Hookah Qs/Opinions.

[a.almosawi]

Greetings fellow hookah(wers) from the other side of the world.

I've been a hookah smoker since 2005 when I returned from the U.S. 

wanted to go over a few points and hopefully get this thread chugging along.

1) How do you guys decide what type of molasses? (thats the proper term for it by the way, its not shisha .. shisha in arabic means "glass bowl" and molasses is the tobacco stuff you smoke). for me i can only smoke one flavor and thats mine. pure mint only. nothing with it. theres tons of demand here for lemon-min, gum-mint, double-apple, as well as others. heck, even some people smoke the grapes flavor which i find to be extremely strong. 

2) for the last 2 months i've seen almost every YouTube video educating myself on how to properly make the correct hookah so as to have a good experience. sadly though we dont have american molasses. mostly here its the UAE made brands and Jordanian brands. (argelini, alfaker, and a few others). but ya. all middle eastern made. i've learned alot actually from the heat of the coal on the aluminum foil to what side should the aluminum foil face when wrapping it around the hookah bowl. so... which molasses do you like and why? and what flavor?

3) Ah, the coal. the coal is the number one culprit for a good/bad hookah. its the hookah killer. there are few youtube videos on how people have no clue what they're doing especially those who use those charcoals that instantly light with a lighter. anybody who smokes hookah knows thats are killers for not only the hookah but the smoker too. 
There is coal here thats called "plants coal" and it is the kind that finishes quickly and causes a big mess when it leaves its remains. this is what it looks like. 
Now. when i smoke at home with the regular squared type coconut type coal it will take at least 10mins or so to light up, then i would have to monitor it once its on the hookah and keep rotating it every 5 or so minutes. very frustrating. while with the plants type coal ...well thats another story. as i said its messy. it sort of flies in the air and makes your place look like ashes and its quick to go out however its so nice on the breath. mainly cause i believe it has no crap thats in the other type. 
Just the other day i was at a very crappy hookah joint with my cousin and they use "wooden hookas" as they are cheap. you can sit and smoke for 2+ hours or so and only pay $2 dollars for the hookah. of course you can ask for coal as much as you like. its just cheap in the middle east. anyway, they provide the coal mentioned above and while the hookah didnt look all fancy i can sit there and smoke for 2+ hours without even getting dizzy or anything. while at home. omg thats just suicide due to the coal.
So now, how do you guys decide what coal to use and whats best for you?

so.... lets hear it. pls participate. 

 

[Bawhee]

1) I like to vary it up, but peach and orange are by far my favorites. I decide based on smell first and then I just try it out.

2)Brands other than Tangiers which is an exception are overall less good than the high quality middle eastern stuff. I prefer Nakhla. Al Waha, Al Jazeera, etc. They're just really good brands.

3)Almost everyone I know uses square cocos, they take a while to light but I don't bother with the rotating and all that stuff, I just leave my coals on and smoke, then when I do another round of coals I put them on the "unused" spots. With cocos just make sure they're really well lit. Wood coals are good, the natural ones, but they don't last that long, so you need to have a lot of them ready at any time, a little but of a bother for home use imo.