Getting Started & Setup · 7 min
What do I need to smoke hookah? Accessories checklist
Hookah, bowl, foil or HMD, natural charcoal with charcoal lighter, tobacco, hose and mouthpiece: the basic equipment for your first session.
Shisha Getting Started & Setup
HMD, Smokebox and Chimney Attachment: How to Control the Heat
An HMD, also called a smokebox, sits on the bowl, holds the charcoal and replaces the aluminium foil. You start with two cubes of 26 mm charcoal that have glowed through, put a third on the rim to get started, and after that you control the heat through the number of pieces of charcoal or through the lid.
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What is an HMD?
HMD stands for Heat Management Device. In the scene many people simply say smokebox, and the same thing is meant: an attachment made of aluminium or stainless steel that sits on the rim of the bowl. The charcoal lies in the HMD, the base passes the heat on to the tobacco, and the ash stays on top. There is no need to stretch and perforate foil.
There are nubs or ridges on the base. They keep the tobacco at a distance and let air under the charcoal so that it does not go out.
Foil, chimney attachment or HMD?
On the bowl there is either aluminium foil, a chimney attachment or an HMD. This is how they differ.
| Design | How the charcoal sits | How you control the heat | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium foil | On the perforated foil directly above the tobacco | Push the charcoal towards the edge or take a piece away | Thick hookah foil |
| Chimney attachment | On a stainless steel mesh, with the chimney tube in the middle | Move the charcoal on the mesh, the tube carries heat away | Diamond Hookah chimney attachment |
| HMD without lid | In a metal tray with ventilation slots | Through the number of pieces of charcoal | ONMO HMD |
| HMD with lid | In the tray, the lid traps the heat | Lid on, off or turned | INVI Scalar |
| E-HMD | Not at all: a heating element with a battery replaces the charcoal | Temperature on the device | Electric bowls and HMDs |
The chimney attachment is built more openly than an HMD. Outdoors in the wind it therefore loses heat faster. All attachments are listed under Chimneys and HMDs.
Which HMD suits you?
Aluminium heats up quickly, cools down quickly and is forgiving. Stainless steel stores the heat for longer and gets hotter overall. That suits moist tobacco with plenty of molasses and Dark Blend, but it takes more feel. If you switch from aluminium to stainless steel, start with one piece of charcoal fewer.
Chimney attachment
The charcoal sits on the mesh, the tube carries heat away.
HMD with lid
Get started without the lid, then put it on with the slots open.
Stainless steel HMD
Stores the heat for longer than aluminium.
Base without ridges
The flat version lies smoothly on the tobacco.
HMD on the Phunnel
The attachment sits on the bowl rim.
Three pieces of charcoal in the HMD
Three to get started, after that two are usually enough.
| Model | Material | Lid | What is special |
|---|---|---|---|
| ONMO HMD | Aluminium, one piece | no | Ridges on the base, two pieces of charcoal up to 27 mm, wide rim for the third |
| ONMO Stainless Steel Classic | Stainless steel | no | Same shape as the aluminium model, base can be unscrewed |
| ONMO Stainless Steel Flat | Stainless steel | no | Smooth base without ridges, base can be unscrewed |
| INVI Scalar | Aluminium | yes | Takes three 26 mm pieces from the start, 7.5 cm diameter |
| Babuschka HMD | V2A stainless steel | no | 74 mm diameter, 27 mm high, around 140 g, for dark tobacco |
| AO HMD 912 | Stainless steel | no | Only about 2 cm high, 7.4 cm outer diameter |
| Huka HMD | Metal, solid | no | 6.4 cm inside, 7.4 cm outside at the bottom, the inexpensive way in |
To get started, take an aluminium HMD. The best-known model with a lid is the Kaloud Lotus: its rotating lid lets you open and close the ventilation slots.
How many pieces of charcoal go in the HMD?
An HMD holds two cubes of natural charcoal of 26 or 27 mm lying flat next to each other. You lay the third at an angle on the rim. It helps with getting started. After that two pieces of charcoal are usually enough, and the third waits in the charcoal basket until the smoke fades.
Only put charcoal that has glowed through into the HMD: red all round, without black patches. Cubes that are only half lit go out in the tray. After 45 to 60 minutes the cubes are small, and then you add fresh ones. You can get the cubes under hookah charcoal.
Getting started and controlling the heat
Put the HMD on, put the charcoal in and wait. With a Phunnel, two to three minutes are enough; with a deep clay bowl with more distance, six to eight. Then you start smoking. If your HMD has a lid, leave it off for the first five minutes, turn the charcoal once and then put the lid on with the slots open. With the lid on and the slots closed it gets very hot.
| What you notice | What helps |
|---|---|
| The smoke is harsh or tastes burnt | Take the lid off, remove a piece of charcoal or tilt it onto the rim |
| Little smoke, little flavour | Add a third piece of charcoal or put the lid on and wait two minutes |
| A piece of charcoal turns black on one side | Turn the charcoal, it is getting too little air underneath |
| The heat fades after 45 minutes | Add fresh charcoal that has glowed through |
An aluminium HMD must never go on the charcoal lighter to preheat. The material can melt there.
How do you build the bowl under the HMD?
Fill the tobacco to just below the rim. Then the nubs or ridges only just touch the tobacco: nub contact. To begin with, slightly less contact is safer, as with full contact the tobacco burns quickly. You pack Virginia loosely, and you press Dark Blend down lightly.
The HMD sits on the bowl rim. The models measure 7.3 to 7.5 cm at the bottom and fit almost any Phunnel. How many grams go in is shown in the article Building a hookah bowl properly.
HMD or aluminium foil?
Both work. With foil you control the heat very directly, but you have to stretch and perforate it for every bowl and need practice. An HMD takes that off your hands.
| Point | With an HMD | With aluminium foil |
|---|---|---|
| Bowl building | Put the HMD on, charcoal in | Stretch and perforate the foil |
| Ash | Stays in the HMD | Lies on the foil above the tobacco |
| Controlling the heat | Number of pieces of charcoal or lid | Move or remove charcoal |
| Getting started | Wait two to eight minutes | Faster, the charcoal sits directly above the tobacco |
| Mistakes | More forgiving | The tobacco burns faster if the charcoal is placed wrongly |
| Costs | Buy once | Foil for every bowl |
Safety and care
An HMD gets very hot, the handle included. Only touch it with the charcoal tongs and put it down on the charcoal plate. Glowing charcoal gives off carbon monoxide: smoke only in an open outdoor area, not indoors and not even with a window open. The reason is explained in Lighting hookah charcoal.
After the session you let the HMD cool down. You soak burnt-on molasses in water overnight and brush it off, stainless steel with a brass brush. An HMD does not belong in the dishwasher. More on this in the article Cleaning your hookah properly. How an E-HMD heats without charcoal is shown in the article Hookah without charcoal.
Frequently asked questions
What is an HMD on a hookah?
HMD stands for Heat Management Device. The attachment made of aluminium or stainless steel sits on the rim of the bowl, holds the charcoal and replaces the aluminium foil.
Is a smokebox the same as an HMD?
Yes. In the scene both words mean the same attachment. A chimney attachment is something else: there the charcoal sits on a mesh with a chimney tube.
How many pieces of charcoal go in an HMD?
Two cubes that have glowed through, of 26 or 27 mm. You lay the third at an angle on the rim to get started.
How long do I have to wait to get started with an HMD?
With a Phunnel you wait two to three minutes, with a deep clay bowl with more distance six to eight.
When does the lid go on the HMD?
After about five minutes, with the slots open. If the smoke is harsh, you take the lid off again.
Aluminium or stainless steel HMD?
Aluminium heats up quickly, cools down quickly and is forgiving. Stainless steel stores the heat for longer and gets hotter, which suits Dark Blend.
About the author
Julian
Hookah expert
For this article
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