How to Prepare a Hookah

Following is the instruction on how to prepare a hookah along with tips on how to get the best out of your hookah.

Before you start the following steps, wash your hookah thoroughly. This gets the old tobacco smell and dirt (and coal ashes) out. Don't ever use the old water in the vase.

Fill the vase with water
Place the middle section in place
Place the tray on the argile.
Put the hose on the hookah
Pack the bowl with tobacco
Place the aluminum foil on top of the bowl
Put holes in the aluminum foil
Light coals and put them on the hookah head
Smoke the hookah
Hookah Heat Management

Hookah Hardware

Starting from the beginning, what makes up a hookah? Well all hookahs consist of a base, a stem, a tray, a bowl and at least one hose. Hookahs typically vary in size from around 19” to as tall as over 6'. They can also range in type from the modern hookahs, featuring cool and interesting add ons like self sealing hose ports (for multiple hose hookahs) and screw in components (for better seals), to the more traditional hookahs.

There are also components of a hookah that are consumed components. These components consist of the tobacco itself, the foil and the coals.

1- Fill the vase with water

Fill the vase with water.

Make sure you leave enough room in the vase for smoke.
A good rule is to have just enough water in the base so that the end of the stem is submerged in the water about an inch and a half to two inches
Put ice in the vase. You can fill 1/3 of the vase with ice. This makes the hookah smoke much cooler. You still have to fill the vase with water to the above mentioned level. Remember water's volume increases as ice melts.
Some people also put the glass vase in the freezer to cool down for a short time (10 to 15 minutes).

2- Place the Middle Section (Stem) in Place

Most hookahs come with a plastic seal that goes in between the vase and the metal argile to keep it from losing smoke or getting unwanted air in.

3- Place the tray on the argile.

The tray is used to put extra coals on, hold coals in case they fall, and put the hookah tong.

4- Put The Hose on The Hookah

Some of hookahs have more than one hose. If yours does, either put them all on the hookah, or seal the ones that you are not using with a plastic seal (it usually comes with the Hookah if it is a multi-hose one). (Also when not smoking, always keep your fingers at the end of the hose. This keeps the hose air-tight and allows a better smoke for those who are smoking to hookah.
Most of the hoses have a plastic part that goes between hookah's argile and the hose itself. Make sure you put that tight in its place. This is to keep the end of the hose air tight.

5- Pack The Bowl With Tobacco

This is the most important step. Follow these tips:

First, you should mix your shisha thoroughly. You want each and every bit of the tobacco going into the bowl to be evenly coated in flavoring.
keep in mind how tightly you pack the bowl. Too tight and the air can't get through the tobacco and you won't get enough smoke. Too loose and too much heat enters the bowl and the shisha burns, causing a harsh, disgusting flavor.
When you put the tobacco in the bowl don't just push it in. Sprinkle the tobacco in small amounts. This is so that there is air between the tobacco pieces and heat (from the coal) can travel through the whole tobacco well. This allows the tobacco to burn evenly in all section.
In general, while packing the bowl, you want to maintain at least 2 millimeters of distance between the top of the shisha and the bottom of the foil.

6- Place Aluminum Foil on the Bowl

Cut the aluminum foil in a square shape about 2 inches larger than the bowl's diameter.
Put the shiny part of the aluminum foil down (for health reasons).
Make sure the seal is tight and the surface is smooth.
Choose the thickness of the foil wisely based on the type of coal you are using. If you are using a large and fast burning coal get medium thickness foil. I personally rarely use thick foils for any of my hookahs.

7- Punch Holes in the Aluminum Foil

The location and size of the holes you punch in the foil has direct effect on the smoke, so make sure you do it right.
Use an object with a sharp tip such as pin, sharp tip pen.
Holes that are seated directly underneath the coal will pull heat into the bowl. Holes that are situated further away from the coal will pull air into the bowl, making the smoke thinner.
There are different hole patterns that you can use. Here are two of them:
1. Start with a small hole in the center and make circles around. it. For a typical bowl, three circles of holes are enough.
2. Poke two sets of holes, on opposite sides of the bowl. Make sure that these holes are far enough apart that the majority of them will be underneath the coal, but a few of them will be away from the coal, drawing fresh air in to make sure the bowl doesn't overheat.
If you want larger amount of smoke in the beginning, you can put one or two deep larger holes toward the sides of the bowl such that the hole goes through the tobacco. This will let oxygen travel through the tobacco better and help it burn more.
The more holes you put doesn't necessarily mean more smoke. You have to strike a balance between the holes, coal, and type of tobacco to get the opimal amount and thickness of smoke.
If you put too many holes, the tobacco will burn faster and you'll get a burned smell. If you put too few holes, the tobacco won't burn as good.

8- Light Coals & put Them on the Hookah Bowl

Many people seem to ignore this part of the setup process, but it too is just as important. So here's how to light the coals if you're using either quicklights or naturals.

For quicklight coals users: typically you'll be lighting this coal with a lighter. Start by using the tongs to hold the coal, preferably somewhere far away from the circle proper. If you're indoors, stand near a window or go outside. Light the coal with your lighter of choice by holding the flame to one corner of the coal. Wait for the coal to stop sparkling and emitting smoke. Now look over the coal. The entire coal should be glowing orange. If it isn't, blow on the coal until the still blackened parts have all turned orange.

Once this is complete, set the coal down on the foil and check again. On either side of the coal (where your tongs were), the coal should still be unlit. Blow on the coal until these portions are also lit. NEVER light the coal on top of the bowl. This will cause accelerant particles to get into the bowl and change the flavor of the tobacco.

For those of you using natural coals (either compressed coconut or natural wood) light your coals on the stove until they are completely orange. Flip them on the range as necessary to ensure that the entire coal is glowing orange all the way around. Blow as necessary to ensure the coal lights properly.

9- Smoke the hookah

In the beginning the hookah needs a little time to start smoking. The best way to start the get couple big hits in the beginning to get the tobacco burning and the hookah ready.

10- Hookah Heat Management

Read our complete article on Hookah Heat Management.

If you still want more articles to read, go to how to get more hookah smoke.