Hello, our dearest Reader!
So you’re just starting out with hookah and you’re searching for answers? We have all been there, this is a useful hookah guide made especially for beginners and after you read this article you’ll get the knowledge you searched for. Below are the basic essentials, which are required to set up a hookah. Let’s dive into a step-by-step process to understand how to set up a hookah for thick rich smoke.
The first time is always the learning phase of any item. Similarly, setting up the hookah is the first and most important step. Care has to be taken!
Step 2: Pouring Water into the Glass Base.
The vase (flask, glass base) is found at the base of the hookah and it contains the water. There is a metal down-stem, which is inside the vase. If you use water, be sure to change it after each smoking session. Water is used to filter the smoke so you don’t want to stand long at the base.
Special care should be taken as far as the water level is concerned. Pouring more water will only make it harder for you to pull the smoke. The level of water should be 2-2,50 cm rising up the down stem. There should be enough space for air to flow through the water.
Adding ice cubes to the water base will give a cooler smoke, but too much ice can kill the flavour and you might feel a little weaker taste.
It is possible to add a special hookah food colouring powder of liquid to make your hookah base water to be more eye-catching!
We suggest you avoid adding any alcohol or milk to your hookah’s glass base.
Step 3: Insert the Hookah Shaft in the Base / Connect the Hose.
Step 4: How Do I Prepare shisha tobacco / How to pack a hookah bowl.
Shisha is a popular name for hookah tobacco, in most cases, this is a combination of tobacco leaves, glycerine, corn/sugar syrup or honey, and flavour.
This shisha liquid tends to be placed on the bottom of the package in which it is located when you buy it. So it is mandatory that shisha should be stirred, and mixed every time you use it. It is very important for flavour transition, and session time – shisha liquid has to be evenly distributed before you are going to pack your owl.
Next, be sure that shisha tobacco is finely chopped enough to allow heat/air to evenly pass through the bowl. Gently break the shisha up over the plate or cutting board, and cut shisha tobacco if necessary.
Start by carefully placing or sprinkling your broken-up shisha into the hookah bowl. Do not pack the shisha down tightly as you want there to be space for air to flow in from the top of your bowl, down through the shisha tobacco, and then down into your hookah. Sprinkle enough shisha to fill the bowl near the top rim of your bowl. The end goal is to make sure that the top of your shisha does not touch the bottom of your foil or HMD, so you should have about a few millimetres of space between the top of the shisha and the rim of the bowl. This will allow for airflow under the coals and will allow you to cook the shisha properly as opposed to actually burning the tobacco.
The all-time classic is to place a heavy-duty aluminium foil on top of the bowl – to serve as a shield between hot charcoals and actual shisha tobacco. There are great alternatives to foil – Heat Management Devices (HMD) which can be found here. Easy to use and clean, sturdy, no stress involved, mom is always happy to bake ♥.
Traditional foil setups are still extremely popular and will allow you to customize the amount of airflow going down into your bowl depending on how you punch your holes in the foil as well as allow easy access to your charcoal if you need to flip or rotate the coals during the session. HMDs will save you money over time as you will no longer need to keep purchasing foil for your bowl and they have the added benefit of allowing you to control how much heat is being contained and focused down on your tobacco to better manage the temperature of the bowl.
Official Video on How to Pack Fumari Hookah Tobacco (feat. Glazed Phunnel Hookah Bowl)
Step 5: Lighting of Charcoals / Heating up the hookah bowl / Starting your Hookah…BOOM!
The quality of charcoals is very important as, without heat, smoke cannot be produced! There are two types of charcoal available: Natural and Quick light coals.
The quick light coals work instantly, but the heat generated is not sufficient for a long time. If you have ever tried to start up a fire using gasoline you are nearly imitating the same concept by lighting quick light hookah coal. Quick-lights contain benzene which is very harmful to your health.
Natural coconut hookah charcoals are simply much more of a health-beneficial product. They contain no extra additives and are solely produced of organic matter from compressed coconut shells. Sure, they take a little longer to light upon the stove or coal burner. Coconut charcoals are important for your shisha sessions due to health factors, quality smoke production, and the longevity of your hookah session.
When smoking your natural coals, be sure to fully burn the charcoals before using them. Meaning, make sure it is red hot all around or at much as you can get it (simply flip it twice when on an electric stove/burner). And then, grab them with tongs and put them on the top of the bowl or into HMD, cover the bowl with a wind guard/cover (it will help to heat your bowl evenly and faster).
For indoor hookah sessions, we suggest you use 3 cubes of 25mm ECOCHA premium hookah charcoal (for medium heat-resistant tobacco). Try a few sessions with each and see which method works best for you. Remember, heat management is important:
- 3 x 22 mm cubes preheat, with adding a 4th later.
- 2 x 25 mm cubes with adding a 3rd later.
- 4 x 25 mm cubes with dropping off 1 after preheat are finished.
- 4 x 22 mm cubes with dropping off 1 after preheat are finished.
After 4-8 minutes, depending on your bowl and tobacco, you shall start up your session. If you think you can smoke from a hookah in the same way as a cigarette, you are wrong, you must inhale the smoke slowly and steadily, do not inhale too fast, it might burn your tobacco mix.
Step 6: For How Long Shall You Smoke Your Hookah: General Opinion.
For sure, you can smoke hookah even longer than 1 hour time, because some tobacco can last for a long time. Therefore, be guided, first of all, by your taste and comfort when smoking. This also applies to the intensity of smoking: for some people, 15 minutes of the feeling of smoke is enough, while for others, an hour of smoking is not enough.
Let us tell you about the criteria that determine how long the hookah session lasts:
- Features of your bowl;
- Shisha Tobacco: brand, tobacco leaf type, nicotine level, etc.;
- Packing method used;
- The number of users.
A very important principle for long hookah smoking is dense packing. Thanks to this method, tobacco will last for a longer time, retaining its flavour and thick clouds. The use of “air” (fluffy) packing will make the smoking sessions more short-term, but at the same time with faster/higher nicotine levels and buzz.
Also, do not forget about the level of heat and size of the charcoals. Maintaining the right temperature will allow all tobacco layers to heat up evenly. But do not forget to change them, if necessary, so that the tobacco has a stable temperature throughout the entire process.
If the hookah “dies”, then you just stop getting flavourful smoke and start inhaling the smoke from the coals. And this can lead to oxygen starvation.
Symptoms of hookah oxygen starvation:
- dizziness;
- nausea;
- dry mouth;
- headache;
- overall weakness,
are going to tell you that the body is saturated with a certain dose of nicotine and the subsequent smoking of hookah can lead to a deterioration in well-being. Therefore, enjoy a walk in the fresh air, a delicious meal, or a light drink. This will help!
Always remember that the right hookah gives a thick smoke, and a pleasant aroma, and the taste of tobacco remains bright. Bitterness, cough, headache? Just get yourself a new hookah or take a break – this is a perfect solution! Stay hydrated, stay well and safe, but always remember smoking hookah may look glamorous and exotic to some, but it’s every bit as addictive as cigarette smoking — and maybe more harmful.
Hookah from A-Z. Basics.
The hazards of hookah. Consume wisely!
Hopefully this article will help you to get the perfect session, but if you are still having trouble getting your hookah to smoke properly please feel free to contact us on Customer Service with any questions that you have.
