Use Of Hookah Charcoal With A Coal Burner
There are many different brands, shapes, and styles of hookah charcoal available on the market these days. With so many options in the market, it can be a little confusing trying to decide which one might work best for you.
Today, we will go over some essential hookah charcoal and coal burners valuable knowledge for all hookah smokers. Then, look at the most common types of hookah charcoal, which work perfectly with any coal burner in the market.
What is a Hookah Charcoal Used For?
The primary function of hookah charcoal is to be the heat source for your shisha tobacco. This tobacco requires a significant amount of heat when used with a good coal burner, producing big clouds of smoke. Once your charcoals are lit, they need to be placed on top of the foil on your hookah bowl or in your heat management device, and the heat they produce will cook the shisha tobacco. This the production of those sweet, sweet clouds occurs.
What Are The Types Of Hookah Charcoal That Can Be Used With A Coal Burner?
Several types of hookah charcoal can be used with coal burners. Every type has its own pros and cons. So, let us look at each type of charcoal and what they bring to your smoking session.
Quick Lighting Charcoal
Quick lighting charcoal is what most shisha smokers start with. These charcoals will look like tiny black discs. As their name suggests, this style of coal will be the quickest lighting charcoal available. This is due to being coated in a chemical accelerant, which is lit with a regular cigarette lighter. This charcoal can also be lit with the help of a coal burner, although it would take a few seconds to be lit!
This also means that these coals will become very hot and light quickly compared to other charcoal types. They will also have a stronger taste and odor. Experienced hookah smokers will tell you that these coals interfere with the shisha flavor.
During lighting them, you will notice the coals begin to spark, and the color of the coal will slowly change from black to orange/red as the charcoal heats up. Then these charcoal eventually turn to grey/white when they are fully lit. So make sure to wait until the coal has turned grey/white before adding these to your hookah bowl!
Silver Lighting Charcoal
This is a subcategory of quick lighting charcoal. Silver style coals are a hybrid between quick light and natural style coals. These coals will generally have a square tab-shaped appearance. These are coated in a silver-colored film. This functions as the chemical accelerant to allow them to be lit with a regular cigarette lighter.
These coals produce a medium heat level. As a result, fans of these coals say they have a much lower odor and taste when compared to the quick light coals.
While lighting these coals, they won't produce the same sparking effect as the quick light coals. However, the silver coating on them will begin to fade up and burn off as the charcoal heats up. So make sure to wait for all the silver coating to burn off before adding these to your hookah bowl!
Natural Coconut Hookah Charcoal
Natural coconut charcoal are made from squashed coconut husks. These come in various sizes and shapes, but the most common styles will be either "flat" or "cube" shapes. These do not have any sort of chemical accelerant coating. Thus, they will take a little longer to heat than quick light or silver flint style coals. However, once they are heated, they will burn longer than quick lighting style coals. These will also have a minimal odor or taste impact on your smoking session.
Since the natural coals do not have a chemical accelerant, you will not be able to heat them with a cigarette lighter. So you will need to use a coal burner to heat them correctly. When lighting these coals, you will generally have to put them on your coal burner and set it to a "High" setting for about 5 minutes. Then with the help of your tongs, flip the coals over and let them heat for another 4 to 5 minutes.
As the coals begin to heat, you will see them start to turn a red/orange color at first. However, after they are fully lit, they will have a grey / white ash color.
Make sure that you wait until the coals turn grey/white before adding them to your hookah bowl!
One of the most customary questions is how many coals should be used during a smoking session. This varies a bit depending on the type of charcoal, shisha tobacco, and bowl being used. Personal preferences also matter on how hot you like to cook your tobacco. Thus, finding the perfect charcoal set up for you may take a little bit of trial and error.
While using quick lighting charcoals, most people use between 2 to 3 coals at a time. This type of charcoal can be broken into halves before lighting them. Thus, you have a bit more control over how much heat you are putting on your tobacco. It becomes easier to rotate these coals around your bowl with your tongs during your hookah session.
When using natural-style charcoal, most people use between 3 to 4 coals at a time. If you have small hookah bowls, you can use between 2 - 3 coals. But with more giant hookah bowls or when using very wet or juicy shisha tobaccos, you will need a bit more heat to cook the tobacco properly. So 3 - 4 natural coals tend to be the perfect amount of heat in most cases.
Are Hookah Coals Reusable?
The answer here is YES. If you soak your lit charcoal in water to completely extinguish it and then allow that charcoal to dry out completely, then technically, you can reignite it and use it again.
That being said, it is obviously a bad idea for any self-respecting hookah smoker to reuse charcoal.
Save yourself time and disappointment, and always use fresh coals for each hookah session.
Conclusion
Thus, we have come to the end of our article stating all the common types of charcoal that can be used with a coal burner.
We hope that you have a great smoking session with your new coal burner.
Happy Smoking!











