Shisha Flavoring: How To Add Extra Flavoring To Shisha Tobacco
We all remember that very first time that we smoked a bowl of shisha — it was probably the most delicate, crisp, and flavorful smoke we’ve felt we had.
If you thought that the loss of flavor over time was a side effect of smoking more, you’re somewhat right, but not entirely. There are actually some things that you may not be doing quite perfectly to get the most flavor out of your shisha.
There are also ways to add flavoring to shisha that many hookah smokers don’t know about, and thus ignore as options for getting the most flavorful bowl of shisha at every smoke session.
Here are MOB Hookah’s official tips and tricks to get the most flavor and even add extra flavoring to your shisha tobacco.
What Flavors Shisha in the First Place?
If you have been smoking hookah for a while and have your own home set up, then you are familiar with the sticky, wet, tobacco used in hookah called shisha. Shisha, unlike other forms of tobacco, is typically flavored with all sorts of flavorings.
Shisha is typically flavored with fruit, syrups, herbs and spices, and artificial flavorings. Shisha also contains molasses (which can be flavored), sometimes honey, and glycerine, to provide a sticky and wet texture.
Together, this combination of flavoring agents is what gives you the wildly flavorful shisha that you are used to smoking. When you have a well-flavored shisha, your hookah smoke should be thick and flavorful throughout your whole smoke session.
What Can Affect Shisha Taste?
There are a few things that can make shisha taste worse than it ought to.
First, you should consider whether or not you are using high-quality shisha. If you are using a bargain brand of shisha, you should probably consider that the flavor is going to be worse.
But past that, there are a few things within your control that may be leading to worse flavor in your shisha.
Here are a few things to look out for:
Is Your Hookah Ghosting?
The first thing you should wonder when your shisha doesn't taste up to snuff is if your hookah is ghosting. And no, we don’t want to know if your hookah stopped texting you back.
When talking about hookah, ghosting refers to when old bowls of shisha that have been smoked in your hookah have imparted their flavor into your actual hookah, which can then mask the new flavors of shisha you are using the next time you pack a bowl.
A good way to test if you are experiencing ghosting is to draw on your hookah without the bowl attached. You may find that your hookah, even without the bowl, has a sweet, somewhat flavorful air to it.
This is a telltale sign that you are ghosting. But luckily, there is a very easy fix to address ghosting in your hookah.
Clean it.
It really is as simple as that. Clean your hookah frequently and thoroughly, and you can avoid the worst of ghosting. You should also clean your bowl frequently to get rid of any leftover shisha flavoring that is in your bowl.
Replacing your bowl every once in a while is worth it as well, and you should also try using a vortex or phunnel bowl if you use very wet shisha to prevent additional drippage into your hookah.
Is Your Shisha Packed Too Tight?
If your smoke sessions start out crazy flavorful and then die down quickly afterward, you may think there is something wrong with your shisha, or with your hookah.
But in reality, it might be your fault (sorry, not sorry).
If your smoke sessions are becoming less flavorful very quickly after starting, it might be because you are packing your bowl too tightly.
If the bowl is packed too tight, you will burn the top layer of shisha right away, but there might be limited airflow to the rest of the shisha underneath, leading to burnt shisha on top and unsmoked shisha on the bottom, which can cause harsh and flavorless smoke.
The solution to this problem is simple: Take your time when packing your bowl, and make sure that it is layered properly, well-fluffed, and not too tightly packed.
This will give you the most flavorful smoking session possible.
How Can I Add Flavor to My Shisha?
If you notice that these two problems aren’t the cause of your shisha’s lack of flavor, then it may be that you need to add some flavor to your shisha yourself.
You can purchase shisha flavoring liquids to add to your shisha, making it extra wet, and extra flavorful.
Some of these products are marketed as oils, but you should check the ingredients list and make sure that there isn’t actually any oil in the product. Oil won’t mix well with your shisha and it will ruin your smoking session (not to mention it’s not great for you).
Focus on additional flavorings made with molasses or glycerin instead — both are the actual ingredients used in shisha making so they will mix in perfectly with your shisha.
Adding extra flavor this way is a great way to give yourself a flavor bomb in your hookah.
Other Tips To Get the Most Flavor Out of Your Shisha
There are a few other tips and tricks you can use to try and get the most flavor possible out of your shisha. Here are a few of them:
Use Ice in Your Hookah Base
A great tip to get the most flavor out of your smoke session is to use cold water, even adding ice to the base to keep it colder. The colder your water the more flavorful your smoke will be.
When your smoke is hot or even warm, you will be less able to taste the amazing flavors in the smoke, so make sure you go with ice-cold water.
Use Natural Coals
There is a reason why die-hard hookah smokers only use natural coals. Natural coals will lead to a much better, fresher-tasting smoke.
When you use quick light coals, you’re going to inhale some of the chemical accelerants that are used to light the coals quickly. This gives a chemical taste to your smoke that is not the best for flavorful smoke.
Consider a Heat Management Device
If you can swing the cost, you should consider using a heat management device to get the most flavorful smoke possible out of your hookah. Using a heat management device makes it much less likely that you will burn your shisha.
When you burn your shisha, your smoke turns harsh and hot, not what you want from a good smoke session with your friends.
Shisha Flavoring: The Takeaways
Shisha tobacco is flavored with molasses or honey, glycerine, fruits, syrups, herbs, spices, and artificial flavorings.
If your shisha isn’t tasting amazing there are a few things to check on. First, make sure that you are using high-quality shisha. Then, see if your hookah is ghosting, and lastly, see if you are packing your shisha too tightly.
If you still want more flavor out of your shisha, try adding additional flavorings that are made with glycerine and/or molasses to get an ultra flavorful shisha.
You could also try using ice in your base, natural coals, and a heat management device to get the best tasting smoke possible.
If you follow these MOB Hookah-approved tips, you will be in for the most delicious smoke session of your life.
And remember, MOB Hookah can get you hooked up with the best equipment, shisha, accessories, and know-how to give you the best hookah experience every time.
Explore our store here, or check out our hookah blog for more tips.
Sources:
How to Add Extra Flavoring to Shisha Tobacco | Hookah.org