Scorching

[ih303]

Last night I was working down at the lounge and had someone order a bowl of AF Banana and Chocolate. I mixed the baccy, loaded a standard Egyptian clay head, and mounted it on a single-hose KM. Once the coals were heated, I threw three CH Nats on to get it started (I usually pull one off as soon as it's started) and started to pull.

The sensation of the pulls was like sulfuric acid being poured down my wind pipe. Any of you who have ever scorched a bowl know exactly what I'm talking about. Once you smoke through it, the flavor is fine. But trying to smoke through it generally takes more than one person with a full glass of something in their hand.

Now, here's my theory. When I pack non-phunnel bowls, my last step in packing is to blow through the bottom of the bowl to clear the holes and allow for more unrestricted air-flow. In doing this, I understand a lot of the shisha and even more juice is being pushed up against the foil. If it's realy juicy, I'll even see syrup coming through the holes on the top which I generally wipe off. I believe when I first place the coals on, it literaly burns the sugars in the syrup that are in contact with the foil which creates that awful taste.

It's a good time - especially when you nab an unsuspecting server and ask them if it tastes harsh then have a good laugh as they hack up a lung.

My question: How can this be avoided? Edited November 18, 2009 by ih303

[mushrat]

I do the same, to fluff up the backy, but i do it befor eI put the foil on.

I'm going to have to break out my CH cocos and see but 2 coals sounds like a lot of heat.

[ih303]

Without the foil, eh? Hmm... I'll have to try that. I'd be worried about the baccy falling out - especially the new AF which clumps together really bad.

The egyptians I have are about the same diameter as a small phunnel. That's why I start with 3 and then pull one before I take it out. Two seems perfect.

[joytron]

try halves!

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

if you poke all the way down with the toothpicks doesnt that defeat the need to blow thru the bowl? i understand some shisha you dont poke all the way in with the toothpicks and what i do with that is i take the bowl in one hand and lightly but with enough force tap it with my other hand on the bottom..or i keep my empty hand flat open and then take the bowl and hit it with my empty hand on the bottom of it..and i feel this does the same or even better then blowing because it keeps the juices in the shisha but again hit it light enough not to disturb the shisha

[inino]

banana flavors do that alot. maybe start with only 2 coals to begin with.

[ih303]

Blowing through the bowl seems to be more affective since part of what you're doing is clearing the holes of juice. I'm gonna try what mush says he does - blow through the bowl without the foil. The only problem there is putting the foil on may cause the shish to settle again. Hmm... Why can't everyone just order phunnels?! Edited November 18, 2009 by ih303

[RingsMaster]

Blowing through the bowl seems to be more affective since part of what you're doing is clearing the holes of juice. I'm gonna try what mush says he does - blow through the bowl without the foil. The only problem there is putting the foil on may cause the shish to settle again. Hmm... Why can't everyone just order phunnels?!

i like to poke to the bottomb because when i do blow air through the bottom to clear the bowl i get all that harshness, try it a couple different ways and see if it still happens

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

if blowing it shoots the juices onto the foil and thats what cause the burning, what you can do is remove the foil and wipe the juice away with a napkin and then just put the foil back on..

[Stuie]

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!

Just Kidding!

For years i did it the opposite way. Fluffed the tobacco, just slightly above the rim. Push down the baccy with foil. Pokes aimed for the holes in the bottom. Make sure I got through to every hole. The from the bottom of the bowl, do a test "pull" from the bottom of the bowl. Blowing undoes what i did when poking the foil. Now that I smoke mostly phunnels I still do test pulls. Rather find out I don't have enough baccy before I put the coals on.

Also If you are going to have a Banana Flavor, do yourself a favor and Get Nakhla.

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!

Just Kidding!

For years i did it the opposite way. Fluffed the tobacco, just slightly above the rim. Push down the baccy with foil. Pokes aimed for the holes in the bottom. Make sure I got through to every hole. The from the bottom of the bowl, do a test "pull" from the bottom of the bowl. Blowing undoes what i did when poking the foil. Now that I smoke mostly phunnels I still do test pulls. Rather find out I don't have enough baccy before I put the coals on.

Also If you are going to have a Banana Flavor, do yourself a favor and Get Nakhla.

i bought some but havent tryed it yet, i hope its good because every banana flavor ive tryed has made me wana puke..the worst being starbuzz

[Stuie]

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!

Just Kidding!

For years i did it the opposite way. Fluffed the tobacco, just slightly above the rim. Push down the baccy with foil. Pokes aimed for the holes in the bottom. Make sure I got through to every hole. The from the bottom of the bowl, do a test "pull" from the bottom of the bowl. Blowing undoes what i did when poking the foil. Now that I smoke mostly phunnels I still do test pulls. Rather find out I don't have enough baccy before I put the coals on.

Also If you are going to have a Banana Flavor, do yourself a favor and Get Nakhla.

i bought some but havent tryed it yet, i hope its good because every banana flavor ive tryed has made me wana puke..the worst being starbuzz

The More I smoke it's like a cross between genuine Banana and Banana Runts. It'll ghost in non washables like crazy, but not in my nammors for some reason.

[NIGHTS OF BAGHDAD]

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!

Just Kidding!

For years i did it the opposite way. Fluffed the tobacco, just slightly above the rim. Push down the baccy with foil. Pokes aimed for the holes in the bottom. Make sure I got through to every hole. The from the bottom of the bowl, do a test "pull" from the bottom of the bowl. Blowing undoes what i did when poking the foil. Now that I smoke mostly phunnels I still do test pulls. Rather find out I don't have enough baccy before I put the coals on.

Also If you are going to have a Banana Flavor, do yourself a favor and Get Nakhla.

i bought some but havent tryed it yet, i hope its good because every banana flavor ive tryed has made me wana puke..the worst being starbuzz

The More I smoke it's like a cross between genuine Banana and Banana Runts. It'll ghost in non washables like crazy, but not in my nammors for some reason.

people of our caliber do not use non-washable anymore..were on another level my friend..lmfao

[mushrat]

if you fluff it to the top of the bowl and hold the foil around the edges of the bowl when you poke the holes you keep it from packing down when you poke.

[Arcane]

why not just start with two and let the bowl heat up? instead of starting with 3 to get the bowl heated up faster, then trying to fight the right time to take a coal off to stop it from burning?

[ih303]

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!

Just Kidding!

For years i did it the opposite way. Fluffed the tobacco, just slightly above the rim. Push down the baccy with foil. Pokes aimed for the holes in the bottom. Make sure I got through to every hole. The from the bottom of the bowl, do a test "pull" from the bottom of the bowl. Blowing undoes what i did when poking the foil. Now that I smoke mostly phunnels I still do test pulls. Rather find out I don't have enough baccy before I put the coals on.

Also If you are going to have a Banana Flavor, do yourself a favor and Get Nakhla.

The problem is with the real juicy stuff. I never have that problem with NK or TN. Only SB and AF. Poking through the holes may clear baccy out of them but doesn't do anything for the juices. When I blow through the bottom, I'm hoping to suspend the extra juices in the baccy long enough to either get smoked or heat up and thin out enough to flow through the holes without clogging.

BTW, we have NK Banana in 50g boxes but not 250's yet. Still trying to burn through the AF. AF used to be good but I don't know wtf is going on with that company. NK is clearly a superior banana these days.

why not just start with two and let the bowl heat up? instead of starting with 3 to get the bowl heated up faster, then trying to fight the right time to take a coal off to stop it from burning?

I'm not confident that would work. I've tried it before and the bowl never seems to get hot enough to produce good smoke. For some reason, I get the best smoke when raising the initial temperature rapidly and then lowering it before it gets a chance to burn. I've almost considered throwing an un-foiled bowl in the microwave before putting on coals just to raise that initial temperature.