Commentary on hookahs, smoke rings, and The Dream

Nakhla Cappuccino. What a beautiful flavor. In the totem pole of flavors, this one ranks right near the top for me, especially when some real cappuccino is down there in your chamber, keeping the party alive.

But last night, as I nipped on the deliciousness, something just wasn’t right. The coals I called on, 3 Kings, just weren’t doing the job for me.

It was the 2nd night in a row of this hassle, so I called in the back-up, the trusty Starlight briquettes. Normal mortals might find this a hassle - you’ve gotta dump the old coal, light the new one, get it going, and then deal with your blackened hands.

But you’re no normal mortal, because you follow the trusty…

HoboHookah Coal Management Method

First I saw how poorly the 3 Kings coal was burning. See how un-uniform that ash is? That’s the 1st sign of your SNAFU.

But never fear: you DON’T have to get up. Simply wipe away about half the ash of the old coal, and lay your baby Starlight briquette right down on the newly opened, freshly burning part as so:

As you watch your new coal light up, don’t inhale quite yet. It’ll taste like scheisse. Instead, enjoy the fireworks and keep your hopefully lively conversation going. After she’s done throwing sparks, take a few hits to really get her lit up.

Just as you start to feel the smoke get noticeably warmer, move the new coal to the other side of the bowl and lean the old coal against her. This will let it contribute to thickening your smoke, but prevents excess burning of the shisha.

And voila, you’ve successfully transitioned coals sans dirty hands or having to mobilize your body. All done without pausing the conversation.

Bonus: If the smoke gets too warm, dump that old coal. This may require getting up, though, so handle with care. Good thing the Hobo’s easy to carry.

Got a tip to share? Let us know in the comments.