Chapter 3: What You Should Bear in Mind When Smoking Hookah

Nils Große •Updated 20.02.2025 •4 min

Now the time has finally come: you've prepared everything, the charcoal is glowing and your first hookah session can begin. So you can enjoy your first bowl in a relaxed way, you should keep a few points in mind.

3.1 Ventilation and hydration

Especially beginners often forget that they should also take a relaxed breath between puffs now and then. That prevents unpleasant side effects such as headaches. For your body to function properly, it needs sufficient oxygen – so you should ventilate well. Ideally you smoke directly in fresh air to prevent unwanted side effects. Also remember to drink enough while smoking. That prevents dehydration and stops you from getting dizzy.

3.2 Nicotine shock

Another mistake that beginners in particular like to make is starting with a tobacco that's far too strong. Nicotine is a quickly addictive neurotoxin. If your body isn't used to a high nicotine level, your nervous system becomes overstimulated.

Nausea, blurred vision, disorientation, headaches, trembling, dizziness, sweating: the symptoms of nicotine shock resemble those of heavy alcohol consumption. You can counteract this unpleasant phenomenon by, for example, eating properly before a hookah round or drinking enough in between – in the case of a nicotine flash ideally even sugary drinks. Another point you should definitely take to heart is choosing the right tobacco. In our shop you can filter hookah tobacco by nicotine strength, so you're only shown varieties that are suitable for you.

If you'd like to look into the different types of tobacco in a bit more detail, take a look at our blog article on Burley and Virginia hookah tobacco. In the next section we turn to the topic of heat management.

3.3 Heat management for the hookah: how to smoke perfectly

Heat management is one of the most important factors for a successful hookah session. The right temperature affects not only the flavour but also the smoke development.

The goal of perfect heat management is to turn the heat up far enough that the maximum amount of molasses vaporises, without burning the carrier material – the tobacco. If the tobacco burns, your bowl no longer tastes good and becomes unpleasantly harsh. Here are a few tips on how to regulate the heat optimally.

3.3.1 The right charcoal

Choose high-quality hookah charcoal that burns well and gives off heat evenly. Natural charcoal is the only real option here, as it doesn't alter the flavour and burns for a long time.

3.3.2 Using the right smokebox

We advise all beginners to budget a little money to get themselves an ONMO HMD. The ONMO is the perfect smokebox for beginners, because its aluminium doesn't heat up nearly as much as with a stainless steel HMD. Heat management with aluminium foil or a chimney attachment is considerably more stressful and fiddly, and the likelihood of the tobacco burning is very high.

ONMO HMD Silver · €24.99 To the product

3.3.3 Waiting and observing

At the start it makes sense to place two pieces of charcoal in the HMD and position another piece at an angle on top, between the charcoal and the rim of the HMD. Now you give your hookah some time to heat up. Wait about 3 minutes before you take the first puff, and then test every 30 seconds whether the tobacco has properly caught. With a Phunnel this goes a bit faster than with a multi-hole bowl. Once the tobacco is hot, take the third piece of charcoal back out of the HMD and put it back in the charcoal basket. While smoking, you should pay close attention to how the tobacco reacts.

If the smoke gets too hot or bitter or starts to scratch, that's a sign that you should reduce the heat. If the smoke and flavour become weaker, it may be time to increase the heat a little.

3.3.4 Regulating with the smokebox

If you use a smokebox, you can control the heat better than with a chimney attachment or aluminium foil. Vary the number and positioning of the charcoal to steer the heat optimally, and experiment a little to find the perfect heat for your needs.

3.3.5 Gaining experience

Heat management is a matter of experience. Different types of tobacco tolerate different temperatures. That's why you should always experiment a little to find out which tobacco performs best at which heat in your setup. Over time you'll get a good feel for how to steer the heat optimally for your favourite tobacco.

With these tips you can optimise the heat management of your hookah and ensure an intense, flavourful smoking experience. That was everything from our side on heat management. In the next section we explain the blow-off of a hookah.

3.4 What function does the blow-off have?

A blow-off doesn't just look damn stylish, it also has two extremely important functions: on the one hand, it ensures that old, stale air and stale smoke are blown out of the hookah. Cold and stale smoke often takes on musty or bitter flavour notes. To keep your smoking experience fresh, you simply use the blow-off of your hookah. On the other hand, the blow-off prevents too much pressure from building up inside the glasses, which could increase the draw resistance. With many modern hookahs like the Moze Varity or the Moze Breeze Pro you can customise the blow-off and set it exactly how you like it best.

That was everything about smoking a hookah, and with that we've reached the end of our third chapter. In the final chapter we turn to the question of what to keep in mind after smoking a hookah.

Author

Nils Große

Nils has been part of the team since 2022 and, as a copywriter and designer, turns well-founded hookah knowledge from the community and team into content that is clear, easy to understand and pleasant to read.

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