Can someone make a Tangiers set up guide?

[TJ Perry]

Man, I have been banging my head against the wall with this stuff. I bought two bags of Tangiers, red tea, and blueberry. I have been trying without ANY success to get this stuff to smoke. I'm nearly out of blueberry I've tried so many times. At first I thought it was just the tobacco, but as someone has said on here, there are way too many good reviews of this stuff to place the blame on the substance itself. So I was wondering, could someone post a step by step guide as to how they get Tangiers to smoke well? I'm using what is essentially a bigger version of the MYA QT with a larger base and a longer stem. I've read on here that people have no problems at all using the stock Mya bowl getting this stuff to smoke correctly,  I must just be using the wrong amount of coal (the bowl I'm trying to get working right now has two quarters of a large 3 kings on opposite ends of the bowl), or if it's the bowl I'm using or if I'm packing this stuff incorrectly. I love the smell, the flavor... It's just the thin and harsh tickly smoke that most have come in contact with when first trying to set Tangiers up. I just want to make it clear that I'm not frustrated with Tangiers the company or the man (he's been INCREDIBLY helpful in trying to get me set up and smoking well, and I can't stress "incredibly" helpful enough on this one), I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong that everyone else is doing right!

[Guest Namenone]

Have you made sure your ball bearing is there? and that the valve is not too loose? i had this problem and fixed it by adding a foil ball and tightening the valve so that when you suck you cant hear air coming in,If this is the case you can also cover the valve in foil,

[SanguineSolitude]

ok start with packin the tobacco loosely, do not press it down at all,
just smooth it out so its flat on the top. put on a piece of foil shiny
side down and poke about half the holes you normally would poke in it.
i usually do a sort of spiral shape using only about 8-10 holes (of
about toothpick size)more if the holes are smaller. then break your
3kings in half and light it. put one half on either side of the bowl
and leave it for a minute without puffing. now move thecoals a quarter
turn so they are now sitting in the space aroud the edge that was
previously empty.
from | |
to _
    _  (this seems to warm the tobacco and for whatever reason makes it smoke better)
now take a few big hits to get it going. with heat management you
really need to baby tangiers. you need to be responsive to the changes
in the smoke, if its getting harsh pull one coal partly off or move
them around. dont be afraid to try more coal than people usually say,
its all about experimenting to see what works best with your hookah.


have you acclimated the tobacco? as in left it uncovered where you will
be smoking for a good 4 hours at least. this evens out the humidity of
the tobacco and makes it smoke better. if you havent try that.


to be completely honest, most of the time when im smoking tangiers i
just pack the bowl as i stated above and put 1 whole 33m 3kings on the
bowl but hang about a quarter of it off the edge. once its gotten a
little smaller i put it all the way on. Ive never really had much
trouble with tangiers, but when i have had some i will break the 3kings
in half like i mentioned earlier and that always works. hope something
in this helps. (use ice water in the base for a cooler smoke, this can
reduce some harshness) also give your hookah a really really good
clean.

Good luck my friend, its damn good stuff if you can get it to work.

[cymptom]

I do pretty much the same as SS, except I poke as many holes in the foil as possible. Also I'm not using Three Kings anymore... I got a bad batch -- I'm never touching those s**tdiscs again.What seems most important to me is acclimation. I'm sure it's more or less important depending on where you live. 4 hours of airing out was not nearly enough for me... when I get a new batch, I leave the containers open for a day or two. Store in wide and shallow containers so that the tobacco gets more air contact and it's easier to stir (you can kinda see the containers I use in this picture: [url="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b228/cymptom/IMG_2840-.jpg"]http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b228/cym...m/IMG_2840-.jpg[/url] ). My brother was drumming on my shisha containers and put some rather large cracks in the lids for my F-Line Apple and Apricot, so these have been constantly exposed to outside air for a few weeks and smoke great. Tangiers said that the tobacco shouldn't dry out, so I went ahead and poked some very small airholes in the rest of my containers.

[thepyrofish]

Agreed.  I keep it in ziplocs (too poor for gladware ) but I just don't seal them all the way. Constant acclimation.  I only do this with tangiers right now, as some other kinds seem like they would dry out more easily. 

[Twang]

This is how I do it with my Mya.

Start by letting it air for a few hours.

I put a piece of foil inside the bowl, and poke holes in the foil where
the holes in the bowl are.
[img]http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/5168/innerfoil1tl.jpg[/img]



Place the tangiers in so its sticking a little bit above the rim of the
bowl. Spread it out to the sides some. Put your foil on. This is how I
poke my
holes.[img]http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/7325/foil15nh.jpg[/img]



I like to use about an inch or so of Nours, but I have used other coals
with out problems. I usually put the coal near the edge, take a few
drags, then move it to another edge. 



I also put a loose foil hood on [img]http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7947/hood4wu.jpg[/img]





I also use my homemade diffuser (Not needed to good a good smoke) [img]http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/7574/diff8ul.jpg[/img]

and when I'm not feeling lazy, my double filtration (again, not needed)
[img]http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/6531/doubfilt26lp.jpg[/img]

[TJ Perry]

[quote name='SanguineSolitude']ok start with packin the tobacco loosely, do not press it down at all,
just smooth it out so its flat on the top. put on a piece of foil shiny
side down and poke about half the holes you normally would poke in it.
i usually do a sort of spiral shape using only about 8-10 holes (of
about toothpick size)more if the holes are smaller. then break your
3kings in half and light it. put one half on either side of the bowl
and leave it for a minute without puffing. now move thecoals a quarter
turn so they are now sitting in the space aroud the edge that was
previously empty.
from | |
to _
    _  (this seems to warm the tobacco and for whatever reason makes it smoke better)
now take a few big hits to get it going. with heat management you
really need to baby tangiers. you need to be responsive to the changes
in the smoke, if its getting harsh pull one coal partly off or move
them around. dont be afraid to try more coal than people usually say,
its all about experimenting to see what works best with your hookah.


have you acclimated the tobacco? as in left it uncovered where you will
be smoking for a good 4 hours at least. this evens out the humidity of
the tobacco and makes it smoke better. if you havent try that.


to be completely honest, most of the time when im smoking tangiers i
just pack the bowl as i stated above and put 1 whole 33m 3kings on the
bowl but hang about a quarter of it off the edge. once its gotten a
little smaller i put it all the way on. Ive never really had much
trouble with tangiers, but when i have had some i will break the 3kings
in half like i mentioned earlier and that always works. hope something
in this helps. (use ice water in the base for a cooler smoke, this can
reduce some harshness) also give your hookah a really really good
clean.  

Good luck my friend, its damn good stuff if you can get it to work.[/quote]I got slightly better results using this method, but it's still not smoking as well as al fahker or even nahkla. Twang, why do you put the foil on the inside of the bowl?

[TJ Perry]

I also have let the tobacco sit out. It's PLENTY acclimated.

[Twang]

I put foild inside the bowl like that everytime I smoke now. It helps heat the bowl more evenly, and it makes for easy cleanup.

[TJ Perry]

[quote name='Twang']I put foild inside the bowl like that everytime I smoke now. It helps heat the bowl more evenly, and it makes for easy cleanup.[/quote]I'm going to try that next. God I wish I hadn't wasted all the damn blueberry trying to get this stuff to work:(

[Sonthert]

I am listening. I am still 60% convinced that both of your bowls are Tangiers-compatible. I will send you that package out this week...Monday or Tuesday.

[Tessai]

What I do with all shisha is grab the dryest top layer of shisha in the container. When I get to the very bottom of most of my containers where all the juices are I actually put enough tobacco I think it would take to fill a head and smash it between paper towel. Try to get your tobacco (including Tangiers stuff) the same dry consistency as Naklha tobacco and you will get good results every time with all the flavor. I noticed in the past when the tobacco is just dripping wet like in the 50 gram packages its too wet. Sometimes dry ain't a bad thing.

[TJ Perry]

[quote name='Tessai']What I do with all shisha is grab the dryest top layer of shisha in the container. When I get to the very bottom of most of my containers where all the juices are I actually put enough tobacco I think it would take to fill a head and smash it between paper towel. Try to get your tobacco (including Tangiers stuff) the same dry consistency as Naklha tobacco and you will get good results every time with all the flavor. I noticed in the past when the tobacco is just dripping wet like in the 50 gram packages its too wet. Sometimes dry ain't a bad thing.[/quote]I've found this is very true for a lot of brands. I hate smoking dripping wet tobacco. The taste of anything that moist is wayy too overpowering.

[TJ Perry]

[quote name='Tangiers']I am listening. I am still 60% convinced that both of your bowls are Tangiers-compatible. I will send you that package out this week...Monday or Tuesday.[/quote]Take your time. You've done more than anyone has ever done for me with any product EVER ordered online.

[Alqoshnia]

[quote name='Tessai']What I do with all shisha is grab the dryest top layer of shisha in the container. When I get to the very bottom of most of my containers where all the juices are I actually put enough tobacco I think it would take to fill a head and smash it between paper towel. Try to get your tobacco (including Tangiers stuff) the same dry consistency as Naklha tobacco and you will get good results every time with all the flavor. I noticed in the past when the tobacco is just dripping wet like in the 50 gram packages its too wet. Sometimes dry ain't a bad thing.[/quote]
 
i think when you are grabbing the top layer and the flavor being good is because its all acclimated thoroughly at the top ad not bottom. so what you need to do is stir every so often so all of the m'assel will be acclimated. personally i prefer m'assel to be juicy, i can manage the heat lil easier.

[Sonthert]

Alq: I agree, I think the idea of drawing dry tobacco impares the flavor, the smoke density and its superstitious more than anything. Sorryh people, stir it, make sure its acclimated.TJ: Let me rephrase that. I am 60% convinced that both of your heads are NOT Tangiers compatible.

[greenwasabi]

Heat management aside, is Tangiers difficult to smoke? As in the tobacco content? For some reason when I've read the past threads it seems like its geared towards more experienced smokers. Is this correct? I'm really interested in something that is flavorful and Tangiers seems to hit the spot except for the idea that it is better for experienced smokers.

[Loumeer]

Well, I would say that Tangiers tobacco is more of an advanced tobacco.  There is a lot more to Tangiers than most other tobacco.  While a lot of the more common tobacco is just put some in the bowl and put some coal on there Tangiers toboacco has a lot more things to worry about (how much to put in, how thick to pack it, how much heat do I need, etc etc.).  I would not let this discourage new people from trying Tangiers because it just means they have that much more to learn to get it down, no big deal.Now how I set me Tangiers up.1) I have a QT (Tangiers smokes differently in different hookahs in my experience)2) I have a Tangiers bowl (Good investment if you like Tangiers)1)  I put roughly 20g of Tangiers in my bowl so that the tobacco does not touch the aluminum foil.  2)  I then poke roughly 70-90 holes in the foil (more holes nearing the center and more spread out nearing the edge).3)  I light up 1 3 Kings coal 33mm and put it on the foil.  Here is the kicker, depending on the flavor of the tobacco I either put the rouded side down first or just plop it on with the flat end on the foil (more surface area means more heat and flavors like mint in my experience can handle more heat while some other flavors use less).  Another factor in my experience is to consider how to put the coal on based on how many holes you poked (when I poke an ungodly amount of holes I just put the coal flat side down and it does a lot better).4) The most important factor.  Make sure to acclimate your tobacco.  Once I got my tobacco I left them in thier containers open for more than 48 hrs.  Try it and it may help. If all else fails just remember, acclimate and make sure no tobacco is touching the foil or it will burn up fast and make the bowl taste horrid.--Amichai Israeli

[skiracerj1]

Tangiers: What do you consider a non-tangiers compatible bowl, or am I mis understanding what your saying there?

[Sonthert]

Honestly, I don't know. Some people seem to have no success ujntil they end up getting one of my bowls. Other people seem to have plenty of success without one. I have begun to believe that some bowls are made in such a way so that the thermal characteristics are wrong. 

[cymptom]

I don't know, I've been able to get Tangiers to smoke fine in all my bowls. In fact, the Tangiers bowl was the last one I got to smoke well. But now I can get a decent smoke from any of my bowls -- Mya, Egyptian, Tangiers... I think as long as the tobacco is acclimated it'll smoke fine in almost any bowl, keeping in mind that different bowls require different heat management. The Mya bowl is probably my least favorite for Tangiers, just because it's hard to fit a decent amount of that larger cut in such a small bowl. You can tell that Tangiers tobacco is right at home in a Tangiers bowl Tessai's comment has caught my attention -- Nakhla tobacco is so much dryer than other brands, yet it still smokes like a beast. I'm always surprised by how much smoke I can get out of it. It's definitely a differnent smoke though... more like flavored tobacco than flavored juice floating around in your lungs. Have you ever held your tongue right over the tip of the hose as you inhale while smoking really moist tobacco? Sometimes you can feel a nice little bit of flavor collect there, and sometimes it can be wayy to much -- so much that it leaves the same bitter taste in your mouth that you would get if you were to lick your fingers after handling the shisha. I don't know if I like this "wet smoke." Last night I had a bowl of Al Fakher Cola, and following Tessai's idea first compressed the shisha between two paper towels. The smoke didn't have that over-saturation about it, but the flavor was still full, the smoke still extremely dense and it still smoked for over an hour. I'll probably experiment with this more in the future. But I agree that acclimation is definitely key here -- my most acclimated tobaccos don't seem to be as dripping wet as they were before acclimation. It seems to me that in the process of acclimation the liquids either thicken/solidify, soak more into the tobacco, or both. In any case, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've found "dripping wet" tobacco to be unfavorable -- and acclimating the tobacco seems to take away that "dripping wet" consistancy. From my experience, anyway...

[TJ Perry]

[quote name='Loumeer']If all else fails just remember, acclimate and make sure no tobacco is touching the foil or it will burn up fast and make the bowl taste horrid.--Amichai Israeli[/quote]What? This runs contrary to almost every peice of advice on setting up tangiers that I've come in contact with (the touching the foil part)

[cymptom]

I don't like letting the tobacco touch the foil either. After a few minutes of smoking, everything touching the foil should be burnt so it probably doesn't matter anyway, but most people don't seem to like doing it this way. However, Mr. T pities the fool who duddn't pack the tobacco up to the foil...

[Sonthert]

The consistency and wetness of the tobacco WILL change based on whether the tobacco is acclimated or not. My theory goes, thats why the flavor fades out too quickly...its because the tobacco had extra moisture which made the liquid less thick and it ran away faster.

[Tessai]

Please allow me to clarify a few things about "drier" tobacco. Remember when you first started smoking hookah and all you had was Naklah or it's usually everyones first smoke that is. Naklah is a very moist tobacco to handle but it's also on the drier side compared to the "higher end" tobacco's. Those dudes practically are the pioneers of the stuff. With that in mind I think they have the perfect moisture content in all there stuff. I don't smoke much Naklah anymore but when I make a head I try to mimic the moisture content in there tobacco. Too dry than you will burn the tobacco too wet and I firmly believe you can burn the head also. For example, AF comes to mind when it comes to drenched shisha. How many heads of that stuff did you burn before you learned to smoke it right? You simply didn't learn how to smoke it. It just acclimated itself from the juices dripping to the bottom leaving the top layer "drier" therefore acclimation. I'm a firm believer in mixing shisha up with all its juices from time to time in a tub of tobacco that you rarely smoke (double apple for me)because the top layer gets too dry from neglect . Discuss!