STEP 1

Fill the vase half with water. The key is that the stem of the hookah should be submerged two to three inches. Using ice in the glass is very common; it makes the smoking experience more cool and soothing.

STEP 2

Place the metal shaft/hookah stem on top of the vase. You should have a rubber gasket to help seal the two together making it airtight.

STEP 3

Place the ashtray/metal tray over the top of the shaft head. The opening for the ashtray will usually be a bit wider than the neck of the shaft. Depending on your hookah model, the tray may either fit loosely or snap in the place. Some small hookahs come with the affixed trays.

STEP 4

Attach the hose rubber gasket to the end of the hose. Place the end of the hose with the gasket into the hose opening of the shaft.
Hookah set up with hose.

STEP 5

Know how much flavour to be added. Break up the SoeX/AFZAL molasses so it sits lightly in the bowl. If it is packed too tightly, it will not allow the smoke to be pulled through the head. Fill the head to the rim of the bowl. If you over fill the head, the shisha will become too packed when placing the foil or metal screen over the top.

STEP 6

When placing foil over the top, get a square piece of foil that is approximately 3 x 3 inches.

STEP 7

Place the foil over the top of the head like the picture shown on the left.

STEP 8

Poke holes in the foil. Make the holes thin and not thick. A thumb tack or fork works best. Set up of hookah with the hose and head.

STEP 9

Lighting coals - For best results use SoeX Quick Lite hookah charcoal tablets which are specifically meant for hookah smoking. Burn the coal all the way round so that when you blow on the coal, a red glow covers the entre piece. You cannot directly apply the flame to the tobacco or use BBQ charcoals for the head. A lot of BBQ charcoals give off too much carbon monoxide which can cause headaches and even death. So, use only SoeX Quick Lite hookah charcoal tablets please.

STEP 10

Carefully place the charcoal on top of the hookah head so that you don't drop the embers into the shisha. If the hookah smoke becomes harsh, you may have too many coals on the head. Try removing a coal or breaking a coal into two to distribute the heat better. If the hookah is still smoking harsh, embers may be present in the shisha. Remove coals and the foil cover so that you can blow out the embers. If hookah starts to smoke too light, try dropping coals onto the tray to clear off the ashes. Replace coals onto the hookah head.