Alright so its been a while since I last posted, I'm smoking some Nakhla sweet melon mixed with some Starbuzz berry type mix. I wanted to share with you the best way of setting up hookah in my opinion.
1. Base/Vase. First thing you want to do is obviously fill the base with water so that the stem is submerged about 1 inch. You could put some ice in it too just be aware that its going to raise your water level and give a stronger pull which is not what you want.
2. Hose. So a main thing that can alter your hookah smoking experience in a big way is the hose you use. There's a lot of good ones that are similar. What I'm talking about are hoses like nammor, narbish, and razan. The Khalil Mamoon hose will do the job as well. basically you want a thicker hose and preferably washable. You can also stick your hose in the freezer while your setting it up.
3. Bowl. The best bowls I've found are the classic clay Egyptian bowls. These are the ones that come with any Egyptian hookah you buy such as a Khalil Mamoon. Mod bowls get too hot, I've tried a funnel bowl but I couldn't get good air flow. Vortex I haven't tried just because I'm skeptical and the Egyptian bowl does the trick fine, so why fix something that isn't broken. If you're trying to smoke overly juicy tobaccos or tobacco such as Tangiers you're going to want to use a vortex or funnel bowl. You just have to master the way to set it up.
4. Tobacco. Pick a good tobacco with the flavor of your choice. See my recommendations if you need help. If you don't know what to buy you can look at my list of what brands I recommend For the most part you wont go too wrong with mainstream brands like Starbuzz or Al Fakher. Some brands you want to stay clear of because they're complete garbage.
5. Foil. The best way to set up the foil, I've found, is to use one sheet of heavy duty aluminum and poke a ton of holes with a pin. If you don't have these materials you can double foil a cheaper aluminum foil and if you don't have a pin you can use a toothpick. The smaller the holes the better.
6. Coal. The best coal to use are the natural coconut husk coals such as Cocnara, Chronic Coals, Gaia, or similar. If you don't have these you can use another natural coal but they wont last as long as the coconut. I don't recommend using flint coal or instant light coals, they're full of chemicals and alter the taste of smoke.
And that's basically it, just experiment with the technique until you master it to your preference. Use good products and you'll get better quality smoke.
