jtemes Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Hi everyone. I'm relatively new to these forums and to smoking hookah. I bought a nice Syrian hookah in Turkey pictured below. Its roughly 26" tall. So I just bought lots of new tobacco brands like al-waha, al-fahker, and havana. But when I smoke it I get lots of smoke but very little flavor. Its a clean smoke and the tobacco doesn't stick to the foil so I'm pretty sure it's not burning. I'm using Romman natural coals and I've got a nice seal. So I have no idea why I'm getting lots of smoke but so little flavor. I smoked when I was in Turkey and I thought I was eating an apple but here I can barely taste anything. Any help at all would be great thanks.[url="http://koanmedia.ca/hooka/hooka.html"]http://koanmedia.ca/hooka/hooka.html[/url]">-Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soup Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Howdy, Jeff. Some things to check for your issues... 1. Water level. From the pic it looks like the water is up to the neck of the vase. I don't know how long your stem is but a general rule of thumb is about an inch under the water line. 2. Holes on the foil. Are they larger holes? They could be burning the tobacco but if the water is where it looks like it is, it could have an unharshening effect on the smoke. 3. Coals. You might be using too much or too little coals. Hookah is a real finicky thing. Experiment and you should be able to work it out. Keep at it and you will get things running smoothly. Oh, and if you want some of the "eating an apple" tobacco, check out Layalina Eskandarani Apple. That is some choice stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icra Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Hello, how much did you pay for your hookah? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icra Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 [quote name='jtemes']Hi everyone. I'm relatively new to these forums and to smoking hookah. I bought a nice Syrian hookah in Turkey pictured below. Its roughly 26" tall. So I just bought lots of new tobacco brands like al-waha, al-fahker, and havana. But when I smoke it I get lots of smoke but very little flavor. Its a clean smoke and the tobacco doesn't stick to the foil so I'm pretty sure it's not burning. I'm using Romman natural coals and I've got a nice seal. So I have no idea why I'm getting lots of smoke but so little flavor. I smoked when I was in Turkey and I thought I was eating an apple but here I can barely taste anything. Any help at all would be great thanks.[url="http://koanmedia.ca/hooka/hooka.html"]http://koanmedia.ca/hooka/hooka.html[/url]">-Jeff[/quote]Oh, can you do some photos to see how you prepare your hookah? I can help you if i see how you prepare it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtemes Posted June 19, 2006 Author Share Posted June 19, 2006 I paid roughly 40 Turkish Lire which is like $36 Canadian or $30 US. As for holes and coals and water levels, I've tried many different variations. It's a fairly small bowl and a little deeper than most and it's clay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Abides Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Wow thats an awesome hose. But yeah, you have way too much water in the vase. And I'd like to know what flavors you've tried. Like, if you're smoking AlFakher grape and don't get any flavor... maybe your taste buds are malfunctioning. Also, you may be getting a lot of smoke, but is it harsh? You want to tweak the coals in order to get really thick smoke, while avoiding getting it so hot that it burns it (thus making the smoke harsh). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glottis Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 I smoke with about that much water in my base. I prefer to have the pipe well submerged, and it has worked for me thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtemes Posted June 19, 2006 Author Share Posted June 19, 2006 Ya I love my hose. Definately the best part of the hookah. The flavors I've smoked so far are Al Amir tripple apple (which smells more like candy), Havana Strawberry and Serbetli Rose (which is the only one I've been able to get the most flavor from (still not enough)). I'm gonna buy a Mya QT pretty soon so I can smoke it in my trailor in Mexico. It'll be interesting to compare the 2 to see if it's just the hookah that ain't to great, afterall i bought it in a shotty little shop in Cappadocia, Turkey, or my skills. I've never actually seen anybody set up a hookah. Only read stuff on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmexx Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 That's strange. If the tobacco isn't burning and you're getting a very decent amount of smoke, there has to be something that's dirty. You can try a different hose, which I don't see being a problem, except the fact that yours is probably not wasahble. If it's not washable and you wash it anyways, it tarnishes on the inside which can affect the flavour.I suggest trying a new hose, poking many small holes in the foil and try not to put to much of the juices from the tobacc in the bowl, especially Al Amir, it cooks the tobacco too quickly and will take away the flavour very quickly.Another thing, let the tobacco get used to the climate you're smoking in by keep the containers open over night. That'll equalizes the humidity in the box. Ask Tang, he'll tell you :PJon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanguineSolitude Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 the pipe should only be submerged in the water about 1-1.5 inches. otherwise theres not enough room for smoke to collect and more importantly if theres too much water you can get water in your hose which will ruin it as well as taste crappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashraj84 Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 I don't know if it's still up, but if you search for cyprus video, you should be able to see how a hookah should be set up. It was very useful for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliteHookah.com Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 It's a very cool hose, but you might try using a different one. A friend of mine had a decorative, but inexpensive hose on his hookah and he experienced the same trouble (it was a giant, 34" E-bay job for some insanely low price like $35). As soon as he switched to a MYA washable leather, the taste suddenly appeared. I don't know if the flavor can get "stuck" in the hose, or somehow filtered out. But for $6, it could be worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtemes Posted June 20, 2006 Author Share Posted June 20, 2006 Ya I'm thinking it's my hose. Unfortunately I don't have another one to try it with so I'll just have to wait til my Mya shows up. Thanks for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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