Does Anybody Keep Changing Methods?

[the_cool]

I find that I will use a particular method, namely hole pattern and number/size of coals, which gives me great results, until a week or so later and it doesnt work anymore. Then i change up to a different method and BAM it all starts to work again.

Anybody else experience this? It is highly irratating!!!

[PSU Smoker]

nope cant say I do...mostly I just do a spiral pattern from the outside in and it always seems to work. Otherwise I just poke holes where ever I feel like and it also works fine

[the_cool]

The main issue i have with hole patterns is that if i do rings of holes, too much air gets in, and air is pulled throught the holes that do not have coals on, thus making the coals black very quickly and reducing the amount of heat and smoke. I have to put holes only directly under coals and less in empty space. I find it odd that nobody else experiences this but me. I think them funky charcoal gnomes have a personal vendetta against me!

DAMN YOU CHARCOAL GNOMESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *shakes fist (not to be confused with this damn fistpumping shenanigans!)*

[PSU Smoker]

hmmm very interesting ive never heard of too many holes before causing coals to go out but I could see how that would be irritating as shit

[Chreees]

I've been using the same method for whatever I pack ever since I found it... It's Mattarios2's Nakhla packing method. I use it for Tangiers as well.

For my small phunnel, I poke lots of holes with a toothpick, and use four coco halves.

For my mini phunnel, I poke lots of holes with a toothpick, and use three coco halves (sometimes I use four for Nakhla).

Oh, and I usually poke one or two small holes over the center phunnel. Too many holes in the middle lets too much air in and takes away from the flavor, I think.

EDIT: Wanna add that the reason I always do halves for coals is I feel it provides more even heat distribution for the whole bowl. I can leave my coals on there and never move or ash them. I use Coconaras and AF cocos.

[Arcane]

for egyptians, its pretty standard....or well, unstandard as my youtube videos have shown...

for phunnels, i tend to experiment...changing little things here and there...right now, i'm doing the ridiculously tight pack and full toothpick sized holes (but less holes than i normally do)...it's turning out pretty good. i've also tried tiny tiiiny holes as well...which sorta kinda worked.

[TheyCallMeDave]

I keep pretty consistant with my hole punching/packing. I'll change once if I read about a new method just to see if it trumps my own.. But other than that, I stick to what i know works best for me.

[SuburbanSmoker]

i change my packing method depending on my coals. when i use bulk i tend to pack a little bit more, a little bit tighter, when i use bbq coco nats/coconaras i tend to pack a bit less. instant lights get a heavier concentration in the middle of the bowl because im lazy and dont like to have to fiddle with it too much. exoticas/goldens i pack pretty sloppy, shit is effortless.

[thatonethere]

THe only thing I change every so often is my hole pattern. Sometimes I'll just punch a bunch of holes, but most of the time, I have a pattern. With Tangiers, I poke more holes than normal. I never change up my bowl packing methods.

[cotsi95]

Nope i have used the same methods for the last 3 years....1 method for tang and 1 for everything else.

[the_cool]

Maybe i should have initially made clear that i dont smoke tangiers. Just AF so heat management and stuff is gonna be different. I guess its just gonna be one of those things for me, maybe i just havent stumbled along the best method.

[Stuie]

I switch from time to time... just to experiment.

Note Poking holes in the foil just where you are going to put the coals for Tangiers...It will freaking kill you!!!!

[no longer welcome]

i'm almost always changing methods from packing to different bowls to hole patterns. i have come to find that almost everything will work itself out, but it's almost ritualistic the way yuo will have one way of doing everything every time.

[Venger]

i change it up all the time. depends on how I pack and the kind of shisha I use and the bowl I choose.sometimes I use a screen other times I use foil.
Ray

[twoapplesplease]

I try new methods pretty often...most of the time its just OK,,, but sometimes you learn something great.....took me awhile to get a small phunnel to smoke the way I like..but hey who else stuffs +50g of nakhla in a small phunnel and puts 4 whole coco's on it?

[the_cool]

[quote name='twoapplesplease' date='02 April 2010 - 03:25 AM' timestamp='1270175108' post='461416']
I try new methods pretty often...most of the time its just OK,,, but sometimes you learn something great.....took me awhile to get a small phunnel to smoke the way I like..but hey who else stuffs +50g of nakhla in a small phunnel and puts 4 whole coco's on it?


[/quote]

Haha me! except i use 3 cocobricos, the nak method never goes wrong thankfully. Its just the AF.

When i first posted this thread, the new method i was smoking with was having two squares of holes the size of a coco coal, and a ring of holes around the phunnel for a bit of air. And it was pretty thick and dense smoke, loved it. Had an issue with the foil getting all uneven due to the tobacco sticking to it, so i thought next time id pack under the rim. Smoke was there but not as dense as last time. Grr back to the drawing board! If anyone can tell me how to smoke with a phunnel with cocos, so that when you take a pull the underside of the coal glows, please tell me!

[Barnaby]

My packing method only changes for the type of shisha I use, but its always just a variation of packed, really packed, phunnel is about to explode! My hole methods stays the same, cept that I poke holes over the middle for Tangiers, and I don't for everything else.


I'm just trying out Goldens, so that's been interesting. So far, very promising.. 3 goldens on my small phunnel with tangiers, and I'm having simply amazing sessions. Heat management is so much easier than dealing with 2 coco's, or 4 halves.

[mushrat]

I wouldn't say my methods stop working so I change them. I would say I'm constantly refining my methods or learning completely new ways to do things from something someone will show me.