Bad Taste

[gigi]

Hello!! I use AF double apple. Coco Nara coals and a brand new KM hookah.w a vortex bowl No matter what I do it doesn't taste the way my local hookah lounges tastes!! They use exactly the same thing. After a couple if puffs it starts to taste burnt and gross.

Help pleaseeee

[TheyCallMeDave]

Congratulations on the new setup, it certianly feels good to smoke outside of the lounges.

Now, onto your problem. Once you purchase yoru own hookah, nearly every error that occurs with your session will be due to setup errors. Here's a checklist I would go through with yoru setup, in a very particular fashion:

1. Is the water level correct? I would make sure the water level is about an inch to a half an inch above the end of the downstem.
2. is my stem stuck in and secure? No air leaks?
3. Is there anything in my hose? Any debris? If no, good. Continue. If yes, is it washable or not? If it is washable, run lemon juice and water through it to clean it out. If it isn't, purchase a new hose, your old hose is too old.
4.do I have my hose secured tightly into the stem using wet paper towels or a rubber grommet?

(This is where a little more care needs to be taken)
Bowl Time....
5. Is the shisha a good, fresh date? Has it been made within the past year or two? If no, it might be a bad batch.
6. My shisha is open. Have I stired it up to get all of the juices flowing, nd completely even all around the tub?
7. I'm using a vortex bowl. Have I washed it? New or old, all bowls should be washed before each use.
8. Al Fakher shisha in a phunnel or vortex should be packed loosely into the bowl. Just kind of place it in, and push down slightly to make room for a little more. Not really tight, just loosely into the bowl.
9. Foil time... Is the foil wrapped tightly? Good. Not a huge amount of holes should be made, but certainly more than 10. A good, even amount.

Coals!
10. No matter if you are using natural coals or quicklight coals, make SURE the coals are glowing red hot, ALL OVER. Especially with quicklights. If a quicklight coal is not fully lit, you will taste a strange, nasty chemically taste for the first 5 minutes of smoking. FULLY LIT!
11. How many coals are you using? For a vortex, I would use 2 or 3. Start with two on the outer edges of the bowl. If it tastes good but could use bigger clouds, try pushing them in SLIGHTLY, or adding a third and separating them respectively.


Again, this is practically foolproof. If I've missed anything, someone will chime in. Just turn orver every stone untill you root the problem out.

Good luck!

[king_lunchb0x]

[quote name='TheyCallMeDave' timestamp='1299560649' post='500618']
Congratulations on the new setup, it certianly feels good to smoke outside of the lounges.

Now, onto your problem. Once you purchase yoru own hookah, nearly every error that occurs with your session will be due to setup errors. Here's a checklist I would go through with yoru setup, in a very particular fashion:

1. Is the water level correct? I would make sure the water level is about an inch to a half an inch above the end of the downstem.
2. is my stem stuck in and secure? No air leaks?
3. Is there anything in my hose? Any debris? If no, good. Continue. If yes, is it washable or not? If it is washable, run lemon juice and water through it to clean it out. If it isn't, purchase a new hose, your old hose is too old.
4.do I have my hose secured tightly into the stem using wet paper towels or a rubber grommet?

(This is where a little more care needs to be taken)
Bowl Time....
5. Is the shisha a good, fresh date? Has it been made within the past year or two? If no, it might be a bad batch.
6. My shisha is open. Have I stired it up to get all of the juices flowing, nd completely even all around the tub?
7. I'm using a vortex bowl. Have I washed it? New or old, all bowls should be washed before each use.
8. Al Fakher shisha in a phunnel or vortex should be packed loosely into the bowl. Just kind of place it in, and push down slightly to make room for a little more. Not really tight, just loosely into the bowl.
9. Foil time... Is the foil wrapped tightly? Good. Not a huge amount of holes should be made, but certainly more than 10. A good, even amount.

Coals!
10. No matter if you are using natural coals or quicklight coals, make SURE the coals are glowing red hot, ALL OVER. Especially with quicklights. If a quicklight coal is not fully lit, you will taste a strange, nasty chemically taste for the first 5 minutes of smoking. FULLY LIT!
11. How many coals are you using? For a vortex, I would use 2 or 3. Start with two on the outer edges of the bowl. If it tastes good but could use bigger clouds, try pushing them in SLIGHTLY, or adding a third and separating them respectively.


Again, this is practically foolproof. If I've missed anything, someone will chime in. Just turn orver every stone untill you root the problem out.

Good luck!


[/quote]
this is pretty much a how to guide from beginning to end everything sounds spot on. I would split the coals for easier heat management. Start with a little less heat like 3 halves smoke for about 5 minutes if smoke or flavor isn't good enough add another half. Sometimes when i smoke AF and over pack the bowl a bit too much the juice will run out of the holes on the top and burn from the coals. Also rotate the coals every now and again so that one spot doesnt get cooked too much. follow Daves guide and it should be smoking great, packing and heat management seems to be the most common problem

[LZDjoshua]

Lol, yes it never does seem to taste the same as the lounges. As for the burntness and gross part, I think that's been covered. But all of the employees here at Lazy Dayz Hookah Lounge say the same thing... it just never tastes as good at home :-/ Something to think about is that the lounge you frequent has that built-in goodness from packing so many hookahs. I will pack the exact same mix at home using a Mya Cono, Namoor hose, and SS Choad Bowl, but it always taste better when I pack it using the lounge hookahs.

[quote name='gigi' timestamp='1299554809' post='500604']
Hello!! I use AF double apple. Coco Nara coals and a brand new KM hookah.w a vortex bowl No matter what I do it doesn't taste the way my local hookah lounges tastes!! They use exactly the same thing. After a couple if puffs it starts to taste burnt and gross.

Help pleaseeee
[/quote]

[TheyCallMeDave]

[quote name='LZDjoshua' timestamp='1299589643' post='500646']
Lol, yes it never does seem to taste the same as the lounges. As for the burntness and gross part, I think that's been covered. But all of the employees here at Lazy Dayz Hookah Lounge say the same thing... it just never tastes as good at home :-/ Something to think about is that the lounge you frequent has that built-in goodness from packing so many hookahs. I will pack the exact same mix at home using a Mya Cono, Namoor hose, and SS Choad Bowl, but it always taste better when I pack it using the lounge hookahs.

[quote name='gigi' timestamp='1299554809' post='500604']
Hello!! I use AF double apple. Coco Nara coals and a brand new KM hookah.w a vortex bowl No matter what I do it doesn't taste the way my local hookah lounges tastes!! They use exactly the same thing. After a couple if puffs it starts to taste burnt and gross.

Help pleaseeee
[/quote]
[/quote]

Huhhhh? Yous crazy, dawg.If you are serious about smoking hookah, you will find out soon enough that There are practically little to no hookah bars that can compare to a session on your own, if you do everything right.

[dizzbizz]

[quote name='TheyCallMeDave' timestamp='1299652403' post='500706']
[quote name='LZDjoshua' timestamp='1299589643' post='500646']
Lol, yes it never does seem to taste the same as the lounges. As for the burntness and gross part, I think that's been covered. But all of the employees here at Lazy Dayz Hookah Lounge say the same thing... it just never tastes as good at home :-/ Something to think about is that the lounge you frequent has that built-in goodness from packing so many hookahs. I will pack the exact same mix at home using a Mya Cono, Namoor hose, and SS Choad Bowl, but it always taste better when I pack it using the lounge hookahs.

[quote name='gigi' timestamp='1299554809' post='500604']
Hello!! I use AF double apple. Coco Nara coals and a brand new KM hookah.w a vortex bowl No matter what I do it doesn't taste the way my local hookah lounges tastes!! They use exactly the same thing. After a couple if puffs it starts to taste burnt and gross.

Help pleaseeee
[/quote]
[/quote]

Huhhhh? Yous crazy, dawg.If you are serious about smoking hookah, you will find out soon enough that There are practically little to no hookah bars that can compare to a session on your own, if you do everything right.



[/quote]

He speaks the truth. I still have yet to go to a bar that packs a bowl as well as I do at my own house.

[nun]

lemme guess... tobacco sticked to the foil and burnt?

[king_lunchb0x]

[quote name='dizzbizz' timestamp='1299655172' post='500714']
[quote name='TheyCallMeDave' timestamp='1299652403' post='500706']
[quote name='LZDjoshua' timestamp='1299589643' post='500646']
Lol, yes it never does seem to taste the same as the lounges. As for the burntness and gross part, I think that's been covered. But all of the employees here at Lazy Dayz Hookah Lounge say the same thing... it just never tastes as good at home :-/ Something to think about is that the lounge you frequent has that built-in goodness from packing so many hookahs. I will pack the exact same mix at home using a Mya Cono, Namoor hose, and SS Choad Bowl, but it always taste better when I pack it using the lounge hookahs.

[quote name='gigi' timestamp='1299554809' post='500604']
Hello!! I use AF double apple. Coco Nara coals and a brand new KM hookah.w a vortex bowl No matter what I do it doesn't taste the way my local hookah lounges tastes!! They use exactly the same thing. After a couple if puffs it starts to taste burnt and gross.

Help pleaseeee
[/quote]
[/quote]

Huhhhh? Yous crazy, dawg.If you are serious about smoking hookah, you will find out soon enough that There are practically little to no hookah bars that can compare to a session on your own, if you do everything right.



[/quote]

He speaks the truth. I still have yet to go to a bar that packs a bowl as well as I do at my own house.
[/quote]

i must agree the smoke itself is way better at home but there different experiences but there should be no reason why ur smoke shouldn't be as good if not better than theirs

[Skoozle]

I think with quick lights, 2 or even 3 halves is too much for a vortex. I would go with one quick light either whole and hanging of the side a little or split in half and on opposite sides of the bowl.

This has been my experience with 44mm QL's. If you are using 33mm 3 halves might be ok.

I would also try adding a wind cover before adding more coal, if you still need more heat, wind cover back off and another piece of coal added on.

Sneek up on the heat, don't burn it then back off.

With AF double apple, you should be getting a whole mouth full of flavor.