Need Help From The Veteran Hookah Smokers To Improve My Smoking Experience

[ChicagoRSX]

As I said in my introduction post, I'm just recently getting into the true hookah experience. I just purchased a Nammor hose and am now gettong much more flavor off my shisha. My question to you all is what should I do to improve my smoking. I'm using a Maya qt currently. Should I look for a new bowl? I've heard people say I should pick up the Heba diffuser. What all do you veterans suggest my next purchase should be? Thanks guys and girls for your input.

[vendetta_revived]

Heba diffuser is used to quiet your hookah down. I've a mya qt myself and it's not as loud as those tall ass hookahs so you don't need a diffuser IMO. What tobacco are you using btw? and what coals?

You've picked a great hookah and an awesome hose to begin with so you have those covered, the next basics now are to pick up good tobacco to smoke, like AF or nakhla since you're just getting into it. my fav of AF is mint, bubblegum, peach and their orange, nakhla I haven't tried myself so someone who has can give you suggestions about their good flavours.

You should also pick up some good coals, stay away from quicklites, those light easily but most people stay away from them because of the chemicals used, I used some in the beginning and they almost always gave me a bad headache. Opt for natural coals instead, you're in US so pick up some coconaras, you will also need an electric coil burner to light those bad boys....they take a bit longer to light (6-8 minutes), but last wayyyyyyyy longer and don't impart any noticeable charcoal smell/taste.

Also, if you can, pick up a tang small phunnel bowl. And I'd suggest you check this thread out for any other confusions you might have.

http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/40373-beginners-guide-to-hookah/

[ChicagoRSX]

As far as coals, I'm using quick lites. I know the drawbacks to those, but I'm waiting to try naturals myself before investing in them and the hardware needed for them.

As far as tobacco, I use Starbuzz and Fantasia. I just placed an order with hookah-shisha.com so I could try Hydro Herbal and Al Tawareg for the fist time.

[vendetta_revived]

If you want to give herbal tobacco a go, I've heard that Salaam is good, but can't tell you from experience. A burner will set you back about $10-$13 at Walgreens, so you should get one as it's not that heavy on your pockets, and really worth it. I've heard good things about Starbuzz but haven't tried it myself, but I can vouch for AF flavour and clouds.

I'll leave the rest to more veteran smokers, they can definitely question your answers better.

[TheyCallMeDave]

RSX, welcome to the forum!

I will say, that Vendetta hasn't led you in the wrong direction at all.

A nammor on a mya qt is an excellent rig, the same my girlfriend, her friend, and MY friend all use. Phenomenal performance from such a little guy! Lol. You were interested in upgrading/improving, here are some things to keep in mind when wanting a better smoke session:

When it comes to how hard the draw is, how much smoke you can get in one draw, and just overall facility of the smoke experience, that comes to your rig. Grommets, bowls, hookahs, hoses, etc. You have an excellent rig now, but if you WANT to take another step into a grreat smoking experience (this is pure opinion), invest in a phunnel bowl. The bowl has a spire witha single hole in the centre of the bowl. Think of a doughnut. This allows for absolutely zero restriction from the airflow intake to the base where smoke is collected. no shisha gets in the way, sopping up the holes like in other bowls. It also holds all the juices in this moat of a bowl, making the shisha double its smoking life. They come in smalls, mediums, and larges. For one or two people smoking, buy the small. It will last one person a good two hours. Mediums and larges hold a very large amount of tobacco, and should be used for parties. Unless of course, you REALLY like a flavor and want to smoke it for 5+ hours. Lol. The smalls typically run for about 16-17 bucks, and can be found at hookahjohn.com and hookahcompany.com.

Now (excluding technique, heat management, packing, etc... Just product-wise) when it comes to smoke quality, shisha life length, harshness, flavor, etc.. Overal experience quality and taste, this is where your coal and shisha come into place. It's funny you mentioning smoking with quicklights... I recently ran out of coals, and won't have anymore until this friday. I went and picked up some old Three Kings coals I used to use in my early days as a hookah smoker to tide me over. Yes, they smoke.. But GOOD GOD, I forgot how terrible they taste. As far as the flavor, heat management, smoke quality goes, You would jump worlds above where you are if you switched to natural coals. I know you wanted to try them out first, and that's fine. But you will wish you hadn't waited. In the meantime, there is a brand of coals, CH Coals, sold on hookahjohn.com. Although i prefer other naturals to his brand of naturals, he easily makes the best quicklight ever. They are coconut coals, but they are quicklights. checkem out, best quicklight hands down.

Now, for shisha. With shisha, you can't really go wrong, it's all about trial and error. Finding out what you like and dislike. Some brands frowned upon here are Jewels tobacco, HookaH HookaH, HookaH FreaK and SOEX herbal. Again, many of the forum members are probably chuckling right now, but we dislike these flavors because we think that the quality is low. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try them for yourself if you don't want to, simply that we know a good smoke, and this doesn't meet our requirements. Some brands the forum in general would reccomend to a somewhat new smoker are Al Fakher, Nakhla, Tangiers (LUCID) or starbuzz (decent but TOO expensive for me). Those brands were mentioned because they typically have more than a handfull of good flavors, and I would trust a good amount of flavors from them.


As a final Hurrah, Here are your original questions answered (quickly, lol).

-Heba Diffusers do not cool or enhance the smoke in any way. They quiet the bubbles, and make the bubbles smaller. If you want a quiet qt, buy one.
-If I were you, my next purchase would be a TANGIERS small phunnel bowl. STAY AWAY FROM "FUNNELS". If the Tangiers name isn't included, it's a terrible ripoff.
Sorry for the novel, keep up the work, and smoke aplenty.
-Pick up lots of 50 grams. Figure out what brand suits your best, or which flavors from each brand. Soon you will have a good "shisha rotation", filled with your absolute favorite tobaccos.
-READ LOTS OF REVIEWS!!!! We make them for people so they don't have to take a shot in the dark completely, and buy a shit product. I know they help me.

Dave

[Zildjian]

@Dave

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6tKH9kBOGs&feature=player_detailpage#t=123s[/media]

[jorlyfish]

Dave nailed it. Don't be afraid to ask any additional questions either -- no matter how dumb they might seem.
I definitely recommend the same shisha he does for you, but another point to consider when looking at brands is how much you like the "buzz" - I don't know what your tolerance is, but Al Fahker and Starbuzz are washed, and therefore will give you little/no buzz, whereas Nakhla and Tangiers Lucid (Lucid is actually washed, but still has a higher nicotine content than a lot of other shishas) will give you a little more of a kick.

[vendetta_revived]

btw, a Tangiers small isn't quite as small actually, it holds anywhere from 30-50gm shisha depending on the varying sizes (they are handmade), so if you're looking to not use that much in one session, consider buying an Alien mini phunnel available at hookahjohn.com and thehookahcompany.com, it provides a similar functionality with an added advantage of being a "mini" and therefore using less shisha. Though I've heard that it gives you problems if you're planning to smoke Tangiers Noir ( The OG tangiers tobacco which is unwashed and packs a kick to your head), but with other tobaccos it performs quite good.

Another shisha saver phunnel bowl that people hold in high regard is the micro phunnel available at crownhookahs.com . It holds like 10-15 gms if I am not wrong and smokes very good, perfect for short 45 minutes-1 hour sessions, though I have seen people saying that they have got a good 2 hours out of theirs, but they are veterans of course.


[quote name='TheyCallMeDave' timestamp='1304448565' post='508104']
RSX, welcome to the forum!

I will say, that Vendetta hasn't led you in the wrong direction at all.

A nammor on a mya qt is an excellent rig, the same my girlfriend, her friend, and MY friend all use. Phenomenal performance from such a little guy! Lol. You were interested in upgrading/improving, here are some things to keep in mind when wanting a better smoke session:

When it comes to how hard the draw is, how much smoke you can get in one draw, and just overall facility of the smoke experience, that comes to your rig. Grommets, bowls, hookahs, hoses, etc. You have an excellent rig now, but if you WANT to take another step into a grreat smoking experience (this is pure opinion), invest in a phunnel bowl. The bowl has a spire witha single hole in the centre of the bowl. Think of a doughnut. This allows for absolutely zero restriction from the airflow intake to the base where smoke is collected. no shisha gets in the way, sopping up the holes like in other bowls. It also holds all the juices in this moat of a bowl, making the shisha double its smoking life. They come in smalls, mediums, and larges. For one or two people smoking, buy the small. It will last one person a good two hours. Mediums and larges hold a very large amount of tobacco, and should be used for parties. Unless of course, you REALLY like a flavor and want to smoke it for 5+ hours. Lol. The smalls typically run for about 16-17 bucks, and can be found at hookahjohn.com and hookahcompany.com.

Now (excluding technique, heat management, packing, etc... Just product-wise) when it comes to smoke quality, shisha life length, harshness, flavor, etc.. Overal experience quality and taste, this is where your coal and shisha come into place. It's funny you mentioning smoking with quicklights... I recently ran out of coals, and won't have anymore until this friday. I went and picked up some old Three Kings coals I used to use in my early days as a hookah smoker to tide me over. Yes, they smoke.. But GOOD GOD, I forgot how terrible they taste. As far as the flavor, heat management, smoke quality goes, You would jump worlds above where you are if you switched to natural coals. I know you wanted to try them out first, and that's fine. But you will wish you hadn't waited. In the meantime, there is a brand of coals, CH Coals, sold on hookahjohn.com. Although i prefer other naturals to his brand of naturals, he easily makes the best quicklight ever. They are coconut coals, but they are quicklights. checkem out, best quicklight hands down.

Now, for shisha. With shisha, you can't really go wrong, it's all about trial and error. Finding out what you like and dislike. Some brands frowned upon here are Jewels tobacco, HookaH HookaH, HookaH FreaK and SOEX herbal. Again, many of the forum members are probably chuckling right now, but we dislike these flavors because we think that the quality is low. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try them for yourself if you don't want to, simply that we know a good smoke, and this doesn't meet our requirements. Some brands the forum in general would reccomend to a somewhat new smoker are Al Fakher, Nakhla, Tangiers (LUCID) or starbuzz (decent but TOO expensive for me). Those brands were mentioned because they typically have more than a handfull of good flavors, and I would trust a good amount of flavors from them.


As a final Hurrah, Here are your original questions answered (quickly, lol).

-Heba Diffusers do not cool or enhance the smoke in any way. They quiet the bubbles, and make the bubbles smaller. If you want a quiet qt, buy one.
-If I were you, my next purchase would be a TANGIERS small phunnel bowl. STAY AWAY FROM "FUNNELS". If the Tangiers name isn't included, it's a terrible ripoff.
Sorry for the novel, keep up the work, and smoke aplenty.
-Pick up lots of 50 grams. Figure out what brand suits your best, or which flavors from each brand. Soon you will have a good "shisha rotation", filled with your absolute favorite tobaccos.
-READ LOTS OF REVIEWS!!!! We make them for people so they don't have to take a shot in the dark completely, and buy a shit product. I know they help me.

Dave
[/quote]

Dave, that was quite a read. Thanks haha. Good stuff!

[ChicagoRSX]

Wow guys, thanks for the responses! So I guess my next purchase will consist of the Tangiers phunnel and maybe some Tangier's shisha. I will also look into getting at least some of those natural quick lights. Thanks again, you guys really went above and beyond here!

[TheyCallMeDave]

No problem man, every member of this forum wants to see others do really well.

[ChicagoRSX]

Well I'm glad this forum seems to be different then like 90% of the other forums online. Seems like most people just want to lord what they know over everyone else, without actually helping them. Glad you all are diffetent. Thanks againDave!

[Epoch]

[quote name='ChicagoRSX' timestamp='1304479943' post='508186']
Wow guys, thanks for the responses! So I guess my next purchase will consist of the [b]Tangiers phunnel and maybe some Tangier's shisha[/b]. I will also look into getting at least some of those natural quick lights. Thanks again, you guys really went above and beyond here!
[/quote]

You'll love it.

[Coyote]

Yes... all that.

Also, make sure you get an area rug because you will eventually; drop a lit coal, drip hot shisha syrup stuff on the ground, trip over your cam cord and knock everything off your table, hummus might fall out the back of your pita when you take a bite, coal ash from the shitty ass coals you have been using will stain the carpet, the vase may tip over and you spill your blueberry infused water all over the place... etc.

Or maybe thats just me...

[Zildjian]

[quote name='Coyote' timestamp='1304527345' post='508265']
Yes... all that.

Also, make sure you get an area rug because you will eventually; drop a lit coal, drip hot shisha syrup stuff on the ground, trip over your cam cord and knock everything off your table, hummus might fall out the back of your pita when you take a bite, coal ash from the shitty ass coals you have been using will stain the carpet, the vase may tip over and you spill your blueberry infused water all over the place... etc.

Or maybe thats just me...
[/quote]

....trip over a lawnmower....

[littlec]

[quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1304451514' post='508117']<br />Dave nailed it. Don't be afraid to ask any additional questions either -- no matter how dumb they might seem. <img src='http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br />
I definitely recommend the same shisha he does for you, but another point to consider when looking at brands is how much you like the "buzz" - I don't know what your tolerance is, but Al Fahker and Starbuzz are washed, and therefore will give you little/no buzz, whereas Nakhla and Tangiers Lucid (Lucid is actually washed, but still has a higher nicotine content than a lot of other shishas) will give you a little more of a kick.<br />[/quote]


All tobacco is washed even noir tangiers it's how many times it's washed really. Lucid is better described as low nicotine as all shisha lines are washed tobacco.

[TheyCallMeDave]

[quote name='littlec' timestamp='1304534096' post='508283']
[quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1304451514' post='508117']<br />Dave nailed it. Don't be afraid to ask any additional questions either -- no matter how dumb they might seem. <img src='http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br />
I definitely recommend the same shisha he does for you, but another point to consider when looking at brands is how much you like the "buzz" - I don't know what your tolerance is, but Al Fahker and Starbuzz are washed, and therefore will give you little/no buzz, whereas Nakhla and Tangiers Lucid (Lucid is actually washed, but still has a higher nicotine content than a lot of other shishas) will give you a little more of a kick.<br />[/quote]


All tobacco is washed even noir tangiers it's how many times it's washed really. Lucid is better described as low nicotine as all shisha lines are washed tobacco.
[/quote]


I don't think Jordan was determining the legitamacy of how many times, ifany, a particular tobacco has been washed. That's the term. Washed, and Unwashed. Of course all tobacco has been cleansed before sent into production, that's just common sense. She, along with many others, just use the term "wash" to represent the repeated cleansing of a tobacco to lower its nicotine content. Lulz.

[littlec]

[quote name='TheyCallMeDave' timestamp='1304536895' post='508288']
[quote name='littlec' timestamp='1304534096' post='508283']
[quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1304451514' post='508117']<br />Dave nailed it. Don't be afraid to ask any additional questions either -- no matter how dumb they might seem. <img src='http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br />
I definitely recommend the same shisha he does for you, but another point to consider when looking at brands is how much you like the "buzz" - I don't know what your tolerance is, but Al Fahker and Starbuzz are washed, and therefore will give you little/no buzz, whereas Nakhla and Tangiers Lucid (Lucid is actually washed, but still has a higher nicotine content than a lot of other shishas) will give you a little more of a kick.<br />[/quote]


All tobacco is washed even noir tangiers it's how many times it's washed really. Lucid is better described as low nicotine as all shisha lines are washed tobacco.
[/quote]


I don't think Jordan was determining the legitamacy of how many times, ifany, a particular tobacco has been washed. That's the term. Washed, and Unwashed. Of course all tobacco has been cleansed before sent into production, that's just common sense. She, along with many others, just use the term "wash" to represent the repeated cleansing of a tobacco to lower its nicotine content. Lulz.
[/quote]

I know it's just misleading as a buyer could ask if the tobacco is washed and a vendor could say of course it's washed all tobacco is, see misleading, that's what I always say low nicotine.

[Jesse]

I'm not a veteran, but since people mentioned Salaam, I've heard good things about it but can't get it where I am here in South Africa at the moment. The girl at the hookah shop said she wishes it wasn't so expensive to import here. I [i]am[/i] able to get this great herbal brand called Al Baraka which is essentially made from flavoured sugar cane with honey. It's great stuff and smokes very smooth. Worth trying if you're going the Herbal route.

[ChicagoRSX]

I have to ask, why should it be the Tangiers phunnel and not the ones sold on HS.com? I trust you guys, I'm just curious though.

[vendetta_revived]

Because the maker of Tangiers tobacco - Eric, invented the phunnel design, there were no phunnels before that. It's his baby so he knows how to make em (they are handmade) good (read : awesome).

The one available at H-S are chinese knockoffs and though I've not used one, people who learned it the hard way tell us that they don't smoke near as well as the tangiers phunnel, plus the tangiers phunnel is made out of superior components (clay, paint). Hence, the tangiers phunnel is superior to the H-S phunnels in every way imaginable.

There are other respected phunnels too though, if you read my last post.

[ChicagoRSX]

I see that now vendetta, sorry I missed that.

[Epoch]

The H-S brand phunnels work fine, but it's worth putting out the extra money for the Tangiers.

[king_lunchb0x]

[quote name='Epoch' timestamp='1304917053' post='508759']
The H-S brand phunnels work fine, but it's worth putting out the extra money for the Tangiers.
[/quote]
true i had my h-s phunnel smoke pretty good. but a tang bowl heats up and stays hotter better it seemed like