You don't need to be a professional hookah-master to make a great hookah at home yourself. It is enough to have a good device, fresh quality shisha tobacco and at least the slightest idea about the score. We suggest to read additional recommendations that will improve the hookah, make it fragrant, smoky, and keep the taste as long as possible.
The right choice of shisha tobacco and how to score it
The first recommendation is to choose the right shisha tobacco. It should be fresh and moist. The packaging should be airtight. It is desirable to take proven brands that you know or at least have heard of. Do not take strong tobaccos at once, not everyone will like them. Try a light shisha tobacco, which can be bought at any hookah store. Try Adalya, Serbetli, Al Fakher, Fumari, Starbuzz. From there, you can experiment.
After opening the package, pour it into an airtight container. You can use glass jars with a tight lid, plastic lockable containers, bags for packing with a lock, and so on. It is important that the shisha tobacco not dry out, not lying in the open air, under the rays of the sun. Then it will not lose its properties. Correct packing is the key to success. This is where the second recommendation is needed - eliminate the twigs that give the smoke a stiffness. They are found in many shisha tobaccos, if you don't want the shisha tobacco to be heavier, remove them. Next, take a small amount of product, fluff it up. Squeeze the syrup is not necessary, otherwise the taste will quickly disappear. Put the shisha tobacco in a hookah bowl, so that it does not touch the foil or hookah heat management device. You can make a small ring in the center so that the draw is easier and the shisha tobacco warms evenly.
Proper hookah preparation
In order to get a delicious hookah, it is necessary to properly prepare the device. To do this, you should thoroughly wash it, even if it is new, or has already been washed after the previous smoking. Allow the parts to dry, then - fill the hookah base with water and assemble the hookah. Next, you should improve it to make it taste better. First, it is recommended to add ice to the water. It is enough to add 7-15 cubes. Then the smoke will become more pleasant and cooler. If you want the taste to be milder (for example, the shisha tobacco is aggressive, too cloying or tastes with a bitterness), pour milk into the hookah base. It should be 150-200 mm, as a rule, the proportion is 1:4.
If the hookah is prepared only with water, we recommend adding some fruit to the hookah base. You can use berries, slices of lemon or orange, apple. It will improve the appearance of hookah, as well as a favorable effect on the taste. First, it interrupts the smell of water, especially if it is from the tap. Secondly, let it infuse for 15-20 minutes before smoking, and you will feel the notes of fruit in the taste. Another way to increase the flavor of your hookah is to put the mouthpiece in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before smoking. The smoke will become cool and light. Ideally, if there is a second hose that will lie in the refrigerator. Swap them every 20-30 minutes, and the smoke will always be pleasantly cool. You can use special tube coolers.
Proper handling of hookah coals
First of all, it is necessary to choose only high-quality charcoal. The best choice for hookah is coconut charcoal. It is made from natural components, has no extraneous flavor, no bitterness. But even among coconut charcoal can be low-quality brands. So look at the pressing. The cubes should be more or less even and similar to each other, pellets small.
The charcoal should be well heated, it must be of good quality on all sides. Otherwise, carbon monoxide will be released, causing a headache. For a delicious hookah, do not rush to smoke it as soon as you put the charcoal. Otherwise, the top layer of shisha tobacco will burn quickly and the flavor will become less noticeable. Allow the tobacco to warm up for 5-10 minutes. The more syrup it has, the longer it needs to warm up. But after 7-10 minutes, you can already start trying to stretch the smoke. Another important tip to improve the taste of the hookah: as soon as you notice that the coals have decreased, the smoke is less, immediately replace the charcoal. In establishments, the hookah guy doesn't just come up to you while you are smoking and change the coals. This way the smoke stays longer, as well as the taste. Ideally, stir the tobacco when you change the charcoal. If you have a heat management device, it's very easy to do.
Proper smoking is the key to good taste
Even if hookah preparation is done correctly, it is often possible to ruin the taste by smoking it incorrectly. Observance of elementary recommendations allows you to make a better and tastier hookah. First of all, warm the shisha tobacco, as mentioned earlier. During smoking, the taste is often lost if the company is large. Why? The shisha tobacco does not have time to recover from the draws and burns. Don't rush to draw a thick smoke. Did you do 3-5 draws? Wait 15-60 seconds, let the shisha tobacco cool down a bit.
The thing is, when we draw smoke, the heat from the coals goes through the shisha tobacco. In a large company, you've done three draws and rest, passing the pipe on. You have time to recover before the pipe passes a few more people. But the shisha tobacco doesn't rest, because the next person after you immediately draws the smoke. Avoiding this is simple: take 3-4 pulls and don't rush to pass the pipe. Wait at least 30-40 seconds and only then pass it. Let others do the same, then the shisha tobacco will be opened gradually and will not burn. Periodically blow the hookah through the hose. To do this, you need to blow into the pipe a couple of times. Do it briefly. This action cools the shisha tobacco, removes trapped ash and controls the heat.
10 tips for making a delicious hookah: summary
So, we have broken down the most important recommendations. There are a little more than 10 of them, but you can highlight all of them as a list:
- Choose fresh, moist shisha tobacco from well-known manufacturers. Preferably take familiar flavors, or experiment with mixes.
- Eliminate debris and various twigs, and hammer the tobacco properly. Fluff it up, the syrup is removed only when really necessary.
- Refill and store shisha tobacco in an airtight container, otherwise it will lose its properties.
- Carefully monitor the hygiene of the hookah, often because of this the taste of the smoke suffers.
- Add ice, fruit and other additives to the water. You can use milk to make the smoke softer, drinks, juices. You can also try to add alcohol, but do it carefully, the taste can not only improve, but also spoil.
- Cool the pipe before smoking. Ideally, if there will be several hoses that can be changed. You can also use a hose with coolers.
- Choose good quality coconut charcoal and heat it well so that there are no black spots.
- Don't rush to smoke, let the shisha tobacco warm up well, then gradually start pulling smoke.
- As soon as the flavor starts to weaken and the smoke becomes less, add more coals. If possible, stir the shisha tobacco as you change coals, then the flavor will come alive.
- Don't rush to pull, let the shisha tobacco rest periodically. It has to cool down, otherwise it will quickly lose flavor and go rancid. After 3-4 draws take a break for 30-40 seconds, only then pass the pipe. If everyone does this, the smoke will retain its richness and flavor. Periodically blow the hookah from the inside to eliminate the ash and cool the shisha tobacco a little.
These recommendations will help you make a delicious hookah at home. The taste is also influenced by the quality of the device. It is necessary to use a quality modern hookah with a light pleasant draught. Then the enjoyment will be even better. It is easy to buy a great modern hookah in the online store iconhookah.com. Choose a model and make an order. Call us and we will help you find an individual hookah.