People have gone to great lengths to create the ultimate hookah, but it really doesn’t get any further than your local market. Get some juice, apple, grape, fruit punch, any mix you want or can think of. While you’re there, grab some produce, a small melon, orange, lemon, lime, apple or any of the softer, smaller fruits will do. You can also grab some ice cream right away while you’re at it, unless of course you have an ice cream maker in the house.
Now unwrap your hookah, wrap up the bowl, or if you’re being extra busy, slice the apple from the center out into a cone, leaving the outside and skin intact. Use the apple instead of the porcelain bowl. Simply sprinkle in some tobacco and proceed as usual, foil, ivg-bar-vape coals, etc. Next, empty the purchased juice into the container to the point where you would normally fill it with water. If you think it might be too strong, you can dilute it to the desired strength. For those of legal drinking age, you can pour cheap alcohol into the base for an extra high, but beware, it’s intoxicating so make sure you’re not driving.
Slice your fruit, drop a few pieces in the ground, and throw in some ice as well. Now assemble it, fire it up and prepare to be impressed, although, just as a heads-up, it may take a few sessions to get it just right.
Some of our favorite combinations are V8 Pina Colada with coconut hookah (think tropics), fruit cocktail with fruit punch and a slice of orange, grape with grape or apple or both and a lime or lemon slice and last but not least V8 Pina Colada mixed with rum and coconut- hookah.
Hookahs – It’s all in the heat
Hookah smokers often sit around talking about the best hookah flavors and brands out there. Then they will move on to hookah sizes and styles from large to small, cheap to prohibitive, colors, hoses and more. However, the most overlooked part of the hookah smoking experience is what makes it all work. The coal.
Once you sprinkle your shisha/hookah tobacco in your bowl and wrap a nice layer of aluminum foil around it, place that important item on top. Known as “the charcoal,” this item transfers its heat down through the tobacco, which ultimately fills the base with smoke and ends up (temporarily) in your lungs. However, it’s not that simple.
There are several types of charcoal in the growing hookah market and a beginner may find it difficult to choose the best flame. The most common are the Three Kings self-igniting coals. They’re handy because you can light them up in the wind with a Zippo, possibly while it’s raining. However, the same chemicals that make it a fast-igniting charcoal also add (often unwanted) flavors to your hookah smoking experience. This is how you swap taste for convenience.
The next option is the “charcoal logs” based on lemon wood or olive wood. Often referred to as “natural” charcoal, these tend to burn cleaner, eliminating excessive charcoal aromas. They don’t ignite with a portable flame unless you happen to have a Porto flashlight in your glove box. As a rule, you need a hob and a short waiting time. The end result might be worth it as you won’t taste the chemicals of the auto-igniting coals.
Finally, there are the “charcoal bricks,” often referred to as “Egyptian charcoal.” These charcoal bricks are also made from lemon wood and resemble random E-Shisha shapes that look like they could be used on a barbecue. You get a long heating season on an average electric stove, so you might want to pull out that propane camp stove to light those coals. The smell of cooking coals can overwhelm the pleasant smells of your home, so you might want to think twice before cooking coals in your kitchen. Despite their dominant heating odors, these charcoals offer the most tasteless heat source available on the hookah charcoal market. The charcoal bricks are often large and also burn quickly, so don’t clog your bowl.
Which hookah coals you smoke should ultimately depend on your preferences and situation. If you’re a natural charcoal smoker at home, it never hurts to have a box of quick-light coals on hand for those last-minute trips to the beach.
