Choose your charcoal at Hookah

Charcoal Hookah - How to choose?

The different types of hookah coals

The success of your session depends on the choice of a good charcoal at Hookah. Tobacco has to cook and if you don't heat it well, you won't get enough smoke, which can make you cold!

Based on this principle, we will describe here the differences between the different types of charcoal Hookah, differences in format and composition.

The world of Hookah has changed a lot in recent years. It's a long time ago when hookahs were only oriental objects, or tobacco had no perfume and chichas were made by hand in the traditional way, more with charcoal (or barbecue coal).

Today the Hookah is used in all four corners of the world, with each country having its own particularities. Russia, Germany, Spain, France and Brazil are all major consumers of Hookah. And each country has small variations. For example, in Germany, a brohood type of clay Bowl is mainly used, whereas in France, a Bowl phunnel with a Kaloud is more widely used. These "new" products did not exist a few years ago and have revolutionised the way we smoke Hookah. One of the biggest innovations has been the use of natural Hookah charcoal, mainly coconut based, instead of the self-igniting charcoal formerly used in churches and for incense.

What is the composition of coal at Hookah ?

We will explain the differences between natural and self-igniting charcoal below. The advantages are different, and below we will explain everything you need to know about charcoal at Hookah, whether it is natural or self-igniting.

Les avantages du charbon naturel surpassent, selon nous, ceux du charbon auto-allumant. Bien que ce dernier soit très facile à allumer, un simple briquet fera l’affaire et le charbon aura atteint sa pleine puissance de chauffe au bout de 1 minute seulement, il dégagera une forte odeur d’ammoniaque qui couvrira le gout du tabac. De plus, il obtient une température de chauffe qui n’est pas assez suffisante pour une bonne chauffe, ce qui oblige l’utilisation d’une simple feuille d’aluminium pour chicha.

Natural coal, on the other hand, has completely different characteristics. It takes much longer to ignite and requires a dedicated ignition device: a simple lighter will not be of any use to you. On the other hand, this type of charcoal gives off little odour compared to self-igniting. Above all, it produces a large amount of energy that allows you to heat your tobacco much more evenly. Since it is very compact, once lit, it lasts much longer and produces a constant heating temperature. Composed mainly of coconut husks, this type of coal is healthier, has little odour and does not alter the taste of your tobacco.

> I want long-life coal: I choose natural coal

Here we have another equally important question: am I going to smoke coconut or olive stone? And this is also a crucial choice! Imagine smoking your tobacco so well lit, you are bragging to your friends about the abundant smoke and the taste of mint tobacco. But 6 minutes later, you realize with dismay that your charcoal is almost finished and your Hookah goes out in less time than it takes to light another charcoal!

And yes, if you had used a natural coconut-based charcoal and a heat regulator like the Kaloud Lotus 2, your session could have lasted almost 45 minutes without doing anything! Our reference choice will of course be the Fresh Coconut Supreme charcoal which offers all these advantages.

> I want a coal that lights up quickly: I choose the self-igniting coal

Nous venons donc d’évoquer la durée de la session chicha, mais un autre facteur important pour la composition du charbon est : la facilité d’allumage. Car allumer un charbon Three Kings reste relativement facile du fait de son caractère auto-inflammable. Il en est tout autre avec le charbon naturel Tom Cococha par exemple. Celui-ci requiert un allume charbon électrique qui allumera 2 cubes de charbons en approximativement 5 minutes.

The use of a Coal heater, whether electric or gas powered, is still the most reliable and fastest technique to efficiently light a cube of natural coal.

Coal size Hookah : rather large or small?

This question can be asked depending on the Bowl at Hookah you use, but also on the type of Heat Management Device. The larger the coal, the more you should use a 40 or even 50 mm coal. On the other hand, the smaller the Bowl , the more you should use a 33 mm or even smaller coal. The same applies to Heat Management Device. When using a Kaloud you should use a triangular charcoal such as Fresh Coco, but with a Brohood you should use a cubed charcoal such as Cocobrico.

This concept is very important because, as stated above, not enough coal heats the tobacco and too much coal makes the smoke, although abundant, unbreathable. Tingly sensation, and very bad taste.

How to light your coal Hookah ?

We will mainly talk about the ignition of natural coal. Indeed, self-igniting coal requires only a lighter and is ignited in just a few seconds.

Il n’en est pas de même pour le charbon naturel. La meilleure pratique consiste à le poser sur une plaque de gaz ou un allume charbon à chicha électrique spécialement conçu pour l’allumage efficace de charbon. Après avoir mis en marche la plaque, vous pouvez poser vos pastilles de charbons naturels et patientez environs 2 à 3 minutes avant de les retourner sur l’autre face. 5 minutes suffisent environs pour allumer complètement 2 pastilles de charbons.

For more information, please refer to our guide: How to Light Coal for Hookah.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about coal for Hookah

My coal breaks too easily

A broken coal can be the result of either poor coal quality or poor storage. Indeed, if it is not properly packed and stored it can absorb moisture and this makes it much too fragile.

My coal extinguishes itself

Same answer as in the previous case, too much humidity can cause this kind of reaction. It is also possible that it may have been misfired. We advise you to place your natural coals on a hot plate and turn them over every 5 minutes to make sure they are lit on both sides and deep.

My coal makes a lot of ash

This is a normal reaction. The ash is produced naturally as the coal is burned. However, some brands of coal produce more ash than others. If your coal produces too much ash, change brands.

My charcoal smells bad

If you use a self-igniting charcoal, the smell of ammonia is quite normal. Your charcoal is soaked with it for quick ignition. If it's a natural charcoal, it's probably because it's of poor quality. Try another brand and compare.

Self-igniting coal with Kaloud?

Some smokers like to experiment and it is their right. However, a self-igniting charcoal does not give off enough heat to properly cook the tobacco. It is therefore strongly discouraged.

Little trick!

In order to guarantee a better heat diffusion, there is a series of accessories to regulate the heat. For example the cover Bowl Kaloud allows the insertion of 1 to 4 natural coals and provides incomparable heating power when using aluminium foil. It is compatible with the Bowls silicone covers to guarantee a perfect seal.