Ultimate Charcoal Configuration

[[LB]]

What you need for this: 1 box of Instant lite charcoals1 box of LARGE instant lite charcoalsThumbtack, nail and penCharcoal dish or plate MAKE SURE ITS CLEANI was smoking this past weekend with a friend, and we wanted to switch up our charcoal configuration because if we put 2 coals directly on the bowl we didnt get enough heat, and if we crushed up the coals the charcoals would burn out it minutes. Also simply putting one LARGE coal onto the bowl didnt give enough heat to get serious hits, and the way I see it, go big or go home. So heres what i did, its incredibly simple. On the foil configuration you use a thumb tack to poke tiny little holes all around the sides of the foil, but when you get to the center of the foil (if the bowl was a target it would be the bullseye) you poke much large holes, with either a poker, nail pen whatever. This step is important because of where you will place your charcoals in the next step.Have two coals on your range, one LARGE coal and one REGULAR sized three kings coal. Make sure they are adequately heated (most of you know when its time) the whole charcoal should be glowing red, with a tiny layer of gray, but not too much otherwise your charcoal will burn out. (i sometimes hold my charcoals under a fan to speed up this process, it gets them extremely hot and they sometimes go up in flames or explode so be careful.)Now this part has to be done quickly. Place the large coal onto the hookah bowl. While this begins to cook the shisha, take the small charcoal and crush it into large chunks, like 8 or 10 chunks, then take these chunks and pour them around the center large coal. What ensues, well at least what ensued for me, was the best hookah session i had had in 3 years. It starts out real strong and right away, and then it lasts for up to 45 minutes with the big coal maintaining a constant heat. Finally if you feel your session is dying, take your poke and simply crush the big charcoal, and burn the rest of it in 3 hits. Make sure you brush off ash during your session so you dont get a mouthful of dust. Ok enough talking, just try it! if you dont have any large coals it works with regulars coals too but not nearly as well.

[ZAP]

Seems like a lot of hassle.I simply put one full 33mm and one half and it works great. It starts up quite quick and then I usually knock the half off to keep it from burning the shisha.Have you ever simply tried cracking them in 2 instead of crushing?

[DizzyGuy]

Splitting in two or three is better... btw, pics are your friend

[Erica]

[quote name='ZAP']Seems like a lot of hassle.  I simply put one full 33mm and one half and it works great.  It starts up quite quick and then I usually knock the half off to keep it from burning the shisha.  Have you ever simply tried cracking them in 2 instead of crushing?[/quote] Agreed?That does seem like a lot of coal tending

[aronparsons]

Seems like a good idea, but I prefer not to have to manage my coals too much. I find 1.5 33mm 3K to start out with provides a good smoke for about 30-40 minutes. After that, knock off the half because it's all ash, light another half with the small disc left from the whole, and put it back on with the new half for another 20-30 minutes of smoke. The amount of smoke is consistent throughout the session until the coals die off completely. For Japanese coals, break the bar in half and they'll provide a good hour of smoke with no management. A small amount of shisha at the bottom of the bowl won't be cooked completely, but I'm fine wasting $0.20 worth of shisha. ;-)

[Lukasa]

i think i'm going to try smoking with lots of quarter-chunk 3 kings pieces.

[DCShisha]

[quote name='Lukasa']i think i'm going to try smoking with lots of quarter-chunk 3 kings pieces.[/quote] When I've tried this, the smaller chunks end up burning up very quickly. I'd rather light a whole coal (assuming 3 Kings); I would light another and then move it on and off the bowl instead of breaking it up.

[Sonthert]

I'll tell ya, if LB says its true, I would be inclined to believe it. Walter's a good guy.

[unleashtheclown]

I dont get why You would crush the coal so much, it seems like it would taste like shit really fast and then burn out.

[[LB]]

thanks eric, and thanks to whoever gave me my account back so much!DCshisha and unleashed clown, the crushed charcoals are only an initial boost to get the tobacco to the right temperature. The big charcoal is what lasts throughout the session. Trust me, it works with marvelous results. Unless your like eric and pack 50 gram bowls, then you need a nuclear core to keep your bowl lit

[Macho555]

Hmm...I suppose its worth a go. But damn, I hope its worth all that work.

[[LB]]

Its very worth it, and its not as much work as it sounds, the crushing is probably the hardest/ most dangerous part but otherwise its a pretty simple process. Cause of this configuration on a 15-20 gram hookah bowl([b]those of you guys who say that it would make the session burn or be too harsh, i apologize, i forgot to mention that i use a 15-20 gram bowl, slightly larger than the standard mya, or glazed brown clay bowl. [/b]) my sessions have been about 15% better than before judging on longevity of the bowl, and initial smoke thickness.

[DCShisha]

I'll definitely give it a shot for my next bowl. What kind of shisha were you using?

[EvansLight]

i think it has to do more with the size of your bowl why this works so well for ya. With the normal mya bowl just 1 3kings 33mm will keep it going perfectly without problem.

[gumonshoe]

IF you think about it, its really hard to state that any one configuration of coals is the be all and end all of coal configuration. There are just soo many factors that affect the way the tobacco burns. First it depends on the type of bowl (shape, size, material, glazed, non-glazed) each will affect how the heat is distributed and how the shisha will smoke. Next up you have the shisha its self. How moist is it? How much glycerin content does it have? Is it fresh? Then you have to factor in the ambient temperature and moisture level (hence why some people aclimatize) This will be different for everyone depending on where they live, and where they smoke (indoors? outdoors?). Next up you have the type of coals. What size? brand? how hot do they burn? Then you have to facto r in whether you use foil or a screen. What type of foil? How many holes? is there a tight seal?At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and technique used. Everone has their own unique combination of how they bring all the previously mentioned factors together for a smoke session. Whatever works for you best, will most likely work best for you and you alone. But tips are always welcome.- GumP.S. Wasn't trying to say taht anyone's method is better or anything. Its just to hard to say that Mine is the ultimate without being able to controll all other factors other than the amount of coals.

[Skimo]

i agree with gum, i would think if you changed one of those variables the bowl wouldnt smoke the same

[Sonthert]

I think he's saying, all other things being the same, this is what he found to be the best arrangement of charcoal. Whether you all can duplicate his setup remains to be seen.

[azcoyote]

[quote name='gumonshoe']IF you think about it, its really hard to state that any one configuration of coals is the be all and end all of coal configuration. There are just soo many factors that affect the way the tobacco burns. First it depends on the type of bowl (shape, size, material, glazed, non-glazed) each will affect how the heat is distributed and how the shisha will smoke. Next up you have the shisha its self. How moist is it? How much glycerin content does it have? Is it fresh? Then you have to factor in the ambient temperature and moisture level (hence why some people aclimatize) This will be different for everyone depending on where they live, and where they smoke (indoors? outdoors?). Next up you have the type of coals. What size? brand? how hot do they burn? Then you have to facto r in whether you use foil or a screen. What type of foil?  How many holes? is there a tight seal?  At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and technique used. Everone has their own unique combination of how they bring all the previously mentioned factors together for a smoke session. Whatever works for you best, will most likely work best for you and you alone. But tips are always welcome.  - Gum  P.S. Wasn't trying to say taht anyone's method is better or anything. Its just to hard to say that Mine is the ultimate without being able to controll all other factors other than the amount of coals.[/quote] Right on the mark, dude.

[azcoyote]

My preferrence regarding coal is the finger type. They are long cylinders about 1" thick. I break off one 2" piece, then place it lengthwise in a padded bench vice. Slowly close the jaws until I hear or see a crack. Very little pressure is needed. When you remove the piece it will readily crack lengthwise producing two more or less equal sections. Because of the increased surface area and the thin edges produced, the sections light off quickly and be ready to use FAST. I light mine off a small propane tank with a screw in burner. About $17 at any sporting goods department.Place the two halves on the screen foil or whatever and it's good and hot! Only problem is these coals will cool off substantially after 15 minutes. Have a 2" full round piece ready to go at that point and you won't skip a beat for the rest of the bowl.

[[LB]]

[quote name='gumonshoe']IF you think about it, its really hard to state that any one configuration of coals is the be all and end all of coal configuration. There are just soo many factors that affect the way the tobacco burns. First it depends on the type of bowl (shape, size, material, glazed, non-glazed) each will affect how the heat is distributed and how the shisha will smoke. Next up you have the shisha its self. How moist is it? How much glycerin content does it have? Is it fresh? Then you have to factor in the ambient temperature and moisture level (hence why some people aclimatize) This will be different for everyone depending on where they live, and where they smoke (indoors? outdoors?). Next up you have the type of coals. What size? brand? how hot do they burn? Then you have to facto r in whether you use foil or a screen. What type of foil?  How many holes? is there a tight seal?  At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and technique used. Everone has their own unique combination of how they bring all the previously mentioned factors together for a smoke session. Whatever works for you best, will most likely work best for you and you alone. But tips are always welcome.  - Gum  P.S. Wasn't trying to say taht anyone's method is better or anything. Its just to hard to say that Mine is the ultimate without being able to controll all other factors other than the amount of coals.[/quote] absolutely right, each session is unique, this just happened to be the best configuration. Ive used it indoors in really got temperatures, outdoors on days when it has rained, on my QT mya, and all of them showed excellent results with this configuration, but again jsut as you said most of it is preference. I have some friends that try to take a puff using this configuration and break down into coughing fits, while others who can pull in one breath for a quarter minute without wincing. Well said gum.

[Soup]

One 33mm 3kings does me quite nicely. If I need more heat I just throw the windcover on it.

[[LB]]

yeah the windcover is awesome for keeping heat in. Soup have you ever tried holding your charcs under a fan? it gets them real angry hot!

[Soup]

That would work for heating them up, but you will burn them out much faster.

[lwieise]

Exactly how do you break a 3 Kings? I tried it today but it split into quarters instead of halves.

[[LB]]

if you want half charcoals, you have to break the charcoal with your hands before you cook it, otherwise its impossible when the charcoal is heated.