Your First Session with the XKAH Pro – Modes & Preparation

Nils Große •Updated 24.06.2026 •7 min

Do you want to smoke your hookah electrically and start your first session with the XKAH Pro? Then you're in exactly the right place. In this chapter we explain what the XKAH Pro actually is, which classic hookah components it replaces and how to prepare it correctly for your first session.

We also show you how to fill the XKAH Pod, which modes there are and which settings we recommend for the start. That way you can get going right away without having to test your way through all the menus and functions first.

XKAH XKAH Pro – electric HMD & Smokebox To the product

What is the XKAH Pro?

Before we get into the settings and preparation, it's worth taking a quick look at what the XKAH Pro actually is. Put simply: the XKAH Pro is an electric HMD. Strictly speaking, though, it replaces considerably more than just the classic attachment on the hookah bowl.

A lot happens above the bowl grommet on a hookah. You need a hookah bowl, tobacco, an HMD or chimney attachment, charcoal and of course accessories to light and move the charcoal safely. The XKAH Pro takes over exactly this area in an electric solution.

That means: the XKAH Pro replaces practically everything to do with the bowl, attachment and charcoal on a classic hookah. You need no separate hookah bowl, no HMD, no natural charcoal, no charcoal burner, no charcoal tongs and no charcoal basket.

What the XKAH Pro changes about smoking hookah

The biggest difference is in the preparation. While with a classic hookah you first have to build the bowl, light charcoal and control the heat via the attachment, the heating process with the XKAH Pro runs electrically. The temperature is controlled entirely via the device and can be adjusted depending on the mode.

The tobacco is not built into a conventional hookah bowl, but into the supplied XKAH Pod. This pod is particularly economical and holds about 10 to 12 grams of tobacco. As a result you use significantly less tobacco per session than with many classic bowls, but still get a full session.

You can build the pod to your taste. Whether light tobacco, dark tobacco or a mix – basically all types work. What's decisive is that you fill the pod correctly and choose the right temperature.

XKAH XKAH Pro Replacement Pod – 2-Pack To the product

The battery of the XKAH Pro

The XKAH Pro is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. Depending on use, it lasts up to 2 hours and can be fully recharged in around 90 minutes. So for a normal session that's easily enough.

Especially for beginners this is very practical. The sometimes fiddly handling of charcoal is completely eliminated. You can do without open flames or a separate charcoal burner. You charge the battery, insert the pod, choose your mode and can start your session.

Preparing your first session with the XKAH Pro

Do you already have the XKAH Pro in front of you and want to get started right away? Then you begin with the most important step: building the pod. The pod largely determines how well your session runs later. Too little tobacco, too much tobacco or pressing it down too hard can negatively affect the draw and smoking behaviour.

For the start we recommend working with a kitchen scale. That way you get a better feel for how much tobacco belongs in the pod and can more easily repeat your results later. In addition, it's best to use the supplied XKAH fork, as it's designed exactly for building the pod.

Building the XKAH Pod – step by step

1. Set your kitchen scale to tare so it starts at 0 grams. Then put about 5 grams of tobacco into the pod. You distribute this first amount evenly in the lower area with the pointed side of the supplied fork – the lower grille should no longer be visible afterwards.
2. Place the remaining tobacco loosely on top until you reach about 10 to 12 grams in total. Important: don't press it down firmly. The pod should be well filled, but the tobacco should still lie fluffy – otherwise draw and heat distribution suffer.
3. If needed, wipe the rim of the pod clean, put on the lid and make sure everything sits properly. Then insert the pod into the XKAH Pro with the ribbed side facing up.

The most common mistakes when building the pod

Especially during the first sessions, three typical mistakes usually happen:

• Too little tobacco. If the pod is filled too loosely or too low, the heat can't act optimally on the tobacco – the session often turns out weaker than expected.
• Too much tobacco. With an overfilled pod the tobacco lies too tightly, the session quickly becomes too intense and the draw can suffer.
• Pressing too hard. The tobacco should lie loosely, not be pressed. A loose filling ensures more pleasant smoking behaviour and a better basis for working with temperatures later.

Switching on the XKAH Pro and selecting a mode

Once your pod is finished, you can switch on the XKAH Pro. To do this, press the middle button five times. Then you switch between the different modes with the side buttons.

The XKAH Pro offers three modes:

• Classic Mode – fixed, preset values.
• Custom Mode – temperature and runtime adjustable yourself.
• Non-Tobacco Mode – for use without classic tobacco.

For your first session, the Classic Mode and the Custom Mode are especially interesting. The Non-Tobacco Mode is intended for use without classic tobacco and doesn't play a big role for a normal first session with hookah tobacco for now.

Classic Mode on the XKAH Pro

The Classic Mode is the simplest mode. Here temperature and duration are already preset. So you don't have to decide yourself what temperature to start with or how long the session should run.

That sounds practical at first, but it also takes control away from you. If the session is too mild or too intense for you, you can't react as flexibly in Classic Mode as in Custom Mode. For a quick first test the Classic Mode can be interesting – but our clear recommendation for most sessions is the Custom Mode.

Custom Mode on the XKAH Pro

The Custom Mode is the mode we recommend for the XKAH Pro. Here you can set temperature and runtime yourself and thereby adapt the session much better to your tobacco and your personal smoking behaviour.

In Custom Mode you set the runtime to up to 90 minutes. The maximum temperature is 305 °C. But you don't have to max out this temperature straight away – it makes much more sense to start with a suitable starting temperature and adjust as needed during the session.

The big advantage: you have full control. If the session is too mild, you increase the temperature. If it becomes too intense or the flavour fades, you reduce it again.

Our setting recommendations for Custom Mode

For your first session we recommend using Custom Mode and starting with a runtime of 90 minutes. That way you don't have to keep reactivating the session and can focus entirely on the smoking behaviour.

With the temperature it depends on which tobacco you use. Light tobacco on a Virginia base usually reacts a bit more sensitively to heat. Dark tobacco or stronger mixes generally tolerate more heat, but should also be turned down as needed after the heating phase.

Recommendation for light tobacco

If you use light tobacco, we recommend a starting temperature of about 260 °C. Set the runtime to 90 minutes and watch how the session develops.

This setting gives you a pleasant entry and gives the tobacco enough room to develop evenly. If the session is too mild after a few minutes, you can slightly increase the temperature during the session.

Well-suited light varieties for the start are, for example, stral black mln, stral lem black t and stral basil barry.

stral black mln 200g To the product stral lem black t 200g To the product stral basil barry 200g To the product

Recommendation for dark tobacco or mixes

If you use dark tobacco or a mix, you can work with a higher starting temperature. Our recommendation here is about 285 °C to start. Set the runtime to 90 minutes here too.

After the preheating phase you can reduce the temperature to about 260 to 270 °C. This keeps the flavour more stable throughout the session and the tobacco isn't stressed unnecessarily.

This setting is a good starting point if you want to smoke dark tobacco a bit more intensely but still prefer a longer and more pleasant session.

Why temperature is so important with the XKAH Pro

With the XKAH Pro you control the heat not via charcoal positions, but via the set temperature. That's exactly why the Custom Mode is so helpful. You can react much more precisely and don't have to move, ash off or replace any charcoal.

Especially at the beginning you should feel your way slowly. Every tobacco reacts a bit differently and every smoker has a different sense of heat. The values mentioned are therefore not fixed rules, but recommendations for the start.

If the flavour is too weak for you, you increase the temperature in small steps. If the session becomes too intense or the base tobacco tastes too strong or scratchy, you reduce it again a bit. That way you'll find your personal setting very quickly after a few sessions.

Starting the first session

Once your pod is built, the battery charged and the Custom Mode set, you can start your first session. Place the XKAH Pro on your hookah, make sure everything sits securely, and start the preheating phase.

After heating up you can draw on your hookah as normal. Give the tobacco a few minutes until heat and flavour have fully built up. Especially during the first session it's worth not immediately fiddling with the settings, but first observing how the tobacco develops.

Conclusion: how to make your first session with the XKAH Pro a success

The XKAH Pro makes getting started with electric hookah smoking very easy once you've got the pod build, mode and temperature down. The most important point is a loosely built pod with about 10 to 12 grams of tobacco. On top of that we recommend the Custom Mode, because there you can set runtime and temperature flexibly.

For light tobacco a starting temperature of about 260 °C is a good starting point. With dark tobacco or mixes you can start at about 285 °C and reduce to 260 to 270 °C after the preheating phase. From there you feel your way to your personal desired temperature.

Once you've understood the basics, the XKAH Pro is a very uncomplicated gadget: build the pod, select the mode, set the temperature and have fun. That way you enjoy your hookah electrically and have significantly less effort than with a classic session with charcoal.

XKAH XKAH Pro – discover it now in the Moze shop To the product

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.

All articles

Knowledge