What Technical Knowledge Does Smoker require before Packing?

Hello hookah smokers! I am here to discuss some things about hookah as I have been into smoking for decades now. I never underestimate anything part of hookah but cannot agree more that without proper knowledge on hookah, you will never be able to enjoy your smoking time.

Gathering years of knowledge and understanding of the parts and mechanisms of hookah, I am here to give you some knowledge that can be beneficial for newcomers or hookah enthusiasts.

No doubt that when it is about shisha, a handful of people are skeptical and intimidated by the different kinds of phrases and terms used by society. Even, it has been witnessed that due to pandemic, these days the “lounge smokers” have greatly started emphasizing “home smoking.”

Whilst this is something great for smokers, you must have the knowledge of smoking or setting up the sessions to be able to enjoy a great smoking time irrespective of the flavor you are using. Zomo or Trifecta – Packing still leads the game!

Mastering the fundamentals is all that you need, and only then will you be able to comprehend the superiority of having vast knowledge of the setup.

Since you are much accustomed to serving a fully prepared hookah in the lounges, you might not know the way they are set up. Therefore, we are here to help you start the journey without having any bad experiences while you are smoking.

If you ask me, what is the most crucial thing in your smoking session? I would not underrate anyone, but one of the hardest and most important is the bowl packing. You have to do it properly to enjoy the smoke and flavor.

All of them are not similar:

There is a very common misconception that all the tobacco flavors available in the market can be easily packed, and every one of the flavors like Zomo or Starbuzz can be packed in a similar way. Technically speaking, you can pack the tobacco in a similar manner, but do you really think that it should be?

Just for an example, if you recall all the lounge sessions, you have taken in different lounges with the same flavors yet enjoyed the flavor in different ways every time. Isn’t it? They aren’t identical, and there is a reason for that.

If all the time, you have chosen the Zomo flavor, but if you choose the Egyptian Clay Bowls and give it to different people, everyone will pack in a different way. This clearly means that if you are given a chance to smoke each of the bowls, voila! One flavor, One bowl type, yet a different experience.

One might offer you the chance to enjoy the flavor more than others; one might offer better clouds, one might have better longevity! It depends on the Packing! If you follow the instructions provided by the brand and the tobacco content, you are definitely going to enjoy your flavor.

Not convinced yet? Well, if you really want to know, why not try out packing your Fumari tobacco similarly to that of Zomo? Or Al Fakher like Trifecta? Sure, you will find the difference in flavor, smoke, and longevity.

Packing a bowl should not be something that you are trying out, but it should be an informed one.

Different Kinds of Pack Densities:

You can find 5 different kinds of pack densities. This includes Dense, Semi-dense, Normal, Fluff, and Semi-fluff. Each and every shisha that you have smoked so far has been packed using any of these packings.

Arguably, these days you can find Cement packing methods which I personally don’t have much knowledge of. Even when you don’t find it important to find the maximum capacity of the bowl, as per my opinion, you must have knowledge of the bowl capacity. Even I have witnessed people packing in the cement method without realizing it.

Let us have a look at the different kinds of densities, and we will talk a little bit about the details so that you are able to enjoy the different pack methods.

The CEMENT Pack:

Not every tobacco user makes use of the Cement pack as not all the flavors suit the Packing. When you are using tons of tobacco and keep pressing it down on the bowl as far as it could, it is the cement packing that you are following. I am sure you must be thinking that such a dense packing will actually cut the airflow.

Then why would you follow it? Cement packing demands having comprehensive understanding of the bowl packing.

No denial; it is complex, but I am trying my level best to make it simple for you to understand.

• Take a food scale, a bowl, calculator, and the tobacco that your wish to use
• Set the food scale to grams, place the bowl and then keep it to 0.
• Now, take the bowl in your hand, grab the tobacco, pack as much as you can into your bowl.
• Remember not to keep any air pockets
• Set the back on the scale and find the weight

The number that you find now is the capacity of your bowl. The amount of tobacco that you are putting on the bowl is showing the capacity you are using.

• When it is the cement packing it will use 100% of the bowl capacity.
• For the dense Packing, it is 90% of the Cement packing.

The FLUFF Pack:

This is probably one of the lightest ways of packing available so far. It includes using your fingers and sprinkling the tobacco onto the bowl step by step or layers after layers. There shouldn’t be any kinds of manual interference like no foil poker, oyster fork, or toothpick. This means you are not supposed to use it by using a handful amount and do not try to do the Packing at once. Patience is the key!

The fluff packing is actually 50% of the dense Packing.

Some of the most common brands that you can use for fluff packing include Lavoo, Serbetli, Social Smoke.

The SEMI-FLUFF:

This is another packing method that comes next to the fluff method. You can say that this is just a bit more than the fluff packing. This also includes taking the tobacco with the fingers and then using fingers to sprinkle them on the bowl step by step and little every time. The tobacco would fall and pack just the way you did in the above packing method.

However, in this method, you have to be sure of sprinkling a little bit more on the rim so that the tobacco can be packed slightly down. In this case, you have the freedom to make use of your foil poker, toothpick, and fingers.

Some of the most common brands that you can use for this packing method include Fumari, Starbuzz, Afzal, and Trifecta.

The NORMAL Pack:

The normal packing method was created solely for Al Fakher. Most of the smokers are not aware of the way to pack Al Fakher properly, and this is where the normal packing method came from.

The Packing starts by grabbing shisha tobacco, making use of the fingers, and then sprinkle them on the bowl a little every time, just like the way you did on the Fluff and Semi-fluff method. Everything is the same, just like the Semi-fluff, but all you need is to keep in mind that this method will require you to pack a bit more than the semi-fluff Packing. You can use something like a toothpick, poker, or your finger to pack.

Some of the most common brands of tobacco that can offer a great use of this packing method include Adalya, Azure Blonde, Al Fakher, and Azure Doze.

The SEMI-DENSE Packing:

This is the Semi-dense packing style that is mostly used for dark leaf tobacco. This can bridge the gap between dense and normal Packing. Just like the other packing methods, you can start this by taking some shisha with your fingers and then sprinkling it into the bowl. This is similar to that of the fluff pack.

The tobacco needs to fall similarly to the way you pack the fluff packing. However, you have to make sure that in the case of semi-dense Packing, you have to pack the tobacco a little more than that of the normal Packing. As usual, toothpick, poker, or your fingers to pack.

Some of the most common brands that you can use for this packing method includes Trifecta Dark, Nirvana, Zomo Blonde, and Nakhla.

The DENSE Packing:

The dense pack again needs a lot of calculation and is based primarily on dark leaf tobacco. The Packing starts by taking shisha tobacco with the fingers and then sprinkling it into the bowl like the fluff pack. Here, you have to go a little more than the semi-pack method.

Pro tip: Once you have got the dense pack, all you need is to make sure that you are able to push the tobacco down. In case the tobacco does not move, you have packed little more than dense, perhaps, closely to cement packing. So, try to eliminate some to give passage for air circulation.

Some of the most common brands that can offer great in return using these packing methods include Zomo, Tangiers, Starbuzz.

Bottom Line:

Well, even when this blog seems more mathematical and technical, I thought of sharing some information with you just to make sure that whatever tobacco you are using, you can enjoy thick smoke.

If you are more of a Zomo fan or Al Fakher, consider having a look at this guide. Remember, your packing method has a lot to do in deciding your smoking experience.