Nov
How should I store my Shisha?
An often overlooked but vitally important part to maintaining flavor and quality of smoke from your shisha is to make sure that it is stored properly. A freshly opened box or bag of shishsa, if properly stored, has an approximate shelf life of six months. To properly store your shisha the best thing to do is place it inside a Ziplock sandwich bag and then place the bag inside of small piece of Tupperware or a similar storage container. You want make sure that the bag and the container are both air tight and stored at room temperature, approximately 74° Fahrenheit (23° Celsius), and away from any direct sunlight. Exposure to air and light will accelerate the shelf life of the shisha by drying it out and changing its chemical composition, so make sure it’s stored in a dark, dry place.
A common misconception is that placing shisha in a refrigerator will extend its life, but this has yet to be proven. Placing shisha in the freezer, on the other hand, may extend its life because freezing the shisha will slow the curing process by eliminating any exposure to air and bringing to a crawl the chemical breakdown of the shisha flavoring (the same way that freezing a loaf of bread will extend its life). Again, you’ll want to make sure that when you place your shisha in the freezer it is in an air tight container to avoid freezer burn. Doubling up is best so you do not contaminate your leftover pasta sauce, and vice versa.
Many a squirrel has fallen victim to the rigors of winters because they spent too much time scurrying around, fighting over every nut they could find and not properly securing the nuts they did have to stand up to the elements. Don’t wind up out in the cold; make sure all your shisha is properly stored like they were your nuts!
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I have always found that putting shisha in an air tight sealed container is the best too. I found these zip lock containers that have a screw on cap, and they are ezy to open and close, even if your fingers are all sticky from juicy shisha, they are easy to clean too. Here is one issue i found with using zip lock sandwhich bags(at least for me)… if the shisha sits in the sandwhich bag(the small ones) for too long it seems to deteriorate some of the flavor, it also seemed to pick up somewhat of a plastic taste/smell. However, when i used the large sandwhich bags, it seems that they have a thicker material that doesnt soak any plastic taste into the shisha. So i recomend using the large bags. What i try to do that works very well is i keep the shisha in the original shisha bag, so that way the juices and the tabacco are always kept in a small area together, because if a small amount of shisha is put in a large bag, the juices will just smear all over inside the bag and the tabacco wont be at its full moistness. then put the original bag inside a larger ziplock just for air-tight-freshness!!!! happy puffing!
December 1st, 2008 at 11:53 amI tried air-tight bags and storing in closet and my shisha dries up. I tried the refridgerator and it keeps the shisha moist. Is it alright to keep it in the refridgerator?
December 9th, 2008 at 11:22 pmIt is alright to keep it in the refrigerator. Also, please note that not all bags are air-tight. Some are made to be a bit porous. If you can smell the shisha through the bag, it isn’t air tight.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:57 amthis may be a dumb question but oh well here goes… if you store your shisha in the freezer do you need to let it thaw out before using it?
March 25th, 2009 at 5:20 pmthats what i thought when i heard that Davy j
August 4th, 2009 at 10:08 amI use regular small ziplock bags and crush the air out and then close it…… it works for me.. had no problems
August 6th, 2009 at 8:16 pmLeave it in a microwave while its running 24/7!!! just kidding store it in a zip-lock bag and in a tin that is dark or metal(not see-thru)
October 16th, 2009 at 7:31 pmI’ve always stored my shisha in the refrigerator in one of the bottom drawers that rarely gets opened. I don’t put it in tupperware or a zip lock bag…Should I start doing that or is it safe in the refrigerator drawer?? It’s always been moist, I’ve never had dry shisha..
November 29th, 2009 at 8:51 pmI had some starbuzz in the tins they come in about 3 months. It was opened. Now I’m wondering if it’s still ok to smoke?
December 14th, 2009 at 1:23 pmIf you freeze your shisha, it probably would be best to crumble a bowl size amount onto a piece of tin foil before you load your bowl so the heat can distribute evenly. However, unless you’re storing your shisha for a long time, I don’t see why you would want to store it in the freezer. Shisha has a long shelf life, and doesn’t ‘go bad,’ except that it dries out. If you bag your shisha in a good ziplock, you can leave it in a darker place, just below room temperature. If you run into the problem that half the amount you buy ends up going bad, I’d suggest you buy smaller amounts, or freezing half until you smoke the first half.
One thing about storing it in the fridge with no bag, is that your shisha will absorb the other smells and flavors present in your fridge, and will be slightly changed from how it was when you bought it. If you haven’t noticed this though, chances are it isn’t a huge issue.
Hope this helps!
December 25th, 2009 at 11:39 pmThe best way to store your shisha hands down is packed real nicely in baby food jars. 2 oz. for 50g, 4 oz. for 200G, 6 oz for 250g, etc. I use beechnut brand but every jar comes with an airtight seal just like a mason jar. The best way because its uniform and you can label the jars with tape and when you run out just wash it out remove the tape and redo for the next available flavor. I have about 70-80 flavors all stored really nicely in a drawer and a sheet that is in spreadsheet form that i can look at for the exact location of whatever flavor i am looking to smoke instead of looking at every single jar i have. Also if anyone ever wanted to know. The large heba diffuser fits the KM hookahs so well that it looks as if it was made for them. For direction on how to work that diffuser on without altering the diffuser or stem itself shoot me an email. ken.alberts@tmo.blackberry.com. Thanks guys and happy hookah smoking.
February 11th, 2010 at 1:44 pmO and guys use glass only no plastic. They are like 50 cents a pop. Cost effective!!
February 11th, 2010 at 1:46 pmLike Ken said earlier, baby food jars really are the PERFECT containers for leftover shisha (I found that my Starbuzz blue mist lost a lot of flavor and smell in it’s original tin in the fridge after only a week, and prefer to keep my shisha in a box near a window to keep it cool).
I don’t reuse them, because the rubber on the inside of the lid really picks up the flavor of the shisha, and I don’t want any flavor contamination, but they are under $1 for an awesome shisha jar, and less on sale (and baby food does have practical uses in the kitchen. it’s good in sauces and smoothies).
If you won’t be using them quickly and want to keep them in an extra-dark space you can give the jars a quick coat of black acrylic paint, spray paint, or a couple strips of electric tape.
Plus you have nice uniform jars for storage, no trying to find places for bags, and boxes, and jars of different sizes.
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:26 pmI noticed no one recommended storing shisha in a mason jar, you know the kind that grandma put her preserves in, they are relatively cheap at walmart and they create a pretty airtight seal because they have a rubber gasket on the top. Also plenty of room to label what shisha is in them.
April 10th, 2010 at 3:31 pmWish i read this before i cracked open my container of al faker melon. i got tired of dealing with the bag it came in so i dumped the bag into the mini tub. big mistake over night it dried out and the next day it was like smoking regular tobacco in a hookah. yuck. i am planing on getting the mini mason jars (the ones that are recommended for storing spreads) from walmart and trying that approach out.
September 23rd, 2010 at 9:28 amI store my shisha in Kerr jars. They are like baby food jars but are commonly used for homemade foods, to seal them air tight. In my experience the glass doesn’t absorb the shisha scent and wash easily. They lock in the moisture and preserve the shisha for a lengthy amount of time.
September 29th, 2011 at 3:10 pmI have found that cigar boxes work quite nicely as storage containers. Depending on the size and depth, not only can you store about four 50g boxes of Al Fakher shisha but also two full rolls of coal your tongs and your lighter. I know hat may seem like a bit much but it actually works quite well and I haven’t had any flavor issues whether it be flavor transfer or lose of flavor. If you do decide to use this methood however, make sure the box lid seals to the base with either a nail or clasp.
January 12th, 2013 at 3:46 pm