Shishapedia - Shisha Tips and Tricks

Shishapedia – Shisha Tips and Tricks

When enjoying a nice relaxing hookah there are many very simple tips and tricks you can use that will help your smoke be more problem free and enjoyable. A lot of these are widely known to experienced smokers, and they are mostly very easy to do. Even if you are a regular hookah I smoker I suggest you read these suggestions, as you can always pick up something new!

If you are a new smoker try as much as you can. Unless you try you won’t know what your likes and dislikes are.

ICE IN THE BASE – This is great if you want a cooler stronger smoke. Please be aware you should never only put ice in the base. Fill about two thirds of your usual water level then top of with some ice, between five and ten pieces works well. The liquid is still needed to filter the smoke, but the ice will certainly cool the smoke down and give it a refreshing hint. If you add too little ice you won’t notice any problems, but if you add to much the water level will rise to high after it melts and flow into the pipe.

SPRINKLE THE TOBACCO – When preparing the head never over pack the head. I would recommend taking a small bowl and firstly picking the molasses out of the packet into the bowl. Use your fingers and run it through them quickly. Any big pieces or wood like material in the tobacco remove it. Then once again use your fingers to pick up the molasses from the bowl and sprinkle them into the head. You really want to pack the molasses very lightly and there should be a lot of airy space between the molasses.

MAKE A HOLE in the middle OF THE FLAVOUR – After filling your head will molasses before you cover with foil use the flat end of a pencil (or your finger) to create a hole down the middle where no molasses sit. This is very useful as it lets airflow through the middle of the head and stops the molasses burning so quickly.

CLEAN YOUR HOOKAH OFTEN – You should clean your hookah once every four of five usages at the very minimum. You don’t want those old flavours lingering in the pipes.

HANG YOUR HOSE – If you are not smoking hanging your hose is always better then coiling it up in the cupboard. This will stop it bending into an twisted shape which can get very frustrating when you are smoking, and your pipe is always twisting away. Left hanging also lets any smoke left inside slowly float out, and any other solids of liquids inside drip out.

USE DIFFERENT HOSES FOR DIFFERENT FLAVOURS – This is always a useful idea if you are a regular smoker and enjoy a few different flavours. When smoking a shisha, even if you clean it excellently there will always be some subtle flavours left inside the hose. If you keep one hose for a specific flavour you can be sure old flavours won’t bleed through.

SPIN THE COALS – When you start up a hookah place the coals around the edge of bowl. As you smoke move the coals around the edge of the bowl every so often. This will mean that you don’t end up with only half the tobacco used even though the shisha tastes burned. You only want to place the coal in the middle of the head after you have worked the edge of the bowls.

PURGE THE SMOKE – Every so often blow out the hose. This will activate the ball bearing, and the smoke inside the chamber will push out of the base. The base will then fill up with fresh smoke and you will enjoy the taste a lot more. Stale smoke is not bad for you, it is just less flavourful and sometimes has a strong bitter taste.

DOUBLE THE FOIL – If you feel your molasses burns to quickly place two layers of foil under the coal instead of one. This will damper the head bought onto the molasses and slow down the burning process.

FREEZE THE HOSE – An hour before use place the hookah hose in the freezer. When you use the hose it will keep the smoke cooler and more refreshing.

DON’T WATER WASH YOUR HOSE – Unless you have a water-washable hose don’t put water in it. Internally it will cause damage. If you want to clean it blow through it to remove all internal particles

STORE YOUR MOLASSES – Don’t just leave your molasses lying around. Keep them in a sealed airtight tin somewhere cool. But remember, a fridge is for food, not for molasses.

KEEP YOUR HOOKAH ON THE FLOOR – Don’t keep your hookah on a table when you smoke it. If you kick the table you could easily damage the hookah pipe. If you smoke it is quite likely that the hookah will shake if on a table.

I’VE LOST MY GROMMET – If’ you lose a grommet use some masking tape or tissue paper to tighten the hose or head onto the pipe.

I’VE LOST MY BALL BEARING - If you lose your ball bearing your hookah will struggle to smoke. If you don’t have one spare, get a piece of foil and roll it up into a ball. Try to make it the same size as the ball bearing you used to have. This will work effectively, although you will need to replace the make shift bearing after a few uses.

MORE COAL MEANS MORE SMOKE – Even though more coal does make more smoke, it works against taste. The less coal you have the more taste of flavour you will have. Also the more coal you have the faster the flavour will burn.

ADD SOME MILK TO THE BASE – In the base add only fifty percent water, and fifty percent milk. This will make your smoke a lot thicker. If you add to much milk the top part of the glass base will fill up with milk bubbles instead of smoke, and you will get liquid milk flowing down your hose.

USE A WIND COVER – If you are smoking outside ensure you use a wind cover. This will stop the wind blowing your coals. If a normal coal will burn for 30minutes, in the wind it will only last for 10minutes. With a wind cover you will get a good 20 – 30minutes.

START THE HOOKAH WITH MORE COAL – People often start the shisha with more charcoal to get it going. Then when it really starts to smoke effectively cut the amount of coal down so you don’t burn it out to fast. A good technique if using quick light coals is to start it with two pieces (on opposite sides of the head) then move one piece half on top of the other.