How to Make a Hookah (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Smoking tobacco from a hookah is the most important variant compared to e-cigarettes. You can buy many varieties of hookah tobacco to make smoking as pleasant as possible. If you don't have a place nearby to buy a hookah, you can make your own by making it from household items. So sit back, relax and enjoy this smoke.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Assemble the Hookah

Step 1. Fill a jar with ice cubes and water

Put the right amount of water, so that the stem is immersed about 38 mm in the bowl!

• You will need to leave enough space in the jar so that the smoke does not overflow into the pipe.

• Avoid putting milk or dairy products on the base. The addition of these products will generate a bad smell, mold, foam in the jar which will ruin the pipes.

  

Step 2. Add the sealing ring

The ring is a seal that holds the stem to the vase. Many hookahs have a plastic or rubber seal. Silicone is the best material, but you can also seal the stem to the jar with electrical tape.

Step 3. Place the tray that will hold the charcoal on the hookah

You will have to put it on before putting the bowl because the bowl may not fit the tray itself.

Step 4. Insert the short end of the tube into the appropriate entry

If the hookah has two entrances, you can buy a rubber seal to seal the other.

Step 5. Prepare the tobacco

Follow all the instructions for a great smoke:

• Mix the tobacco evenly so that it is completely covered in spices and molasses.

  

• Scatter the tobacco and drop it freely into the bowl. Leave 2 mm between the level of tobacco and the edge of the bowl so that the mixture does not touch the foil when you put it on top. The burnt mixture would give an unpleasant taste to the smoke.

  

• Buy good quality smoking compound. The quality will determine the taste of the smoke. You can also mix different flavors for a great flavor smoke. Buy a 50g serving of the mixture so you can try it without spending a lot of money.

  

• You can cut the tobacco leaves with kitchen scissors to easily place them in the bowl. Don't cut them too small, though, as they could fall through the hole and clog the bowl.

  

Step 6. Place a single sturdy aluminum sheet on top of the bowl

The sheet should be 5cm wider on all sides to form a tight seal around the bowl.

• Keep the paper tight so that the ripples don't alter the heat distribution. If you only have thin sheets available, put a couple of layers.

  

• Once finished, your covered bowl will need to resemble a drum.

  

Step 7. Prick the paper 15-20 holes with a toothpick, pin or pointed pen

Be careful not to tear it to shreds. You can try a couple of different designs based on the type of bowl used:

• Egyptian bowl. Start with a circle of holes around the perimeter and continue with a spiral inside.

  

• Fireplace bowl.

  Make 3 concentric rings: 1 around the edge, one in the center and one between the two circles made.

  

Step 8. Ignite the coals

Hold the coals with a pair of tongs and light them in the corner with a match or lighter. As sparks will be produced, do this outdoors or next to a window.

• Always use tongs that come with the hookah to light or remove the coals. Avoid kitchen tongs, as they may be coated with a polymer to create a non-stick layer for food preparation and easy cleaning.

  

• When the coal starts to spark and smoke, it pushes the flame away. The charcoal will need to continue to glow until the entire amount is a bright orange color.

  

• If the charcoal still has dark spots that don't burn, blow on it to encourage combustion.

  

Step 9. Place the charcoal on the sheet with the pliers

The sides covered by the pliers should not light up. Blow on these parts to make them burn. Let the charcoal settle on the sheet until each part is covered with a layer of ash.

• Never ignite the charcoal directly on the sheet. The particles released by the charcoal could enter the bowl and change the taste of the tobacco.

  

• If you don't have a stove, lighters or matches available, you can use instant-on charcoal.

  

• Natural charcoal burns longer than fast, but it requires something hotter than a lighter flame to burn. Some use a special burner or butane torch to burn natural coal.

  

Step 10. Blow through the tube to clean it of any dust particles that may have settled

Avoid washing the tube until you are sure you can.

Step 11. Smoke from the hookah

Let the bowl warm up naturally. Don't suck too hard to speed up the burning process, as you will only finish burning the tobacco. Take your time while you smoke. A good hookah can last between 45 minutes and 1 hour.

Part 2 of 3: Making a Fruit Bowl for the Hookah

Step 1. Find some circular fruits

Apples, mangoes, or oranges are a great choice, but you can use any large, round fruit available.

Step 2. Cut off the top of the fruit

Leave about 3/4 of the fruit intact. Remove the pulp, but leave 13 mm on the sides.

Step 3. Drill a hole in the bottom

You can use a corkscrew, peeler, or other pointed object. The hole should be the size of your index finger.

Step 4. Spread the mixture into the bowl

Leave about 2mm of empty space at the top.

Step 5. Cover the outer wrapper of the fruit with the foil

Make small holes in the paper at regular intervals.

Step 6. Place the fruit bowl on the stem

Light the coals and smoke. Since the fruit is cold, a little more charcoal will be needed than is usually used.

Part 3 of 3: Building a Hookah with Home Tools

Step 1. Cut an apple at the top 1/4 of its length

Remove the pulp, leaving 13mm on all sides.

Step 2. Drill a hole in the bottom of the apple

Use a potato peeler, a corkscrew or a small knife.

Step 3. Cut a piece of garden hose to the desired length

Screw the apple onto the top of the tube and seal the connection with some plasticine.

Step 4. Drill a hole in the side of a plastic bowl near the bottom

You can use a cigarette or a concentrated heat source to burn the bowl and make a hole.

Step 5. Insert a straw into the hole

The connection must be tight. If you see a gap between the plastic and the straw, seal it with plasticine.

Step 6. Fill the fruit bowl with tobacco

Cover it with foil, drill the holes, light the charcoal and lay it on the foil. Enjoy your handmade hookah.

Advice

• If the tobacco is dry, spice it up with a little honey or molasses.
• Try a herbal or tobacco-free mixture. This way you will inhale far fewer carcinogenic components.
• To clean your hookah, wet a rag with vinegar and insert it into the stem with a piece of fishing rod or other type of rod. As for the vase, wet it with warm soapy water for a while, making sure to rinse it carefully. Clean the stem once a week and the pot once a month.
• Many people strongly believe in what is called a "diffuser". Diffusers work like an aerator on a faucet. They are placed on the stem and about 6 mm below the surface. The diffusers allow you to smoke with more water vapor, so as to leave a tastier aroma.
• Hookah smoke should be thick and white. Good smoke indicates that you have prepared the hookah correctly and that you are smoking it properly.
• If the smoke ever gets pungent and its taste is bad or burns your throat, breathe through the pipe calmly. You should see the smoke coming out of the vents at the top of the bowl and clearing the interior of any stale smoke that has built up. Don't blow too hard or you will run the water over the charcoal and ruin the mixture.
• In many Middle Eastern countries, a milk or juice base is used to enhance the aroma and texture of the smoke. The standard procedure of the Ali Baba Hookah Bar (born in Istanbul in 1760) is 1 part of milk or juice and 2 parts of water. Just make sure you rinse the hookah thoroughly if you use it every day so it doesn't taste like rotten milk.

Warnings

• Do not use household charcoal, as it produces an excessive amount of carbon monoxide. Use commercial charcoal, natural or quick-start, to be able to smoke with gusto.
• According to the World Health Organization, a hookah session exposes the smoker to 200 times more carcinogens than a cigarette. Also, lending or sharing a hookah can spread diseases such as tuberculosis or hepatitis, so be careful.
• Do not breathe in while the chemicals in the quick-igniting coal are sparking. These elements contain various carcinogens and other substances harmful to health.