What's Wrong With The Taste Of My Hookah?

[ShishaMisha]

Recently I bought a 13inch tall hookah set up and the supply brands of Al Fakher Premium Strawberry Tobacco and

Three Kings 40mm Charcoals. Now the issue is that every time that I had smoked it, it had tasted more like charcoal and

none of the flavored tobacco itself. Now is the issue because of how I'm setting it up or is it the brands I'm using? So far my

habits for setting it up have been putting ice in the base, putting the stem an inch under water, putting the tobacco into the

bowl up until there is about a centimeter of space between the Tobacco top layer and the top of the bowl, and I pook 9 small

into the tin foil on top of the bowl. After every use of the hookah, I clean every part of the hookah with dish soap and warm

water and a scrubber. Please Help. Edited June 4, 2012 by ShishaMisha

[dreamyxcupcakes]

Are you making sure the coals are completely lit before smoking? Also does it ever feel harsh? What size is your bowl? My guess is the coals still haven't completely lit when you start smoking. Or you might be using too much heat. Loss of flavor is pretty common when too much heat is used, also burnt tobacco kind of has that taste

[lunare]

Try keeping your setup the same, but removing the ice from the base and using lukewarm water, then let us know how the flavor changes. Ice is supposed to cool the smoke at the cost of flavor, so that might be it.

Also, I don't know how good of an idea it is to use dish soap for cleaning, since the residue may linger between sessions.

[Pavo21]

Make sure the coals are completely grey not black at all with those, also you could cut them in half before lighting them of course and seperate them evenly on the bowl, picture of better description could always help you better

[Venger]

the 3k 40mm is a huge coal. if you have a smaller bowl it sound like too much heat.try Half a fully lit coal and see if that fixes it.
Ray

[Chreees]

The basics are packing and heat management. Sounds like you're setting the hookah up properly, but not packing the bowl properly and possibly not managing your heat properly as well.

Check out my video on how to pack a standard bowl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4t-yDnDwjw&list=UU5it5IKnNUaxNFx9kPcV94Q&index=6&feature=plcp

Heat management, I agree with what Pavo and Ray said. Try using halves, one half on each side of the bowl, starting them out by hanging off slightly and moving them in as the session progresses. Very important to make sure the coals are fully lit before placing them on the bowl. As Pavo mentioned, they will be fully grey, no black remaining.

Never hurts to give this thread a lookover: http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/40373-beginners-guide-to-hookah/

Hope this helps, and let us know how it goes!

[mustang67n]

Also, to add onto the good advice everyone else has given, don't be afraid to put more tobacco in the bowl. Packing the tobacco in to where it is touching the tobacco always leads to more flavorful sessions for me.

The tobacco touching the foil is NOT a bad thing, as some people seem to think.

[Chreees]

[quote name='mustang67n' timestamp='1338937948' post='548662']
Also, to add onto the good advice everyone else has given, don't be afraid to put more tobacco in the bowl. Packing the tobacco in to where it is touching the tobacco always leads to more flavorful sessions for me.

The tobacco touching the foil is NOT a bad thing, as some people seem to think.
[/quote]

Totally agreed.

+1 rep.

[Epoch]

[quote name='Chreees' timestamp='1338939859' post='548664']
[quote name='mustang67n' timestamp='1338937948' post='548662']
Also, to add onto the good advice everyone else has given, don't be afraid to put more tobacco in the bowl. Packing the tobacco in to where it is touching the tobacco always leads to more flavorful sessions for me.

The tobacco touching the foil is NOT a bad thing, as some people seem to think.
[/quote]

Totally agreed.

+1 rep.
[/quote]

Also agreed. I find that people underpacking a bowl is a common issue.

[Judy Oma]

What hose are you using, and how old is it?

I have experienced flavor issues when using an old hose that is ghosted with other flavors, somehow the mix of flavors seem to cancel each other out.

[tammydavis]

I use ice sometimes with mine and sometimes i dont but i keep my [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]tobacco in the fridge and just pull it out as i fill a bowl then back in fridge i use 33mm charcoal[/font][/color]

[mustang67n]

[quote name='tammydavis' timestamp='1339025724' post='548751']
I use ice sometimes with mine and sometimes i dont but i keep my [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]tobacco in the fridge and just pull it out as i fill a bowl then back in fridge i use 33mm charcoal[/font][/color]
[/quote]

If you like this method, then all power to you.

But fridges dehydrate their contents
I would suggest not putting your tobacco in the fridge.

[aladdinshisha]

[quote name='Judy Oma' timestamp='1339020295' post='548748']
What hose are you using, and how old is it?

I have experienced flavor issues when using an old hose that is ghosted with other flavors, somehow the mix of flavors seem to cancel each other out.
[/quote]
Totally agree, some flavours seem to add to one another and others negate each other.

[Epoch]

[quote name='tammydavis' timestamp='1339025724' post='548751']
I use ice sometimes with mine and sometimes i dont[u][b] but i keep my [/b][/u][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][u][b]tobacco in the fridge[/b][/u] and just pull it out as i fill a bowl then back in fridge i use 33mm charcoal[/font][/color]
[/quote]

This is an issue. Fridge is not the place for tobacco! Don't worry, just seal it up airtight and keep it out, room temp.