Coconara Heat Management Tutorial

[Chreees]

For Coconaras and similar coconut natural coals:

1. Place fully lit coals on bowl across from each other. Have them hang a little off the edges, like they're thinking about jumping and committing suicide. You can move them in later after the bowl has warmed up, before you apply the windcover.
2. After 25-30 minutes, put on the windcover.
3. When smoke starts dying off, remove windcover, ash coals, place them in the exact same spots they were before, while flipping them.
4. When smoke dies off again, you're ready for more coals. Put new coals on the stove. Ash your small bits left one more time, put them in the same spot, put windcover back on. This allows you to keep smoking until the new coals are ready.
5. When new coals are done, remove them from stove, set them on a cooking pan for a couple minutes. Then knock off old bits, place new coals on in the untouched spots, across from each other, slightly hanging off the edge. After a few minutes, move them in to where they are even with the edge.

[joytron]

Does this really need to be explained? Also I always set the coals in the ashtray for a minute before I load them on the bowl, lets them cool down a little bit and keeps the bowl from heating up too quickly.

[Chreees]

Yeah, apparently it does. People can't seem to get their heat management right. Just trying to help out.

And yeah, setting them in the tray works too... I use a cooking pan for the second round so I don't have to move the hookah just to get new coals. First round I place them in the tray, then move the hookah to where I smoke...

[IainUM]

thanks chris, i think this is helpful. i've never really smoked coconut coals that much, so this is good to know

[Chreees]

No problem Iain. For me, it's the perfect way to do it.

[joytron]

A good add is how many coals you use per bowl.

I.E.

3 whole coals (cubes preferred) for a small/medium phunnel

4 half coals (flats preferred) for a small phunnel

3 half coals (flats preferred) for a mini phunnel


2 half coals (mini egyptian)

[Chreees]

Yeah man, great idea.

For me, I use:

Tangiers Small Phunnel: Two (sometimes three) or four halves.
Tangiers Mini Phunnel: Two or three halves.
Tangiers Mini Super Chief: Two or three halves.
Standard Egyptian: Two or three.

If I'm doing halves, I follow all the same procedures, except for the second round I try to place the coals in the untouched areas on the foil. Kinda hard sometimes since halves are usually closer together on the bowl.

[Moki]

Can this be somewhat applied to quickies?

[Chreees]

[quote name='Moki' timestamp='1319039959' post='528298']
Can this be somewhat applied to quickies?
[/quote]

Sure. You can use most of the same instructions above for quicklights. Might differ in how much coal you need to use based off of how much heat the brand you're using gives off. Also, the time the coal lasts would obvioulsy change when you put on your windcover and such. But yeah, pretty much the same.

[atalanta]

So far what I've been doing seems to work. I use 2 CCNs (not halves) on opposite sides of the bowl (shallow egyptian). My first smoke was just the two coals and when they were done, I was done. I bought a windcover over the weekend and so my second smoke was 2 coals on opposite sides of the bowl and then when they were little nubbies, I put on 2 more coals perpendicular to them. I used the windcover when I first got started to bring up the heat then took it off. I put it back on when I was nearly done. I got 2 hours from about 16g (a third of a 50g box) of Havana Apple and also from about the same amount of Fantasia Pumpkin Spice. I didn't notice harshness and neither did BF (the seasoned smoker, he's been giving me smoking pointers LOL)

[Nikotelopico]

Glad I saw this thread...I just ordered some coconaras (cuz that's what the cool kids use) and I was going to use them just as I use my lemonwood coals....pretty much what I do already, but to get some sure fire confirmation from fellow posters is nice.

Now I wonder...should halves or whole cubes be used?

[Chreees]

[quote name='Nikotelopico' timestamp='1320770504' post='530748']
Glad I saw this thread...I just ordered some coconaras (cuz that's what the cool kids use) and I was going to use them just as I use my lemonwood coals....pretty much what I do already, but to get some sure fire confirmation from fellow posters is nice.

Now I wonder...should halves or whole cubes be used?
[/quote]

I ultimately prefer cubes, but flats cut into halves works really well. The cubes I like best because they're slightly less surface area of coal touching foil, so it makes heat management easier (I think). I used to cut flats into halves all the time, but got tired of it. I'm lazy, so I just get cubes.

[hughe3jj]

Wow, I wish I could get two-hours of smoke haha. I will have to learn these techniques

[agunn1231]

[quote name='hughe3jj' timestamp='1344869535' post='553976']
Wow, I wish I could get two-hours of smoke haha. I will have to learn these techniques
[/quote]
im in the process of re-learning....so you arent alone buddy

[IainUM]

THIS THING IS FOR BITCHES

[MiniMo]

First of all, my thanks to topicstarter for interesting point to discuss! =)

[quote name='joytron' timestamp='1292294036' post='491229']
A good add is how many coals you use per bowl.

<...>
[/quote]

And what about Tangiers Pico Phunnel? Nowdays I try to smoke some Al Fakher, Al Waha and Starbuzz molasses with coconuts on top of it. Unfortunally, I can't get the same brands of coconuts here in Ukraine, but I think all that is pretty the same. Or I am wrong?

Then, are mentioned "flats" equal to quicklights?

And, finally, can somebody point me to something like "hookah thesaurus", where all this cool slang is collected?

Thanks in advance.

[Chreees]

[quote name='MiniMo' timestamp='1346941213' post='555884']First of all, my thanks to topicstarter for interesting point to discuss! =)

[quote name='joytron' timestamp='1292294036' post='491229']
A good add is how many coals you use per bowl.


[/quote]

And what about Tangiers Pico Phunnel? Nowdays I try to smoke some Al Fakher, Al Waha and Starbuzz molasses with coconuts on top of it. Unfortunally, I can't get the same brands of coconuts here in Ukraine, but I think all that is pretty the same. Or I am wrong?

Then, are mentioned "flats" equal to quicklights?

And, finally, can somebody point me to something like "hookah thesaurus", where all this cool slang is collected?

Thanks in advance.[/quote]

Problem is, everyone's different and uses different amounts of heat it seems. This is just something I made to be more of a guideline, not a set and definite "follow it exactly and you'll see superior results" type of thing. And no, Coconara flats are NOT equal to quicklight coals. All coals have their varying heat outputs, therefore you will want to keep that in mind when adding heat to your bowl. But really, it's all the same, more or less. I would do big quicklight disc broken into halves and used across from each other to equal two Coconaras across from each other. Or two Al Fakher cocos the same as I would use two Coconaras. Two Razan cocos equals two Coconaras. See what I mean? Generally, it's all mostly the same. But sometimes you'll have to make minor adjustments to get it just right. This ain't rocket science, but you will want to experiment a tiny bit.

The terms you seek can be found here in the Beginner's Guide to Hookah: http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/40373-beginners-guide-to-hookah/


Tapatalk'd via iPhone

[MiniMo]

[quote name='Chreees' timestamp='1347018104' post='555946']Problem is, everyone's different and uses different amounts of heat it seems. This is just something I made to be more of a guideline, not a set and definite "follow it exactly and you'll see superior results" type of thing. And no, Coconara flats are NOT equal to quicklight coals. All coals have their varying heat outputs, therefore you will want to keep that in mind when adding heat to your bowl. But really, it's all the same, more or less. I would do big quicklight disc broken into halves and used across from each other to equal two Coconaras across from each other. Or two Al Fakher cocos the same as I would use two Coconaras. Two Razan cocos equals two Coconaras. See what I mean? Generally, it's all mostly the same. But sometimes you'll have to make minor adjustments to get it just right. This ain't rocket science, but you will want to experiment a tiny bit. [/quote]
I've catched the whole concept, I think =). I just can't understand one moment: is "flats" a type of a charocal, or a nickname for one or more charocal brands?

[Chreees]

Flats are flatter, rectangular coconut coals. There's also more cube-shaped coconut coals. So that's only referring to the shape.


Tapatalk'd via iPhone

[MiniMo]

[quote name='Chreees' timestamp='1347288885' post='556098']Flats are flatter, rectangular coconut coals. There's also more cube-shaped coconut coals. So that's only referring to the shape.[/quote]
Thank you, now it's totally clear to me =). It turns to be that I'm using these flats nowdays! =)