Feb
Hookah Wind Covers – More Useful Than Just “Wind Covering”
Hookah wind covers, while an essential aid when smoking outdoors during an airy evening, are often overlooked as something that can really improve your shisha smoking experience indoors as well.
The wind cover basically helps retain heat around your bowl, which will heat up your bowl faster and will help your coals stay lit longer during your smoking session. Here’s how I optimize my smoking session while using a hookah wind cover:
When you initially load your bowl make sure to not overload it; keep your shisha loose and about an eighth of an inch from the rim of the bowl. If you are using a bowl “cap” style wind cover like the Fez Hookah Bowl Cap or the Metal Top Hookah Wind Cover then one coal should suffice. If you are using a large wind cover such as the Pagoda Hookah Wind Cover or the Taj Hookah Wind Cover that fits over the entire bowl, then two coals may be needed. After you have loaded your bowl and lit your coal, place your coal around the edge of the bowl and place your wind cover over the bowl and start puffing. Once you start getting some good smoke going, remove the wind cover and move your coal around to help evenly heat the bowl. This might be more difficult with a bowl “cap” style bowl since you are only using one coal, but the idea is to keep the coal moving so one spot does not get too hot and burns your shisha. If at any point in time your shisha starts to taste harsh, remove the wind cover and the coal and give your bowl a chance to cool down. You may even want to blow through your hose to purge any harsh smoke through your release valve if you have a non-autoseal hookah. During my smoking sessions I will remove the wind cover from time to time to let my bowl cool down a bit and avoid overheating my shisha.
It’s a delicate balance, but once you get the hang of it you’ll really start to see a big difference in the amount of smoke produced using less shisha versus without the wind cover. Also, most wind covers will get very hot so if yours does not have a handle, keep an oven mitt around or you can use your tongs to pick it up so you don’t burn your hand!
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You know, I’m glad this article came out because I underestimated the usefulness of the wind cover for such a long time until a couple weeks ago.
Not too long ago I purchased a hookah from H-S.com and it came with a wind cover. Initially I thought to myself, “Well, I could probably sell it…”
But I realized that I could use less coals and retain major heat, and I could set the hookah up in the kitchen, put on the coal and wind cover and *safely* walk to my living room.
Ever since then it’s been a major part in the hookah arsenal.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:08 pm