way to get full taste?

[madman360]

Hey everyone,
im new here and i just got my first hookah, a Syrian chiller w/ 3 hoses.

Ive tried a few different types of shisha, and I always get thick smoke (especially starbuzz) but it seems to me all the flavors taste the same. Im probably setting something up wrong, but Im not sure. I dont really taste any apples or kiwi, its just smoke, which is sometimes harsh.

i use 3 kings quick lite coals.

anyone have any ideas?

[Skimo]

It would be a lot more helpful to go into more details about your setup, but maybe you should try to clean your hose if it's a washable hose

[Dizzixx]

I am newer but kinda sounds to me like you are burning the shish. In my experiance I had the problem of thinking I had to pack it to the rim but really you dont, I would rather re pack then burn it.

[Skimo]

Packin it to touch the foil gives me better taste, it all depends on heat management

[madman360]

i use foil with holes in 3 circles (ive seen pictures on if on here) and I use a 3 kings along the outer side and move it every 20 minutes to a different side.
i pack it pretty full, and I try to do it loosely.
my hoses are not washable but they havent been used too much. i also clean my hookah after every use.

maybe i should use less shisha? about how many uses should i be able to get from a 100g bag?

[Twang]

try breaking the coal in half and put each half on opposite sides.

[EvansLight]

As skimo said we need a bit more info. Theres so many factors in determing how well you taste the flavours, including an air leak, how you manage your heat, your set up, the hookah your using, and of course how easily your tounge and nose will pick up the flavours in the smoke.

[hookah brother up]

what i do is i put apple juice if im smoking apple, or coke in the base for any other flavors. I find out that coke truly enhances the flavors for me atleast, and i enjoy it. Mix like half a can of coke in the base with water, and that shoudl set you right. hope this helps

[damo2010]

It could be because your set up is new and it is in the "breaking in" period. I had a similar situation with my new hookahs and it takes a couple of sessions to get the taste. Also, I noticed that the guys in the Shisha cafes (at least where I am) have dedicated hookahs for each flavour i.e. they use 1 hookah specifically for smoking grape, 1 hookah for smoking 2 apples and so on.

[lwieise]

i use foil with holes in 3 circles (ive seen pictures on if on here) and I use a 3 kings along the outer side and move it every 20 minutes to a different side.
i pack it pretty full, and I try to do it loosely.  
my hoses are not washable but they havent been used too much.  i also clean my hookah after every use.

maybe i should use less shisha? about how many uses should i be able to get from a 100g bag?

The trick I've found about the density of the packed shisha, is that you want the shisha packed just enough to make it a cohesive mass, but loose enough to allow air through. If I pack a bowl too tight I use a toothpick to fix it. I usually do 1.5 3K coals with this setup.

[Sonthert]

Doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong...you're getting full smoke...but with no flavor? That would seem to indicate the tobacco is relatively flavorless...but compared to what? Where else have you smoked hookah that makes you believe it should be different? A lounge, another guy's house? Find out what they're smoking: flavor, brand and try that. See if it still doesn't smoke right. Sometimes a brand makes a good flavor and 9 bad ones, you pick one of the flavorless flavors, and your friend was smoking the good one...you see what I mean?

[Chip]

when i started i always put my shisha to the tope of the rim hitting the foli but later found that i got a better smoke and flavor with the bowl only about 1/2 packed.. its all about preference though. give it a try.