Got a hookah...now what?

I just received a nice personal hookah from the Middle East, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about using it. Any good tips from the experienced hookah users here?

From what I understand, you fill the bottom tank up with a liquid, then pack in some shisha in the upper bowl, cover that with foil and put some sort of coal on top of it. I'm assuming you just start smoking like you would a pipe? Is there any cleaning involved like with pipes?

I'll hopefully hit a big tobacco store in OKC this week, but I want to know what I need to get when I get there.

Hookah Setup Guide - How to set up your Hookah - How to prepare the Hookah
You can skip the steps on how to assemble the hookah if you did that already.

I suggest getting a metal screen, foil sometimes is a pain in the ass and rips to easily. Don't pack the bowl too tight. I like to get Starbuzz shisha here: Starbuzz Shisha 100g - Starbuzz Shisha Tobacco - Hookah and Shisha Central and I highly suggest their HoneyBerry and Grape. Good ol Virginian tobacco.

You can also choose to match your flavor with the liquid in the base. Example... if you have grape shisha, you can mix up grape kool-aid and put it in instead of water. And there are also molasses based shisha in case you want to be tobacco free. Its called HYDRO HERBAL on that same website above but i cant suggest a flavor. But in my experiences it will end up tasting what it sounds like provided the title is straight to the point like APPLE. Not SUMMER CRISP .... WTF is that?


Also, dont get instant light coals, they have more chemicals in them and affect the taste of the smoke. However, they will do in a pinch but choose a stronger shisha flavor to smoke if you so choose. I like to use a stove my light my coals. Turn on the burner and let it get hot, then toss on the coal, turning once or twice to get all sides glowing, then onto the hookah. Please do not drop it. My friend lost jacket to one of the coals pretty fast.

So for you going to a tobacco store:
*Charcoal (coals)
*whatever flavor Shisha you prefer in either tobacco or molasses based
*metal screen (Dude Approved)
*i assume you were provided with a bowl for the top, and charcoal tongs, but if not, Get em.
--- get a bigger bowl if you plan to have a lot of social gatherings with it.


Also i would go ahead and have some kind of poking device to stab down into the shisha. it tends to get very resinated and hard to pull through. You will want to poke through down through the holes in the bottom of the bowl. Of course this doesnt have to be bought at the tobacco store but i know the one by me sells a set of tongs that has a poker on it that kinda flips out of the side. **move the coals down to the metal coal pan before poking or you may crumble the coal down into the shisha. Every now and then the outside layer of the coal will be ash, and you could also take the coal to the pan and tap off the ash like you would a cigar, but with tongs and not your fingers please :gth This also provides a good time to poke the shisha.

as for cleaning, ill just give a link to what i use. How to Clean a Hookah | eHow.com

Thanks for reading, and yes you can put some "tobacco alternative" into the shisha and create your own "blend".

This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks Dude!

My setup actually came with tongs and a poker, so I'm good to go there. I was wondering what the metal bowl around the top was for...it makes sense that you would put the coal there for aeration of the tobacco. Being a pipe smoker, the poker was obvious, but I didn't quite make the connection with the coal pan. I've seen what moving coal around can do. I had some neighbors that were likely drunk and knocked their hookah over- onto their carpet. They ended up with a burn pattern about 4 feet long. It cost 'em quite a bit:gaah:

Heh, summer crisp. I've seen stuff like that, and my reaction was similar. Summer crisp sounds like iced tea to me.

A metal screen is a damn good idea too. I always thought the tin foil was a bit ghetto. Would the shop have that? When we say coal, is this the same stuff that you grill with or what?

lol. yeah the dude knows!
nice read, thanks dude :)

When I first read the title of your post I thought hookah was an alternative spelling for hooker.

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Originally Posted by Kees

When I first read the title of your post I thought hookah was an alternative spelling for hooker.

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lol, that'd have needed rather different advice....

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Originally Posted by Kees

When I first read the title of your post I thought hookah was an alternative spelling for hooker.

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What do you call a hookah where you live? In Italy, it's a narghilè

sound advice there ^

the apple shisha is fantastic.

Yeah, double apple is most likely the best. Followed by banana, though coffee is also an interesting one.

shisha is actually what I'm used to calling a hookah though. It's all just different names for the same thing.

The coal will be at the tobacco shop. It is made especially for a hookah. Little but higher quality than the stuff you cook burgers over. Usually comes in a roll and you take out a disc and light it. Never used one, but have looked into it. Read as much as I could find about them and then decided I would rather keep with my cigars. :)

The dude pretty much nailed it.

I prefer teh double apple shisha, it smells like jolly ranchers and is delicious. if you decide you want to get VERY silly, fill the bottom up with ice cold vodka, you will get hammered in a hurry.

It is hugely important to clean it each time right after you smoke it. if you let it sit, the shisha hardens up and you just about have to chisel it off :(

also, don't clean it over anything you care about. if you've been to college you know what bong water smells like, and hookah water doesn't smell much nicer. anything you spill it on will smell like that for months.

I'm not familiar with bong water, but I can imagine. I don't know why I would clean it over anything but the sink, but I'll make sure to remember that :D

Gosh, now that you say Jolly Ranchers, is there a watermelon? I love green apple, but a watermelon flavored shisha would be phenomenal.

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Originally Posted by Quick Orange

I'm not familiar with bong water, but I can imagine. I don't know why I would clean it over anything but the sink, but I'll make sure to remember that :D

Gosh, now that you say Jolly Ranchers, is there a watermelon? I love green apple, but a watermelon flavored shisha would be phenomenal.

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yep, and it's great. i find it at the local earth/nature/hippy store. of course, i have to wear a disguise, because if i'm seen there, my rep is shot all to hell.

Not earthbound man! That's just disgraceful. I walked in there once unknowingly and immediately regretted it. Gotta watch out for those hippie stores:chop:

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Originally Posted by Chimensch

What do you call a hookah where you live? In Italy, it's a narghilè

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Hoer, prostituee.

Of course the dude knows his smoking apparatuses.

Watermelon is good, but you will have to try different brands because some are extremely weak flavored.

Also, the coals that come in long rolls with multiple DISCs in that roll are usually the instant lighting ones. Look for coals that are long circle (dowel shape) or square (like a 1"x1"x8"). You break them at whtaever size you need. Helps if you have different sized bowls. And the smoke shop should have the metal screens for you.

Jockeys nailed it with cleaning right after while the shisha is still soft.

Glad i could help you abide :nj

Yeah, well, Quick Orange abides:cool:

I don't know about you all, but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there, the Quick Orange, takin' her easy for all us sinners.

Thought I'd chip in.
The round instant light coals are ok, and convenient, but if you have either a torch-type lighter or a gas stove, the small sticks of charcoal which are segmented to break into rectangular sections seem to burn a little cleaner than most of the instant light stuff. It is usually available in the same places you can get tobacco for your hookah (two apples, watermelon, there are lots of good flavors...) in a small box.
It is tougher to light but once you smoke your hookah with the pyrotechnic after taste some of those instant light ones can leave, you will understand. Sometimes called Japanese charcoal.
The instant light stuff is ok, but you have to make very sure the pyrotechnic is burned off, or it will taste positively nasty. It may not ruin the taste of your entire smoke, but until it is gone, it will not be so enjoyable.

hope this helps some.

John P.

I, too, dabled in pasifism once.

No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of.

:HJ Sorry!

I bought some strawberry, watermelon, and pina colada. So far I've had the strawberry and it was pretty good. I also bought the natural coconut charcoal and a screen. I'm having some issues, but I think part of it was because I let someone else start it. Unfortunately, I forgot to pick up a bottle brush to clean it out with...argh.

I went to Kashmir in North India at the end of January.

They all smoke those things out there. They pack the bowl with a wicked looking tobacco and then put any old burning embers on the top to get things going and then they just relax and suck away.

Needles to say they mix hash in with the tobacco when they want to chill out.

The interesting thing is that its very cold in Kashmir and most men wear a Poncho to keep warm. Under the poncho they carry what they call their "Winter Wife". It's a bowl of burning embers/charcoal that acts as a kind of hot water bottle. Needless to say, that's were they get the embers to light up the pipes.

They never burn the poncho and the pipe ritual looks very satisfying. The seal between the water bottle and the pipe seemed key to it all. The other thing I noticed is that the whole contraption was not kept meticulously clean.

Hope this helps.

I'm only making a big deal of cleaning it because I tried another flavor and it basically tasted the same as the last, so it must have been leftover residue. As much as I liked the first flavor I had, I'd like to taste my other flavors:D

that's your problem, you can't mix and match - you gotta go all in.
so do it like the pros and add some of the chilling substance - i bet you'll taste anything you want no matter what flavor you put in....

see you've gotta do it right!

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Originally Posted by gugi

that's your problem, you can't mix and match - you gotta go all in.
so do it like the pros and add some of the chilling substance - i bet you'll taste anything you want no matter what flavor you put in....

see you've gotta do it right!

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Lol, I guess so. That'll teach me to buy different flavors!

everyone else covered what you need to know. but a good website to go to is:

Buy Hookahs, Hookah Parts & Shisha Tobacco - Hookah-Shisha Central

enjoy!

i use a butterknife to scrape the bowl clean. Some of the residue could also be the smoke that condensed inside the smoking tubes at the end of the last "session." This stuff eventually builds up into stuff you can suck into your mouth and its kinda gross. Just try to get all of the smoke out when you are finished. I also like to blow forcefully through the tubes to clear out any crap lodged in there.

I've mixed double apple and mint together. That is really good. An Iraqi guy in Dearborn told me to try taking an apple, coring it and then put in shisha inside the cored apple. The apple becomes your bowl. He said i would love it. I haven't tried it yet, but I will. :rock:


kev

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Originally Posted by Quick Orange

Unfortunately, I forgot to pick up a bottle brush to clean it out with...argh.

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a 40 caliber gun cleaning brush works just as well FYI :gl:

You need to try other awesome flavors. Only these are not enough to satisfy urge of hookah smoking.

Quick Orange
Welcome to the forum.
Just to make it clear this is a straight razor forum

This thread is 10 years old. None of the posters are currently active except Kees

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We will be glad to answer your questions.

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Originally Posted by Quick Orange

I'm only making a big deal of cleaning it because I tried another flavor and it basically tasted the same as the last, so it must have been leftover residue. As much as I liked the first flavor I had, I'd like to taste my other flavors:D

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I am sure your hookah is not clean as it should be. I have found the best way to

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<a href="https://besthookahflavors.com/how-to-clean-your-hookah/">clean your hookah/a>

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. If you try this you will never get any residue in your hookah.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Quick Orange

I'm only making a big deal of cleaning it because I tried another flavor and it basically tasted the same as the last, so it must have been leftover residue. As much as I liked the first flavor I had, I'd like to taste my other flavors:D

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I am sure your hookah is not clean as it should be. I have found the best way to clean your hookah here: https://besthookahflavors.com/how-to-clean-your-hookah/ . If you try this you will never get any residue in your hookah.