The Science Of A Good Sesh

[GeeMang]

Hey Guys

I got a KM hookah with a nammor hose at the start of the school year and have been slowly learning some tricks to make my seshes better.

[b]What I currently do[/b]:

1. using foil, with only a few holes (about 8-10 id say)

2. using 2 CN coals at a time. When these get small I throw a third one on and possibly take one of the original ones off for a lil while to avoid harshness

3. lighly packing the shisha in til its about even with the rim (I have only been using AF)

4. I use clean water every time

5. I clean the hose rarely, pouring water thru it a few times

6. I clean the stem rarely, pouring water thru it a few times

[b]Problems:[/b]

1. I sometimes find the flavor of my smoke very lacking, other ppl note this as well.

2. Occasional harshness and not being able to maintain fat clouds for the entire sesh (it usually starts off fat but then gets weaker or if I do try and make fatter clouds later on I find the flavor to be worse)

[b]Questions:[/b]

1. Is my cleaning routine adequate and could this be the reason for poor flavor etc.?

2. Is ice a neccessity for good clouds and smoothness?

3. what is a heba diffuser and would it help?

4. should I purchase a phunnel bowl

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT THX

[IainUM]

1: i normally pour water through the stem every session and then every now and then i use some soap and shit-loads of water to make sure i get it out

2: i've found ice may make it a little smoother, but you can lose flavor from it being colder like that from what i can tell

3: a heba diffuser basically is supposed to filter the smoke more, but from what i've heard on the forum it basically makes the hookah quiet more than anything else

4: a phunnel would be great, but isn't completely necessary. if you DO get a phunnel, get a tangiers one or maybe the hookahjohn alien mini. if you want a super small phunnel, get the hj, but if you want something for sorta long sessions, get a tangiers small.

hope this helps!

[mustang67n]

1. Is my cleaning routine adequate and could this be the reason for poor flavor etc.?
Lack of cleaning can cause the leftover flavors to linger and muddle up the flavor of your're current shisha. I clean before a new flavor, or at the end of a smoking session


2. Is ice a neccessity for good clouds and smoothness?
Ice is not necessary. I don't like using ice at all. some tobacco (tangiers) actually provides better smoke with luke warm water. I don't notice a difference with ice and clouds at all. Smoothness, yes, but this can be achieved with good heat control


3. what is a heba diffuser and would it help?
heba diffusers simply stop the water from bubling so much, making the pipe quieter and not as 'bouncy' no effect on flavor, I don't think an effect on amount of smoke either

4. should I purchase a phunnel bowl
I love my phunnel bowl, more flavor, longer lasting bowls, and amazing smoke. You will use more tobacco than you're used to, but if that's no biggie, def. worth it IMO. plus you can always use a tealight mod so you use less tobacco


hope this clears some of it up

[mustang67n]

oh.. and how big of holes are you using? most here use a tooth pic, I use a 16 ga. piercing needle. Its slightly smaller than a tooth pic and much sharper, but basically the same thing.

for me, 10 holes barely makes the outer ring of holes in my bowl.. But i like a lot of air flow through my pipe. play with it and perfect it to exactly how you like it

[GeeMang]

Thanks for the responses.

I think I will try and get one of those phunnel bowls from HookahJohn then. I looked them up on H-S where i got all my other gear and it seems like the reviews say they are pretty fragile/knockoffs. As for flavor, it probably is because of my lack of

cleaning of the stem and hose. I just find it a real bitch to clean those so I clean them probably only every 8 sessions which sounds like way too long according to what im hearing. I use a thumbtack to poke the holes. I have smoked some BOMB-

tasting hookah before at friends houses and I cant say ive ever been able to replicate those experiences which is why I am so certain I must have something off. At the moment I dont even enjoy the flavor one bit, I smoke only for the sole purpose of

blowing O's which is pretty disappointing based on the amount of money Ive spent trying to get the best equipment. The pull is very nice and easy though and purge is good so I cant say its all a waste...


P.S[b].[/b]: For cleaning a Nammor hose ive been kind of afraid of getting the handle (cotton or string part?) wet when pouring water down the tube. Is it okay to get the handle wet or will it cause the glue and stuff holding it all together to fall apart? Would distilled vinegar work better for cleaning?

[antouwan]

[quote name='GeeMang' timestamp='1293097123' post='492168']
Thanks for the responses.

I think I will try and get one of those phunnel bowls from HookahJohn then. I looked them up on H-S where i got all my other gear and it seems like the reviews say they are pretty fragile/knockoffs. As for flavor, it probably is because of my lack of

cleaning of the stem and hose. I just find it a real bitch to clean those so I clean them probably only every 8 sessions which sounds like way too long according to what im hearing. I use a thumbtack to poke the holes. I have smoked some BOMB-

tasting hookah before at friends houses and I cant say ive ever been able to replicate those experiences which is why I am so certain I must have something off. At the moment I dont even enjoy the flavor one bit, I smoke only for the sole purpose of blowing O's which is pretty disappointing based on the amount of money Ive spent trying to get the best equipment. The pull is very nice and easy though and purge is good so I cant say its all a waste...

P.S[b].[/b]: For cleaning a Nammor hose ive been kind of afraid of getting the handle (cotton or string part?) wet when pouring water down the tube. Is it okay to get the handle wet or will it cause the glue and stuff holding it all together to fall apart? Would distilled vinegar work better for cleaning?
[/quote]

tangiers small, HJ alien, or crown hookahs micro are the best options for phunnels, the latter two being smaller solutions

i clean my hookahs with a brush once a week. i rinse them every time i change the flavor, same thing with the water. (maximum of reusing the water like 3 times).

you should be getting good flavor, especially with AF. which flavors are you smoking exactly? i don't really notice a substantial gain in the ease of determining flavor, or of tasting more flavor with the use of a phunnel. but that could just be me.

avoid cleaning that nammor at all. i wouldn't use vinegar, except for the initial cleaning, otherwise i think you'd stink up the hose. avoid getting the handle wet at all. you'd be best served by filing the hose up using a funnel.

[Cp44]

I clean everything except the hose after every session. Hot water through the stem and base, scrub the inside the stem with the brush. I make sure the bowl has no burnt residue and I dedicate one flavor per hookah.

[king_lunchb0x]

[quote name='IainUM' timestamp='1293091497' post='492164']
1: i normally pour water through the stem every session and then every now and then i use some soap and shit-loads of water to make sure i get it out

2: i've found ice may make it a little smoother, but you can lose flavor from it being colder like that from what i can tell

3: a heba diffuser basically is supposed to filter the smoke more, but from what i've heard on the forum it basically makes the hookah quiet more than anything else

4: a phunnel would be great, but isn't completely necessary. if you DO get a phunnel, get a tangiers one or maybe the hookahjohn alien mini. if you want a super small phunnel, get the hj, but if you want something for sorta long sessions, get a tangiers small.

hope this helps!
[/quote]

+1.. cant think of anything to add except maybe a crown bowl also instead of HJ alien or Tang small

[Barnaby]

I clean my hookah with soap and hot water using a stem brush after every session. The vase gets the same treatment, and so does the bowl. I have a nammor hose, and that only gets cleaned when smells start to linger in it. Otherwise, since it gets different flavors all the time, it doesn't really ghost for me.

I do not believe I clean too much, since even with using a phunnel, my soap ALWAYS turns color after 1 session, letting me know there is a residue in the stem.


I do not bother with ice in the vase, room temp water FTW.

I use nothing buy my Tangiers phunnel. The ease of getting a high quality session everytime make all other bowls obsolete. Once I used it, I have never looked back.

Only 8-10 holes with a toothpick? sounds like you need more airflow. I use a kabob skewer, putting atleast 40 holes in my small phunnel. Its covered with holes, with probably the spacing of the skewer between them, except for the center hole, unless its tangiers. You really should be able to pull air through the bowl, with no resistance.

What sounds like what is happening, is your bowl is running too hot. You get big ol' clouds at first, because you have the temp so high, but high heat = big clouds/no flavor. Then your bowl starts to scorch, and then you get light smoke, burnt flavor.

This is probably to the lack of airflow due to the holes in your foil. Too much heat is getting trapped.

[ammoura1]

Clealiness is important - I use a brush on the stem before each use and change water also before each use. I stay away from soap to avoid any residues

With time, I realized that deep holes are better then 'surface' holes - Better airflow and consistent burning through the thickness of the tobacco

A funnel is the best bowl to smoke 'wet' shisha. Seriously, I have not used any other bowl in ages.

Coconara or equivalent natural coal is perfect

Stick to washable hoses. If you ever wonder why, just open a non washable and see the cr*p you will find inside

[GeeMang]

What do you know? I went downstairs and my mom had a bag of 100 tealights just sitting on the table haha. So I just snagged 2 of them. I generally smoke with 2 other people and like to smoke about an hour so would the HJ alien mini be the best bet? How much longer would a tangiers small phunnel smoke with the tealight mod and without the tealight mod. I realize there are no exact answers to that question but a ballpark estimate would be great! And somehow my hookah came with a base cleaning brush but no stem cleaning brush so I think I gotta buy one of those.

As for flavors, I have only tried the AF watermelon which I liked, AF Peach which was okay-good, and AF Mint which I think tastes nasty unless mixed with like the Peach. Which flavor should I try next?

[jeremyk]

id say go with some nakhla because its easier to get smoking right imo, if you r having problems with af burning n not tasting good nak likes heat so its harder to burn up as for flavors double apple, manderine, sweet melon, watermelon, mint, etc. i pretty much like all of nakhla's flavors n their mizo line is like af's tobacco if you like a wetter tobacco

[jorlyfish]

I agree with Jeremy, try out Nakhla-- it takes 2 coconaras, very simple heat management once you get enough heat on there (and Nak likes a lot of heat). Their chocomint is amazing...! Not as many people like their mint, and if you don't like AF mint, which is a bit sweeter/milder, you probably won't like Nak mint, which is quite a strong mint. Check out the tobacco review section and find some flavors that sounds appealing to you.

[GeeMang]

damn 30 bucks for payment and shipment of the HJ alien mini phunnel...pretty ridiculous but if its as good as u guys say I wouldnt mind payin it. Does HookahJohn ever run specials like free shipping? Seeing as its around christmas I was hoping for some sort of discount deal or something

[dizzbizz]

[quote name='GeeMang' timestamp='1293183283' post='492250']
damn 30 bucks for payment and shipment of the HJ alien mini phunnel...pretty ridiculous but if its as good as u guys say I wouldnt mind payin it. Does HookahJohn ever run specials like free shipping? Seeing as its around christmas I was hoping for some sort of discount deal or something
[/quote]

Theres a 10% discount for us Hookah Forum members but you have to spend like 45 dollars and I think you have to spend more for free shipping. Good time to try new shisha!

[HsK BATES]

[quote name='dizzbizz' timestamp='1293187598' post='492252']
[quote name='GeeMang' timestamp='1293183283' post='492250']
damn 30 bucks for payment and shipment of the HJ alien mini phunnel...pretty ridiculous but if its as good as u guys say I wouldnt mind payin it. Does HookahJohn ever run specials like free shipping? Seeing as its around christmas I was hoping for some sort of discount deal or something
[/quote]

Theres a 10% discount for us Hookah Forum members but you have to spend like 45 dollars and I think you have to spend more for free shipping. Good time to try new shisha!
[/quote]

That 45 dollar mark only caused me to not use his site and in that case trying out his hose. Does he want business or no?

[GeeMang]

ok I might buy some shisha then cuz idk if my local smoke shop sells nahkla. On the Hookah John website though it says u get a 10% discount for being part of RoyalHookahForum...

is their another site that sells good phunnel bowls other than HJ? I realize hes the only one with the Alien mini but i wouldnt mind getting a small tangiers if its cheaper on another site

[Barnaby]

http://www.hookahcompany.com/tangiers_small_funnel_bowl_2070_prd1.htm

Don't bother with the tealight mod. It doesn't work well for Tangiers, and really, you're going to finish the bowl of anything else with 1-2 rounds of coals. More trouble than its worth. I have a glass one from Minnesota hookah, and I think I've used it once.. LOL

[HsK BATES]

Seems like the only way i can get tangiers to smoke good is with a tealight mod. every time i have tried without, the foil gets sucked down. And when i try to poke holes in the center then ash just gets sucked down and i get no flavor just charcoal. yes, i am using heavy duty foil