Heat Management Advice

[lowoncreativity]

Hi all, first post!

I'm here fresh from my second ever session, first one was yesterday. I am seeking help in maximizing the thickness and flavor of smoke through better heat management. Details of setup at bottom.

tl;dr: 2 coals rotating on the edge is mediocre, 2 coals in the middle is too harsh, 1 coal rotating is not enough.

Session Details:

1:

I used 2 coals without breaking them up. I placed them on opposite edges of the bowl and rotated them about every 10 minutes. I went through 4 coals total, smoking for about an hour.

There was very little flavor, the smoke was tasteless on the way in and very subtly flavored on the way out. The smoke was smooth and cool, about the thickness of cigarette smoke. Overall the experience was mediocre. When I emptied the bowl the shisha was burnt lightly at the top but still moist at the bottom.


2:

Tonight I began with the hypothesis that less heat was needed, since the shisha burned last night. I took one coal and broke it in half instead of starting with 2 coals. After 5 minutes of waiting there was no smoke when I took the first pull, but hints of a flavor.

I knocked off the broken coal, and replaced it with 2 fresh coals, each broken in half, covering 4 edges of the bowl. The flavor was weaker than last night and the smoke was very thin. I now tried putting all 4 pieces of the 2 coals right in the middle of the bowl. The smoke became very thick at this point, and there was more flavor, but not an amazing amount. On the third pull though, the smoke became harsh and tasted burnt.

I decided to abandon that bowl and begin another using only one coal, starting in the very middle of the bowl. I was hoping this would give me the flavor and thickness without the harshness.

It worked nicely at first. There was a little bit of flavor on the inhalation and very flavorful exhalation. Smoke was thick and opaque.

But after about 10 minutes there was no flavor and very little smoke left. I tried rotating the coal for another 10 minutes or so with lackluster results before giving up and coming on here.



So my question is, what can I try for my next session to get the thickness and flavor I want over the entire length of the smoke?



My setup:

Egyptian bowl on a 20" 2-hose hookah with the second hose port sealed (since I am smoking alone).

2 layers of foil and small, round quick-light coals.

I am smoking herbal shisha that came with my hookah whilst I wait for the real stuff to arrive by mail. It is possible that the herbal shisha is the source of my problem; however, I have read very positive reviews on this particular herbal brand, particularly mentioning that the flavor lasts for over an hour, so I think there is room for improvement in the quality of smoke.

[vendetta_revived]

Either try using a windcover with 2 coals on the edge, or if you don't have a windcover, START the same way, but move 1 coal SLIGHTLY in while letting the other one stay in the same place, and then move the other one in ever so slightly if the results are not satisfactory.

Move your coals about every 20 mins or so.

Btw, if you don't have a wind cover, you can easily make one out of foil.

[Epoch]

Windscreen is my best friend for heat management.

[TheyCallMeDave]

Heat Management Secret #4,778: Hanging off the edge or the coals in the center aren't your only options, this isn't black and white. You'd be surprised what a millimeter difference will make when edging your coals.

[claytronmeans]

Listen to everyone else.

In addition to that, herbal shisha is meh at best. Wait until you've got some real shisha before you start setting your management techniques; they will be a lot different for tobacco.

Another piece of advice is to get Reynolds HD foil, and use one layer. It's easier to get everything going right with one layer, and HD allows you to use only one layer.

[PArdr]

If I were you I'd hunt down a screen to use rather than foil. They are extremely cheap pieces of metal that just rest on top of the bowl and have holes in them. They work very nicely for me and makes the whole process faster.

I tend to rotate two coals (three kings quicklights) and it gets me excellent flavor. It is true though that the smallest difference in placement can make a huge difference so just experiment moving the coals around. I have also been smoking Starbuzz (Blue mist flavor ) which, in my opinion, is one of the more bold brands of tobacco when it comes to getting flavor. It is a little more pricey then some though..

I've also been known to throw a third coal on mine when the other two get down to about half their original size (this is when mine smokes the best). I can get away with this easily though as my pipe stands a 37" with an ice try on the top and has a lot of cooling potential.

Finally, not sure if you're using a generic bowl or not, but I would advise getting a Tangiers Funnel. They tend to cook the tobacco very evenly and as long as you take the time to mix up the tobacco every 30-45 minutes, you can get a good 2-2.5 hour session off a bowl.

Hope something in here helps.

[lowoncreativity]

Hey all,

Thanks for the advice. After a little experimenting, I found that I actually needed more heat to get the best flavor from the herbal shisha. I kicked it up to 3 coals and down to 1 layer of foil and it smokes pretty nicely now. I need more heat on this herbal stuff than I do on tobacco for some reason.

I also ordered a set of screens and a windcover. A good excuse for more experimenting when they get here

[Scrappydoo]

If I were you I'd hunt down a screen to use rather than foil. They are extremely cheap pieces of metal that just rest on top of the bowl and have holes in them. They work very nicely for me and makes the whole process faster.[/quote]

I don't know very many serious smokers who prefer a screen to foil. Shisha cafes either, even though it would be cheaper in the long run and more "green." Foil is much better and the time it takes to poke a few holes is minimal.

[Kapten Kanel]

[quote name='Scrappydoo' timestamp='1312289946' post='518304']
I don't know very many serious smokers who prefer a screen to foil. Shisha cafes either, even though it would be cheaper in the long run and more "green." Foil is much better and the time it takes to poke a few holes is minimal.
[/quote]

This, foil is MUCH better.

[angekfire]

I've tried screens and have always found foil to be vastly superior.