absalom Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 so being a newbie to the hookah world, I have spent countless hours here reading posts...reviews, how-to's, etc. and while it has been extremely helpful and I've learned a ton, I do have a few questions based on my personal experiences as well as what I've read... the general consensus seems to be smoke nakhla in an egyptian bowl and most anything else in a phunnel. I have yet to get a proper phunnel, but I have been smoking a lot of nakhla. I have concluded that results are better with a well-packed (overpacked maybe?) bowl. using heavy duty foil, I poke a lot of holes in concentric rings. I triangulate three coconaras along the edges, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to warm up and kind of cook the top layer, and usually use some sort of wind cover. while I have read that nakhla is not the biggest producer of clouds, I usually can get some good smoke going for the first part of the session. inevitably it dies down (maybe after 20 or 30 minutes?) and still smokes, but if I attempt to arrange the coals in a fashion to apply more heat, or continue using a cover, it can get a bit harsh. at the end of the session (approximately an hour), I clean out the bowl and while it is not burned, it's pretty much spent. is this a normal experience? on the subject of puffy clouds, do you experience consistently large, thick smoke during an entire session, or does it vary as mentioned in the previous paragraph? is it normal to have occasional smoke rise from the bowl itself? I'm sure I have some more questions, but those are the ones that come to mind at the moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absalom Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 oh yeah...while it seems that most people use coconaras or other coconut coals, there is also talk about different coals providing different levels of heat. what would that hierarchy of coals be? when I first started with hookah I got quick lights. I can't really stand them now due to the (bad) taste they impart... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cp44 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 One thing i notice about coco coals is that if you let them sit for 5-10 minutes it starts to die down/turn black. If the tobacco is in the bowl is all burnt then yea you wont get much smoke or taste. How big is the bowl are you using? Are you packing enough tobacco? I wouldn't over pack it. Make sure you have enough water in the vase as well. The smoke coming up from the bowl is either you are burning the juices or its burnt to crisp inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 20-30 minutes sound too little a time for a full bowl. How big is your bowl? Pack nakhla tight, just up to the rim and then put the foil on. You must be using 3 coals on a small bowl because nakhla can really tolerate some heat! I mean, it's tough to burn. Have you tried 2 coals and a wind cover? As for the smoke rising from the bowl itself, I use a mya hookah (open chamber) and the only time I see some smoke escaping the bowl is when I purge, and the smoke actually comes from the base and escapes from the bowl. You see smoke rising from the bowl when you are not purging? - Too much heat man! I've burned a few bowls, but never have I see smoke rising from my bowl. For coals, most coconut coals provide the same heat, more or less. The real difference when using coconut coals depend on whether you are using cubes or flats. The cubes obviously have a smaller footprint, thus covering lesser surface area than a flat coal, and therefore, providing lesser heat in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A13lackFish Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I personally smoke Nakhla alot, its one of the best bang for your buck flavors, great clouds, great flavor. The forum consensus outside of Tangiers snobby-ism, would be correct by your analysis. So far it seems you have the basic bowls to shisha brands down, though I will tell you I smoke Nakhla out of my Phunnel bowl all the time. It tends to extend the session, and tastes the exact same as it would anywhere else. If your having issues with clouds, eliminate the 5 minute heat up time. Place 3 coals (in your case coconaras) around the bowls edge opposite from one another. Get it started and I will almost guarantee youll get large clouds unless your packing method is horrible. Nakhla is known for clouds and anyone whos seen me on tinychat while smoking it, knows that it does produce them. I myself receive large puffy clouds right up until the point where my coals are smaller than a dime. This is all coal management and shisha packing method. For packing, fill the bowl, do not pack it down initially. I know people keep saying to pack it down hard, but really that method should only be used for Tangiers at this point. Pack just above the bowl, maybe a few centimeters or so, and then lightly push down with the flat part of your finger so it all rests around a centimeter below the top of the bowl rim. Get your foil tight so none of it is hitting the shisha and is flat across the top of the bowl and poke your holes. Use 3 coals, in the triangular position you mentioned. *When and if the smoke begins getting weaker, take the coal and tap it on your tray as to remove the ash covering the heat and place the red side (lit side) onto the hookah. Typically with my natural light coals, I got 3 the first round, and then 2-3 the second round. Your shisha should not be that burnt by the end of the first round. When going for the second round after your first round of coals has almost died, only place them onto the bowl one coal at a time around the outer edges as the bowl will need to properly heat up again. If smoke is rising from the bowl, then your burning the shisha. You do not want smoke rising from the bowl unless its from your purging the base by blowing into it. This again all tracks back to your packing method. And always feel free to ask questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoozle Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Sounds like you have it figured out for the most part and I don't disagree with what the other guys have said. It does sound like you have a relatively small bowl or you are way under packing. Post up a picture of your packed bowl and the rest of your set up and you will get more accurate information. Here's where my experience varies from what has already been posted. I pack everything except Tangiers in a regular or large egyptian bowl and I pack it in until it just starts to restrict the air flow. Nakhla is relatively dry so I can get a pretty good amount in the bowl before I start to cut off air flow. I have had bowls of Tangiers smoke out of the top without burning the tobacco, but this was well into the session and the bowl was fully heated. Any hotter and it would have started to burn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absalom Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 well I had a couple great sessions today; the second was initially problematic so I just redid it til it worked right what seemed to work was first 'flaking' the tobacco into the bowl (that is, keeping it loose) and then sort of packing it down. I packed it to the rim, and maybe there was a little hump in the center. I also made sure there were plenty of holes in the foil and that airflow was not restricted (at the start of the second session, it seemed a little difficult to pull; not sure what I did wrong - whether the holes in the foil were insufficient or there were blocked holes in the bowl - but I got it fixed). then I put on the coals and wind cover for a few minutes, took off the wind cover, and really just left the coals until they were completely white (at least 45 minutes). this produced beautiful, minnesota-quality clouds also, to address my earlier comment about smoke coming from the bowl. upon paying more attention, I was only getting little wafts of smoke after an inhale; it seemed to be a reaction of the water re-entering the base of the stem which caused a little return air turbulence. I just might be getting the hang of this... thank you to everyone who responded. I really appreciate your feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoozle Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Good to hear that things are shaping up for you. It's like anything; with a little experience, you will be able to pinpoint the source of any problems you are having and correct them. Soon enough, problems will be very rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainUM Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 good to hear, glad you like it so much! nakhla is great tobacco, i love it. i smoke pretty much nak or tangiers, but mostly nak (i can get it locally, so it is cheaper). as blackfish said, nakhla is truly the best bang for your buck if you can get it cheap. i love the stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absalom Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 [quote name='IainUM' timestamp='1322986658' post='531550'] good to hear, glad you like it so much! nakhla is great tobacco, i love it. i smoke pretty much nak or tangiers, but mostly nak (i can get it locally, so it is cheaper). as blackfish said, nakhla is truly the best bang for your buck if you can get it cheap. i love the stuff [/quote] I have a shop here that sells it for $10/250g. everything else they have is more like starbuzz etc. I prefer the unwashed stuff. I think I've already got five flavors of nakhla... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang67n Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 If you're into nakhla and your local place doesn't carry a flavor you like, check out nazarhookah.com the prices there on nak especially are very cheap. (7/8 bucks) as long as it balances out with shipping, it's a great place to stock up on the nak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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