Eadbrect Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 So I am new to the Hookah experience. I have only smoked twice but both times it was a great experience. Just recently I stopped into a tobacco store and purchased my own small starter hookah, some shisha and some starter coal discs. My question is this, I know how to set up my hookah for the most part. What I still don't know is how exactly to place the coal. I have watched numerous youtube videos of set up's and most of all of those videos show people who use the coconut charcoal. What I see them do is place 2-3 coals on the tin foil in a triangular fashion around the perimeter of the bowl. Could someone please help me and explain how I should set up the coal on the bowl? Do I use more than one coal disc at a time? If only one do I set it in the middle of the tinfoil? Off to one side? Again keep in mind this is a small Hookah with one hose. Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 If you could post pictures and/or names of the brands it would help more. I'm guessing you have a pumpkin hookah with 3K coals, and a small standard egyptian. If so, Use 1 3K and rotate it around the bowl with each coal, never put an instant light in the center of an egyptian bowl. But as I said, pics would help us address your specific issue better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antouwan Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 pics always help. i'll assume like fsu that you have a little pumpkin. break the coal in half and light them (off the bowl/head) and space them out on the edges of the head. pretty simple, i would say. keep away from the middle to avoid burning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 ^ What these guys said. We'll need pics to further help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Pictures otw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 (edited) I know this is a cheapo Hookah, but I didn't want to spend a ton of money on my first hookah. As far as I can tell the manufacturer is "INHALE" and the name of this particular unit is the Avalanche 1 CP. It is about 10" tall including shisha cup (termanlolgy probably wrong) The Coals I am using are called Ram Please see the next 3 posts. Edited December 18, 2009 by Eadbrect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Photo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Photo 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 The Ram Coals I purchased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikhman Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Break the coal in half and use two halfs on the outside of that bowl, never have them right over the center. Depending on how restricted the draw is and the tobacco, you might even need to add another 1/2 of the coal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillup Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Yea, thats a pumpkin hookah. What you want to do is wrap the tinfoil over the top of the bowl and poke a ton of holes all over the place. Next you want to break the coal in half with a knife and hammer (or something to that nature. Finally just light the coals and throw them on opposite sides of the hookah bowl ontop of the foil. If it starts to get too hot than just rotate them around a bit but you should be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 [quote name='fillup' date='18 December 2009 - 01:12 PM' timestamp='1261167163' post='440056'] Yea, thats a pumpkin hookah. What you want to do is wrap the tinfoil over the top of the bowl and poke a ton of holes all over the place. Next you want to break the coal in half with a knife and hammer (or something to that nature. Finally just light the coals and throw them on opposite sides of the hookah bowl ontop of the foil. If it starts to get too hot than just rotate them around a bit but you should be good. [/quote] Not to sound too much like a "noob" But honestly I am. What exactly do you mean by "rotate" the coals around a bit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Rotate your coals is picking your coals off the bowl ashing them in the coal tray and putting them in different positions. I use to do it a lot. Now I rarely do it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Thank you everyone for your help, everyone has to learn their first time. Now I just hope my first attempt tonight at smoking my new Hookah will be a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I had an Inhale hookah for my first hookah... It leaked air on the second time using it. Luckliy I could return it... Then went with a Mya QT. It's what I suggest you get next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 You don't really need to break the coal if you're using Three Kings (comes in a red box, 10 dics in a foil wrap, with orange writing on the foil). Just like one, wait til the ash turns grey, put it on the edge of the bow, slightly hanging off, then when that coal dies, put the next one to the left or the right where the burn spot is on the foil, continue doing this is "rotating" around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 [quote name='INCUBUSRATM' date='18 December 2009 - 01:26 PM' timestamp='1261168019' post='440063'] I had an Inhale hookah for my first hookah... It leaked air on the second time using it. Luckliy I could return it... Then went with a Mya QT. It's what I suggest you get next. [/quote] I did the check I was told to do on all the youtube videos and there dosen't seem to be any leaks but we will see after the second attempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Well thank you all who helped (Tikhaman, FSUReligionMan, Stuie, fillup, antouwan and Incubustram). My first attempt at my new pumpkin hookah was an absolute success. The coals burned wonderfully, (I probably could have added a bit more shisha) but all in all I didn't ruin my first solo experience. [b][url="user/5652-tikhman/page__f__2"] [/url][/b] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon` Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Congratz on the good hookah experience. I have a feeling you will grow to be one of us, Khalil Mamoons, Coconut coals, Tangiers/Nakhla. Also, Welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jondd88 Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Like others have said, you should put the disc on the bowl towards the edge and move it around in a circle throughout the course of your session. I only ever used 1 disc when I used quicklights and a conventional bowl. One of my first hookahs was a pumpkin hookah given to me as a gift. They suck compared to the better hookahs, but I think they are actually fairly good as a starter hookah just because they are cheap and easy to use. If you decide that hookah smoking isn't something that you really want to get into, you don't have to worry about having invested $50 or so in a nicer model. If you do decide to upgrade, I would definitely recommend a small Mya. I haven't used the QT, but it is very popular on this forum. I have the Mini Mya Acrylic, which you can get for free at Hookah-Shisha.com if you order $100 worth of products or more, and it smokes very well, especially considering it is free. If hookah smoking is something you really want to get into, I would definitely recommend going that route. Buy $100 worth of coal, tobacco, and accessories and then get the hookah to smoke them with for free. Since tobacco and coal are consumable goods, you are probably going to end up spending that much money eventually, so you might as well do it at once and get a free hookah. You can also get a conversion kit to upgrade it to a 2 hose for $5. Another suggestion would be to invest in a Phunnel bowl. They take some getting used to, but they are definitely worth it. Also, if you can, I would definitely recommend using natural non-quicklight coals. They aren't as easy to light, but are definitely worth it if your situation allows. If you are interested in tobacco suggestions, Tangiers and Nakhla are my personal favorite brands. They are also really popular on this forum so you can find a lot of information on how to pack them properly. Al Fakher is another brand I enjoy and would recommend trying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inino Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Ya like everyone else said break that coal in half and place on the outer edge. If you need any help packing a bowl check in the FAQ section, or search around, there is lots of useful info around here that will make your sessions much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsohg_Eci Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 congrats on the successful first time! im also a newbie and i think the whole hookah experience is awesome! i dont even smoke cigs and bidis anymore, strictly hookah. after reading these threads, i know there are many things i have to do to become a pro like some of these other people on here. i cant wait to get to that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red_Pyramid Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Eadbrect' date='18 December 2009 - 11:55 AM' timestamp='1261162519' post='440033'] So I am new to the Hookah experience. I have only smoked twice but both times it was a great experience. Just recently I stopped into a tobacco store and purchased my own small starter hookah, some shisha and some starter coal discs. My question is this, I know how to set up my hookah for the most part. What I still don't know is how exactly to place the coal. I have watched numerous youtube videos of set up's and most of all of those videos show people who use the coconut charcoal. What I see them do is place 2-3 coals on the tin foil in a triangular fashion around the perimeter of the bowl. Could someone please help me and explain how I should set up the coal on the bowl? Do I use more than one coal disc at a time? If only one do I set it in the middle of the tinfoil? Off to one side? Again keep in mind this is a small Hookah with one hose. Any help would be appreciated. [/quote] Only advice I have is to test different things out for yourself. When I was in my beginner days, I tried much of what people have said about proper setup and rarely any of it worked half the time (what coals to use and where to place them, how to pack the shisha, foil vs screen and how many/thick holes, ect...). After much trial and error, thankfully I didn't give up, I have settled on using two coconaras on a steel screen and packing the bowl conservatively and loosely making sure the shisha never touches the screen. I turn the screen every few puffs and it gives me nearly 1hr30min of beautiful smoke and flavor everytime. Edited December 20, 2009 by Red_Pyramid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eadbrect Posted December 25, 2009 Author Share Posted December 25, 2009 So in another [url="http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/35535-shisha-suggestions/"]Post[/url] I asked the question about shisha brands. From what I saw on that post a majority of the responses were in favor of Nakhla. Red-Pyramid you mentioned [size="3"][i]"I'm looking into getting some Tangiers Lucid. Also, unless you have a tolerance for the unwashed, I'd be careful of Nakhla and Al-waha"[/i][/size] What did you mean by[i] "washed and unwashed"? [/i] I am a tad confused by this. The current Shisha I am smoking I picked up from the store where I bought the Hookah [url="http://www.JavaTobaccos.com"]Java Tobacco[/url] Apricot flavor. (It's not a bad shisha [i]By my standards[/i] but then that isn't saying much). Don't know if this is washed or unwashed, I am just taking it straight from the canister and placing it into the bowl. Can some let me know if I do decide to get Nakhla what should I be expecting? If it is unwashed what am I supposed to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antouwan Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 [quote name='Eadbrect' date='24 December 2009 - 11:03 PM' timestamp='1261717397' post='441614'] So in another [url="http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/35535-shisha-suggestions/"]Post[/url] I asked the question about shisha brands. From what I saw on that post a majority of the responses were in favor of Nakhla. Red-Pyramid you mentioned [size="3"][i]"I'm looking into getting some Tangiers Lucid. Also, unless you have a tolerance for the unwashed, I'd be careful of Nakhla and Al-waha"[/i][/size] What did you mean by[i] "washed and unwashed"? [/i] I am a tad confused by this. The current Shisha I am smoking I picked up from the store where I bought the Hookah [url="http://www.JavaTobaccos.com"]Java Tobacco[/url] Apricot flavor. (It's not a bad shisha [i]By my standards[/i] but then that isn't saying much). Don't know if this is washed or unwashed, I am just taking it straight from the canister and placing it into the bowl. Can some let me know if I do decide to get Nakhla what should I be expecting? If it is unwashed what am I supposed to do? [/quote] unwashed generally refers to the nicotine content in the tobacco via the way it was processed. washed tobaccos like AF, SB, Tang lucid, Fusion and the other similar brands wash their tobacco resulting in a lower nicotine content, while brands like Tangiers, Nakhla, and AW don't 'wash' their tobacco which means more nicotine and therefore a greater/more noticeable 'buzz' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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