06
Jul

The centuries-old hookah smoking experience and design is reengineered with modern technologies and passed through the prism of a modern ideas of ​​innovative design. The methodologies for proper preparation and of a hookah however have been perfected over these centuries and continue to be prevalent today. Let us dive into sharing our experience with you!

If all this time you have been only an outside observer of how hookah preparation is conducted, and now you have decided to learn how to pack one for yourself, then it will not be vital that to arm yourself with the proper knowledge. This article will explore in detail how to prepare a hookah correctly. 

With a properly prepared hookah, the fatigue accumulated during the day will recede, and the rich fragrant smoke will invigorate your senses. Try to set up a hookah using our instructions, and your room will be filled with a magical aroma and amazing atmosphere!

How to pack a hookah – the first few steps

In order to get puffs of delicious smoke, just purchasing a good smoking unit is not enough. Smoking a hookah is a complex process and the end result of the entire session depends entirely on how you set up your device. Take note that if you do not pay attention to the correct filling of the hookah, or add too much or too little water, the smoking process will be a disappointment leaving you with a spoiled taste.

So, let’s start with the basic elemental essentials that you will require. Opinions may vary on this, but here are some tried and true items that will make the device work more efficiently.

Firstly, you will need the hookah itself which should already include the hookah bowl, a shaft and a hose and a saucer. In addition, you will require a bowl and ideally, a stratus. All parts of the structure must be made of high-quality materials, be reliable and have a tight seal. A hookah can use one or more hoses, it all depends on the design of the device that you prefer.

Another mandatory attribute is foil, or a stratus, onto or into which hot coals are placed. With the use of a stratus, coal will keep the heat much longer, and tobacco will not burn, so you can enjoy hookah much longer.

Next, hookah charcoal. The best natural product today is considered to be coconut or hookah charcoal. It does not emit harmful substances during ignition and does not affect the taste and aroma of tobacco.

To facilitate preparation for the process and directly ignite the coal, it will be useful to get charcoal tongs, a basket for carrying it and a stove for ignition. These accessories will increase the safety of the process and help you save your nerves.

Tobacco.It is important to choose high-quality tobacco with the required percentage of moisture, that is ready for use. The taste qualities of dry tobacco are sharply reduced, and the amount of smoke that could be produced by the device itself is too.

And now let’s take it one step at a time:

• The first step is to prepare the device itself. Place the hookah on a flat surface. All parts of the hookah must be clean. Ensure and the tightness of all connections at this time;
• Pour a liquid – water, juice or alcohol, into the flask. Shishabucks devices make this step simple. Just pour until the water reaches the horizontal line underneath the logo. the water level is too high, the amount of smoke will be significantly decreased and the result will be much less satisfactory;
• Now pack your tobacco bowl with tobacco of your choice and carefully move the bowl and place it on your device. Do not lay tobacco too tightly, loosen it a little;
• If you chose to use foil, wrap the bowl tightly with it in two layers and make small and neat holes in it with a distance of 5 mm each. For optimal use and convenience however, we would strongly recommend obtaining a stratus. This will greatly speed up and facilitate the clogging process;
• Next, use your tongs and place the hookah charcoal on a stove for ignition or set it alight with the help of a turbo lighter. Once the charcoal cubes red-hot, place them on the foil or into the stratus. And that’s it! There you have it; the hookah is ready for you to sit back and enjoy!

Keep reading and you will share many more secrets about how to make the most delicious hookah and choose the right ingredients for this process!

How to choose quality hookah charcoal

Experienced smoking connoisseurs know how important it is to use high-quality coal in the process of preparing a hookah for a smoking session. Since the duration of smoking, the disclosure of tobacco aroma and the taste of smoke depends directly on this element. With the right choice of coal, your smoking session will be unforgettable.

The main function of hookah charcoal is the good heating of the tobacco mixture. Therefore, in order to buy good quality hookah coal, you need to study its varieties, as well as familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of each type separately.

There are two main types of coal: natural and artificial. Artificial coals are self-igniting coal. It is imbedded with a special chemical composition, as a result of which it lights up very quickly. Coconut, hazelnut, walnut shells, as well as lemon wood, olive wood, grapevine, fruit and olive pits are used for the manufacture of natural charcoal. The most popular by far however is ultimately coconut charcoal. For example, John Coconut Coals are a great, time-tested option. They produce a good amount of heat and leave behind little ash. During their combustion, the cubes smolder evenly and do not emit harmful substances. Charcoal for hookahs generally is supplied in the form of tablets, cubes or pucks.

A good hookah charcoal will produce a lot of smoke, which means you will get more pleasure from smoking. Accordingly, it is necessary to choose such coals that will contribute to this. The best options have the following characteristics: a long smoldering period, a high combustion temperature, a minimum amount of ash and no effect on the taste of tobacco. But it is very important to kindle coal according to all the rules. To do this, you will need an electrical stove intended for heating the charcoal, tongs and the charcoal itself.

Hookah with or without foil

Hookah foil is used to envelope the hookah bowl . It is placed above the tobacco, hugging the bowl, and directly under the hot coals, which are placed on the bowl. Foil prevents tobacco from burning and extends its smoldering time. Please note that there is food foil and special foil designed specifically for hookahs. When packing your bowl, it is best to buy hookah foil and leave the food foil to your culinary masterpieces.

Although foil is kind of old school, it has its advantages. So cut or rolled foil is suitable for absolutely any bowl, regardless of its size and shape.

Another indisputable advantage of foil is the rationality of its use. After all, it does not require cleaning, as it is simply thrown away after use. As a result, time is saved. Similarly, the cost of this consumable is less than the cost of progressive hookah accessories. That is why foil still remains popular. The choice of filling a hookah with foil or filling a hookah without foil depends solely on your personal preferences. We only have the right to advise and help you with the choice, because on our virtual shelves there is everything: foil, stratuses, and other consumables for making hookah.

How to fill a bowl for a hookah

All the details of a hookah are important, but all the magic starts in the bowl! Since the taste and duration of the smoking session largely depends on how well the bowl is packed. Hookah bowls differ in design and material of manufacture, as well as in size and visual appeal. The most common materials for making bowls are clay, silicone, ceramics and glass. As for the design features. Hookah bowls are divided into internal and external, depending on how they are attached to the hookah shaft.

Ceramic bowl hookah, silicone bowl hookah, aluminium and clay bowl hookah are considered the most popular. Such bowls absorb odor less, retain heat well and warm up evenly. 

• To begin, the tobacco mixture is crushed, after which it should be mixed a little in order to loosen the tobacco;
• Next, go directly to the filling of the bowl. Ensure that the packing is quite light, since air must circulate between tobacco elements;
• If you using a stratus, then remember that there should be a little space between it and the tobacco mixture. This will prevent the tobacco from burning, sticking to the bottom of the stratus and make the smoking (and cleaning) process much more comfortable.

The most delicious bowl option is considered to be a fruit bowl! And the fruit bowl is not just a decoration! For its preparation, as a rule, apples, oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, melons, coconuts and other fruits are used. Thanks to such a bowl, the tobacco mixture acquires an unusual aroma and flavor. A stylish and interesting appearance creates a great mood during a smoking session.

How to fill a hookah with a stratus

The development of a stratus has greatly improved and simplified the preparation of a hookah for smoking.

Setting up a hookah with stratus is extremely simple, but you still need to have certain skills and follow a certain sequence. Here is how it is done:

1. First you need to prepare all the components necessary for an effective smoky process: hookah, tobacco, coals and a stratus of your choice;
2. Place the tobacco on the surface of the bowl so that it does not come into contact with the bottom of the stratus;
3. Do not pack tobacco tightly! With proper packing, the tobacco mixture will not burn, and the smoke will not be bitter;
4. Next, heat up the required amount of hookah coals and place them inside the stratus (as a rule, these are 2-3 standard cubes);
5. Then place the stratus on a bowl filled with tobacco, close it. and let the hookah brew for a few minutes. All is ready! You can start smoking hookah;
6. After that, you will only need to control the heat from time to time and enjoy smoking.

The heat is regulated using a special system of holes in the sides of the stratus. And the holes are adjusted (either left closed or opened) using a handle made of heat-resistant silicone.

Please note that the bowl under the stratus and the stratus itself should be approximately the same size (and the bulges on the bottom of the stratus should be strictly inside the bowl). Therefore, when choosing a stratus, be sure to consider its diameter. You will not have the consider this factor however if you are purchasing a Shishabucks bowl and stratus given that any bowl you chose will be compatible with any stratus.

Tobacco for hookah – which smokes better?

In order to get the maximum pleasure from your smoking session, it is important to have not only a high-quality smoking device, but also to choose good tobacco. Only with this combination can feel the whole palette of taste and aroma of the hookah.

Today manufacturers offer an enormous array of tobacco blends for hookahs, which differ in taste and composition. Also, they offer tobacco if different strengths, dependant on the amount of nicotine in it and. Accordingly, the tobacco you chose will directly affect the effect of hookah smoking.

The most popular flavors of hookah tobacco today are vanilla, apple, melon, orange, strawberry, mint and lemon. Each of these can have their own intensity and unique taste dependant on the manufacturer. In addition to traditional fruit and mint flavored tobaccos, even carbonated or alcohol-flavored tobaccos have recently emerged. Pina Colada, Margarita and Cola are just a few of the flavored tobaccos that can be found today.

Often experienced smokers combine different flavors to create more exotic blends. And as the popularity of hookah smoking grows, the range of tobacco flavors is only expanding.

To each their own as they say when it comes to taste and preference! As such, in order to understand what are the best hookah tobacco flavors and which tobacco smokes better, you need to try all the options that appeal to you and your palette.

Of course, be sure to choose only high-quality tobacco products, the manufacturers of which have gained their authority and popularity. High-quality tobacco should be sticky and have a dense texture, and the packaging should be airtight. When buying, also pay attention to the expiration date, as expired tobacco may be dry and have a foreign taste.

In summary

You can create a delicious hookah not only in some trendy lounge bar, but also within the walls and comfort of your own home, with a noisy group of friends or in splendid isolation. The recipe for a delicious hookah is simple, you just have to follow some of our recommendations for its preparation. So, here is a synopsis of some tips on how to make a delicious hookah:

• To begin with, we recommend that you buy a high-quality device. After all, a good hookah is the key to excellent smoking;
• Another extremely important detail of the process is the tobacco. It should be fresh, moist and tasty, and its producer should have a well-established reputation – or at least reviews;
• It’s easy to score a delicious hookah. Tobacco must first be fluffed and packed loosely so that there is free space up to the top of the bowl. The more this space is, the longer the hookah will smoke;
• Do not rush to light the unit, let the tobacco warm up well, then start taking slow, unhurried puffs;
• Using a stratus will allow you to control the temperature at which you smoke. It will significantly speed up the process of preparing a hookah, eliminate the burning of tobacco and make the smoke softer and more pleasant to the taste;
• Choose only high-quality natural coal. For example, coconut or walnut. Such charcoal for hookah has no foreign taste, does not taste bitter and smolders for a longer time;
• The amount of liquid in the flask is a key point in hookah smoking. Ice can be added to the flask in order to cool the smoke as much as possible;
• If the device has more than one hose, then be sure to make sure that you are not pulling smoke at the same time as someone else. Two people smoking hookah at the same time can burn the coals too hot, resulting in a bitter and unpleasant taste. Tobacco will burn much faster, and the duration of the session will be significantly reduced;
• Let the tobacco “recover” and cool down a bit, do not rush and give the tobacco a chance to warm up better and not burn as quickly;
• Periodically do short purges of the hookah through the hose. This simple action cools tobacco, removes trapped ash and controls heat;
• Keep an eye on the hygiene of your smoking unit, clean it thoroughly after use following the aftercare instructions.

These simple recommendations will make the hookah smoking process better and tastier! By following them, you will be rewarded with smoke of excellent quality! We wish you a pleasant smoking experience! Don’t forget to share your smoking sessions with us!