How To Get Big Smoke?

[jezter6]

I'm a total noob. I've had my hookah for over a year and it's really been more of a fun novelty to me. I don't know what kind of hookah I have, but it looks kinda like this Sphinx Classic @ hookahhub.com.

I use Hookah Hookah tobacco because I got this 35 flavor sampler pack that has these nice single bowl containers. I use 3K coals. Normally I just place 1 on (as it's probably 2/3 the size of my bowl) over a metal screen. When it firsts goes on, I can hear the shisha sizzle a bit, but it tends to calm down after I get smoking for a bit. Sometimes we sit the coal in the middle and let it go, other times we kick off ashes and move it around.

I get a fun smoke, if not a little hard to draw. It's about the same as a cig smoke, but nothing like the pictures I've seen you guys post. How do I get that nice big puff? I also notice that I stop getting a good smoke with still about 1/4 of the coal left, and when I go to take it apart, half the tobacco on the bottom is still fresh.

I do try to pick it apart as best I can and make a big fluffy bowl when I can. Am I over filling? Over heating?

Man, I need to meet up with someone in the Maryland section to teach me how to properly pack and smoke a big hit. I'm looking at upgrading to a bigger badder pipe, but I think I'm still too n00b to go worrying about nice pipes when I can't get my basic first pipe to smoke well.

[Victim026]

First things first, what kind of bowl are you using? For shit's sake I'll assume it's just a normal run of the mill egyptian bowl. If your gonna use 1 3K I would break it into 2 pieces this will disperse the heat better and help get the tobacco heated evenly. Next I'd check your water level to make sure your an inch above the very bottom of the stem. After that i would try getting some better tobacco, Hookah Hookah is less then loved around here with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 flavors. Get some Al Waha or Layalina it's cheap and it'll get ya great clouds. If ya can spend the money then Al Fakher or Tangiers is the way to go, although Tangiers has a learning curve and may not be the best place to start.

[jezter6]

First things first, what kind of bowl are you using? For shit's sake I'll assume it's just a normal run of the mill egyptian bowl. If your gonna use 1 3K I would break it into 2 pieces this will disperse the heat better and help get the tobacco heated evenly. Next I'd check your water level to make sure your an inch above the very bottom of the stem. After that i would try getting some better tobacco, Hookah Hookah is less then loved around here with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 flavors. Get some Al Waha or Layalina it's cheap and it'll get ya great clouds. If ya can spend the money then Al Fakher or Tangiers is the way to go, although Tangiers has a learning curve and may not be the best place to start.

I use whatever came with it - fairly wide, and like I said about 1/3 bigger than my 3K coal. Yesterday I did split my coal in half but it didn't change much. Actually, yesterday I did get the Al Waha and this was my first smoke of Al Waha Fruit flavor. It was a good smoke, but not a 'great' smoke if you catch my drift.

I will look at a phunnel, and have plans to get other brands - it's just 'what we got' when we decide to get a big ol'd fun sampler so we'd have a bunch of different flavor to try.

[zachslusser]

i dont mind hookah hookah actually but you might need to use 3 halfs of a quick light break em up around the bowl. make sure when packing the bowl you dont pack it down just lightly drop it in the bowl. you might also wanna use foil instead of the screen . the screen your using may not be the best quality and alot of people dont like screens as it is. so use foil that will most likely improve your smoke by a lot

[burton_o6]

I like to mix the strawberry and lemonade hookah hookah..But anyways, I still consider myself a noob. But you may want to try this(may be the norm). Light the coals and let them sit on the bowl for about 5 minutes before taking a draw.

[cypherkk]

Big smoke isn't some attainable thing. It cannot be delivered on demand. It's not some thing you can possess like a woman. Its an idea, a state of mind, like happiness or guns. It must be nurtured and coddled till it can be brought to fruition like cheesecake.

So, go BIG or go HOME!!! Edited May 15, 2008 by cypherkk

[ahwahoo2006]

Its all about finding what works with your pipe - its hard to say do this or do that and you will get good smoke, it is more dependent on finding the right combination of things. However, I would say swtich to foil. Screens tend to let in a lot more air, which will dilute your smoke. Also, try poking different numbers of holes and see what that does. Finally, try adding a bit more heat (maybe like 3 1/2s)

You're welcome to come the next time the DC area group gets together. I can try and get something going for this weekend if you are interested.

[jezter6]

I'll try a few of every suggestion here - see what comes of it. I do pack fairly loose - ie: I don't actually pack anything, just lay it in until it reaches bowl height.

I'm really from north of B-more, so a DC thing at this point probably costs more than buying a new hookah, so I'll have to pass on that for the time being, but thanks for the offer. I will, however, look into the Maryland members thread and see about someone close who might be able to better critique my setup.

[liquidglass]

Here are a few suggestions

1) Get RID of the metal screen, use foil. My personal favorite pattern is a # sign, just make a square around the middle of the bowl and make a few extended lines, never failed me.


2) When you get read to pack the shisha try this:
a) take it out of the pack and put it into the bowl until it's right below the top
take it out, and CUT IT. I use a knife on a cutting board and just run through all of it a few times to get it nice and fine, some people use scissors choice is up to you, just don't cut yourself.
c) when you get ready to put it back into the bowl, put it in your hands, cup them (your hands) into a ball allowing room for the shisha to move, then shake, it will really break it up.
d) put it in the bowl



3) keep the coals on the outside of the bowl and move inward eventually, so if you have two or three halves then keep them on the edges of the bowl


4)When the shisha gets 'burnt' on top then just use your tongs and mix it up a little


hope it helps

[MrMoodz]

Water level is important. If you put too much water in the base it will make it harder to pull and the smoke won't be as thick.

[pingywon]

I think these guys have all given you very sound ways to get your hookah smoking better.

My personal opinions are:

1)Use foil - not a screen
2) Dont use HH - Get one of the other brands mentioned above ( I personally like AF - Starbuzz - Tonic or Potion.


Make sure your water and everytthing are like the guys above said.


....and if the hokah was ever used to smoke anything other then hookah shisha - make sure you really scrub it well ....build up could be causing you to not get good pulls off of it

[Victim026]

I read through your post quickly the first time and totally mentioned the fact that you used a screen.... DItch that as fast as you would a hooker with the hiv.

[bjelder]

Too much focus on whats wrong with the hookah and shisha..... focus on your technique.


Quite a bit of smoke has to do with your smoking technique. If you inhale the shisha, then continue to inhale air much like people do while smoking cigs, you will get very little smoke. However, if you take a slow but steady inhale, then open your mouth and just exhale almost as hard as you can without 'blowing' the smoke out you'll get awesome clouds. Just push out with your stomach like how you breath on glasses to clean them.

[Seanij]

go on gta san andreas, you'll meet him in like the second mission or first o.O

[jezter6]

My roommate packed last night, using HH 7 spice, even with the screen, and we got some good mad puffs for about 20-25 minutes. The rest were fairly timid and normal.

I think one of the things is I smoke too fast. I smoke it like a chain smoker and barely let the hose out of my mouth to puff the smoke and I'm taking another hit. Maybe I need to smoke slower...