Preheat for thick clouds instantly

[azcoyote]

OK this may be seen as heresy by some, but it worked for me.When the coals are ready, place the packed bowl - ceramic only - in the microwave for 20 sec on high. Set bowl on pipe and add screen and coals. You'll get thick clouds right out of the gate.

[ZAP]

lmao... I've never tried that. Did it reduce smoking time at all?

[aronparsons]

Or just wait about 1-2 minutes before puffing and you're good to go. ;-)

[EvansLight]

hmm i would think that would actually cause a few problems, but well have to wait for dr. tangiers to confirm or deny

[azcoyote]

It might if you got it too hot. There was just a small wisp of vapor coming off the bowl when it came out of the micro. But as soon as I put on coals, man o man. I am still smoking it and it doesn't taste any different than usual, just got there faster.

[ioannisds]

I don't know why, but that sounds really really funky.

[EvansLight]

[quote name='ioannisds']I don't know why, but that sounds really really funky.[/quote] gonna have to agree with ioannisds on that one.

[azcoyote]

[quote name='ioannisds']I don't know why, but that sounds really really funky.[/quote] I agree it sounds funky, is probably an unwelcome idea to purists. I was just experiementing. Do what you please. If anyone out there care to try it, I'd like to hear about your experience. The jury is still out on this one, as I haven't even finished this first test. But initial results are encouraging

[SanguineSolitude]

well seeing as the shisha is tobacco and a sweet syrup (molasses, corn, honey, etc.) putting it in the microwave would essentially just be heating or boiling the liquid portion while cooking the shisha. it seems like you could achieve just about the same effect by precooking the shisha by rotating a coal around the bowl without puffing. personally the thought of having to bring a microwave into the equation is really unnapealing.

[azcoyote]

[quote name='sanguinesolitud']well seeing as the shisha is tobacco and a sweet syrup (molasses, corn, honey, etc.) putting it in the microwave would essentially just be heating or boiling the liquid portion while cooking the shisha. it seems like you could achieve just about the same effect by precooking the shisha by rotating a coal around the bowl without puffing. personally the thought of having to bring a microwave into the equation is really unnapealing.[/quote] When not drawing, most of the heat is rising up from the bowl, so moving coals around for a couple minutes will work ok if the shisha and bowl are already room at temperature. Still, you are only heating the top of the pad.I never heard a reasonable explanation for acclimating the shisha. I was advised to keep my stash under refrigeration to maximize freshness. So the micro works well in my situation. Similar results might be obtained by preheating the bowl in boiling water before packing it. None of this is neccesary and can be accomplished in the traditional way. You might consider trying it some day when you are down to your last few coals and don't want to waste any heat.

[azcoyote]

[quote name='ZAP']lmao...  I've never tried that.  Did it reduce smoking time at all?[/quote] Just finished smoking. It lasted about 90 minutes. There's a little left that I could smoke but the flavors left after about 60 minutes which I think is normal. Still smokeable, but rather thin at this point. This was a mix of AW lemon and 2 apple. Nice buzz. No headache, but I'm not rushing to pack the next one either.

[cymptom]

I preheat my bowls by blowing directly down on the bowl once I have set the coals on top. It seems to blow the heat from the charcoal into the bowl, and eventually you see smoke start to come out of the bowl. Thick smoke on the first pull.

[Scalliwag]

it makes plenty of sense to me. Heating the shisha is what you shoot for anyways... so a little kickstart wouldn't hurt. Unless you accidentally put the foil on first!!!!

[Alqoshnia]

wait a tick. why not just heat the bowl itself, then pack and smoke?

[azcoyote]

Well at least a couple people here have an open mind. Here's my understanding of the physics involved.Thermal transfer is effected in one or more of three ways regardless of the source of heat. [u]Radiation[/u]: Infrared radiation emminates from objects that are hotter than their environment. This radiation is aborbed by objects in the path of the radiation. The effeciency thermal transfer is governed by the reflectance of the object. As with visible light, dark objects absorb more IR than shiny ones. What is not absorbed is relected elsewhere. Microwave radiation works in the same way, but having a much shorter wavelength able to pass through ceramic items without losing much engergy. Beyond microwaves are x-rays and gamma rays, they also demonstrate this pass though effect. This cosmic radiation passes though us and our planet every day. The magnetic field of the earth protects us from most of it. With out that cosmic rays pass through us they cut really tiny holes in our cellular dna. Sufficient exposure to energies in this wavelength will cause "radiation sickness."Back to IR radiation. The distance between the radiant source and the object will affect the process according to the inverse square law. Double the distance between the foil and the shisha and you cut radiant energy to 1/4. Coals heat the foil and it in turn radiates heat in all direction. A wind guard will reflect more of the heat downward. This is why nights are warmer when there is cloud cover. Clouds and greenhouse gasses reflects radiant energy back to the earth. [u]Conduction[/u]: If the shisha is touching the foil, heat is conducted directly to it once the foil exceeds the temperature of the shisha, or almost instantly. That's why thin foil works faster than thick. That's why a thick frying pan takes longer to warm up than a thin one, but produces a more even heat. Conduction through thin foil is faster, but more likely to cause hot spots and burning. There is also a conduction effect when the bowl itself becomes hotter than the shisha. [u]Convection[/u] As air and combustion gasses are drawn through the shisha, molecules of super hot gas flows though, transferring some of their thermal load to the cooler shisha and bowl. All three type of thermal transfer come into play in hookah heat management. That's why it's a little bit tricky. Eventually someone else will try this and contribute their $.02. As I said the jury is still out. Or rather hasn't been chosen. Until a few more people actually try this we will never really know.

[cymptom]

I have no doubt that it works, I'm just saying it's unnecessary. I just blow down on the coals for about 10-20 seconds (which I usually do anyway, just to get them completely lit) and I always get thick smoke on the first pull.

[azcoyote]

[quote name='cymptom']I have no doubt that it works, I'm just saying it's unnecessary. I just blow down on the coals for about 10-20 seconds (which I usually do anyway, just to get them completely lit) and I always get thick smoke on the first pull.[/quote] That definitely works too. I also do that when I want more heat. About every 15 minutes I drop the coals into the tray to remove the ashes. That boosts heat but coals don't last as long. I keep my stash under refrigeration so it's about 38 f. when I pack it in. I'd be blowing on the coals for two or three minutes before getting a decent smoke. Ashes all over the place. I could wait 20 minutes or so. Guess I am a bit impatient by nature. OH, and one more thing, the cold ceramic under the shisha will cause some of the glycerine vapors to condense until it comes up to temperature. You won't get maximum clouds until the shisha, bowl and stem are all above the glycerine's "dew point"

[DizzyGuy]

You put your shisha in the refrigerator?

[Sonthert]

Actually, the effects of radiation in the system are negligible. There is an equivocation of radiation going on here, one is the emitted energy of electromagnetic spectrum and the other is a form of heat transfer. The radiation present in a microwave oven is different than the radiation that two surfaces exchange. Generally, radiation effects are far, far smaller than convection and conduction. Convection also being substantially smaller than conduction. The reason most brands of tobacco don't smoke up immediately is the high residual water content. The microwave specifically excites water molecules and drives them off...that would be an interesting experiment...what percentage of sheesha is water (Tangiers is close to zero, if anybody cares)?

[jtemes]

is that why you get huge clouds almost instantly with Tangiers? cuz theres almost no water?

[azcoyote]

[quote name='Tangiers']Actually, the effects of radiation in the system are negligible. There is an equivocation of radiation going on here, one is the emitted energy of electromagnetic spectrum and the other is a form of heat transfer. The radiation present in a microwave oven is different than the radiation that two surfaces exchange.  Absolutely.    Generally, radiation effects are far, far smaller than convection and conduction. Convection also being substantially smaller than conduction.    The reason most brands of tobacco don't smoke up immediately is the high residual water content. The microwave specifically excites water molecules and drives them off...that would be an interesting experiment...what percentage of sheesha is water (Tangiers is close to zero, if anybody cares)?[/quote] Well, yes I care! Residual water or added water is way a maker could dilute the product without affecting weight, which is seldom on the mark, as we know.Here's how I'd set up the experiment:Weigh up a small quantity - maybe ten grams - of shisha from a just-opened container.. (figure a.)Wash the shisha with distilled water in a series of three hot water extractions with agitation of ten minutes per. Drain each wash completely using a vacuum and filter funnel if possible. Reserve all wash water in a weighed container like a shallow soup bowl.  Evaporate the water at low heat until only glycerine remains, the point at which cloudy glycerine vapors become visible. Weight watch glass again and subtract weight of container. (fig. (a) minus ( = G ( approximate weight of glycerine fraction + water soluable flavors, sugars and plant extractives.)Dry remaining tobacco. Weigh only when tobacco leaves become brittle. If they won't get brittle, there's still some glycerine so do another wash/extaction and add yield to  G.When tobacco is brittle enough to snap, weigh it. That I'd call T2T1 - T2+G = weight of water fraction (W)/10= percentage residual water.Did I miss anything?

[Joseph]

Yeah, and after that chemistry fun we could NMR the samples and find out exactly what is in it.

[azcoyote]

[quote name='Joseph']Yeah, and after that chemistry fun we could NMR the samples and find out exactly what is in it.  [/quote] What does NMR stand for?

[Joseph]

Nuclear magnetic resonanceEdit: I guess I can't explain all of what NMR is in one paragraph but it is used to identify he structure of molecules. I found a page, [url="http://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/nmr/inside.htm"]http://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/nmr/inside.htm[/url], that will tell you more than you ever wanted to know. Sorry, I am a geek  

[dikydave]

or....just throw the whole tubs worth into the oven...stand around and enjoy.