Really Tasteless - But Why?

[ALiEN]

Hello there, my first post on this forum! I've been smoking nargila for about four or five months. I have little one, about 30 cm's, pumpkin nargila with one hose ( [url="http://www.hooka-hookah.com/hookahs/pumpkin-hookah.gif"]http://www.hooka-hookah.com/hookahs/pumpkin-hookah.gif[/url] - same like this one! ) and have tried really a lot of flavours - banana, apple, peach, rose, mixed fruits, mango, strawberry from [url="http://nakhla.com/GroupsData.aspx"]http://nakhla.com/GroupsData.aspx[/url] - that company!

I tought it was normal to not feel such aroma, then I experienced from bigger nargila and probably other company's pineapple - and it tasted so good as hell!

I'm wondering why, every flavour what I have tried with my little pumpkin nargila taste same - BAD, AWFUL and feels just somehow like burned smoke, no sweetness , why isn't good like as pineapple which i tried from other, bigger nargila?? Am I doing something or preparing wrong? Maybe the equipment is bad, or not good tabacco? Please help me!

[fineout]

its all you, if its tasting burnt and youre getting no flavor then you need to work on your heat management. Also pack the nakhla tighter in the bowl as well. what kind of coals are you using?

[joytron]

get a different hookah, get rid of instalight coals, get a new bowl, get a new hose. Then when we get to that point; practice, practice, practice.

[Patrick]

I would try soaking everything in hot water for a couple hours, changing coals if you'd like. Your hose might have all kinds of leftovers, or the base might be dirty; those have been to two main factors effecting taste in the past for me, so try soaking it all, and if that doesn't work, check out getting a new hose. Hope this helps!

[ALiEN]

@fineout - what should i do about temperature and heat? temperature is too high, how to lower it? I'm using this charcoals - [url="http://www.dirtcheaphookahs.com/images/charcoal/charcoal_standard_33mm_pack.JPG"]http://www.dirtcheaphookahs.com/images/charcoal/charcoal_standard_33mm_pack.JPG[/url]

@Patrick - OK, I would do that... I'm a bit sceptic and scary about putting hose in water, because looks something like mix paper and gum material?

[HsK BATES]

ya dont wash the hose. blow it out with an air compressor or clean with baking soda

[joytron]

coming from a site called dirt cheap hookahs and a product that has no brand, i think its safe to assume its a pretty poor charcoal.

[ALiEN]

[quote name='joytron' date='18 July 2010 - 10:02 PM' timestamp='1279486968' post='475503']
coming from a site called dirt cheap hookahs and a product that has no brand, i think its safe to assume its a pretty poor charcoal.
[/quote]

Naaah... I just found out the picture of package @ Google, I haven't bough at that place whole equipment...

[king_lunchb0x]

honestly i would upgrade to a bit taller hookah, i believe that the longer the stem is the more time the smoke has to cool... and on my mini mya when ever i place extra coals in the little tray i can feel alot of heat several inches below it. maybe i am just feeding into my own b.s. but whats wrong with going bigger...?

[agunn1231]

Work on heat management. Get natural coals, split them, try different methods of heat management

[ukhookah]

That pumpkin hookah is shite.if u wanna stick small then get mya qt

No wonder your getting tastless smoke

[Patrick]

[quote name='ALiEN' date='18 July 2010 - 02:47 PM' timestamp='1279486043' post='475501']
@fineout - what should i do about temperature and heat? temperature is too high, how to lower it? I'm using this charcoals - [url="http://www.dirtcheaphookahs.com/images/charcoal/charcoal_standard_33mm_pack.JPG"]http://www.dirtcheap...d_33mm_pack.JPG[/url]

@Patrick - OK, I would do that... I'm a bit sceptic and scary about putting hose in water, because looks something like mix paper and gum material?
[/quote]

Oh I wasn't suggesting putting the hose in the water, unless its for sure washable, but most hoses that come with hookahs aren't.

[Tyler]

O.K. well first of all you should now, as should everyone, that a pumpkin hookah, while not the best, certainly wouldn't cause your loss of smoke. I've smoked many times out of a pumpkin hookah with flavor just fine. The only difference is that since the stem is shorter, your smoke doesn't have enough time to cool off even when filtered in the water so it will be slightly warmer/harsher but hardly enough to ruin the smoke. Try putting your stem in the freezer for an hour before use. Secondly, while QL coals do have a slightly apparent taste, they will also not ruin your smoke. The probable issues here are either your packing or your heat managment. If you're putting too much heat on, the tobacco will burn and cause a horrible taste, especially if the bowl is underpacked. Also, if the bowl is over packed the same will occur in addition to shisha juices burning on top of the foil adding an additional unpleasent smell. Work on your packing a little, the more you do it the better it will become. If you're using the standard pumpkin hookah, start with 1 1/2 coals of the QL disks. Never put coals in the center of a hookah bowl.

[kyleSD]

it's honestly mostly about packing technique and heat management, it took me forever to get it down but with anything practice is necessary to accel

[chinamon]

dont blame the pumpkin hookah when thats probably not the issue. the issue is, more than likely, his heat management and brand of coal.

packing the bowl tighter (if it is nakhla) could help but ive had some great smokes with loosely packed nakhla.

ive also had great smokes with the crappy pumpkin hookah.

[ih303]

I generally don't place much emphasis on the hookah when it comes to troubleshooting smoke. But Pumpkin hookahs are in a different class than most others. Everything about them spells SUCK from the tiny bowls to the tiny bases to the tiny hoses. It's my opinion that if you insist on using a pumpkin hookah to smoke out of, be prepared to experience more hassle an recieve less satisfaction than if you were to smoke out of a larger piece.

There are a lot of variables that can contribute to the overall quality (including flavor) of your smoke. My philosophy in regards to this kind of thing is to eliminate as many of the possible causes of failure as you can see and then start from there. When you have quality components, i.e. quality pipe, bowl, hose, tobacco, and coals, you're greatly improving your chances for a good session. That said, my first recommendation would be to upgrade your gear.

Your biggest investment will be in a phunnel bowl (preferably Tangiers) as they are almost foolproof.

Next, if you're new at this, try getting your hands on some Starbuzz. It's super easy to prepare/manage and is very forgiving to beginners. Nakhla, while not too difficult, requires a bit more technique and attention.

Finally, what kind of coals you use make a HUGE difference. I've seen people literally throwup after smoking partially lit chinese-made japanese coals. The style/brand you choose is ultimately up to you, but I'd recommend staying away from quicklites. They're notorious for flavoring your smoke with the taste of chemicals and making you nauseous. Instead, try to get ahold of some natural coals. At this point, I'd steer you towards John's coals as they're cleaner than AF's and don't burn as hot as CCN's.

Of course, all of these things require time and money. However, in my experience, this type of investment is well worth it in the long run.

[porksandwich9113]

I'll have to re-iterate what ih303 said.

You can take ANY hookah & add a Phunnel Bowl and a nice Nammor or KM hose - the thing will hit like a champ.

1. Phunnel. Get a Tangiers Medium.

You can find it at several reputable sites that are listed on this forum.
Hookah-Shisha
HookahJohn
Sahara Smoke Co
Hookah Company

are just a few to look at - if you google "Tangiers Medium Phunnel" you can shop around and find the color & price that you like.

2. Hose. The stock hoses included in most hookahs are cheap Chinese made ones that restrict air flow and making taking a hit for more of a chore than a relaxing time.

I would recommend either a KM hose or a Nammor hose.
There are only a handful of quality hoses in the hookah world. Those are 2 of them.

The best thing about these 2 investments, is if you decide to grab a new hookah - you can just pop em off and move them over to the new one! They are investments that last.

3. Coals. If you insist on quick-lights - try the brand "Three Kings." I'd get the 33mm coals. Much easier for heat management when you are still learning how to smoke your hookah to use smaller coals.
If you are going to switch to naturals, the only natural coals I've ever liked are Coconara.


4. Shisha. Stay away from Nakhla and Tangiers right now. Thats for people who A ) Have a much higher tolerance for the buzz and B ) you need to have a perfect packing and smoking techniques otherwise it's crap.

Good inexpensive shisha that is much easier to smoke would be Al Fakher and Al-Waha.
Good expensive shisha is Social Smoke, Romman, and Starbuzz.

I would try a few 50g boxes of AF and AW though. You can figure out your heat management and things and not waste a ton of money accidentally burning a bowl.
Peruse the review section. People have said what is good and what flavors are crap in there.

It's important to realize no one brand is going to smoke like another one. While you might have a perfect packing technique and heat management with one brand - it is going to change when you try another brand.


If you ask me - the investment is totally worth it. My smoke and flavor got about 2 times better from switching to these things.

After you got the gear - it just takes practice practice and practice - and that's where the biggest improvement will come from.