Whether you're new to smoking hookah or are a seasoned veteran of this ancient tradition, creating the perfect hookah setup at home is much different than simply visiting your favorite hookah lounge. Having a proper hookah set, the right hookah pieces and knowing how to assemble a hookah ensures you can get a total level of enjoyment when smoking at home.
This article will cover how to set up a hookah at home for a fantastic smoking experience every time. We'll go over what hookah pieces you need and step-by-step instructions for assembling a quality hookah setup for thick, rich and delicious smoke.
The Essential Hookah Pieces You'll Need
Before you can perfect your hookah setup, you'll need to ensure you have every piece required. A hookah is like a well-oiled machine; it can't work if one part is missing or not up to par. To set up a hookah, you'll need the following:
- A Hookah Stem: The stem is the top half of your hookah setup. It's what the smoke will travel down through to reach the bottom half of your hookah.
- A Hookah Vase: Your vase is the bottom section of a hookah set. A hookah vase can be plastic, metal or glass – but glass usually provides the highest quality hits and lets the flavor shine through.
- A Bowl or Head: The bowl will rest on top of your hookah stem, usually made from clay, ceramic or glass. For a perfect hookah setup, you'll want to use a head made from a thick material to retain heat longer.
- An Ash Catcher: The ash catcher (or ashtray) rests just under the bowl to catch the ash from the charcoal. You can also place used charcoals on top of the plate if you want to take a break or use them again later.
- A Hose & Optional Mouth Tip: The hose will connect to the vase of your hookah setup. It is typically long enough to ensure you can sit back and relax far from your hookah and inhale the flavors. You can choose to add many mouth tips to your hose if you're going to be sharing your hookah with multiple people.
- Hookah Coal: Hookah coals are used to light your tobacco to smoke correctly. Rather than using a lighter, you heat coals to high temperatures and place them on foil to ignite your hookah tobacco.
- A Pair of Hookah Tongs: Hookah tongs are essential for a perfect hookah setup. You'll need to place your hot coals on top of the foil of your bowl, and a great pair of tongs ensures you won't burn yourself or any other object you may try to use.
- Shisha: Of course, hookah tobacco, also known as shisha, is essential for setting up a hookah. Shisha is syrupy tobacco that has been indued with flavor to give you the delicious smoke.
How to Assemble a Hookah for Proper Smoking
Hookah preparation is quite simple, but you'll first want to ensure all your hookah pieces work together in harmony for the best results. You can learn how to set up a hookah in just ten easy steps.
1. Clean Your Hookah Setup
To begin your hookah preparation, you will first need to clean your hookah to keep the taste of your shisha pure for every use. Shisha is heavily flavored, so keeping the old shisha taste inside your hookah can intermingle flavors. You can clean it with a soft brush and some warm water – never use dish soap. Regular cleaning not only keeps your shisha tasting better, but it will also prolong the life of your hookah.
2. Use Room Temperature or Slightly Chilled Water in Your Vase
A hookah uses water to purify your shisha smoke for optimal flavor. You should fill your vase with either room temperature water or water that has been slightly chilled – very cold water will dilute the taste of your smoke. Filling the vase 1 inch above the stem is generally the proper amount of water to maximize airflow for your hookah setup. You can experiment with different levels of water to find your personal preference.
3. Insert the Hookah Stem Into the Vase
A hookah set will come with both the stem and vase. After filling it with water, you can begin hookah assembly by placing these two pieces together. They should fit together perfectly to achieve an airtight seal. If you're losing air, your hookah setup will suffer, and you won't get the proper experience.
4. Connect Your Hose
Connect your hose to the vase of your hookah through the fitting. Once again, this part of your hookah setup should have an airtight seal to ensure you're not losing any smoke when you go to inhale.
5. Position Your Ash Catcher
Once the main parts of your hookah assembly are together, you can position your ash catcher on top of your stem to catch embers and loose shisha.
6. Pack Your Shisha
Packing shisha correctly is critical for success in hookah preparation. You'll want to ensure you don't compact too much at once to allow for air to flow freely. You should also not pack too much shisha on the top of your bowl head to prevent the tobacco from burning.
7. Cover Your Shisha With Heavy Duty Foil
Shisha is not burned directly with a lighter or your coals; you'll want to use heavy-duty foil on your bowl poked with many air holes to allow the heat from the coal to warm the tobacco. The foil should be placed firmly around all sides of the bowl to prevent additional air to your hookah assembly.
8. Place Your Hookah Bowl
Your hookah bowl is now all ready to go. You can place it at the very top of your hookah assembly and get it ready for the coals to be placed on the foil.
9. Heat Your Coals
Take out the number of coals you wish to use and heat them on your burner. You can also use a coil top electric stove or place them in the oven to achieve perfect burning coal. Choose your desired method and research the proper amount of time and heat to use to get your hookah coals burning.
10. Enjoy Your Perfected Hookah Setup
Sit back, relax and enjoy your hard work with a perfect hookah setup. You're now ready to smoke to your heart's content and enjoy delicious, flavorful shisha.
Shop Free Smoke Vape & Smoke Shop for Your Hookah Setup
Free Smoke Vape & Smoke Shop offers the very best hookahs, shisha, and coals to get you started achieving your perfect hookah setup. Take your first step to setting up your hookah by visiting our online shop today. If you have any questions about our products, feel free to contact us – the experts are always happy to help.
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