Our offer is only for you if you are of legal age. Please confirm that you are at least 18 years old to proceed.
Top online shop with a great selection
Lightning-fast shipping of the ordered items – in my case, a Moze Breeze Two. Super friendly customer service with excellent advice. I give 5 stars and can only recommend the shop.
Stefan W.
Hookah phunnel: the bowl most people smoke today
The phunnel is the most popular shape of hookah bowl. That is mainly because it is straightforward to pack and still delivers plenty of flavour and dense smoke.
A few years ago beginners were still pointed towards a classic clay or stone bowl. That is changing, and rightly so: packing a phunnel is just as manageable for a first bowl, you only need the right instructions and the right gear.
The key facts
- One hole in the centre, surrounded by a raised rim
- The molasses stays in the bowl instead of running into the glass base
- Intense flavour and dense smoke, beginners included
- Works with a smokebox just as well as with aluminium foil
- Usually more economical on tobacco than a standard clay bowl
What exactly is a phunnel bowl?
A phunnel has a single hole in the centre, which is why it is also called a single-hole bowl. That is the difference to the traditional bowl: the holes are not spread across the bottom of the tobacco depot, instead there is one raised hole in the middle. That is also why packing it works fundamentally differently.
Packing a phunnel properly
Getting the pack right is no witchcraft, even if it looks that way to beginners. How you go about it depends on the heat management you smoke with, so whether you use a smokebox or aluminium foil. For starting out we recommend the smokebox.
On top of that there are smaller differences between tobacco varieties. They really are small, and mostly you have to try for yourself how you like each variety best. You get a feel for it faster than you would think.
Where the phunnel comes from
The origin lies in the USA, more precisely with tobacco manufacturer Tangiers and its founder Eric Hoffmann. In the early 2000s he had the first phunnel made, narrow back then and very deep.
It was sold under the Tangiers brand and smoked with aluminium foil in what is known in Germany as the Ami setup (Yank setup): the tobacco is packed above the rim, foil is stretched over the bowl, and the coals sit on top. Hardly anyone in Germany smokes that way today, most phunnels now run with a smokebox.
Good to know: the name comes from the English word funnel. Why the spelling differs, nobody really knows.
The phunnel has not been mainstream in Germany for all that long. It was only in 2018 that a lot of smokers got a taste for it during a tasting at the hookah trade fair. After that the number of phunnel smokers rose sharply until 2021 and has stayed at a high level since.
What are the advantages of a phunnel?
The most important points at a glance:
- Intense flavour
- Dense smoke
- No molasses dripping into the glass base
- Usually less tobacco used than with a standard clay bowl
The first point is the decisive one. The shape spreads the heat better than a traditional bowl with a chimney attachment, and that lets the tobacco come through more intensely.
Our tip: start with an aluminium smokebox. It does not get quite as hot as stainless steel, which makes the heat easier to control.
The phunnel plays to its strengths on smoke as well: it produces noticeably more than a classic chimney setup. And cleaning takes less work. The tobacco sits in a round depot with no holes in the bottom, so no molasses drips through the downstem into the glass base. It stays clean and is rinsed out quickly.
Note: if you pack the tobacco fairly high, some of it can still fall through the bowl. A molasses catcher takes care of that.
That leaves consumption. Many phunnels get by with less tobacco than classic clay bowls, and over time that adds up.
What to look for when buying
Three questions are worth asking before you settle on a model.
Do you always smoke the same variety?
Then an unglazed bowl is an option, for example from Kolos Tang. Some smokers swear the flavour gets more intense over time because the molasses soaks into the clay and takes the aroma with it. We are not convinced and consider the effect small.
Smokebox or aluminium foil?
Both work. Every phunnel in our range can be smoked with a smokebox just as well as with foil, so the choice is yours.
Do you smoke alone or in a group?
If you share the hookah across several hoses, it gets pulled on more often in the same time and the tobacco runs out faster. A bigger depot suits that, such as the Oblako Phunnel M at 20 to 22 g. If you mostly smoke alone, a smaller model like the Hookain Lit Lip or the Vandenberg V1 is enough.
Pro tip: the larger depot can pay off even when you smoke alone. It lets you light a second set of coals during the session and keep going for considerably longer.
These phunnels sell best with us
Oblako Phunnel M: the Russian classic, handmade from white clay. At 20 to 22 g it is the bowl for long sessions and for groups.
Oblako Oblako Phunnel M - Mono Orange Tobacco Bowl To the product Moze Epos Phunnel v2: high-fired clay, economical and forgiving on heat management. The bowl to pick when you do not want to decide.
Moze Moze Epos Phunnel v2 – White Structured Tobacco Bowl To the product Hookain Lit Lip: handmade in Spain, a 13 to 18 g depot and fired at 900 degrees. The right size if you mostly smoke alone.
Hookain Hookain Lit Lip - Bianco Soft Touch Tobacco Bowl To the product Vandenberg V1: a compact phunnel with a distinctive shape. Another good choice for solo sessions.
Vandenberg Vandenberg V1 - Straciatella Tobacco Bowl To the product Not sure which size fits you? The finder asks three questions and suggests bowls that match:
FAQ: hookah phunnel
What is a hookah phunnel bowl?
A bowl with only one hole in the centre. A raised rim runs around that hole, which keeps the molasses in the bowl instead of dripping into the glass base. That gives you more intense flavour and even heat distribution.
Why are phunnel bowls so popular?
Because the heat spreads better and the flavour gets more intense as a result. On top of that come dense smoke, no molasses in the glass base and usually less tobacco used than with a traditional bowl. Many people also find the nicotine feels less strong in a phunnel.
Is a phunnel bowl suitable for beginners?
Yes. The myth that phunnels are only for experts is long outdated. With good instructions and the right gear, packing one is just as manageable as packing a clay or stone bowl. For starting out we recommend a smokebox, it makes the heat easier to control.
What phunnel bowls are there?
Which phunnel bowl suits me?
If you mostly smoke alone, a smaller model like the Hookain Lit Lip or the Vandenberg V1 is enough. For long sessions and for groups on several hoses, a larger depot fits better, for example the Oblako Phunnel M.
Why should I use a smokebox with a phunnel?
A smokebox spreads the heat evenly and keeps the session going. Without foil the pack is easier too. For starting out we recommend an aluminium smokebox, it does not get quite as hot and is easier to regulate.
Which tobacco varieties work with phunnel bowls?
All of them, in principle. Varieties with a lot of molasses benefit most from the shape, because the molasses does not run into the hookah.
How do I clean a phunnel bowl?
Because no molasses drips through the bottom, the bowl stays cleaner than a classic clay bowl. Let it cool down after smoking, scrape the tobacco out and rinse it with hot water. Go over it with a brush if needed.
Where does the phunnel bowl come from?
It was developed in the early 2000s by Tangiers founder Eric Hoffmann in the USA. Originally it was smoked with aluminium foil in the Ami setup, today most phunnels run with a smokebox.