How to Set Up a Hubbly

If you want to know how to set up a hubbly, you are in the perfect place. These are our Pro tips, tricks, and the best advice on how to set one up.

Setting up your first hubbly? Or maybe you’ve attempted once before, and it didn’t quite turn out as well as planned. We get it -it can be quite frustrating!

This article will provide you with step-by-step info on how to get it right – every time.

Table of Contents

Word summary

Before we get into all the details it is important to get to know a few of the popular terms used when describing a hookah. You may simply refer back to this list when confusion arises.

Shaft / down pipe / down piece – The centrepiece of your hookah which connects all other parts with one another.
Bowl – The compartment in which you pack your shisha tobacco
Vase – The bottom part of your hookah, that which holds the water.
Draw pipes / pipes / hose – That which is used to inhale the smoke, they are 1-4 metres in length and also connect to the down pipe.
HMD – Heat management system. This mechanism replaces traditional foil for optimal heat and flavour combinations.
Shisha – The traditional term used to describe flavoured hookah tobacco. The word “shisha” or “sheesha” is often used interchangeably to describe the actual smoking mechanism as well. (The hookah itself)

Now that the terminology is out of the way, let’s get into how to set up a hubbly in 7 easy steps.

Fill the vase with water – the right amount

First things first – fill up your vase with water, about halfway or just above half. Now insert your downpipe to see how much of it is submerged under water. You want to aim for around 2-4cm of your downpipe to be submerged under water. Anything less will have your smoke barely being filtered through the water. Too much, and you’ll have water splashing into your draw pipes which can result in water sprinkling out of your draw pipe when inhaling – surely not something anyone enjoys.

Insert downpipe

Once you’ve figured out the perfect level of water your vase requires, make a small mark on the vase to save yourself the back-and-forth effort in the future. Eventually you’ll have a rough idea on how much water is required for your hubbly. Each hookah vase and down pipe is different, so this will differ from one hookah to another.

Make sure your downpipe is secured and sealed when inserting it into the vase. The downpipe will have a thick rubber seal with layers (usually 2 or 3) that fit perfectly into your vase with a little pressure. Make sure to have a firm grip on both the vase and the downpipe when inserting, and do not use your drag pipe sockets to apply pressure. Always use the strongest part of your downpipe (the centre shaft) when applying pressure to insert the seal into the vase.

Pack your bowl

Now on to one of the most important steps of the entire hubbly-rigging process. Your bowl is, quite literally, the pinnacle of your hubbly and rests at the top – perfectly sealed to fit onto your downpipe. It is possible to pack your bowl after you have connected it to the shaft, but packing it beforehand will prove easier and less risky for beginners.

Packing the tobacco flavour (or shisha) is one thing, but getting the consistency right and adding the foil with precision air-vent-poking is a little more tricky if your bowl is already installed.

The amount of holes you poke for ideal air venting will become cleared as you continue with your hookah sessions, but for a general guideline you should stick with 30 – 50 holes, preferably in circular shapes to evenly distribute heat across your hookah tobacco.

Different types of hubbly bowls

Standard Egyptian – This is your most commonly available hookah bowl, and is made of red clay or ceramic. Their surface is flat with 5 holes in the centre. It is important not to cover the air holes in these bowls with tightly packed hookah tobacco, as it will result in clogging and tobacco juices leaking out from beneath your bowl.

Phunnel – The materials used in phunnel bowls can differ largely, but that’s not the important part. It’s shaped as the name describes – with the centre being an upwards-facing phunnel. (And the centre being one big air vent) This is specifically used to optimise the smoking experience with modern hookah tobaccos, as they are much juicer and are prone to leaking with standard, or flat surfaced, shisha bowls.

When using a phunnel bowl, you pack your hookah tobacco around the centre – kind of in a donut form, which retains all the juices for a longer and more flavourful hookah smoking experience.

Vortex – The “original” phunnel bowl. The phunnel bowl is simply a take on the vortex bowl. Instead of the upwards facing phunnel being completely hollow in the middle, vortex bowls are closed off and have tiny air holes around the side of the upwards facing phunnel. This allows for less airflow than the phunnel bowl.

Spiral – By now you’ve probably realised that most hookah bowls are self-explanatory. It all refers to the shape in which you pack your shisha. Spiral bowls are also symmetrical, and spiral-shaped where one packs your tobacco, effectively compartmentalising the bowl. As science has it, spirals are one of the shapes which can provide the smoothest flow – preparing you for one of the best hookah smoking experiences out there.

Cover your bowl with foil OR How to use an HMD

Once you’ve packed your bowl with just the right amount of hookah tobacco, you can continue to cover the surface of the bowl with foil. (The shiny part facing downwards) This will enable heat to transfer and retain much easier. Remember – 30 to 50 air holes in spiral or circular shapes will work the best.

Tip: Make sure to wrap the foil around the edge of your bowl as tight and airtight as possible, with as little creaks as possible. Remember, your burning coal will have a tiny weight which will need to be supported by your foil. So wrap it too loose, and your hookah tobacco will be burnt by the direct heat of the coal.

In the event of using an HMD (heat management system) simply place your mechanism on the edges of your bowl as you would normally cover it with foil. They usually have a lid that can be adjusted with a twist-like action, enabling you to make the most out of your hookah session in terms of coal longevity and how long your flavour lasts. HMD’s can become incredibly hot – so always use the tools provided when adjusting.

Lighting your coal

Using the provided tongs that come with your hookah, grip a coal and simply ignite it with an open flame. Some coals will require a longer exposure to an open flame than others. Quality hookah coals will spark and almost have the effect of lighting a match – it will quickly scorch across the entire coal, leaving it red hot within seconds.

Be careful of these coals however, they can be quite sparky sometimes. It is best to light them outdoors, as they have a very pungent smell when igniting. After the coal has been fully lit, the smell disappears.

Insert draw pipes

Whether you have a traditional hookah with only one draw pipe or a modern device with 2 or more, now is the time to add your draw pipe(s)

The end of the hose that enters the hubbly will in most cases have a rubber seal that fits perfectly into the socket on the shaft. In the event that you have a mechanism with multiple draw pipes, and you are a single person enjoying the session, you should remember to seal the other draw pipe to prevent air leaking. This will dilute your drag and prove ineffective to draw heat through your shisha.

Get it going

Your bowl is packed and covered, your coal is well lit and there are no air leaks in your hubbly – now it’s finally time to take a few puffs to effectively warm your shisha tobacco.

If you’ve done all previous 6 steps correctly, getting your hubbly going will happen quickly and pretty effortlessly. It may taste a little more like coal than flavour the first 7-8 drags, but that’s just the normal procedure, so do not worry about it!

Your hookah is ready for enjoyment once you can fully taste your tobacco flavour and you can exhale thick, milky clouds of smoke / vapour without it burning or irritating your lungs and/or throat.

Enjoy!

Safety measures

When following these 8 steps of “How to set up a hubbly”, especially for beginners, the process can be dangerous. Make sure you always keep these 4 points in mind for a safe smoking experience:

Always use tongs to light your coal. Preferably those which come with your mechanism.
Be mindful of your draw pipe lengths. This is probably the most famous way of a hookah being destroyed in seconds – when someone forgets they’re holding a draw pipe connected to a hubbly and wants to either walk away with it or pass it on to someone who isn’t close enough.
Always light your coal outdoors or in a fire-safe environment such as a chimney, braai or even just held outside a window. Be aware of plants or anything that can ignite beneath or around you!
Always use the ash tray provided with your mechanism. It is located right under the bowl and will catch any residue that might fall off.