01/09/2022
1: WASH YOUR HO**AH BETWEEN USES
You can pack a bowl and manage your heat with great attention to detail and care, but if you let your excess juice, to***co bits, and stagnant water marinate in your vase for days on end, you may as well trash the thing. Ho**ahs should be cleaned between uses for the best possible flavor and session you can have. Pro-tip: you can even dry your vases in your dishwasher on the plate warmer setting to remove water spots/rings entirely!
2: KEEP YOUR BASE COCKTAILS SAFE
Adding fruit, spices, herbs, or even different juices can be a fun and exciting step in your ho**ah preparation and we encourage it! But some things to avoid are milk, highly acidic fruit (such as lemons, limes, plums, and grapefruit), and alcohol. Milk begins growing bacteria after it reaches 45 degrees (Fahrenheit), highly acidic juices may compromise the quality and finish of your downstem, and alcohol in confined spaces is dangerous to inhale especially for long durations.
3: PURGE BEFORE YOU START YOUR SESSION
Think of how great that first puff always is, by purging before you take that hit, it can be even better. Ho**ahs, when set up correctly, should always be airtight but in doing so you are also trapping in negative air pressure when piecing everything together. By purging before you begin your session you are allowing your ho**ah to expel this stale air while simultaneously checking the water level and the purge itself before any surprises come up. Purging before smoking also allows you to stoke your charcoal from the bottom up and check the general airflow of your pack. Consider this your ho**ah’s warning shot for what’s about to come.
4: ICE GOES OUTSIDE OF YOUR HO**AH
One of the biggest myths out there for ho**ah is that ice smooths your smoke, we’re here to say that’s not quite the case. Now ice does have its place at the end of the day and it’s not inside your ho**ah, it's outside. Next time you need your ho**ah water cooled down when smoking outdoors during the summer months, try creating an ice bucket with your ho**ah in the center and some regular table salt. With the ice outside of your ho**ah, your constant pulls will not melt it as quickly and the salt will even keep the ice colder longer thus prolonging your fun in the sun.
5: HOLD ON TO ALL HO**AH PARTS
Ho**ah isn’t an exact science and oftentimes you are at the mercy of the tools you own to get your pipe in smoking condition. We once even forgot a purge valve and made one using a pen cap and a ho**ah mouth tip in a pinch. The point here is that you may very well own and get rid of several different ho**ahs, and as often as you can you should be holding on to random grommets, purge balls, hose port connectors, and even threaded pieces such as bowl ports from those pipes as many stores simply don’t stock these items due to demand. By always having replacements in your back pocket you will be a Ho**ah McGiver in no time!
6: PACK BELOW THE RIM
Consider your ho**ah to***co like Icarus, to stay right there flying amongst clouds you need to keep away from the sun (or your bowl’s searingly hot rim in this case). By packing below the rim, you’re allowing the heat transfer from charcoal to clay to happen naturally and ensuring a more powerful flavor. This also gives your to***co some breathing room to expand and contract as it bakes meaning clean up will be easier and the likelihood of you using up all of the to***co you packed is stronger too. A great rule of thumb is to use 2mm below the rim as a starting point for both Heat Management Devices (HMDs) and foil alike.
7: USE A STAINLESS STEEL SPONGE IN YOUR FRUIT BOWLS
Stainless Steel Sponges (Steel Mesh to some) aren’t just for cleaning the grime off your used ho**ah bowls, they’re pivotal for all of your fruit bowl sessions! While toothpicks are a great resource for decorating and adding more ornate features to your fruit bowl, Stainless Steel Sponges not only cut down your preparation time but make the whole process easier. Instead of meticulously lining up toothpick after toothpick and ensuring the gap between the to***co and your stem is sealed, you can simply cut a piece off the sponge and plug the hole you created in one quick motion.
8: TREAT YOUR HO**AH FLAVORS AS INGREDIENTS
Mixing and creating intricate blends can be daunting. Where do you start? Well, first off you should put some distance between you and the flavor you want to mix. Blueberry Muffin should no longer be what you know and love but broken down into two tastes; a baked good and sweet blueberry. You can add some Lemon Loaf right away - lemon is great with blueberries and now you have double the baked goods! But you’re missing something… maybe some coffee or tea on the side? Add in a splash of Citrus Tea or Mochaccino to complete the “Thanks-A-Brunch” mix!
9: FULLY LIGHT YOUR CHARCOAL
You can’t rush greatness. If you go through all the work of creating a mix, packing a bowl correctly, and setting up a ho**ah entirely, you have to play the charcoal waiting game just like the rest of us! Lighting charcoal is always the worst part of ho**ah preparation, let’s be real but, it’s an important step nonetheless. Using underlit charcoal for your session ensures you will have heat management issues and will undoubtedly taste the charcoal instead of your flavor later on in your session plus you will be more prone to blacking the charcoal out entirely.
10: BURY YOUR COALS IN ASH TO INSULATE THEM
Need another coal? What if we told you that you could already have one? To enter the never-ending coal matrix, save your charcoal ash from each session in a heat-safe container. Light one or two extra coals for your session than you normally would and place them in this container fully submerged and covered in the ash. The ash becomes a natural insulator and keeps the charcoal lit with minimum shrinking for up to an hour; no ashing or flipping required. Now when you need to add another coal or two, Voila! You are ready to go in seconds! Just be sure to blow off any of the excess ash and get that charcoal red hot again.
