Bowl
Bowl types
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WHAT ARE THE TYPICAL BOWLS?
There are two types of bowls that are available in the market : traditional and phunnel. You must be familiar with the classic brown bowls that lounges used to have. Usually, the internal is shaped like a scoop and has 5 holes in it. Of course, there are variables of it, but the principles stay the same.
As for the phunnel bowl, in general, it has walls in the middle that converges into one big hole.
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WHAT ABOUT THE TRADITIONAL BOWLS?
There is nothing wrong about using them. If you are in your comfort zone and feel that your sessions are great, keep using them. Otherwise, I’ll be telling you my insights.
The taste tends to be more potent, because a bigger surface is being cooked at the same time. Other than that, there are not much benefices to opt for them. You lose all the flavor in the water, because all the juice is leaking thru the pipe. Not only it reduces the glycerin in the tobacco, the sugar and the leaves will mix up with the water and it might influence the taste once you inhale it. This is probably the reason you see some persons wash their tobacco before packing. By doing that, the flavor will be diminished and it will also burn in a faster rate.
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WHAT ABOUT THE PHUNNEL BOWLS?
The phunnel bowl is appreciated for the spire. You probably have noticed that the water stays cleaner. Because of the shape of the raised wall in the middle, it should prevents the juice from leaking. Since the moist is preserved in a better way, the taste will last longer. The spire also takes space in the bowl, so you can save few grams for the same kind of sessions.
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HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT BOWL?
There are many characteristics to consider when purchasing a bowl, but here’s a little list that might help you.
- What kind of heat output do you use ?
If you simply use aluminum foil, any bowl should be fine theoretically.
If you wan to use a heat management device (HMD) like provost 2, any bowl should be fine theoretically.
If you want to use a heat management device (HMD) like lotus 1+, make sure the rim’s dimension is compatible (usually around 76mm(3″)) - If you like lotus 1+ and scared that coals fall on your carpet, you might want to consider “lipped” bowl for extra guard and ease your mind.
- Do you hate it when the water in the vase changes color thru the session?
Grab a phunnel bowl.
If the spire is high, it will prevent the foil from dragging down. But if it’s too high, the HMDs might not be usable.
If the spire is low, the juice will still leak.
If you still have issues with the leaking or simply like classic bowl, I would suggest you to use a universal molasse catcher. it will keep the stem and the water clean. - What is your ideal bowl capacity ?
At this point, it will depends on your preferences, the time you have, and the tobacco brand. All I can say is as long as you keep learning, you won’t have the urge to collect big bowls. My sweet spot is usually around 15g for a good 1h30-2h session with blonde leaf. - Is the material of the bowl important ?
If it’s too light and cheap (like pocelain), the flavor will burn faster.
If it’s glass, the heat will not transfer well into the bowl.
If it’s 100% silicone, the material will disintegrate after several uses.
Not all clay bowls are performing well, but you will have better results with them.
6. Etc . . .
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MY PREFERENCES
There’s so much more to talk about, but let’s leave it as is for now 🙂
I personally like bowls from Alpacabowls. The quality of the clay is also great. It can handle the heat properly. They have all the models for every needs. If you want a small bowl, mini rook is perfect with foil and provost 2. If you need a bowl that has good capacity and compatible with a HMD like Lotus 1+, rook might be a good option.
Once you experience yourself, you will be able to pinpoint your preferences.
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THANK YOU !
Please feel free to leave a comment below on what you’d like to see in this space or ask a question. If you need recommendations, you can ask directly to the team of Jinxhookah :).
Otherwise, I’ll be reachable on instagram for anything hookah related. Thank you !