Let's imagine that you have already purchased a hookah you like and are going to try it out for the first time. So, how to assemble and set up a hookah?
How to assemble a hookah?
- Set up the hookah base and fill it with clean water. The amount of water should be such that the bottom end of the base is submerged by 2-3 cm.
- Place the shaft of the hookah on top of the base. Depending on the design the shaft can be simply put on the base (rubber seals provide sealing), or screwed on (if the connection is threaded).
- Firmly and hermetically connect to the shaft the hose, and to the hose - the mouthpiece.
- Put the so called tray or plate (if such a part is available) on top of the shaft. The hookah tray is designed to protect the surface on which the hookah stands, from falling out of the bowl of sparks and ash. Tightness of fastening the tray is not very important, but, of course, it should not hang around.
- Right above the tray we place the bowl. The bowl is also put on top of the shaft, and here it should sit very tightly - because it is in the process of combustion and smoke formation. Do it with light pressure, but do not overdo it, because if the bowl is clay, it may break.
How to prepare a hookah for smoking?
So, the hookah is assembled and ready for the first test. "Launching" the hookah also consists of several successive stages.
- The choice of shisha tobacco. If you are a beginner and don't know what to choose, start with the traditional "double apple" flavor from Al Fakher. More experienced gourmets can make their own mixes from different varieties of tobacco and other ingredients, combining different flavors in different proportions.
- Puffing - that is, placing hookah tobacco in the hookah bowl. The tobacco should be placed evenly and not too densely.
- Placing the heat management device (HMD). To prevent the red-hot coals from coming into contact with the tobacco, the bowl is covered with a separating device. It can be a foil, which is stretched tightly over the bowl. After that, a number of even holes are made in the foil, which provide the passage of heat from the coals to the tobacco. It is also possible to use a special device of factory-made - kaloud - with already prepared holes. Unlike foil, which after a smoking session comes into disrepair, kaloud can be used repeatedly. The distance between the HMD and the tobacco should be at least one millimeter, otherwise the tobacco will begin to smolder.
- Ignition of coals. Kindling of coals is done outside of the hookah - on some source of flame or an electric spiral stove.
- Arrangement of coals. When the coals are hot enough, they are carried and placed on a HMD. To protect the coals from the wind and provide better heating of the tobacco, the bowl can be covered with a special hookah wind cover.
Hookah smoking
- First puff.
Once the tobacco has warmed up, you can take your first puff. The puffs should be even and deep. Otherwise, the tobacco may burn and the smoke will become bitter.
- Maintaining the heat.
During the whole smoking process coals can be moved around periodically (to keep the heat even) and new ones inserted.
- Blowing.
If you think that the smoke in the base became stale and bitter, you can take a break to blow the water pipe. To do this, most models of hookahs have a special blowing valve. When you blow into the mouthpiece, the valve will open and let out the "old" smoke.
- Cleaning the hookah.
After you finish smoking, it is advisable to disassemble the hookah, pour out the water, and clean the shaft, bowl and base.
So, in general terms, now you understand how to assemble and prepare the hookah. And how the whole process of hookah smoking looks like.