Rehash: Tangiers Tobacco + Phunnel + Scalli Mod

[Sonthert]

Thanks Sonthert for this tutorial!

My Experience was that I started smoking hookah with Nakhla. I filled the bowl to almost top of the bowl. Then pushed it easily down, so that I had a plain surface. Put Foil on it added holes with a toothpick an smoked about 2 hours with 3K coal. I could just add a coal after the first was finished and had no harshness at all. Also full taste and smoke.
Then I tried using less tobacco an different brands. And never reached such good results again.
Now I tried it again the old way. More tobacco and big holes with Tangiers tobacco. But again no luck.
The shisha is burning all the time. Maybe the coal is too hot, but the thing is, if I'm reducing coal it does not smoke right.
So, my question is: How much shisha do you use? Do you fill it up so that the shisha touches the foil, or less? Do you slowly rise heat or do you only put fully burning coals on the bowl? And how do you arrange the coals?

Ease off on the charcoal. Frequently smoke volume builds up in 20 minutes of smoking (it should go from pretty cloudy to cloudy). Sometimes humidity shock will make the smoke volume medium throughout the entire bowl. Nothing to be done about it. Don't mash the tobacco down. Too much tobacco will make the draw too tight, you add more charcoal, scorched city. Big holes are good, also try more big holes. Literally, my foils have nearly as many fork holes as is physically possible. Half that number (80) isn't bad either. Some of my foils approach 150 holes!

See if any of this helps. Thanks for your support.

[pinky]

Sorry, but I had no success.

I tried different coals and bowl. I tried different mounts of shisha. I made many big holes as much as fitted on the foil.

Here is what I exactly did:

I stired the shisha in a box an layed the leafs into the bowl as they came to my hand. I filled it up till the rim. Then I moved them to get a plain surface without pushing it down. Than I added foil an made big holes all over the bowl with the stick at the end of the tong. Then I blew into the bowl like you discribte. I lit up a 3K 40mm an waited until it stopped sparking. I placed it in the middle of the bowl and waited until it glew. Then I took the first pull on the hose. I had allmost no smoke. I continued drawing on the hose until the smoke build up a bit. It wasn't enough after a while an didn't build up anymore. So I decided to raise heat by adding a windcover. The smoke continued to build up but tasting was just subtile (I tried passion fruit and mixed berry). I think tobacco was burning, because there came clouds out of the bowl when I blew into the hose.
I've tried also with more layers of foil with the same results.
I do have a tangier standard bowl, a chinese bow and several clay bowls at home. (Tried clay and chinese because I don't wanted to throw a hole tangiers standard bowl full of finest tangier tobacco away because of a not working setup!)

[Sonthert]

More holes?

I find that breaking a 3Kings 33mm up into 3-4 pieces is best. A 40mm is too much, often. I'm not sure that it was burning. Tangiers does tend to have a small vent/plume of smoke rising off of the center of the bowl, especially over the phunnel of a phunnel bowl (Water is evaporating up the stem through the hole and out, in regular bowls, the tobacco between the holes and top tend to stop it or diffuse it). Is it tasting OK?

[pinky]

More holes?

I find that breaking a 3Kings 33mm up into 3-4 pieces is best. A 40mm is too much, often. I'm not sure that it was burning. Tangiers does tend to have a small vent/plume of smoke rising off of the center of the bowl, especially over the phunnel of a phunnel bowl (Water is evaporating up the stem through the hole and out, in regular bowls, the tobacco between the holes and top tend to stop it or diffuse it). Is it tasting OK?

More holes are impossible.

Aren't 3 smaller pieces hotter than one big piece of coal?

Here is an idea I had tonight:
When I began smoking hookah I did use thin foil. Now I use thicker ones. So if you put coal on thin foil, it pushes it down so that it touches the shisha. The thick foil stays like it is and leaves a gap between foil and tobacco. I'll try that on sunday.

[Sonthert]

I think touching the foil is better, honestly. If it touches the foil, it gets better heat transfer. You may get better rips with it touching the foil. If its just smoke rising from the center, but it tastes good, don't freak, its OK. I think foil thickness is irrelevant.

Indeed, smaller pieces of one coal produce more heat since more surface area is lit, nad they will burn up faster. Its easier to adjust them towards the outer margin to reduce the heat or towards the center for more heat. One big one gives you little control. On or off. If you are using quarters, you can take one or two off entirely if its burning.

Don't be stubborn! Try breaking the coal up before lighting.

[pinky]

I think touching the foil is better, honestly. If it touches the foil, it gets better heat transfer. You may get better rips with it touching the foil. If its just smoke rising from the center, but it tastes good, don't freak, its OK. I think foil thickness is irrelevant.

Indeed, smaller pieces of one coal produce more heat since more surface area is lit, nad they will burn up faster. Its easier to adjust them towards the outer margin to reduce the heat or towards the center for more heat. One big one gives you little control. On or off. If you are using quarters, you can take one or two off entirely if its burning.

Don't be stubborn! Try breaking the coal up before lighting.

I tried quater pieces. Taste was bad. No fruity taste more like sulfur. I tried 3 pieces and another bowl I tried 4 pieces. Moving it to the outside made the smoke thin, but the taste didn't went better. Packing more tobacco into the bowl made it even worse I think.
I'm almost crying. What is the problem? I want to smoke my tangiers like I smoked at beginning of my hookah carrier.
What worked reasonably was taking the Tangier Standard bowl, little tobacco in the middle (just one layer) and using two coconut charcoal stribes on opposite sides of the bowl. I could smoke about 1 hour with good taste and accaptable smoke. But this didn't always work.

[pinky]

I had a little success.
I tried hole just under the charcoal what mad the tobacco instantly burning. I added fresh air holes beside the coal and it went better. I had taste and smoke. But I think it was still a little burning. So I guess I'll has to figure out the right number of holes for the heat of the charcoal. I'm glad for this success. I'll keep trying!

[ShishaFred]

Dang , just had a little Tangiers sessions last night. The bowl had already been going for about 4-5 coals when I arrived. I broke a 3k in three pieces , lit them up , and popped em on the little syrian bowl of Tangiers Raspberry. After the second puff , I was getting the craziest clouds I had ever seen with Tangiers.
I didn't even feel the slightest tingle... but my friend was coughing his lungs out. The foil had lots of small holes , and the coals pretty much covered 50% of the foil surface. That might be a thing to be taken into consideration , especially if you are using a funnel bowl. These guys are pretty big so you might want to break up a coal and a half and spread it out evenly all over the head.

[pinky]

I keep on trying. Following results:
If I fill the bowl to the top and slightly push it down and put one 3k 40mm on top, I have easy drawing (allmost like there is no tobacco in it) and good smoke. It is not harsh but there is allmost no taste. If I use less tobacco smoke is harsh and thin. If I use small parts of coal on the rim around the head I have either thin smoke an slight taste (few coals) or thicker smoke and no taste (more coals or few coals placed more in the middle of the bowl) and harshness in both cases. One more thing. If I smoke with few coals around the rim buzz is hitting me really hard. So hard that I have to quit and breath some fresh air to get a clean head. I fell very sick after this sessions.

[pinky]

Any suggestions?

[ShishaFred]

I used my MYA bowl instead of my medium funnel , broke a coal in 2 and placed it on top. Great smoke , no harshness , less taste then funnel.

[pinky]

Since I had no success, I tried something different. I used just a little mount of Tangier, but 3 times Foil on it and also added a screen. Since this is too less heat to make the tobacco smoke, I added the windcover. Smoke builds up and after the beginning harshness I have got taste and acceptable smoke. Could be more of course. If I leave the windcover on I get more smoke but the taste is gone. So I think the tobacco is burning then. What would you suggest to get more smoke and keeping the taste?
I also get headache by smoking like this. What could be the reason for this?

[pinky]

I finally made it. The key, was as so often, the heatmanagement. I bought some peach charcoals (El Albadawy) and used the Tangiers standard bowl. It works great. Big smoke and awesome taste. Controling the heat of coconut charcoal for Tangiers is almost impossible!

[VDDZ]

Good to hear! This is prolly well known, but it really helped me and I don't think I saw it directly said yet. You can control the level of heat by placing the coals closer or farther to the center. If your using two coals, or two halfs, try placing the coals at 12 and 6 o'clock on the bowl if they were placed at 3 and 9 before it started getting harsh. Ash coals often, but try to only ash the part that is directly on the bowl and facing the inside, the rest of the ash will act as a small "blanket" and keep the heat focused.

Ps Whats a "Scalli Mod"?

[zachslusser]

What is it mean when everyone is talking about a phunnel what is it?

[zachslusser]

Since I had no success, I tried something different. I used just a little mount of Tangier, but 3 times Foil on it and also added a screen. Since this is too less heat to make the tobacco smoke, I added the windcover. Smoke builds up and after the beginning harshness I have got taste and acceptable smoke. Could be more of course. If I leave the windcover on I get more smoke but the taste is gone. So I think the tobacco is burning then. What would you suggest to get more smoke and keeping the taste?
I also get headache by smoking like this. What could be the reason for this?

I was reading once on an online article and actuly I think it was smiley who had posted it well it doesnt matter but it said something about if you are having long smoking sessions with foil or even with a screen that eventully u can start to actully smoke the metal. And it causes major ass headaches and i think the article coined the term a "hookah hangover" where you actully heat the metal or foil enough that you are smoking off the componets maybe thats what is happening. The article suggessted a smileys ultimate bowl (which is why i think smiley wrote the article) but i have one and the bowl does work nicely and i havent had a headache yet but i myself am still trying to figure out the correct coal placement/ amount

[VDDZ]

Search for Phunnel bowls on google. It's a bowl designed specially so that the juice of the tobacco stays in the top, meaning moist, flavorful tobacco for longer. Will some one tell me what a Scalli Mod is now?

[Evil_Spork]

Since I had no success, I tried something different. I used just a little mount of Tangier, but 3 times Foil on it and also added a screen. Since this is too less heat to make the tobacco smoke, I added the windcover. Smoke builds up and after the beginning harshness I have got taste and acceptable smoke. Could be more of course. If I leave the windcover on I get more smoke but the taste is gone. So I think the tobacco is burning then. What would you suggest to get more smoke and keeping the taste?
I also get headache by smoking like this. What could be the reason for this?

I was reading once on an online article and actuly I think it was smiley who had posted it well it doesnt matter but it said something about if you are having long smoking sessions with foil or even with a screen that eventully u can start to actully smoke the metal. And it causes major ass headaches and i think the article coined the term a "hookah hangover" where you actully heat the metal or foil enough that you are smoking off the componets maybe thats what is happening. The article suggessted a smileys ultimate bowl (which is why i think smiley wrote the article) but i have one and the bowl does work nicely and i havent had a headache yet but i myself am still trying to figure out the correct coal placement/ amount

No no no no no NO!

you can not smoke a metal without melting it. it doesnt work that way. you HAVE to melt the foil before it will burn and then release toxins resulting in ... anything.
the coals we use for hookah are not nearly hot enough to melt aluminum, therefore, you can NOT "smoke" metal.
foil is just as safe as basically anything else you can use. no screen, metal screen, glass screen foil, its all the same in that aspect.

[Zerodynamic]

Search for Phunnel bowls on google. It's a bowl designed specially so that the juice of the tobacco stays in the top, meaning moist, flavorful tobacco for longer. Will some one tell me what a Scalli Mod is now?

Look on youtube for scalliwag... he has a video of the mod.

All it really is is a copper cap that was smacked down by a hammer and had a few bends in it with some pilers... Its rather ingenious... yet so simple.

[metalhead209]

this seriously needs to be stickied somwhere

[Zerodynamic]

this seriously needs to be stickied somwhere

+1... I actually printed out the directions that Eric typed up for us on this thread. I say sticky!!!!

[DJelimu]

Since I had no success, I tried something different. I used just a little mount of Tangier, but 3 times Foil on it and also added a screen. Since this is too less heat to make the tobacco smoke, I added the windcover. Smoke builds up and after the beginning harshness I have got taste and acceptable smoke. Could be more of course. If I leave the windcover on I get more smoke but the taste is gone. So I think the tobacco is burning then. What would you suggest to get more smoke and keeping the taste?
I also get headache by smoking like this. What could be the reason for this?

I was reading once on an online article and actuly I think it was smiley who had posted it well it doesnt matter but it said something about if you are having long smoking sessions with foil or even with a screen that eventully u can start to actully smoke the metal. And it causes major ass headaches and i think the article coined the term a "hookah hangover" where you actully heat the metal or foil enough that you are smoking off the componets maybe thats what is happening. The article suggessted a smileys ultimate bowl (which is why i think smiley wrote the article) but i have one and the bowl does work nicely and i havent had a headache yet but i myself am still trying to figure out the correct coal placement/ amount

Uggg...I have the worst hookah hangover
...and i don't even drink...i read about smiley's ultimate bowl...but good luck trying to find one...is there another alternative to using foil/metal screen?