pack AF is by sprinkling. Grab some with your thumb, index and middle finger and sprinkle it in pack it down a little bit and use foil. it shouldn't matter whether or not the coals touch the shisha. Edited September 11, 2009 by dizzbizz

[ih303]

never had a problem with alfakher that wasnt my own fault. trust me its your packing or heat management.

Agreed. AF has one of the largest sweet spots I've encountered in the world of shisha. You should be having no problems whatsoever.

A couple of things.

First, heat management differs depending on what kind of bowl you use.

• Mod bowls need lots of holes and generally two coals. This is because of their size - two few holes and your pull will be very tight due to air-flow being restricted by the coals.
• Egyptian bowls can generally get away with fewer holes because of their size. (i.e. two concentric rings around the edge) Remember, it's all about air flow, so if it's difficult to pull, either the shisha is packed too tight, or you have too few holes.
• Phunnel bowls (the best) generally only require 2-3 concentric rings of holes. But, because of their size, usually require more than two coals. I use natural coals and generally start off with three coals on my phunnel. If it get's a bit harsh, I pull one off or move them towards the outside of the bow.

Second, like has been said before, make sure your bowl is full. Not tight, but full. When I pack at my lounge, we use mod bowls and I generally pack it to just barely over the rim.

Third, make sure you're stirring your shisha every time you use it. It's a bad scene when the top 2/3 of your tub is dry like Nakhla and the bottom third is like soup. When the shisha is too wet, not only does it clog the holes on anything but a phunnel bowl and make your water icky, but it also has a tendancy to scorch, often ruining the flavor of the entire bowl. If, when you're blowing through the bottom of your bowl to test airflow, you turn it over and there is excessive syrup on the top of the foil, it's too wet. Dump out the shisha, blot dry it with a paper towel, and repack. Or you could just buy a phunnel.

Anyway, hope this helps. Like I said, AF is probably the easiest brand to smoke next to SB, IMO. Let us know how it goes!

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

Allah Hu Akbar, did you figure out your problem yet? what kind of hookah are you using?

[Extra Mint]

Allah Hu Akbar, did you figure out your problem yet? what kind of hookah are you using?

mya QT, works fine with natural coals but gets harsh with quicklites

[evlpengwyn]

Allah Hu Akbar, did you figure out your problem yet? what kind of hookah are you using?

mya QT, works fine with natural coals but gets harsh with quicklites

easy solution: use naturals

If you really need to use QL's for some reason, just make sure they have a thin layer of ash all around before you start smoking, and let the coal hang over the edge of the bowl a little at first, then gradually move it towards the center as it cools. I see a lot of people who load a bowl, light up a QL and plop it right in the middle of the bowl, not even bothering to move the coal around. This leads to a lot of burnt tobacco and harsh smoke

[joytron]

Are you lighting the QL's on the bowl?

[RingsMaster]

Are you lighting the QL's on the bowl?

nice pickup i didnt even think of that, tried that once when i was just starting to get into hookah and damn it ruined the whole bowl for me. OP take us step by step on what you do and be extremely specific, pics will help too

[Arcane]

Allah Hu Akbar, did you figure out your problem yet? what kind of hookah are you using?

mya QT, works fine with natural coals but gets harsh with quicklites

the QLs you're using are probably putting out more heat than the naturals. either cut the QL into quarters and use 2-3 quarter pieces, or just stick to naturals.

[Genie]

I don't understand why you'd do all this. I smoke it perfectly fine in a mya bowl or even a small tangier's phunnel. Just fill up the bowl and rotate the coals every 5 minutes for the first 15 and after that you dont have to rotate for another 15 or 20.
The way you pack AF is by sprinkling. Grab some with your thumb, index and middle finger and sprinkle it in pack it down a little bit and use foil. it shouldn't matter whether or not the coals touch the shisha.

Turn your nose up if you'd like, but I have great sessions with my AF (and Nakhla and everything else) doing exactly what I do. I have a theory that shisha must burn differently in different climates. When I try what everyone else insists must work, it doesn't. So, I've experimented and figured out what works for me. Bakes great, no burning, and no wasted shisha at the bottom of the Phunnel after a session.