New Guy Here, Need Advice

[aaron_cg]

So, as an early birthday present, my girlfriend bought me a hookah and shisha on Amazon. I got some of the shisha today, and I will get the hookah tomorrow.

My question's are:

1. Is this a good hookah? Keep in mind, I have only smoked once, and it was at a hookah bar. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AU2X2Y/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01

2. Are these good brands of shisha?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002511Q28/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00850UPZW/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00

3. How do you properly set up a hookah?

Now I will only be smoking maybe once a week, so probably not like a super serious smoker here, but I would like to have the best smoke possible.

Ohh forgot, She ordered these charcoals as well: http://www.amazon.com/100pcs-Holland-Lighting-Chacoal-Hookah/dp/B0035IRSZY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=BEPYF5IKZE4R&coliid=I3890U2HJEGXE

Thanks for your input everyone!

[Nerdy]

[quote name='aaron_cg' timestamp='1354137661' post='563182']
So, as an early birthday present, my girlfriend bought me a hookah and shisha on Amazon. I got some of the shisha today, and I will get the hookah tomorrow.

My question's are:

1. Is this a good hookah? Keep in mind, I have only smoked once, and it was at a hookah bar. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AU2X2Y/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01

2. Are these good brands of shisha?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002511Q28/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00850UPZW/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00

3. How do you properly set up a hookah?

Now I will only be smoking maybe once a week, so probably not like a super serious smoker here, but I would like to have the best smoke possible.

Ohh forgot, She ordered these charcoals as well: http://www.amazon.com/100pcs-Holland-Lighting-Chacoal-Hookah/dp/B0035IRSZY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=BEPYF5IKZE4R&coliid=I3890U2HJEGXE

Thanks for your input everyone!
[/quote]

Ok, here are my ten cents on this.

1. Pumpkin hookah is okay. Nothing special but will get the job done. Good for starting out if you don't want a mya.

2. Hydro herbal I have had before and be to honest it wasn't bad at all. I liked Cali drizzle a lot. One quick note is that it's super heat sensitive. It can burn very quickly so pay attention to the coal. I haven't had the Beamer.

3. We have plenty of tutorials on here how to setup and prepare a hookah, search it up.

4. I haven't had quick lights in ages, again as I said with the pumpkin its not the best but it will get the job done. Be sure when you light them that they are fully ashes over before placing them on the bowl. Speaking of placing them on, you might want to consider cutting them in half(thread exists on that also here) to distribute the high amount of heat quick lights give off.

One final thing, welcome and enjoy.

[aaron_cg]

Thank you, I will research more into the set up, and check out how to make sure I don't burn the shisha

[Chreees]

[quote name='aaron_cg' timestamp='1354137661' post='563182']
So, as an early birthday present, my girlfriend bought me a hookah and shisha on Amazon. I got some of the shisha today, and I will get the hookah tomorrow.

My question's are:

1. Is this a good hookah? Keep in mind, I have only smoked once, and it was at a hookah bar. [url="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AU2X2Y/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01"]http://www.amazon.co...ils_o07_s00_i01[/url]

[color=#ff0000]No. This is a shitty hookah commonly referred to as a "pumpkin." Probably THE worst hookah you can buy. I recommend looking into these brands: [/color]

[color=#ff0000]Chinese: Mya Saray[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Egyptian: Khalil Mamoon, Farida, Magdy Zaidan[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Syrian: Al Nawras[/color][color=#ff0000], "Nour" (Nour is an importing company so they don't actually make them, but they're branded Nour when they come over, more or less)[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Turkish: Elmas[/color]

[color=#ff0000]Sticking with a good brand we recommend here ensures you get a quality pipe. There's many good "off-brand" pipes out there, but it takes a trained eye to tell what's good among the massively huge pile of shit out there. [/color]

2. Are these good brands of shisha?
[url="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002511Q28/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00"]http://www.amazon.co...ils_o00_s00_i00[/url]
[url="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00850UPZW/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00"]http://www.amazon.co...ils_o05_s00_i00[/url]

[color=#ff0000]No. The Hydro Herbal is decent according to reviews. Avoid anything that says Beamer, lol. I recommend trying these brands first when getting into hookah: [/color]

[color=#ff0000]Nakhla[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Al Fakher[/color]
[color=#ff0000]Starbuzz[/color]

3. How do you properly set up a hookah?

[color=#ff0000]Read this thread:[/color]
[color=#ff0000][url="http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/40373-beginners-guide-to-hookah/"]http://www.hookahfor...uide-to-hookah/[/url][/color]

Now I will only be smoking maybe once a week, so probably not like a super serious smoker here, but I would like to have the best smoke possible.

Ohh forgot, She ordered these charcoals as well: [url="http://www.amazon.com/100pcs-Holland-Lighting-Chacoal-Hookah/dp/B0035IRSZY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=BEPYF5IKZE4R&coliid=I3890U2HJEGXE"]http://www.amazon.co...d=I3890U2HJEGXE[/url]

[color=#ff0000]Go with a good natural coal, such as Coconaras, Cocomazayas, Exoticas, etc. You will need to light them using a coil burner stove or equivalent, but it will be sooooooooo worth it, trust me. [/color]

Thanks for your input everyone!
[/quote]

My responses are in your quote above in red.

And something you didn't ask but I feel you should know:

Good online vendors to purchase from:

5StarHookah.com
UltimateHookah.com
Hookah-Shisha.com
Kasbah.us
CrownHookahs.com

Welcome to HF man. Hope you learn and enjoy it here.

[aaron_cg]

I definitely will check them out. And I appreciate your honesty.

[â€On]

100% Agree with Chreees on his comments. You may only be smoking once a week, but when you smoke it should be safely, correctly and with good quality products. You will actually enjoy your session if you do that. Please take the time to read through the guides available on this site, as they will help you immensely.

The biggest things: Eat before smoking, drink lots of water while smoking, if you are smoking alone take breaks in between puffs to breathe in air (if smoking with someone else, make sure you both have some time to just breathe in air), make sure your coals are COMPLETELY lit (this means they are glowing red all over and are starting to ash grey...you don't want any black spots remaining) and remember that if the smoke tastes harsh or burned that you are doing something wrong. You want to cook the tobacco, not burn it. If this happens, remove a coal, or reposition your coals to the outside of the bowl so there is less heat.

[mustang67n]

+1 to all stated above.

[headhunter]

[quote name='mustang67n' timestamp='1354165516' post='563236']
+1 to all stated above.
[/quote]

i second this

[Pavo21]

glad i wasn't the first to respond to this was gonna just red font this thread up!!! lol but yah listen to chris

[Bawhee]

Ill be a bit less negative for you, I started with more or less the same (yes, that bit was absolutely true) shit. Honestly you should use what you have for now, and Ill tell you that it might be enjoyable but Ill also tell you that once you move up to the real good stuff your mind will be blown.

[Nerdy]

[quote name='Bawhee' timestamp='1354205911' post='563290']
Ill be a bit less negative for you, I started with more or less the same (yes, that bit was absolutely true) shit. Honestly you should use what you have for now, and Ill tell you that it might be enjoyable but Ill also tell you that once you move up to the real good stuff your mind will be blown.
[/quote]

Thanks bawhee. I want to make thing a little clear on my post. I feel like everyone is taking it on a negative note. Are pumpkins the best ... No far from it, will it get by ... Sure. Hydro, is it the best no, but again gets the job done. You will get some clouds and some decent flavor.

Some folks don't want the nicotine or don't want the tobacco in thier smoke or that's all they can get/afford and that is all gravy.

I took the original post as "hey guys I am new to hookah, I have this stuff that was gifted to me, will I be able to enjoy it?"

Let it show that I did say that if he didn't want to spend money on a mya that the pumpkin would do. From the look of things, ~30$ gets him a foot into our world. If his experience and passion for it grows I'm sure that an upgrade in items will be needed.

Would I personally use any of that stuff ... No, not unless it was the only thing left, but then I would still question it for.

I do remember that when I started out, I had a no name Chinese pipe, used 3K QL'S. I didn't know of the right packing method, I didn't know what was washed and unwashed tobacco, I didn't know what SB was, I only knew AF and NAK. Fast forward a few years and I moved into new areas of it, got a mya or 3, got a nammor, a KM, nats tang, fumari and all of the others. You need to start somewhere is what I'm getting at.

I apologize for venting a bit but just wanted to get it out there.

[Chreees]

Uhhh, if my post came off as negative it was in no way intended to.

[Bawhee]

Its not the post itself that was negative, I just imagine the poor guy was at least hoping some of his stuff was good

[Nerdy]

It's all good. I know that emotion in text is only perceived by the reader when reading.

[aaron_cg]

It's all good. I got in today, and I must say I definitely want to get a better hookah. It wasn't bad, but I am sure that it can only get better.

I looked at the links on how to set up, and used the Blueberry Hydro-Herbal. I also tried both normal water, and the ice water trick and it was sweet.

BTW, I don't take offense to anything that was said negatively. Mainly cause I am a cold-hearted bastard lol. I've been known to say what is on my mind and what I think without regards to others feelings, so its all good.

[r1v3th3ad]

Just wanted to say welcome and love your sig. Fight Club is my all time favorite movie, watched it probably 200x my last year of college. Also love V...im a political activist/nutjob and i wish more people would open up their eyes like the occupy movement(with the movie for inspiration)


on topic...pumpkins don't last and i don't care for herbal, give nakhla a try

[fuckthatvincekid]

[quote name='aaron_cg' timestamp='1354247524' post='563373']
It's all good. I got in today, and I must say I definitely want to get a better hookah. It wasn't bad, but I am sure that it can only get better.

I looked at the links on how to set up, and used the Blueberry Hydro-Herbal. I also tried both normal water, and the ice water trick and it was sweet.

BTW, I don't take offense to anything that was said negatively. Mainly cause I am a cold-hearted bastard lol. I've been known to say what is on my mind and what I think without regards to others feelings, so its all good.
[/quote]

Good attitude to have when it comes to hookah haha, it may seem a little preachey at times, but the community usually knows whatsup and can give great advice if you're willing to listen.

[â€On]

[quote name='fuckthatvincekid' timestamp='1354251966' post='563380']
[quote name='aaron_cg' timestamp='1354247524' post='563373']
It's all good. I got in today, and I must say I definitely want to get a better hookah. It wasn't bad, but I am sure that it can only get better.

I looked at the links on how to set up, and used the Blueberry Hydro-Herbal. I also tried both normal water, and the ice water trick and it was sweet.

BTW, I don't take offense to anything that was said negatively. Mainly cause I am a cold-hearted bastard lol. I've been known to say what is on my mind and what I think without regards to others feelings, so its all good.
[/quote]

Good attitude to have when it comes to hookah haha, it may seem a little preachey at times, but the community usually knows whatsup and can give great advice if you're willing to listen.
[/quote]

Exactly. We are trying to help by bringing people up to the level we're smoking at. Many of us have been doing it for years and years and we have tried all kinds of techniques and products, we didn't just arrive at what we use and what we smoke because it is popular (well, some of us might have heh). Most of us go through "kicks" of what we smoke and what pipes and hoses and coals we use, hence Elmas getting popular this past year. But things don't get popular around here for no reason. When things develop a good reputation, it preceeds them in every way.

You may see a post saying "get a syrian pipe, tangiers small phunnel, golden canary coals, turkish hose, bj vase, turkish serving tray homemade coal tray, nour stainless steel windcover and tangiers birquq kashmir peach", because that's what that person is excited about at the time. What those posts don't say is that they have tried many many other combinations and that this one works exceptionally well for them and looks beautiful and is aesthetically pleasing, etc. It is hype, and it's very personal hype. What people recommend is what they are excited about at that moment. A year ago, it was uncommon to find the majority of people in a thread recommending syrian pipes, and you would be even harder pressed to find people hyping turkish pipes. KM was what I recall the majority of people getting excited about, and I still get excited about them (among many other types of pipe). For a while, people loved Regal hookahs. Razan coals were the tits not so long ago. It goes on an on. Things are always changing around here, but one thing you can always be certain of is if you post asking "should I get this pipe" you will get honest replies that will steer you in the right direction. But, there is more than one right direction, and everyone has different tastes. You gotta find what is right for you. I don't currently own any MYA pipes, but I liked my ex-gf's bambino and will not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants a smaller/budget pipe. But if you just vaguely ask me "what should I get?" I will tell you to get what I'm excited about at that moment.

Anyways, I'm rambling, but the important thing to remember is that most people recommending things also have at least one other complete setup. What they are recommending is by no means the only thing that works, not even close (and not even for them). It's just one thing that they are currently excited about, that works great. Use your own judgement, but trust that we usually know what we're talking about. Usually.