is thick smoke good smoke?

[emmpeethree]

it always seems to be a competition over who can get the thickest smoke

i realize its fun to blow smoke rings and bubbles with thick smoke as well as take pictures of how opaque it can be. however, does thick, white, smoke "taste" better than a thinner smoke?

in my experience. intensely thick smoke is usually a sign of the tabacco beginning to burn. usually this is becasue the coal hasnt been rotated or the tabacco is filled to close to the rim.

in fact, some of my best "tasting" sessions have involved smoke that was no thicker than that of a cigarette - instead of burning it, it was inhaling the steam from it.

thoughts?

[yashman19]

I think it's a test to see how thick you can get your smoke, while still maintaining a harsh-free, smooth smoke. Ask yourself, would you rather have a thin little puff, or a massive thick cloud? Theres your answer right there.

[Dizzixx]

I have had a flavorfull thick smoke that wasnt any harsher than normal, but I think it was mostly luck, at the same time with my new hookah the smoke isnt as thick but it is flavorfull, also a new brand of shish so I dont know if it is just the shish or not. I prefer thicker smoke I think it added to the experiance, just me.

[DizzyGuy]

I enjoy thick rolling clouds of flavorful smoke... Like I'm getting from my QT right now It's all in heat management

[worr lord]

It's all in heat management

Exactly. You don't want to burn the tobacco, but if it's not hot enough you'll typically get thinner smoke

[DizzyGuy]

It's a little irritating at first while you figure how how your bowl, foil/screen, coals, and hookah all work together. I don't mind tending the coals every few minutes to get a good smoke

[Johnny_D]

I've allways found that those big fluffy clouds carry the taste of the tobacco far
better than the thin stringy stuff.

When it gets thin then it's normally telling me coals are getting shot.

JD

[Scheetz]

yeah, it ends up like that with me and my friends. who can take the biggest hit. But that only lasts for a few minutes then its back to normal smoking.

But yes, the thicker the smoke the better the taste for me. I normally use 2 33mm 3kings coals with every bowl I smoke and it works perfect every time for about 18-20 grams of shisha. That will smoke for about 3 hours by myself, or an hour with 3 or more people hitting it.

[web250]

I try to push the line of thick smoke vs. harshness.

With Layalina and 1.5 QL's I can hit that line exactly, it's great.

[OPR234]

I think a big part of the issue is how you get the thick smoke. Yeah, if you burn the shisha it can get pretty thick. But the kind of thick smoke everyone loves comes from proper heat management, and from my experience, keeping the base cold.

in fact, some of my best "tasting" sessions have involved smoke that was no thicker than that of a cigarette - instead of burning it, it was inhaling the steam from it.

Cold base water takes that nice smoke and condenses it, which gives you thicker smoke and more flavor than before.

[DizzyGuy]

But the thing you need to remember about the cold water thing too is that it's still very possible to get the thing non-harsh smoke with out the cold water.. I used to add ice and freezing water and all that stuff... lately, I've just been getting tap water and it's been working fine

[NorthEastSmoker]

yep.. thick smoke is good smoke unless you cross that harshness/burnt line.. you'll know when you do, too. :evil:

[worr lord]

Also, it can be harder to keep your heat under control when using drier tobacco; you need to be extra careful not to let it get too hot or your bowl will be toast

[[LB]]

I second all these guys- thick smoke is good as long as it doesnet get harsh- it only takes a few degrees too many to make the smoke harsh! so just manage your heat carefully.

[Macho555]

Yes indeed, I adore my thick clouds, and I've always had the opposite, the thicker clouds being more flavorful.

[Sonthert]

The thicker the clouds, the shorter the amount of time the tobacco will smoke. Plain and simple. Its a trade off. In some cases, I agree, I have seen, thicker smoke usually means less flavor, but not all the time...so I don't think that generalization is terribly fair.

[ahuwood]

thick smoke is more fun to me...and the flavor is still great in my case.