Burning Hookah Charcoal - This is how you get the coals hot!

In Germany we have many funny synonyms for money. One of them is "KOHLE" (coal). Therefore, the sentence "The boy burned a lot of charcoal." has a double meaning for us. In this article, we explain how to light your hookah charcoal efficiently and cost-effectively and not burn your money unnecessarily.
If you want to enjoy a hookah, natural coals are still the best, you just need to know how to light them properly.

What do I need to light the hookah charcoal?

First of all, you need to differentiate between the two types of charcoal. There are quick-light charcoals (also known as self-igniting charcoal) and natural charcoal.

Self-lighting charcoal - easy lighting with a lighter

You only need a lighter to light self-igniting hookah charcoal. Hold this to the charcoal for 20-30 seconds and it will start to glow by itself. So nothing other than a lighter is needed to light this type of hookah charcoal.

High-quality natural charcoal - charcoal burner required

The second variant is the natural hookah charcoal, which is also used on a regular basis by long-time hookah smokers. As the name suggests, these are made from natural materials. It is made from coconut shells, which is why it is sometimes called coconut charcoal.

You will need a charcoal burner for this charcoal. This can be an electric charcoal burner or a gas charcoal burner. Both types do their job equally well. The costs of the two variants are also within a similar range, at around 20-25 euros.

Charcoal burner comparison
In our hookah charcoal burner comparison, you can take a look at the different types of burners so that you can make a better decision.

Electric versions are generally used for domestic use. There are also a few different variants here.

Differences between the charcoal types at a glance

How to lighten hookah charcoal.

As described above, you can light your charcoal with either an electric charcoal burner or a gas charcoal burner. The procedure is relatively the same. Only switching on the burner is a little more complicated with the gas version. However, once you have followed these instructions, it is no longer a problem!

Lighting the charcoal with an electric charcoal burner

You can use the electric charcoal burner anywhere you have a power connection. Unfortunately, there are no rechargeable battery or battery-powered charcoal grills, as the power required is too high and such a device would be extremely heavy and expensive.

First, place your electric burner on a flat surface. This should also be fireproof in case the charcoal slips out of the charcoal tongs and falls next to the charcoal burner.

Then place the desired number of charcoal cubes on the grid supplied with the burner.

The next step is to switch on the charcoal burner. This is usually done using a rotary control. You can set this to the highest level without hesitation. The burner should then heat up within a few seconds.

After about 5 minutes, you should turn the charcoal so that it glows evenly from all sides. After another 3-5 minutes, your hookah charcoals should be ready for use and you can enjoy your hookah.

Does lighting the fire take too long?
Here are a few tips on how to light your hookah faster.

Lighting the charcoal with a gas burner

With a gas-powered charcoal burner (usually a normal gas stove or Bunsen burner), you must first insert a gas cartridge into the burner. To do this, simply unscrew the bottom of the lighter, insert the cartridge and screw the cover back onto the burner.

Caution! Once you have inserted the cartridge, you should not screw the burner back on until the cartridge is empty. The reason for this is that the burner pierces a small hole in the cartridge with a needle when it is screwed in. If you remove the cover prematurely, the gas will escape into the environment and is highly flammable!

Once the cartridge has been placed, you should take a lighter or match and turn up the control knob on the burner. You should now hear a soft hissing sound caused by the escaping gas. You can now light the flame with a lighter or match.

Now you can place the charcoal on the burner and, as with the electric burner, you should turn the hookah charcoal after about 5 minutes so that all sides start to glow evenly. After another 3-5 minutes, your charcoal should usually be ready.

You should pay attention to this when lighting the hookah charcoal burner!

It is very important that you only remove the natural charcoal from the burner to enjoy your hookah when it is completely glowing! This is because the charcoal cubes give off a lot of carbon monoxide when they are lit.

So if you have half-finished charcoal on your hookah bowl , which still has black spots, it will gradually glow through so that you inhale the carbon monoxide. You should avoid this at any costs!

Summary of hookah charcoal ignition

As you will have noticed, the processes are very similar for both types and can be summarized as follows:

1. place charcoal on the burner
2. switch on the charcoal burner
3. turn the charcoal after about 5 minutes
4. remove the charcoal from the burner after another 3-5 minutes

Tips for lighting natural hookah charcoal

Finally, we would like to give you a few tips that you should bear in mind when lighting your hookah charcoal burner.

• As all objects that come into contact with the charcoal when lighting or transporting the charcoal become very hot, you should always pay close attention to where you touch one of these objects to avoid burning yourself.
• You should always place a fireproof base underneath the burner so that nothing can start to burn if the hookah charcoal burner falls off!
• Turning the charcoal is very important if you do not want your charcoal to be significantly smaller on one side than on the opposite side when all sides are glowing. You should therefore turn the charcoal after about 5 minutes so that the coals maintain an even shape.
• The safest way to transport glowing hookah charcoal is within a Charcoal basket . This ensures that the charcoal doesn't fall on the floor on the way to the hookah. The charcoal basket can also protect you from expensive repair bills!
• If you light your charcoal indoors or in another closed room, you should always open windows or doors to the outside so that the carbon monoxide produced during lighting does not collect in the room! Failure to do so can lead to severe headaches, nausea or even death. However, the amount inhaled must be very high for this to happen.

Heat should no longer be a problem! Or should it?

We hope that this article has answered all your questions about lighting a hookah charcoal burner. If this is not the case, you can always contact our customer service on Whatsapp at +49 178 1883338 or by email at info@mozeshisha.de!