Thread: 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 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

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.

Originally Posted by Kees

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

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

Originally Posted by Kees

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

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.