Chapter 2: What You Should Know Before Smoking a Hookah

Nils Große •Updated 20.02.2025 •9 min read

In a nutshell

Before first use, a new hookah should be thoroughly rinsed and the Smokebox burned out to remove production residues such as oils and to avoid unwanted substances and impairment of flavour.
The correct water level is crucial: the downstem must reach into the water, whereby the optimal immersion depth varies depending on use with or without a diffuser, and measuring out a fixed amount of water is recommended in the long term.
There are various setups for bowl building – such as a clay bowl with aluminium foil, a phunnel with Smokebox, or a multi-hole bowl – whereby loosely distributed tobacco, even heat distribution, and a clean bowl rim ensure optimal flavour and an enjoyable session.
Model-specific video tutorials are available for assembling the hookah, as the individual parts and their assembly can differ considerably depending on the pipe.
Strict safety rules apply when lighting the charcoal: use only natural charcoal with a charcoal lighter, always ensure adequate ventilation, and only place the charcoal on the bowl once it has fully glowed through and is covered with a white ash layer, in order to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

In the previous chapter, we looked at what you need to know about the functions and components of a hookah. Now let's move on to the practical part. Let's assume you now have everything you need to smoke a hookah and you're finally ready to get started. But before you can begin, there are a few points you should keep in mind to ensure an enjoyable first session!

2.1 Assembling the Hookah

You're holding the box with your hookah in your hands, you open it and … at first you only see individual parts. Before you can get started, you'll need to assemble the piece first. In itself, this isn't a problem at all. In the chapter "The Basic Principle Explained" and in the blog article How Does a Hookah Work, we explained the parts of a hookah and familiarised you with the terminology. It's best to start with the base, place the Glasses into the designated holes and mount both the downstem and diffuser on the underside, as well as the smoke column, coal tray and Bowl adapter on the upper side of the base. Depending on how the hookah is assembled, a sleeve may be added in between, and finally you pull the appropriate Grommets over the Bowl adapter and base. Since some hookahs are easier to assemble than others, and we want you to be thoroughly familiar with your hookah, we have created a dedicated step-by-step video assembly guide for all our hookahs, which will be sent to you as soon as you purchase one of our hookahs in the Moze online shop. But we're also happy to make them available here so you can see the differences between our hookahs. Here are the links to our hookah assembly guides:

2.2 Rinsing the Hookah Before Use

When you buy industrially manufactured equipment that you put in your mouth, eat from or drink from, it is generally a good idea to clean the item before using it. This also applies to a hookah, through which you draw smoke into your lungs. With cheaper models, it can happen that lubricants such as production oils are still adhering to the metal parts. Even if this is not the case with our products, it is generally advisable to remove such residues as a precaution. This prevents unwanted contaminants from affecting the flavour of your hookah and stops you from inhaling any unwanted substances into your lungs.

2.3 Burning In the Hookah Smokebox

As touched upon in the previous chapter, cleaning new equipment is essential for a good flavour and to avoid inhaling unwanted substances. This applies in particular to the Smokebox. Aluminium and stainless steel are processed with the aid of oil-based lubricants and coolants. It is therefore advisable to burn in a Smokebox before its first use as a precaution. On the one hand, this prevents the formation of harmful gases that you would inhale directly; on the other hand, it prevents the flavour of your tobacco from being distorted.

2.4 Water Level of the Hookah

Once you've cleaned everything thoroughly, you can move on to the actual preparations for smoking. First, you should add water to your base. Every base has a different shape and therefore a different capacity. The amount of water you need can therefore vary considerably. When filling, it is important to ensure that the downstem reaches into the water so that the smoke is cooled by the water. The blow-off of the hookah is also only possible when the downstem is submerged in water. As a general rule, if you smoke with a diffuser, your downstem should reach into the water by about the width of a little finger. If you smoke without a diffuser, it should be at least the width of your thumb. At first, filling up and holding the downstem in place can be a bit fiddly, but once you've worked out the perfect amount of water, you can weigh it or measure it with a measuring jug, for example. From then on, you can always use the same amount of water for your setup. This saves you the effort of holding the downstem each time and estimating whether the amount is sufficient. A special case when it comes to water level are hookahs like our Amotion Roam, as due to their design you cannot see inside it. You therefore need to either find the perfect amount of water through trial and error, or if your hookah manufacturer has good customer service, you can ask them for the ideal fill level. For our Amotion Roam, for example, we recommend a fill level of 60–65 ml of water. If you use significantly more water, you risk drawing water into the Hose. In the next section, we explain the various ways in which you need to build a Bowl to get the maximum flavour and perfect smoke from your tobacco.

2.5 Building the Hookah Bowl

Ein gut gebauter Kopf ist essentiell für Rauchentwicklung und Geschmack.

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Flavour is a matter of the Bowl, at least when smoking a hookah. The relevant part for enjoying a hookah is therefore still the Bowl build. In this section, you'll find out how to build your Bowl optimally to achieve maximum flavour and perfect smoke.

2.5.1 Preparations

Before you start building the Bowl, it is important to stir your hookah tobacco thoroughly. This distributes the molasses and moistens all the tobacco evenly. For a perfect Bowl build, we recommend using suitable utensils and placing a Bowl Packing Mat underneath so that you don't unnecessarily dirty your work surface. With open-grained wood in particular, molasses can seep in and leave permanent stains.

2.5.2 Different Bowl Setups

There are several ways you can build a hookah Bowl. In general, with every setup you need to pay close attention to ensure the Bowl doesn't get too hot — you can tell this, for example, by the amount of smoke produced, by the flavour, or if the tobacco starts to scratch your throat, in which case you should change the number and/or placement of your coals as quickly as possible. Heat management is most relaxed with an aluminium HMD such as the ONMO, and most difficult with aluminium foil. We therefore particularly recommend that beginners invest in a good Bowl and an ONMO, as this offers the best value for money.

Classic Clay Bowl

A multi-hole clay bowl like the UPG is traditionally smoked with aluminium foil or a chimney attachment. To do this, fill your tobacco loosely into the bowl and distribute it evenly in the depot. If you want to smoke with foil, you can either use four layers of household aluminium foil or one layer of heavy-duty foil. Stretch the foil tightly over the bowl and poke small holes in it. If you have a chimney attachment, you can use it instead of the foil, or you can also place the attachment's screen on top of the aluminium foil and distribute the coals on it, giving you a little extra burn protection and preventing the coals from sliding over the edge.

Phunnel with Smokebox

Distribute the tobacco loosely in the depot around the central hole and then use a pointed tool such as a piker to spread the tobacco flakes evenly. Place your Smokebox on the bowl and position the coals inside. It is recommended to leave a small gap from the depot edges when packing a phunnel.

Phunnel with Aluminium Foil

The hybrid of foil and phunnel is packed in the same way as the two previous setups; however, you must make sure that you leave the centre free when poking holes. We want to draw the hot air over/through the tobacco. If you poke holes above the phunnel hole, you will draw the air without passing through the tobacco, which can negatively affect both smoke production and flavour.

Multi-Hole Bowl with Smokebox

Fill the tobacco loosely and distribute it evenly in the bowl using your utensils. Make sure to leave a little space between the tobacco and the Smokebox. Place the Smokebox on top, position the coals, and wait a brief moment for the heat to distribute.

2.5.3 Tips for the Perfect Bowl Pack

You should make sure that the tobacco is distributed evenly in the bowl with no gaps left.
If the tobacco is packed loosely and high, you can achieve a long session with full flavour.
If the tobacco is packed loosely and low, the session will be somewhat shorter and the flavour less intense. However, for beginners it is much easier to regulate the heat correctly this way!
If you want the tobacco to release slightly less nicotine strength and reduce flavours such as mint or ice, you should press the tobacco down lightly!
Wipe the rim of your bowl after packing with a piece of kitchen roll so that any residue does not get under the HMD and burn, as this could otherwise cause a strong scratching sensation in the throat.

2.5.4 Bowl Pack with Steam Paste

Shisha Kopf Bau mit Hookahsqueeze Dampfpaste.

If you want to smoke steam paste, a phunnel is essential. Fill the paste up to half the height of the phunnel hole. You can also mix tobacco and steam paste to create different flavour combinations.

2.5.5 Closing Words

With these tips, you are well equipped to pack an optimal bowl. We provide a somewhat more detailed overview and an illustrated guide to the perfect bowl pack in our blog article Hookah Bowl Packing. In the next section, we will look at how to light your hookah coal.

2.6 Lighting Hookah Coal

We have looked at how to prepare the hookah and tobacco; now let us turn our attention to the coal. There are generally only a few, but very important rules when it comes to hookah coal.

Do Not Use Self-Igniting Coal

Quick-light coals are full of chemicals, which taste absolutely awful and are likely far more harmful than smoking pure tobacco. The only positive use for self-igniting coal is to help light natural coal.

Light Coal with a Coal Burner

Coal burners are affordable and specifically designed to light natural coal efficiently. Hookah coal produces a large amount of heat within a small radius, so it is not advisable to light it on a hob, for example.

Do not light charcoal in enclosed spaces

When charcoal burns, carbon monoxide is released, which can cause symptoms of poisoning such as dizziness, vomiting, loss of consciousness, and at too high a concentration even death. Therefore, only light your charcoal with adequate ventilation, ideally even outside your flat or outside the room in which you intend to smoke later.

Only use fully lit charcoal

As mentioned earlier, carbon monoxide is released when charcoal burns – you can smell it, taste it, and inhaling it is entirely unhealthy. You should therefore make sure that your charcoal is completely glowing when you place it in your HMD or on your aluminium foil. The surest sign that your charcoal is ready is a white layer of ash that should cover the entire outer surface of the charcoal.

Tips for lighting hookah natural charcoal

Since all objects that come into contact with the charcoal when lighting or transporting it become very hot, you should always pay close attention to where you hold any of these objects to avoid burning yourself.
You should always place a fireproof mat under the lighter so that nothing can catch fire if the hookah charcoal falls off the lighter!
Turning the charcoal is very important if you want to ensure that your charcoal does not end up significantly smaller on one side than on the opposite side once all sides are glowing. You should therefore turn the charcoal after approximately 5 minutes so that it retains an even shape.
Glowing hookah charcoal can most safely be transported using a charcoal basket. This ensures that the charcoal does not fall to the floor on the way to the hookah. A charcoal basket can therefore protect you from costly repair bills!
If you light your charcoal indoors or in another enclosed space, you should definitely open windows or doors to the outside so that the carbon monoxide produced during lighting does not accumulate in the room! Failing to do so can lead to severe headaches, nausea, or even death – though the inhaled quantity would need to be very high for this to occur.

That covers everything regarding lighting the charcoal, and with that we have also shed light on all aspects of the preparations. The next chapter gets down to business, as we look at smoking a hookah and what to bear in mind when doing so.

Chapter 3

FAQ: What should you know before smoking a hookah

How do I set up my hookah?

Start with the base. Insert the downstem, the diffuser, and the smoke column. Then attach the charcoal tray, bowl adapter, and grommets. You can find detailed instructions in our setup videos for each hookah.

Do I need to rinse my hookah before use?

Yes, to remove production residues such as oils, you should thoroughly clean your hookah before using it for the first time. This way you avoid any undesirable flavour distortion.

Why should I burn off my Smokebox?

Burning off the Smokebox removes any production residues and ensures that you do not inhale any unwanted vapours. You can find further details in our blog article: Burning off a hookah Smokebox.

How much water should go into the hookah glasses?

The downstem should extend one to two finger-widths into the water in order to cool the smoke. With diffusers, a smaller fill level is sufficient.

How do I pack a hookah bowl correctly?

Distribute the tobacco loosely in the bowl, ensure there is sufficient distance from the HMD, and adjust the charcoal as needed to optimise the flavour. You can find detailed instructions in our article on packing a hookah bowl.

How do I light hookah charcoal correctly?

Use a charcoal lighter and let the charcoal fully ignite until it forms a white ash layer. You can find more details in our blog article on lighting hookah charcoal correctly.