Final Preparation

Place the hose grommet in the hole then attach the hose to the pipe. The hookah is now ready to smoke - we advise sucking gently to start with so the tobacco or molasses heats gently, sucking too hard will result in the top molasses burning which will taint the rest of if with a charred taste. Long gentle draws will help the heat pass through the tobacco. Don’t forget to take in some normal air every now and then to make smoking enjoyable, too much of anything can be sickly. For best effect we recommend smoking with friends, after all the best ingredient to any gathering is good friends.

Further tips

Foil and Air Holes

Every 10-15 minutes use the toothpick to poke the holes again, these will become blocked when the molasses starts to cook, blocked holes will give you a horrible burnt tastes and make you choke. This is probably the most common reason a smoking session starts to go wrong.

Heat transfer to your pipe

Some hookah may keep hold heat passed from the charcoal and in tern heat the smoke passing through. If you find your smoke is no longer cool and even warm try the following. After a couple of long smokes (1 1/2 hours) you can run the whole metal part of the pipe under a cold shower or tap to make it cold. A really cold pipe makes for a very good cool smoke, a warm pipe will produce warm smoke which isn’t anywhere near as nice. Ice or ice water in the base makes for a very cool smoke. None Tobacco Molasses - If you're new to hookah shisha, try herbal molasses first as they're easier to get a quick result from. Its also a good appetiser before you move onto the tobacco based molasses. Herbal molasses burns out quicker so use less charcoal to start with. Mixing 10g tobacco molasses with a 50g pack of soex gives a great smoke and helps prevent it burning. None tobacco brands : Soex and High Life Herbal Tobacco Based Molasses - Generally have a shredded appearance. Use a medium sized piece of charcoal with thick foil or 2 thin sheets of foil. Tobacco Brands : Nakhla, Afzal, Al Fakher, Al Masa, El Henawi Leafy tobacco brands like nakhla tend to be stronger tobacco Gungy Tobacco Basesd Molasses like Afzal and Al falher tend to be smoother and milder - These look pureed. They can take longer to get going but often give a much better smoke. You may need to use a big piece of charcoal or 2 pieces to get the molasses going, once its going you can take 1 piece off once its smoking ok.

Storing your shisha molasses

Often the juice in the tobacco based molasses can sink to the bottom, give it a good mix before you take any out to put in the clay bowl. That way your not using dry tobacco from the top of the pack. When you open a large pack of tobacco we recommend putting it in an air tight container to prevent it drying out, the container will also make it easier when you mix it. An old glass jam jar is recommended over plastic tuppa ware.

Charcoal

Quick Light - Light the charcoal and wait about 1 minute after it has stopped sparkling before placing it on the foil. If you place the charcoal on too early you’ll be smoking the charcoal fumes before you get any flavour, wait until it has stopped sparkling or smoking. Natural Charcoal - Natural charcoal is preferred by experienced shisha smokers as it does not contains chemicals which may taint the flavour of the smoke. Natural charcoal takes longer to light but its worth the wait. You can light it on your cooker or using a torch lighter. Wait until it is glowing before placing it on the charcoal.

Dehydration

Drink plenty of water when your smoking as the smoke will make your mouth dry. Mild tea made with fresh mint leaves is a favourite in the Arab world. Smoking continuously usually results in not being able to taste the flavour after a few minutes. Drinking mild tea, coffee or water with a smoke means after each sip of your chosen drink the flavour of the smoke is back again. If you find yourself feeling tired the following day it will most certainly be down to not drinking enough when smoking for several hours, sometimes referred to as a "hookah hangover" .

enjoy the Shisha with frends