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The popularity of the water pipe is staggering. This is evident in the opening of new bars offering Hookah, and the number of people eager to start smoking a water pipe in the comfort of their own homes is growing every month. Beginners can be intimidated by the vastness of products, accessories and the general richness of the Hookah world. With them in mind, we offer a handful of tips with which assembling your own water pipe and lighting it will be no problem at all.
Hookah buying guide
When we think of a hookah, we most often have in front of our eyes a device consisting of a vase and an elongated metal body. This is not quite a complete picture, because a water pipe consists of a larger number of accessories necessary to prepare a session.
A Hookah consists of: a water pipe (i.e., a body with a vase), a cigarette holder, a hose and a mouthpiece, as well as any gaskets and adapters that connect them together. An important, though optional, item is the cap on the bowl, also known as the HMD system or, more commonly, the caloud. There are many other accessories that are difficult to do without, although they are not part of the Hookah. In this guide they too will be discussed.
Hookah selection for beginners
The number of water pipes available on the market can make your head spin. They come in different sizes, shapes, innovations, they even differ in the choice of accessories. To begin with, it is not worth bothering with innovative, experimental devices – they are designed for Hookah veterans who are looking for a new experience. We do not recommend beginners to buy small travel pipes: the best Hookahs to start with, on which you can learn to light up a session, are of medium size (about 45-55 cm).
There are two basic criteria for choosing a hookah. First, it should be able to withstand at least a few years of even fairly heavy use, with diligent, regular cleaning. It’s a good idea to look at what material a particular hookah is made of: aluminum is light and cheap, but stainless steel has a low susceptibility to damage and is easy to clean. The second criterion is aesthetics – such a sizable device also serves as a design element, and there is nothing worse than smoking a water pipe that we don’t like. It is difficult to give advice in this aspect, it is worthwhile to follow one’s own taste.
Water pipes are sold in two basic forms. Manufacturers from across the river Bug most often offer bodies alone without a vase, while in the rest of the world one encounters rather completed sets of a body with a vase. There are also complete sets, containing, in addition to the vase, the rest of the necessary accessories to start smoking.
Is a hookah in a set with a set of accessories a good choice? The main argument for such an investment is convenience – it is the manufacturer who takes the burden of selecting all the parts and vouches for the consistency of the entire pipe. There are many sets from reputable companies, after taking the hookah out of the box it is actually ready to use. The downside, however, is the questionable quality of some of the included accessories. Regardless, it is always a good idea to buy a bowl on your own.
A bowl to boot
Despite appearances, it is not the hookah that is the most important part of the session. The bowl is the true heart of the water pipe, where the roasting of tobacco and the generation of smoke takes place. It is the choice of the bowl that determines the quality and duration of smoking and the density of the smoke. A bad bowl will derail any satisfaction from a session at the Hookah, while a good one will allow you to squeeze the best qualities out of the tobacco.
There are several types of bowls, each adapted to a different type of tobacco. The most common is the masta, which has several, usually 5-6 holes in a relatively flat bottom. The smoke flavor is the most intense, but the disadvantage of this type of design is the dripping of molasses into the hookah. During a session, it loses some of its contents, and the inside of the pipe becomes dirty. The mastic is therefore made for products that have a carrier of flavor, such as tobacco leaves, tea, cellulose, some pebbles.
The second popular type of bowl is the phunnel – distinctive due to its single, centrally located hole, the edge of which is elevated above the bottom of the device. You don’t have to worry about dripping tobacco, and it has the big advantage of generating large amounts of smoke, but at the price of less intensity of flavor. Wet products such as any paste, jelly or some pebbles are best smoked with a phunnel.
Avid Hookah fans collect many types of bowls for every occasion, sometimes even scooping up many of them at once and replacing them during a session. It’s not worth getting used to just one bowl, it’s not a huge investment, and the opportunity to experiment with different models is endless. It is a good idea to start the adventure with bowls made of clay, as they are easy to use and generate the most intense smoke flavor – we especially recommend UPG bowls.
Is it worth buying a heat management system overlay for the bowl?
Already having a bowl, you need to think about how to heat its contents in such a way that they are not burned. Traditionally, one uses aluminum foil perforated with a toothpick, put rigidly in a couple of layers on the bowl, on which glowing coals are placed. This method, however, is being superseded by the use of heat management systems, or caps, on the bowl.
Progress is inexorable and sooner or later overlays will become the dominant form of water pipe smoking. That’s why we recommend that you start your Hookah adventure just by using a Kaloud-type overlay. It has the form of a saucepan with a removable lid, which has adjustable holes. With their help it is possible to regulate the amount of air supplied to the coals placed in the cap, and thus the smoking temperature. Controlling it is a skill that every aspiring shishamaster should acquire.
At this point, it is important to emphasize how important a bowl cap is as a tool. It not only increases the satisfaction of the session, nowadays its use is the safest way to smoke a Hookah. The tobacco does not burn as quickly as with aluminum foil, and the coals are not as susceptible to being knocked off. Although the heat management system is not necessary to prepare a session, using it dramatically improves the overall experience.
Other accessories
You don’t need to make a great effort in selecting the other mandatory accessories, namely the hose and mouthpiece. Both are usually included in the set with the water pipe, but if you need to buy them, you need to look primarily at the convenience of use. A soft-touch silicone hose and an ergonomic steel mouthpiece is a set that is completely sufficient for a satisfying session. However, it is worth mentioning the hose stiffening spring – a small detail that prevents the hose from kinking and blocking the passage.
An accessory whose purchase will make it much easier to use the Hookah is tongs for coals. Without them it is very difficult to handle the red-hot raw material, and their use can prevent mishaps. A similar function is performed by a carrier for carrying the charcoals, which allows them to be transported seamlessly from the charcoal starter to the hookah.
Speaking of charcoal starters, it’s impossible to start a session at the Hookah without heating up the coals. The old homemade methods using a gas stove are slowly becoming a thing of the past, and buying a charcoal starter is becoming a necessity for more and more users. Inexpensive electric travel stoves are fully sufficient for this purpose, although there are also more expensive, more efficient alternatives.
How to use hookah? Tips for beginners
With a set of accessories, we already have all the necessary fixed elements of a water pipe set. To start smoking, all we need now are the foodstuffs – coals and tobacco. In the rest of this guide we will prove that there are better and worse choices, as well as offer tips for using a water pipe for those who are just beginning their adventure.
What Hookah coals to buy to get started?
A good bowl, hookah and accessories are a solid foundation, but even the best equipment won’t save a session when you light weak coals. Regular water pipe smoking involves constant choice of raw materials, so it’s worth knowing a few basics before making an imprudent purchase.
Some vendors offer so-called. self-lighting coals. They are sold in foil packs of dozens and are usually shaped like a large, round cap. They are advertised as an easy way to light a Hookah, as they can even be rekindled with a lighter. We strongly discourage the use of self-lighting coals. The high sulfur content completely ruins the taste of the smoke and harms your health more than its alternatives.
By far the best are coconut coals. There are many different brands, which vary in ash content and energy output, but you don’t have to make an effort when making a choice. To start, CocoLoco Hookah coals in the form of cubes are more than enough to prepare a delicious, satisfying session.
About tobacco and more
Key to the program of the entire session at the hookah is tobacco. It is the one that has the qualities we want to enjoy while inhaling the smoke. There are many brands of tobacco, but the main criterion for selection is the grade. Golden Virginia light tobacco is mild and pleasant to smoke, with an intense flavor and aroma. For those seeking a stronger sensation and nicotine hit, dark tobacco based on the burley species is available.
But what about those who shy away from nicotine? Can’t an abstainer enjoy a hookah? On the contrary, a whole series of healthy alternatives are being created with non-smokers in mind, with which one can taste a delicious, thick smoke, not unlike that generated by tobacco. Hookah pebbles are extremely popular, taking the form of small absorbent pebbles drenched in a glycerin mixture with flavorings. Nothing prevents you from mixing nicotine-free products with tobacco – glycerin pastes for Hookah are even made for such combinations.
How to light a hookah?
Once you have all the parts of a Hookah and a selection of tobacco with coals, you can finally begin to light the water pipe and learn the art of conducting a session. So how to light a Hookah step by step? Beginners may be intimidated, but the process is not as complicated as it may seem. There are a few basic steps to follow, and over time, lighting a pipe will become second nature.
The first thing should be to heat the charcoals on the charcoal starter. At the beginning of the session, 2-3 coals will suffice, and they should be lit in their entirety until all the walls begin to be covered with a layer of ash. To do this as efficiently as possible, the coals are placed flat on the heating coil, supported by two coils of the coil. Once they are sufficiently glowing, flip the coals over to light the other side. Caution: not lighting the coals correctly can not only ruin the taste of the smoke, but can also cause chad poisoning. The charcoal starter should be placed in a well-ventilated area.
Once the coals are lit, you can proceed with assembling the hookah, starting with pouring water into the vase so that the immersion tube of the body is submerged to a distance of about 1.5 cm. Depending on the type of connection, the completed body should be pressed or screwed into the vase, the hose and bowl adapters should be placed and finally the hose should be installed. At this point it is worth checking the tightness of the construction – plugging the adapter for the bowl with your finger, try to pull yourself through the hose. If you manage to pull in air, it means that the device is leaking and needs to be reassembled and, in the worst case, even replaced.
The key to preparing a session is to fill the bowl with tobacco or a nicotine-free blend. The bowl should be filled quite loosely, without unnecessarily pounding the tobacco into a mass. There should be a small gap between the surface of the tobacco and the heat management system to prevent rapid burning. The filled bowl is put on the adapter at the top of the body, above the plate. On the bowl, in turn, a heat management system is placed, in which the coals will burn for the entire session.
When the Hookah is assembled and the coals are sufficiently heated, they should be placed inside the bowl cap in a safe manner, such as using a special carrier and tongs – two coals are completely sufficient to begin with, and the third can be temporarily put aside on a plate. The bowl will heat up on its own for about 10 minutes, do not try to take a drag during this time. When the neck of the bowl is already hot, you can very slowly draw in the air – after a dozen or so such inhalations, the tobacco will roast properly and you can start smoking. Controlling the temperature is simple, and consists in removing and inserting the coals into the open cap. For longer sessions, you should light a new set of coals after an hour of smoking.
Hookah cleaning basics
Hookah hygiene is a must if the pipe is to serve at least a few years. Hookah is susceptible to a multitude of factors that promote its deterioration. An unwashed pipe becomes ugly, rusty and unusable – probably no one wants this device, which is not cheap after all, to end up like this. The cleanliness of the device should be taken care of after each session to wash away the remaining odors and aromas.
Washing every element with warm water is a must, but the body and vase need to be worked on a bit. Some people think that it is enough to just throw the pipe into an automatic dishwasher – we categorically advise against this method. Instead of going for the easy way, it’s worth equipping yourself with a set of cleaning notches and brushes for hard-to-reach interiors. You can wash the vase with citric acid, but there are also special preparations for cleaning hookah vases, which are more effective, and equally easy to use.
Having these tips, one is now ready to start the adventure with hookah. It’s important to remember that water pipe is a long-term hobby, in which new experiences – be they unfamiliar flavors of tobacco or new types of pipes and accessories – play an important role. Each subsequent lit session is a new lesson, so don’t be discouraged when the first time is not very satisfying. An open mind and a willingness to explore is essential, and hookah will provide unforgettable experiences more than once.