SHUHookah Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I've had my hookah for almost 6 months, and I recently bought a new grommet (the rubber or whatever seal) for both the base and the hose, since then I've had trouble with a coal taste when I smoke. I use the same coal (Three Kings), the only difference is the grommets, and I've started cleaning the hookah pipe with a cleaner. Whats with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuschultz Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 You are probably getting a better seal now than you were before, so you are noticing more flavor. When using a quicklight such as 3 kings, you are more likely to taste the coal. Try some Japanese easylights (NOT quicklights) or some natural bulk. You will notice that your shisha shows more flavor and that it will be a more enjoyable experience. Another problem you might be facing is too much coal. If your smoke is harsh, this may not be a coal taste but rather burning tobacco. To avoid this, make sure the tobacco isnt touching the foil, and use less coal.Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymptom Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Interesting... when I started using a new grommet to get a better seal on my QT, I started getting a real nasty coal taste too. Beware -- I think there's something up with Three Kings lately. I've always used them and never tasted anything, but this new box I got is pretty much unusable. The shape of the coal is a bit different too -- they have a concave indentation on the top of the disc. As far as I can tell they are genuine Three Kings, but something is definitely not right.I get the coal taste much more with my QT than I do with my Egyptian, probably due to the better seal, but even with the Egyptian the taste is wayy unusual. Something's up with Three Kings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiracerj1 Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 quicklights will always contaminate the taste a little, there are ways to minimize this though, first dont put the coal anywhere the bowl until it done crackling, you be suprised how must "dust" actually flys off those things during lighting. Second ideal you would blow on them a bit until there are red areas then let the coal sit for a minute or two until it gets white and ashy. If theres black still visible at the start when you put it on the bowl, more often than not theres some spot on there than hasn't "lit" yet and when you start pulling you'll trigger it and giving off a coal flavor. All that said, going back from naturals there is a definate taste difference, so theres no fighting that. Personally I'd say try jap or coconut coals, they're really nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuschultz Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Ski, I've never heard of coconut coals. ARe they any good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymptom Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Coconut coals are next on my list to try... I think they are available at hookahcompany.com. I remember hearing some good things about them on the forum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuschultz Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Be sure to do a review when you get them. I'll be waiting for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymptom Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Well don't hold your breath... it might not be for another month or two. I still have a box of Japanese Goldens, half a bag of Nours, a stank-nasty box of Three Kings, and I just ordered 750g of Al Fakher and a box of naturals from the pimp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D15L Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 hey i've been having the same problem lately, its just that when i start out my tabacco with 1 coal and a half(3 kings), it starts becoming real harsh, and i get that taste, like i can't inhale all the way before wanting to cough really bad, and isn't adding more coal suppose to give u more smoke? is there any other way to get alot of smoke without using too much coal? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 Your rushing the "magic"!It takes time to get everything up to temp. Unless you have a large bowl, I dont think you would need (1.5) 3 Kings Coals. (1) Split in half should do the trick. When you first set the coals on your bowl, its all about warming the bowl up, not really smoking to enjoy. You rotate the coals around the edge of the bowl until the bowl gets nice and hot. Once the bowl is hot, you are heating the shisha pretty evenly, instead of scorching it in one area, and keeping it cold in another, with a cold container.You'll find that maybe after you got everything all warmed up, you may have used as much as 1/4 of your coals life, BUT you should now have a very smooth, flavorful smoke. From then on its just coal management. You want more smoke? Move the coals closer to the center. Running out of heat from the coals? Light another half of a coal. You need to find that "sweetspot", not to hot, but not too cold. Expect to have some "bad" bowls in order to reach that hookah nirvana! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D15L Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 haha yo thanks alot, im going to try that tomorrow and i definitely understand more now from your explainationThanks again manI was going to do more tonite after i got back from this fireworks show for Canada day, but before i went i smoked some on an empty stomach and that jus messed me up for a good hour or so, headaches and all that stuff haha, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 Oh man, I've been down that empty stomach road...Drinking and smoking without food = bah... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D15L Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 haha yeah fo sho man i had a major headache and a lil bit of sweat on my forehead... wasn't having a good time, jus glad i ain't got a headache no more Hey Catalyst, since you're online, i would greatly appreciate it if you could answer my question, So today when i smoked, i smoked nakhla sweet melon, the taste was there, but when i smoke shisha, it is never a overwhelming amount of flavor and today i did have some flavour, but there would be like a coal taste after i tasted the sweet melon? am i doing something wrong? when you smoke, is there suppose to be a huge burst of flavor in your mouth? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 Its hard to really say what a "huge burst of flavor" is.You gotta remember, your smoking tobacco, not eating fruit.Some flavors are going to be more mellow, and some are going to be stronger.I've gone through 5 different flavors of Starbuzz and all have different flavor strenght and sweetness.With the coal aftertaste, it could be that you are not lighting the coal all the way before setting it on your bowl. When I light my coal, I go outside the house, light the coal on a small propane stove, wait for all the sparks to die, and then blow on it for a good 15 seconds before I will bring it back inside to set ontop of my bowl. You REALLY want to make sure you burn off all of the quick lighting chemicals.Another thing is to brush off ashes from 1) your coals and 2) the top of your bowl.Prevents any ashes from falling through your screen/foil and tainting the shisha.To remove the ashes from the coals, I like to pick them up off the bowl, and drop then on ashtray. I found that removing ashes from the your bowl just takes the use of your tongs.One of the ways I use to really pick up the flavor of a smoke and decide if it is really a good smoke or not is to stick my tongue infront of the hose and take a pull. You can really pick out flavors and any sweetness from the smoke better that way rather then just normally smoking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D15L Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 aigh thanks alot catalyst, i ma try those things out, when you say you stick your tongue in front of your base, are you saying stick it out and have it under the hose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuschultz Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 D15L, If he is talking about doing it the way I do it, try setting your tounge either just under the tip of the hose or possibly barely covering the tip of the hose when you take a drag. You should be able to taste the flavor that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D15L Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 yeah nuschultz i was thinking about tryna do it, hopefully i will get more flavor thanks by da way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 Nuschultz cleared up my sh*tty explanation for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuschultz Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 I try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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