Hookah Foil

There is not an exact answer to this question. The number of holes put in hookah foil entirely depends on how big your hookah bowl is, the shisha you're smoking, the charcoal you're using, and of course your own personal preference. Pre-punched foil sheets come with the holes already poked and provide a great baseline when initially learning hookah preparation techniques. Alternatively, heat management devices eliminate the need for aluminum foil when smoking - taking the guesswork out of poking holes entirely.

When putting foil on your bowl, you want to make sure the flat area covering your shisha remains tight and as free of wrinkles as possible. Once your shisha has been packed, place a sheet of foil gently over the top of your bowl. While using one hand to hold the foil against the edge of the bowl, take your other hand and carefully begin to "crimp" the foil down around the edges of your bowl. Rotate your bowl and repeatedly crimp the foil tighter around the entire edge until it is securely molded to the sides. For a more detailed guide on how to pack and foil a bowl, check out our hookah 101 video.

Whether or not you should use the shiny side of hookah foil or the dull side has been a hotly contested question for a while now. In reality, it doesn't really matter! There is no functional difference between the different sides so you can use whichever you would like. You will not experience any change in performance.