Not Getting Flavor From My Hookah

[Kyle Bryan]

I just got a hookah, and I have no problem getting a decent amount of smoke to come out of it, but I'm not able to taste the flavour at all. I can smell it but there's not but a faint taste. My setup is a sphynx shisha made by hookah-shisha.com , mya hoses, ignite quick-lite charcoal, and a clay bowl. I light it with two coals

 

I've tried using fantaia, al fakher, and romman flavors and all have came with the same results.

[Bawhee]

my guess is underpacking, qls will taint the flavor but not to the extent of not being able to taste it at all... more info on how you pack would be good for a more detailed answer!

[Kyle Bryan]

my guess is underpacking, qls will taint the flavor but not to the extent of not being able to taste it at all... more info on how you pack would be good for a more detailed answer! 

 

 

 

 

I use the tongs to grab the shisha and work from the outside of the bowl in, compressing slightly with the tongs to give me more room for shisha but allow sufficient air flow

[joytron]

Too much heat. Probably also not enough tobacco. Ditch the QLs.

[Pavo21]

Too much heat. Probably also not enough tobacco. Ditch the QLs.

 

agreed ^

 

its a basic idea, try to find some videos on how to pack you bowl. they are out there.  if not hit up tinychat ask some questions get on video chat show us what ur doing, we will try to help

[mustang67n]

I'd also suggest using your fingers and sprinkle the tobacco into the bowl up to or just ABOVE the rim of the bowl. no need to pack it down, just put the foil on tight over the bowl (like a drumhead) Depending on the size of your bowl, it's probably too much heat. I'd break the QL(quicklight) coals in half and try it with 2 halfs on opposite sides of the bowl, add another half in a triangle formation all around the outside of the bowl if you need more heat. Also be sure the coals are fully lit and ashed over entirely before putting them on the bowl (meaning the coals are red and forming grey ash; no black parts at all).

With this, you should get much better flavor :D

 

It's a ballancing act, getting full flavor and smoke. Too much heat = massive clouds, but shitty flavor and very short duration bowls. Too little heat = little flavor, tiny clouds. The sweetspot will get you massive clouds, awesome flavor, and long bowl times. Just gotta play with your setup, packing, and coal placement to get it down right. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it :D

[ilikemyusername]

Also, if it's brand new its possible that your pipe itself is absorbing some of the flavor, see how it goes after another bowl. Try packing a bowl nice and full and break one of your coals in half, then light it. Put 1 half on one side if the bowl and the other on the other side. And don't be afraid of putting some more shisha in there.

[wasabi25]

So, did it work?

Going through the same. =/

[ilikemyusername]

Wasabi... Walk me through your pipe. I don't really need to know what kind it is and I'm not the type that's gonna flame you if something's wrong. I'll help you out though, what kind of bowl, what kind of tobacco what kind of coals, how much coal and how much tobacco. I'll help as much as I can, I'll take you under my wing if you will and before you know it you'll be able to set it up better than the local hookah lounge

[ilikemyusername]

But you have to be honest

[wasabi25]

Wasabi... Walk me through your pipe. I don't really need to know what kind it is and I'm not the type that's gonna flame you if something's wrong. I'll help you out though, what kind of bowl, what kind of tobacco what kind of coals, how much coal and how much tobacco. I'll help as much as I can, I'll take you under my wing if you will and before you know it you'll be able to set it up better than the local hookah lounge

Sure, brother!

Bowls: KM Egyptian, Chinese Phunnel looks like Tangiers' Small, and some other phunnels made in Brazil that are more shallow.

Tobacco: Mizo Mint; Fantasia Wet Mango and Fantasia Strawberry Lemonade.

2 regular foils.

Coco coals: kanara, 2 or 3 pieces.

Quad Windcover.

 

Any more info needed, brother?

Please let me know.

Also, been using a Heba Diffused, just saw a thread in which the dude removed the Heba and got it going perfect... Haha, could it be that?

Thanks a lot!

[Bawhee]

try without the diffuser, as far as packing experiment a bit, nakhla for example requires a denser pack than Al Fakher, AF I do up to the rim, nak I do overpack fluffy and push it down. I over pack by about a centimeter or 2

[ilikemyusername]

Could be the diffuser, the more stuff you filter out the more you're filtering out. Mango is usually a light flavor.
If you're using 3 coals AND a windcover , you're burning it.
If you're burning mango you should get positively ridiculous plumes but no flavor.
If you're getting smoke from the Mizo mint but not flavor you pretty much have me stumped on that one as mint will still come through when it's burned.
Pull the diffuser off, start a bowl of whatever you want, poke holes in your foil and place 1 coal on the bowl. Take a puff, you should get a little smoke and some flavor. Add a second coal after you get it going with 1 coal. You can experiment with the windcover after a few minutes. That wind cover is going to make it even hotter, at this point you're probably going to be at the limit of what the shisha can handle and still give you flavor.
One other thing, when was the last time you cleaned out your hookah? A dirty pipe with multiple flavors can contribute and sometimes negate flavor. Make sure it's clean. How old is your hookah? If it's brand new it may need a breaking in period before tastes will come through.
My suggestion though would be to ditch the heba and start with a low amount if heat. Once it's going perfectly for you then you should know how much to put on it. Let me know if this helps

[wasabi25]

Could be the diffuser, the more stuff you filter out the more you're filtering out. Mango is usually a light flavor.
If you're using 3 coals AND a windcover , you're burning it.
If you're burning mango you should get positively ridiculous plumes but no flavor.
If you're getting smoke from the Mizo mint but not flavor you pretty much have me stumped on that one as mint will still come through when it's burned.
Pull the diffuser off, start a bowl of whatever you want, poke holes in your foil and place 1 coal on the bowl. Take a puff, you should get a little smoke and some flavor. Add a second coal after you get it going with 1 coal. You can experiment with the windcover after a few minutes. That wind cover is going to make it even hotter, at this point you're probably going to be at the limit of what the shisha can handle and still give you flavor.
One other thing, when was the last time you cleaned out your hookah? A dirty pipe with multiple flavors can contribute and sometimes negate flavor. Make sure it's clean. How old is your hookah? If it's brand new it may need a breaking in period before tastes will come through.
My suggestion though would be to ditch the heba and start with a low amount if heat. Once it's going perfectly for you then you should know how much to put on it. Let me know if this helps

Thx, you two! 
 

So, here we go:

If I overpack mizo mint, it burns. =/

I figured this way I'm doing things, I must try my best to not let shisha touch the foil.

I got ok taste from Mizo Mint, making my own Kaloud Lotus, not sure how it's spelled, putting one layer of foil, then a aluminum ring, then a double layer of foil.

Which bowl should I go for? 

I cleaned my hookah two days ago. It's over an year old. =) But kept it clean.

Thx a lot! :D 

As soon as I'm done eating(just got home from the gym lol), I'm gonna try it!

Can't thank you enough.

[fineout]

2 coals are too much, break them up to 3 halves or 2 halves and have them on opposite sides of the bowl. Also get rid of those instant lites and get a coil burner and some natural lites.

[wasabi25]

i actually have coconut coal bars.

you break them how big you want.

i'm trying now with mizo mint...

2 bars of 3cm each.

 

i have another heated up, if more heat is needed.

ideas?

[Fouda]

To avoid confusion I say we keep these two threads seperate. So if you have advice for wasabi place it in his thread and if you have advice for Kyle put it here.
Please? :) <3

[wasabi25]

To avoid confusion I say we keep these two threads seperate. So if you have advice for wasabi place it in his thread and if you have advice for Kyle put it here.
Please? :) <3

Sorry 

lol

:D

[mattarios2]

More importantly, what kind of clay bowl is it? Do you know how much tobacco it holds? Could you snap a pic or link of what bowl it is?

[mustang67n]

Its all about the right bowl and right coals. First dont ever use a quiklite, its like smoking a firecracker. I dont know what kind of bowl ur using, but ur obvi packing it wrong. Theres only a million videos on youtube about bowl packing/foil pattern. Also throw away that shitty mya hose and buy a decent hookah.

The bowl and coals only effect it a little bit. I and many other members here can get full flavor and great clouds from any bowl we have with us.

Maybe you should look at YOUR packing.... Kyle Bryan.. Disregard this guys comment. Strong feeling he's a troll.. his posting privelages have already been removed. Continue on.