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Having Some Trouble With Starbuzz.


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Alright so I learned the hard way how very much tender care Starbuzz seems to require. I'm pretty sure of what I am doing wrong with it but I do not know how to correct it. The problem is that the smoke does not come in large ammounts and it's harsh, after a session the entire bowl is burnt. My setup is a normal MYA bowl packed with Starbuzz Strawberry and then 2/3 of a Stargate coal "stick". The problem can't be anything but the heat management but then again it feels like I really have been trying, either it burns or it is just not hot enough and gives off no smoke.

How do you make Starbuzz work neato? I do have some three kings but I havent tried it with Starbuzz yet, I guess I will though.

Cheers.
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QUOTE (Snacks @ Feb 22 2008, 12:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Alright so I learned the hard way how very much tender care Starbuzz seems to require. I'm pretty sure of what I am doing wrong with it but I do not know how to correct it. The problem is that the smoke does not come in large ammounts and it's harsh, after a session the entire bowl is burnt. My setup is a normal MYA bowl packed with Starbuzz Strawberry and then 2/3 of a Stargate coal "stick". The problem can't be anything but the heat management but then again it feels like I really have been trying, either it burns or it is just not hot enough and gives off no smoke.

How do you make Starbuzz work neato? I do have some three kings but I havent tried it with Starbuzz yet, I guess I will though.

Cheers.


you are most likely packing the bowl way too high. If you need help on packing, watch my "how to" hookah vid biggrin.gif :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XrOTJq1SR0
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QUOTE (JillyIsJustKidding @ Feb 22 2008, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Snacks @ Feb 22 2008, 12:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Alright so I learned the hard way how very much tender care Starbuzz seems to require. I'm pretty sure of what I am doing wrong with it but I do not know how to correct it. The problem is that the smoke does not come in large ammounts and it's harsh, after a session the entire bowl is burnt. My setup is a normal MYA bowl packed with Starbuzz Strawberry and then 2/3 of a Stargate coal "stick". The problem can't be anything but the heat management but then again it feels like I really have been trying, either it burns or it is just not hot enough and gives off no smoke.

How do you make Starbuzz work neato? I do have some three kings but I havent tried it with Starbuzz yet, I guess I will though.

Cheers.


you are most likely packing the bowl way too high. If you need help on packing, watch my "how to" hookah vid biggrin.gif :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XrOTJq1SR0


BTW are there any leaks in your hookah? Check before you smoke.

By checking, before you set everything up, put your empty bowl on top of the hookah and then cover the top of the bowl with your palm. If your palm gets sucked through or you feel it getting puulled and you don't feel like any air is escaping, then there are no leaks
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QUOTE
BTW are there any leaks in your hookah? Check before you smoke.

By checking, before you set everything up, put your empty bowl on top of the hookah and then cover the top of the bowl with your palm. If your palm gets sucked through or you feel it getting puulled and you don't feel like any air is escaping, then there are no leaks


Oh those are not the problems, I do know how to pack a good bowl and the hookah is without leaks for sure. I doubt a leak would make the shisha burn. smile.gif Thanks though.
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It sounds like your problem is either as Jilly said your packing, or else in your hole pattern/size/quantity and/or coal placement... easiest way to get help with this would be to post pictures at every step of your setup smile.gif

Starbuzz is probably the easiest and most forgiving shisha to work with in my experience, so screwing around in most any direction should help you see whats going wrong. If you can't post pics, just play around with it a bit. Poke more/bigger holes, or less/smaller holes... try fluffing it more, try maybe packing it a bit tighter... try more heat, less heat. You get the idea smile.gif
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QUOTE (jfaltous @ Feb 22 2008, 09:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
It sounds like your problem is either as Jilly said your packing, or else in your hole pattern/size/quantity and/or coal placement... easiest way to get help with this would be to post pictures at every step of your setup smile.gif

Starbuzz is probably the easiest and most forgiving shisha to work with in my experience, so screwing around in most any direction should help you see whats going wrong. If you can't post pics, just play around with it a bit. Poke more/bigger holes, or less/smaller holes... try fluffing it more, try maybe packing it a bit tighter... try more heat, less heat. You get the idea smile.gif



That's odd because in my experience and from what I've heard Starbuzz is just the opposite. No offence ofc, just a bit odd. I do get the few things I can get here in Sweden to work great, being Nakhla, fake AF, fake AM. But yes, I think taking a few pictures would be a really good idea, I do realise from reading through the posts that I am being a bit vague. I'll pack a bowl tomorrow and snap a few and we'll see how it goes.

Cheers smile.gif
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QUOTE (jfaltous @ Feb 22 2008, 09:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
What I personally find is that, outside of tangiers, the wetter tobaccos are a lot easier to get perfect, and the washed ones even more so. Maybe I'm just weird like that, I don't know tongue.gif


Aye, I definately agree with that, wich suprised me about Starbuzz. But it's probably I who is doing something wrong.

As an example I AF and Fantasia works great for me, pink lemonade <3.
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I mostly smoke SB now except for when I'm experimenting but what works for me is leaving the coal (3 Kings 33mm) as one peice, making sure the cupped side is facing down and starting with it way out on the edge. then I move it slightly even 10 min. or so in a spiral until I get to the middle. By that time the coal is almost out so I break another coal in half and just rotate them on opposite ends, inbetween the center and the edge of the bowl and group the towards the center when those get small. My bowl is usually close to getting spent by the time those go out. Hope that helps.
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To me it sounds like you have too much heat. Starbuzz always smokes the best for me when I heat it up really slowly initially. It usually takes me about 10 minutes of coal on the shisha before I consider it going. I'd say use a little less heat and just be more patient in teh begining.
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QUOTE (indy @ Feb 22 2008, 07:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
To me it sounds like you have too much heat. Starbuzz always smokes the best for me when I heat it up really slowly initially. It usually takes me about 10 minutes of coal on the shisha before I consider it going. I'd say use a little less heat and just be more patient in teh begining.



I'm doing this on my next bowl
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QUOTE (bryankphotography @ Feb 23 2008, 03:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
i have nothing to add that hasn't been said

defiantly sounds like a heat management issue... have you tried the standard 1/2 in the middle and moving two halves around it?


Elaborate smile.gif


thanks for all the tips btw, I am going to pack a bowl now and take a few photos. I specifically noticed the tip about giving it some time, I generally only wait about 5 minutes but I'll wait a bit more.

Cheers.
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Ya, MYA bowls suck. Get a good Mod bowl and don't pack it higher then the rim of the bowl. Let the coals sit for a couple minutes to heat it up, then flip your coals, wait a minute, then start smoking. It'll taste great for a while but if the shisha isn't juicy enough the flavor will go away soon (this has been happening with starbuzz after the juice falls to the bottom). Keep flipin those coals every 10 minutes or so and on the edges. Starbuzz is easy, just have to mess around with it and find a good flavor you like.
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