1. Fill the vase halfway with ice cubes and water. Just enough water should be added to the base such that the down stem is covered by water that is between 1" (25 mm) and 1-1/2" (38 mm) deep. Watch full video here.

• To prevent your smoke from bubbling up into the hose, you must leave precisely the right amount of space in the vase.

• Don't add dairy or milk to your base. Dairy addition guarantees a bad odour, mildew, foaming in the vase, and ruined hoses.

2. Get your shisha ready. For the finest smoking experience, adhere to all of these steps: 

• Combine your tobacco evenly so that the molasses and flavours are evenly distributed throughout.

• Your tobacco should be fluffed before being placed in the bowl. In order to prevent the shisha from touching the foil when you put it on, leave 2 millimetres of space between the top of the tobacco and the bowl. Your smoke will taste awful if you use burned shisha.

• Purchase a high-quality shisha. The flavour of your smoke will depend on how well your shisha is made. Additionally, you can combine tastes to create a delicious smoke. Purchase 50-gram shisha chunks so you can give it a try without paying a lot of money. 

• Tobacco leaves can be broken up using kitchen shears for easier packing into the bowl. However, don't cut them too small or they'll fall through the holes and clog your bowl.

3. Cover the top of the bowl with heavy-duty foil. You should cut the foil piece so that it is 2" (5 cm) larger on both sides than the bowl so that you can create a tight seal.

• If you only have thin foil available, double it up; otherwise, keep the foil tight to prevent creases from altering the heat distribution.

• Your bowl coated in foil ought to resemble the head of a drum once you're done.

4. Use a toothpick, pin, or sharp-tipped pen to make 15 to 20 holes in the foil. Don't tear your foil; take care not to. Based on the type of bowl you have, you can try a few different patterns:

• Egyptian bowl: Begin with a circle of holes around the perimeter and spiral inward.

• Cone-shaped bowl: Make three concentric rings: one around the perimeter, one around the spire, and one between the two circles you've just created.

5. Put the tray that holds the coals onto the hookah. You need to put it on before you put the bowl on because the bowl may not fit over the tray.

6. Insert the short end of the hose into the hose port. If your hookah has 2 ports, then you can purchase a rubber seal to close off the other port.

7. Light the coals. 

• Hold the coals with tongs and light one corner with a match or lighter if using   Quick Light Coals. You should either go outside or stand near a window because sparks will be produced.

• To fire or move your coals, always use the tongs that come with most hookahs. Avoid using kitchen tongs that have been polymer-coated to give a nonstick coating for food preparation and simple cleaning.

• Pull the flame away from the coal when it begins to glitter and release smoke. The coal should continue to spark until it acquires a bright orange colour. 

• If the coal still has some blackened patches that aren't burning, blow on it to help it heat up.

• Natural coals burn significantly longer than rapid lights, but they must be ignited with something much hotter than a lighter. To light their naturals, most people utilise a single coil stove burner or a butane torch.

• Place natural coconut coals on an electric coil burner until one side is blazing, then flip. Allow each side to heat up until the coals are burning red before putting them to your hookah bowl. It takes 6-8 minutes for natural coals to heat up.

8. Set the coal down on the foil using your tongs. The sides you covered with your tongs should be lighted. Blow on these sections to turn them orange. Allow the coal to sit on the foil until it is covered in ash.

• Never place the coal directly on top of the foil to light it. The particles emitted by the coal will enter the bowl and alter the flavour of your tobacco.

9. Blow through the hose to clean out any dust or particles that may have settled. Avoid washing the hose unless you know that it is washable.

10. Smoke your hookah. Allow the bowl to heat up naturally. Don't take hard pulls to accelerate the heating process because you'll just end up burning the tobacco. Take your time while you smoke. A good hookah can last between 45 minutes and 1 hour.

 

Tips: 

• If the smoke becomes too intense, tastes nasty, or irritates your throat, simply breathe lightly into the hose. Smoke should be leaving either the release valve or the bowl's top, cleaning off the stale smoke inside. If you blow too hard, you'll shoot water over the coals, ruining the shisha.

• HydroHerbal or tobacco-free shisha are two options. You will inhale far fewer toxins.

• The smoke from a hookah should be dense and white. A good smoke implies that you have properly prepared the hookah and are smoking it properly.

• Dip a towel in vinegar and push it through the stem of your hookah with the lower part of a fishing pole or other stick to clean it. For the vase, soaking it in warm water and soap for a few minutes, followed by a thorough rinsing, is your best bet. Once a week, clean the stem and once a month or so, clean the vase.

• Many people have a strong belief in what are known as "diffusers." Diffusers function similarly to a faucet aerator. They are placed over the stem and submerged about 1/4" (6 mm) below the surface. Diffusers allow more smoke to absorb more water vapour, resulting in a more flavorful, smoother smoke.

• If the tobacco has become dry, revitalise it with honey or molasses.