HOOKAHTROOPERS

Things You'll Need:

Foil: You'll need a barrier to keep your charcoal from being in direct contact with your shisha, some smokers use a metal screen or even a Kaloud Lotus and

         such.

Bowl: This holds your shisha, while there are varying designs and types of bowls on the market, they serve the same purpose, to hold and heat                                   your tobacco evenly. Some bowls include the Eygiptian Bowl, Phunnel, Vortex, etc.

Shisha (Tobacco): This will go into the bowl. To prepare your bowl, lightly feather it in to fill roughly 90% of your bowl, this keeps the shisha out of                                                     contact with the foil and coals, preventing direct combustion, which will make your session longer lasting, as well as easing the heat

                                management.

Coals: This heats the shisha to the point of creating smoke and vapor, which in turn is cooled by the stem and base. You can get Quick Lights and Natural                 Coconut Coals. Coals can range in size from small circles to large, and small sqaures to large cubes.
 

Stem: This is the main piece of the hookah pipe, with varying dimensions, densities and designs. Don't be intimidated or discouraged by the size of the                      stem, they generally serve the same purpose and most hookahs can produce respectable smoke density and volume.
 

Base: This holds the water, as well as cooling and filtering the smoke. The general consensus is to use cold or room temperature water to fill the base.
 

Water (Optional: Ice): Water acts as a filter and cools the hot smoke, ice can also be added for an added cooling effect.
 

Hose:  The hose allows you to pull from the hookah to draw the smoke. Though technically speaking you don't need a hose, unless you prefer smoking

            straight from the pipe, a lot of people refer to this as the "Superman Hit".
 

Grommets: Bowl, Stem, Hose (Optional: Paper towel): When aiming for the perfect session, you need to minimize or eliminate air leaks. You'll need a rubber

                                                                                                 grommet for the bowl, stem, and hose to create an airtight draw. To check for air leaks, simply blow                                                                                                    into your hose and observe any smoke being visible from anywhere besides the purge valve. 
 

    Note: You can also use strips of paper towels to  create an airtight seal.

 

 

Filling the Base:
 

Filling the base with the proper level of water is crucial for the perfect session, for most Egyptian or standard size hookahs, find filling the base to submerge the stem 1.5" inches is perfect. The temperature of the water isn't of much importance, although cold or room temperature water is preferred.
 

For Enhanced Flavor: Try adding other liquids, like juices or other drinks, concentrated flavors will also work. When using liquids other than water,                 

                                       the flavor might be too strong, dilute the liquid with water to find your preference.
 

For a Cooler Session: Try adding ice cubes to your base with cold water. This significantly lowers the temperature of the water, subtly chilling the smoke       

                                       further. When adding ice cubes to your base, be sure to partially fill your base with water, as the ice cubes can damage your base if

                                       dropped harshly without some water to dampen the impact. Some stems will come with a "chiller" option, this allows you to fill the

                                       upper portion with ice.

 

 

Attaching the Stem:

Slide the grommet onto the stem and gently insert the stem into the base, once the stem is attached, push down on the stem more firmly to ensure it's connected to the base and won't leak air. Now place the tray on the rest.

 

Preparing the Bowl: To Prepare Your Bowl: Lightly feather in your shisha of choice, filling your bowl to roughly 90% capacity. Next, observe your bowl, look

                                    for stray shisha that stands higher than the rest, you can lightly press down or pick out this shisha. When you have too much tobacco in

                                    your bowl, you'll encounter problems with air-flow, or worse; burning. Keeping your bowl under it's capacity allows even for heat

                                    distribution as well as optimal air-flow. 

 

Applying Foil: To prepare the foil, tear a generous amount large enough to cover your bowl from the head to the handle, using more foil allows it to cling to

                         the bowl better, reducing the risk of an air leak or the foil tearing. Apply the foil with the dull side on the top, shiny reflects the heat of the

                         coals. Next, use the hole poker of your choice, and poke holes in a circular pattern, spaced evenly apart, with one hole in the center. For most

                         bowls I poke a pattern of 4-6 rings of holes, depending on size. 

 

 

Using a Kaloud Lotus or Metal Screen: 

-If using a Kaloud Lotus, place the base piece of the Lotus on your bowl, only after the bowl has been placed on the stem securely, after placing charcoal inside the base, attach the top piece and adjust the grip to close the vents to your liking.

 

-If using a metal screen, rest the screen on top of the bowl after securing it to the stem, typically needing only 2-3 pieces of charcoal to start due to the larger holes and thinner material. 

 

 

Attaching the Bowl: Place your grommet lightly either on the bowl or on the stem, then firmly fix the bowl the stem.

 

Checking for Air Leaks: Air leaks inhibit your hookah from hitting optimally, to check for leaks, try twisting your bowl to make sure it's firmly attached to your

                                          stem, if it rotates it's a sign that it will leak air. If you've already started your session, air leaks can be felt if the pull seems too 'air-y'

                                          or there is visible smoke from where the bowl is attached to the stem. If your Grommet doesn't fit perfectly: Paper towels                                                               or napkins work well in a pinch, tear off a rectangular strip and wrap it in layers around the stem, then while holding the strip,                                                       reattach your bowl.

 

 

Beginning Your Session: Place four coals in a plus sign formation, or three coals in a triangular formation, you are now ready to start!

 

Quickly 'Starting' your Hookah: Firstly, if your hose has a removable tip, remove it, this allows for the most air flow. Next, prepare

                                                        yourself by breathing deeply, the next step involves repeatedly inhaling for long pulls, you may experience discomfort or

                                                        nausea if you attempt to start your hookah without taking a few deep breaths. Now begin taking long pulls, fully exhale

                                                        before you move on to the next pull, take breaths in between pulls if necessary, I find 3 to 6 long pulls starts my sessions

                                                        well. If you experience difficulty starting your session, flipping your charcoal or rotating their placement may help ease

                                                        starting your hookah.

 

Slowly 'Starting' your Hookah: This method is to let your shisha heat up over time, sparing you the effort of trying to quickly start your session. Simply

                                                      smoke as you would usually, you can optionally let the charcoal 'sit' for up to 5 minutes. As the shisha warms to the proper

                                                      temperature, you'll notice the volume and density of the smoke develop over time.

 

When the Smoke is Harsh: When the smoke is harsh, softly blow into the hose to purge the stale smoke from the base, this may take multiple attempts.

                                                 Additionally, you can remove the bowl from the stem and blow into it, this clears some of the built up heat from the shisha. If

                                                 you choose to 'blow out' the bowl, lightly shake the bowl to agitate the shisha, this should mix the bowl to let fresher shisha be

                                                 heated by the charcoal.

 

 

Last but not Least...

Enjoy!