How to choose the best hookah bowl

If you wish to buy the best hookah bowl out there, then you first must understand the basic types available and what they are used for. A hookah bowl is an essential and main component of any hookah setup. The bowl will help retain the flavored tobacco in top smoke-able condition. Modern bowls may use different material such as glass and metal, but the old school method was to use ceramic. Ceramic bowls tend to be easier to clean and are more practical, also usually more affordable. All bowls will have holes at the bottom for the smoke to travel to the stem and vase, but each type of bowl will differ in the quantity it can hold, size and location of holes. Tobacco prepping will also vary slightly depending on the bowl purchased.

There are a variety of bowls available, however, the most commonly used include the following: Egyptian bowl, vortex bowl, phunnel bowl, Apple-On-Top bowl, inverted bowl, glinder bowl, crown bowl, Syrian bowl, and electric bowl. The Egyptian bowls are the most common and have any where from 4-6 holes, are cheap and very stable. Downside is an uneven tobacco heating or overheating. Vortex bowls tend to have 4-5 holes (not on the bottom) with a spike in the middle, helping to keep the tobacco and juices longer. The phunnel bowl has one big hole in the middle, allowing for more smoke to enter the stem but should be used with caution to avoid burning the tobacco due to overheated coals. The Apple-On-Top is made from aluminum and comes with a screen for the coal which means no foil is needed. It offers a longer hookah session but may require more tobacco than usual. The Syrian bowl goes inside the shisha pipe stem and are relatively cheap, but can break easily. It also features four to five holes in the bottom. Lastly, we have the electronic bowl that don’t use coal but electricity to heat up the tobacco. They have yet to reach popularity ranks, but they work like electronic cigarettes. This bowl means no chances of ashes or overheating tobacco, though if dropped, it could mess up the device due to its sensitivity.