Summer is here and it’s already making me regret living in the desert. Today we are going to teach you how to get the coldest smoke your hookah can produce. Just a few simple steps and you’ll be blowing your own mini arctic vortexes.
1. Ice Cubes
I’m sure you’ve heard about putting ice cubes in the vase to get colder smoke. It’s pretty effective and easy to do but there are some problems you need to look out for.
The risk with putting ice in the vase is temperature shocking the glass. I hope you’ve never heard that horrible ‘tink’ when putting ice in their vase. You may not want to look but at that point you are just denying the reality that your vase is cracked. Temperature shocking your vase can easily give you a broken vase, a wet foot and a bad day.
To solve this problem we prime the vase with an inch or so of cold water before any ice goes near it. This helps buffer the temperature change and also stops the impact of the ice hitting the bottom of your vase. Remember that as you add ice it’s going to increase your water level, so start with less and allow it to rise to the level you want.
2. A Diffuser
The diffuser was first introduced with the claim of increasing filtration. I don’t know about all that but today it performs a much more noticeable purpose. Breaking up the smoke puts it in greater contact with the water and ice, which will cool it much faster. The bubbles are really only in the water for a fraction of a second so we need to improve the efficiency of that momentary heat transfer and a diffuser is the best option.
3. Get an Ice Hose/Ice Tip
I have heard of some people putting their hoses in the freezer to chill them but that’s a pretty terrible idea. Plastic hoses and glue can get very brittle when frozen while leather hoses could dry out and crack if left in the freezer for a long time.
The Mya Freeze and the Ager Ice Hose are both great options with similar properties. The mouth pieces can be disassembled and they house miniature ice packs. Both models come with two packs so you can rotate them out and keep the cold smoke flowing. I think these are good, sleek options even though they cold doesn’t last as long as I would like.
There is also the Mystique Hookah Ice Hose Tip from Hookah-Shisha.com. It’s designed to be used on hoses with removable mouth pieces like the Razan or Nammor. The latest version comes packed with a bunch of freezable pouches inside that look like clear ketchup packets. They are not made to be removable, so you don’t get to rotate and you need to freeze the whole tip rather than just he packets. The increased number of ice packs means this tip stays colder for longer but it also increases the size of the accessory many times over. I find smoking with the Mystique to be cumbersome and awkward even if it is effective.
4. Altoids
Get out your mortar and pestle for it is alchemy time! Not really. Just crush up some Altoids and dissolve them in your base water. You won’t get a huge amount of the minty flavor but you will definitely get an increased menthol kick. It’s a bit wasteful but it’s an interesting way to add another element to the blizzard you are constructing.
All of these methods can be used with any tobacco but I suggest a strong mint flavor if you really want to cap it off and compete with the scorching summer nights. Tangiers Cane Mint feels like breathing in the winter. Nakhla Mizo Mint is the same way. Combine all of the techniques you’ve learned today and bundle up because it’s going to be a chilly one.
Nice article. Didn’t know I could crack my vase using ice. Guess I got lucky.
Oh nice i never putted ice on hookah u gives me great knowledge about hookah thanks and please keep posting more like this thanks for sharing this
Haha. I definitely learned the hard way myself.
Lee, it’s not going to happen every time but it greatly increases the risk. Putting water in the vase first can help buffer it from the cold and the impact of the cubes but it’s still not a guarantee.
Nima, Oh no! That sucks. My broken vases had nothing to do with ice but I’ve lost a couple over the years.
I think that sheecool thing sounds like one of the best hookah inventions ever. I have never went as far as to actually freeze my hookah vase, I have I very thick one though. Maybe It would actually not brake or is it taking to big of a chance?
I wouldn’t risk it. The glass could break pretty easily and it’s not worth the little bit of cooling you would experience.
Yeah you are probably right. Being the hookah expert you are what would you say is the best way of smoking a hookah that would give you the best smoking experience, taste, amount of smoke?
Thanks but I’m no expert. I just love this hobby and have been enjoying ti for a while. lol. In 5 or so years I have tried out a lot of different things.
I just smoke with cool water from the tap.
Personally I wouldn’t recommend the Sheecool shisha as they are not made well, however changing the bowl & the pipe will make a signicant difference. Mya Freeze Pipes work reanonably however as I prefer the nammor pipes the smoke takes more effort. Mystique Hose Tip is great for people that stick to one flavour, however if your more adventurous then the flavour sticks to the tip.
I tried it with ice once, but i just stick to very cold tap water. I let it run for a few seconds before filling the base. I do like to experiment with different flavors in the water that will enhance the shisha.
No one suggested to have a bucket, place hookah and ice in said bucket and smoke all day? I swear by this method.
Don’t fill the ice past the water line on the vase, or the temperature may drop too quick cracking your vase near the heart of the stem.
I use a jager bucket from some package deal thing at parties and am constantly getting compliments that they could smoke all night from it.
Place the hookah in the bucket first, then the ice packed tightly around it and it will serve as a weight system to off-set all the rumbling (I own a KM, it always rumbles)