Welcome back to our hookah hacks blog. In order to ensure that your hookah experience, whether you’re with us at Hookah Spot or not, is always awesome, we’ve provided a collection of our best tricks to improve your smoke. In our previous blog, we discussed how we recommend coping with dried out shisha, starting your hookah up faster, and smoking without a grommet. In this blog, we’ll talk about the rest of our tips and tricks that will ensure your smoke is just as good at home as it is right here in our hookah lounge in Columbia.

HOOKAH WITH A BROKEN BASE?

While a cracked or broken base on your hookah is never great for the optimal smoking experience, it’s still workable. The quickest way to adjust this issue is by placing the broken base in a large bucket and then filling that bucket with water. Make sure that the water line reaches past the crack in your base so that the tension of the liquid can keep the water in your base within. You can then set the rest of your hookah up like you usually do. The pressure of the water inside and outside will...

Hacks are defined, lately, as minor conveniences that you can apply to your day-to-day life to make it easier. Remove some of the tedium of reading and smoking hookah while at a hookah lounge or at home with some of our gathered tips that will make you feel like a pro, even if you’re just a beginner. It is our hope that these hacks will help you create a better hookah set up and therefore improve your smoking experience inexpensively.

THE PAPER TOWEL TRICK

You’ve probably seen this done before if you’ve been smoking for a little bit, as this is one of the most well-known tricks among hookah smokers and hobbyists. If you’re ever missing a hose or a bowl grommet, you can easily turn to the household paper towels as a substitute. Take a piece of paper towel, make it slightly damp and then wrap the paper towel around the mouth of your hose of the stem of the bowl where you’d usually place your grommet. The wet paper can easily create an air-tight seal and you’ll be able to smoke in no time.

REVIVE OLD SHISHA

If you take big...

Smoking shisha is an art that can be easily corrupted if quality products aren’t used effectively or at all. If you were to compare shisha to wine, you’d find a few similarities, like the people who appreciate them are mostly interested in the nuances of the flavors. Although a great bowl depends on many factors, an extremely important aspect is the coals used to heat and burn the bowl. We’ve discussed the importance of heat previously, this is an in-depth peek at coal handling.

TYPES OF COAL

There are natural coals and “quick-light’ coals. Both offer advantages and disadvantages and are best adjusted to the time and place you’re trying to smoke shisha. For example, quick-light coals are perfect for when you’re camping or anywhere that does not have a stove available. You can heat these coals quickly with a match and then place them on your bowl after they’ve turned gray. If you don’t wait for them to turn gray, you’ll get a foul taste in your mouth from the leftover accelerant that allows these to light up quickly. If you’re intending to smoke in a...

The best way to interrupt the carefully cultivated experience of hanging out at a hookah lounge is the heat management. Unfortunately, the wait staff attending your hookah smoking needs will be hard-pressed to be able to tell when the coals are getting too hot or cold. Although Hookah Spot strives to provide a completely relaxing experience without any of these speed bumps, heat management is a necessary evil.

IS YOUR SHISHA OVERHEATING?

The main sign of an overheated bowl is the taste of the hookah smoke. To avoid the literal headache of poor tasting tobacco that’s not cooled properly, the coals will need to be rotated from time to time. Your hookah bowl will be accompanied by a pair of tongs that will allow you to move the coal to a different area on the bowl to make sure the shisha burns evenly and provides you with the best flavor profile. Checking the bowl occasionally to see if there is smoke rising out of the top of the bowl will prevent your shisha from burning. If you do see smoke, be sure to rotate the coals. If you taste the smoke becoming...

Smoking hookah still has a romanticized feeling about it. The idea of people lounging on extravagant cushions in dim lantern light, with the air thick with fragrant smoke is an image everyone conjures when thinking about hookah lounge. This setting is promoted by the history of the activity. The beautifully decorated hookah originates in the North Western regions of India, from around 500 years ago. It started with a physician by the name of Hakim Abul-Fath Gilani, who set out to find a healthier way to smoke tobacco. He believed that the tobacco would be purified and cooled by passing through water before being inhaled. The Ottoman Empire is accredited with creating the stunning glass bases and elegant structure of the hookah. Eventually, the trend moved into Egypt and earned the name “Shisha,” the Persian word for glass. The Shisha became apart of western culture officially when Lewis Carrol featured the beloved Cheshire cat smoking in his novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

SHISHA INNOVATIONS

It wasn’t enough just to enjoy a carefully crafted...

Smoking shisha with your friends may be one of your favorite pastimes, but you may be approaching it the wrong way. Have you heard any of these myths? We sure have, and we are here to tell you the truth. Don’t let these myths get in the way of your hookah smoking experience!

MYTH: PUT THE FOIL SHINY SIDE FACING DOWNWARD.

Some people are passionate about putting the shiny side down in the foil, but not many people can really tell you why. While there have been repeated claims about the heat retention increasing when you do this, we have seen no evidence that points to this being true. With that said, try both ways and see if you notice a difference. We certainly haven’t, so whatever way you want the tinfoil to face is your call.

MYTH: PUT MILK IN THE BASE OF THE HOOKAH FOR BIGGER SMOKE CLOUDS.

We highly recommend that you NEVER attempt this. When we consider the health factors alone, this looks like a bad idea. When you push air through milk, it begins to froth up. This milk will likely get into the hose of your hookah, the...

Whether you’ve never been to a hookah bar before or you’re bringing a friend along who hasn’t, it’s important to know what to expect! We know many people get nervous before trying shisha for the first time, especially if you are going to a lounge where you suspect the regular clientele have been smoking it for years. The process is fairly straightforward, so here are some of our top tips to ensure that you enjoy your hookah bar experience.

DON’T BE SHY; ASK FOR HELP

Trust us, if this is your first time at a hookah bar, you will want to speak up! Our staff is here to help you, especially if you don’t know what to do. By deciding to ask, you can keep yourself from making any mistakes that could cause a painful injury at worst and an embarrassment at best. Explain that you’ve never tried hookah or smoking shisha before, and we know that your local hookah lounge will teach you everything you need to know. Smoking shisha is particularly fun with friends, so bring a buddy who knows what they are doing. You’ll feel much more confident when you have someone...

You’ve probably seen videos of people smoking hookah—or something similar—and doing some incredibly impressive smoke tricks. If you want to learn how to do these tricks, you aren’t alone! Today, we want to share our top tips for blowing smoke rings. Keep in mind that nothing beats good, old-fashioned practice, but hopefully, our advice serves as a good start. Read on to learn more from the hookah enthusiasts at The Hookah Spot!

BEGINNERS

If you want to get the feel for blowing a smoke ring without all the nitty-gritty details, we do have a cheat you could attempt. When inhaling from the hookah, gather as much smoke as possible in your mouth without technically inhaling it. Next, create an “o” shape with your lips. While gently blowing smoke out, lightly tap your cheek. This should be a good start! Of course, if that doesn’t work, there are other ways. You can also curl your tongue back and flatten the front part so that the tip is touching the bottom of your teeth. You can push the smoke ring out of the “o” shape by pushing your tongue...

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