How to prepare a hookah

Hookahs or shishas are everywhere these days, with many bars offering them; a flavored hookah pairs very well with certain drinks. Bars usually have a wide range of flavors for their hookahs, but they are not used with cannabis or hashish. Therefore, if you have one at home and want to enjoy a fun time, you simply need to add some weed or hash. Today, we are going to show you how to use a hookah and how to prepare it; a simple process that only takes two minutes before you start using it.

How to use a hookah or shisha

To use your hookah, you will need to open it and fill the base with water—if possible, cold—or you can add some ice cubes. In fact, you will need to fill it above the tube, which is where the smoke passes through. This smoke must be filtered through the water to cool down; therefore, the more water the smoke has to pass through, the cooler it will be. This means that larger bongs tend to produce purer and cooler smoke.

Additionally, in case you have a small hookah, you will need to use incredibly cold water or the temperature of the smoke might make it uncomfortable. Thus, large hookahs will work fine with tap water.

The first thing you should do is fill the top bowl with what you are going to smoke; whether it is flavored tobacco, cannabis, or a mixture of both. You will have to avoid packing it too tightly, as the smoke needs to be able to go down through the holes, and if it is too compacted, it can block them.

What you can smoke with a hookah

Flavored tobacco or hookah molasses comes with a mixture of cane fibers, molasses, sugars, and additives used to give it flavor. This “tobacco,” like Herbal Zombie herbs, does not contain tobacco or nicotine at all, which means it has no addictive substances. 

On the other hand, if you want to smoke flavored tobacco, you can add some cannabis or hashish for a more personal touch; they are perfectly compatible. You will need to use charcoal to burn it, unlike a bong.

Many people use hookahs like regular pipes or bongs, although you will need a decent torch, and you will be wasting some of your cannabis or hashish. Also, if you use charcoal, your mixture will last much longer and will be ready to smoke in a few seconds. If you slightly moisten the tobacco, it will last much longer, allowing you to enjoy it for more time.

How to light a hookah

To properly use the charcoal, cover the bowl with aluminum foil (with the tobacco/herb inside) and then make small holes in the top using a punch. This allows the heat from the charcoal to pass through the holes into the bowl. If you use a metal lid, you won’t have to use aluminum foil, which can run out. All you have to do is clean it and let it dry. 

Other necessary utensils

Beyond the charcoal, you will also need:

• A pair of tongs to grab the charcoal, as it will be red-hot when in use.
• Torch. Trying to heat it with a lighter is quite useless and it won’t light properly. You can easily heat it with a torch, a gas heater, or the stove.
• You can also use a double bowl to combine two different flavors or even hashish and cannabis, or even two different strains of cannabis. There are many options, so it is recommended to try different mixtures and find the one you like best.

Remember to make sure the hoses are completely attached. If air gets in, you won’t be able to take a draw strong enough for the smoke to reach your lips.

Hookahs come with air valves on the hoses. If you unscrew them, you can see a small ball inside that acts as a filter. Depending on how tightly this filter is screwed in, the airflow will be more or less intense.

Likewise, you can attach a joint to this hole to add a little spice to the hookah. Keep in mind that it will go very quickly and the smoke produced by it will not be cooled by the water. This combination of smokes, the cooler smoke and the hotter one, creates a quite interesting sensation and the flavors combine spectacularly. It also produces a quite intense effect, so you should be careful if you add it.

Hygiene and cleaning of a hookah

It is always a good idea to use a mouthpiece when smoking, as hookahs tend to have metal mouthpieces that don’t taste very good. Also, it is much more hygienic when used with friends: each person should have their own mouthpiece, and they are not expensive at all. If everyone has one, you can smoke comfortably without accidentally having someone else’s saliva in your mouth.

Once you have finished using your hookah, you will need to disassemble and clean it properly. It is better to clean it while it is still warm, as it will be much easier. However, if you wait until the next day, you will have to use water or alcohol and a little salt.

Finally, it is not that difficult to use a hookah as long as you have the right materials. If this article made you want to get one, read our article. Discover some of our top 5 best value-for-money hookahs on our website.