By fanglekai, totse2
Originally posted 11/02/2011
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Smoking hookah can be a fun activity. It’s usually best when smoking with a group of people. Lots of people go to hookah bars, but you can smoke for way cheaper by buying your own. There’s lots to learn about hookahs, so hopefully this guide will be useful.
Choosing a hookah One of the first things you need to look for when choosing a hookah is the number of hoses it has. If you plan on smoking with lots of people you might want a 2, 3, or even 4 hose hookah. These are usually more expensive than a single hose hookah, but it depends.
The hookah brand is important. You don’t want to get a Chinese made piece of shit. The best hookahs are made in Egypt. Mya, Kahlil Mamoon and Nammor are good hookah brands.
Hookah height Taller hookah means longer stem, which means the smoke travels farther before you inhale it. You can get higher smoke volume and cooler smoke with a taller hookah. Aside from that taller hookahs usually smoke better than small ones. If you want to have friends over to smoke, get at least a 26’’ hookah.
Type of hoseYou want a hookah with a wide diameter hose because it’ll draw easier than a narrow hose. You should also look for a washable hose because you don’t want one that stays dirty. I recommend a Nammor hose.
Shisha and non-tobacco shishaYou smoke shisha in a hookah. Shisha is basically tobacco that’s sliced and soaked in molasses, honey and flavoring. You can get TONS of different flavors. Obviously you’ll want to try a variety to find the ones you like best. Typically fruit flavors are good ones to try.
The brand of shisha is important. I've smoked various brands including Romman, Al Fakher, and Tangiers. I liked Romma shisha because it doesn't have stupid coloring like Al Fakher does, but it costs more. Romman gave me a better buzz too. The flavor seemed more natural than Al Fakher as well. A lot of people like Starbuzz too. Try a few and see what you like best. Important things to look for are flavor, smoke volume, and duration the flavor lasts. Romman produces great clouds and keeps its flavor for upwards of 2 hours. Really though you need to go to
www.hookahpro.com and read reviews, order a bunch and decide what you like.
You can also get non-tobacco shisha. The most popular one I’ve seen is Hookah Hookah brand Shisha Evolution. It’s green tea leaves cut and soaked in flavoring like regular tobacco shisha. I’ve had a few of the Hookah Hookah Shisha Evolution flavors. It produces a lot of smoke and so far the strawberry and lemonade flavors I had were great. If you want to smoke hookah without the tobacco or nicotine this is the stuff to smoke.
CoalsYou want high quality, pure coals. The best I’ve found are Coco Nara coals. They’re made from coconut shell and they don’t have nasty chemicals like quick light charcoal. I light them on a coil stove because they’re a bitch to light any other way. They burn for a long time and they don’t ash like crazy so they’re very good coals and honestly I don’t recommend using any other kind. I typically use 2-3 coals depending on the bowl I’m using.
BowlsThe bowl you pick is very important. They can be made from clay or pyrex. Clay bowls are supposedly the best because they heat evenly and retain their heat well. Pyrex bowls are expensive and I'm not sure they're really worth the extra cost. The best bowls are Phunnel and Vortex. The Phunnel bowl is pictured below.
I use a Vortex bowl. It has the holes elevated a little so the juices stay in the bowl and you don’t get tons of juice down the stem of your hookah, making it way easier to clean. I get nice clouds from the Vortex bowl so I’m pleased with it. It holds a pretty decent amount of shisha, something like 35-50 grams so you use a lot of shisha each time, but it will make the session last for a long, long time.
Foil Use any foil you want. Just remember shiny side down and the non-shiny side goes on the outside.
Accessories: ice tip, wind cover (make ur own),
Heba diffuser I got the mystique ice tip accessor from hookah-shisha.com. I like it but unfortunately it only works well for about 15 minutes. So yeah, not really that great. Fun while it lasts though.
Wind covers are nice for smoking outside. You can buy one or make your own by cutting up an appropriately sized empty can (like the kind you get tomatoes in). Remove the top and bottom of the can and poke a few holes in it. Voila you got your own home made wind cover.
My hookah came with a Heba diffuser:
The manufacturer claims it removes impurities but I haven't seen any evidence that this is true. It attaches to the bottom of the stem (the part that's in the water) and what it does is make the bubbles smaller and it makes smoking the hookah much quieter. It's supposed to make the smoke cooler too. All I notice is that the hookah is way quieter when I use it so I always use mine. If you can get one for free or make your own I'd suggest doing so.
Setting up the hookah: Note that you might need plastic grommets to help make a tight seal for the bowl and for where the hose attaches. You can get plastic grommets online or sometimes they come with your hookah.
Get the coals fired up so they’re glowing red on both sides. I start the coals heating up while I get everything else done so they’re ready to go by the time I get things set up.
Fill the base with water.
Attach the stem to the base.
Put shisha in the bowl.
Put foil on the bowl and push down around the edges tightly so it’s secure.
Use a needle to puncture small holes all over the foil. I make the same pattern every time. You want small holes so air will flow through but ash won’t.
Attach bowl to stem.
Attach hose.
The hookah is now assembled. When the coals are ready put them on the bowl and let them sit for a few minutes so they get the shisha warmed up. Start puffing on the hose and it’ll be ready in a few minutes. Move the coals to the outer edge of the bowl so they don’t heat the shish as much. You’re ready to smoke now!
Smoking the hookah Inhale or don’t. The only thing you really have to do to the hookah at this point is regulate the heat. You’ll want to rotate the coals, flip them upside down, or move them closer toward the center of the bowl every so often to regulate the heat.
Cleaning the hookahThis is very important. You don’t want a dirty hookah cause it'll ruin the flavor. Dump the water from the base and wash it with dish soap. Use your stem brushes to clean the inside of the stem. Remove the shisha from the bowl, wash the bowl. Wash your hose. It should take 5 minutes or so to do the cleaning, but it’s important. I clean my hookahs after every use.
Conclusion So there you go. That’s pretty much all you need to know to get started. You can buy things from
www.5starhookah.com,
www.hookah-shisha.com or
http://www.hookahhookah.com. They are both good sites. Video reviews on flavors and hookah stuff can be found on youtube. I suggest watching some videos.
