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
Hookain Phunnel explained: material, manufacture and well
Hookain Phunnel are glazed stoneware bowls from Spain. The models differ mainly in shape and well: Low Lip and Low Load are economical, Lit Lip, Lil Lip and Luv Lip sit in the middle, Lesh Lip and Lit Lip Large hold the most.
In this article9 chapters
- How much does each Hookain Phunnel hold?
- What are Hookain bowls made of?
- The lip: a hold for the HMD
- Lit Lip, Pro, Soft Touch and Large: the difference
- Foil instead of an HMD: which models are built for it
- Hookain Phunnel in pictures
- Cleaning your Hookain Phunnel
- Dark patches and fine lines: bleeding and crazing
- Frequently asked questions
How much does each Hookain Phunnel hold?
| Model | Virginia | Dark Leaf | Well and shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Lip | 6 g | 8 g | Long shape, very shallow well |
| Low Load | 8 g | 11 to 12 g | Low and wide, shallow well |
| Arcturus | 8 g | 10 g | Shallow, slightly deeper well with built-in lip |
| Magic Mushroom | 11 g | 14 to 16 g | Mushroom shape, low build |
| Popo | 11 to 13 g | 14 to 17 g | Short bowl with roughened lip |
| Lil Lip | 12 g | 16 g | Only 39 mm tall, wide well |
| Luv Lip | 12 g | 16 g | Narrower, deeper well |
| Lit Lip | 12 g | 16 g | Long shape, wide shallow well |
| Lesh Lip | 17 g | 24 g | Massive, wide and deep well |
| Lit Lip Large | 17 g | 24 g | Lit Lip shape with a deeper well |
Every Hookain bowl gives two fill amounts: one for light Virginia tobaccos, one for Dark Leaf. Dark Leaf is denser and heavier, so more grams fit into the same well. If you build with a gap to the HMD, you stay below the value; with contact, you go rather above it. The article Packing a hookah bowl explains how to fill the well.
What are Hookain bowls made of?
Hookain bowls are made of stoneware and manufactured in Spain, at a workshop near Seville. The stoneware is usually a blend of two clays. The Lesh Lip and the Luv Lip use two grog clays. Low Load and Low Lip have black clay, which gives them their dark base colour.
Part of the ranges is made on the potter's wheel, for example the Copa in a goblet shape. Every bowl is fired and glazed, and the glaze is matt or glossy depending on the edition. Because the bowls are made by hand, shape and colour vary slightly from piece to piece. You can read about who is behind the brand on the Hookain brand page.
The lip: a hold for the HMD
The lip is the upper rim of the well, on which your HMD rests. On the Lip models it is unglazed and roughened so that the HMD does not slip. The inside of the well is glazed. That way the clay absorbs less molasses.
Most Hookain Phunnel have the standard fit for common HMDs such as Kaloud Lotus or NaGrani. For Low Load and Low Lip a stainless steel HMD is suitable; aluminium works too. How these attachments work is covered in the article on HMDs and heat management.
Lit Lip, Pro, Soft Touch and Large: the difference
| Version | What is different | Capacity Virginia / Dark Leaf |
|---|---|---|
| Lit Lip | Basic shape: long, wide shallow well, roughened lip | 12 g / 16 g |
| Lit Lip Pro | Denser clay blend, built minimally smaller | 12 to 13 g / 16 to 17 g |
| Lit Lip Soft Touch | Rubbery glaze that closes the pores; the colour looks different depending on the light | 12 to 13 g / 16 to 17 g |
| Lit Lip Large | Deeper well, smaller Phunnel hole, thinner outer wall | 17 g / 24 g |
All four share the same Lit Lip shape and fit standard HMDs. Pro and Soft Touch smoke almost identically, and the Soft Touch glaze absorbs less molasses on the outside. The Large is designed for long sessions. You can find all colours under Hookain Lit Lip.
Foil instead of an HMD: which models are built for it
Not every Hookain Phunnel is meant for an HMD. The Copa has an inner diameter of 6 cm and is designed for aluminium foil. A standard HMD does not sit on it cleanly. The Phunnel construction stays the same: the chimney in the middle keeps the molasses in the well, so a molasses catcher is not necessary.
If you smoke with foil, stretch it tightly and with a little gap above the chimney. If it lies on the opening, it restricts the draw. What fundamentally distinguishes Phunnel, multi-hole bowl and Vortex is explained in the article Phunnel, clay bowl and multi-hole bowl. You can find bowls with holes in the base under Hookain multi-hole bowls.
Lit Lip
The Lit Lip is the basic shape of the Lip family and comes in many glazes.
Lesh Lip
The Lesh Lip is heavy, glazed several times and has the largest well of the family.
Low Load
The Low Load is low and wide, an economical bowl made of black clay.
Low Lip
The Low Lip has the long shape of the Lit Lip and the small well of the Low Load.
Lil Lip
The Lil Lip is only 39 mm tall and still holds as much as a Lit Lip.
Popo
The Popo is a short Phunnel with a roughened lip for all common HMDs.
Arcturus
The Arcturus has a shallow well with a built-in lip for the HMD seat.
Cleaning your Hookain Phunnel
After the session, let the bowl cool down completely before any water touches it. A hot bowl under cold water can develop cracks in the glaze and clay. After that, rinse it out with warm water and loosen residue with a soft brush. The glazed bowls are also dishwasher safe. Let the bowl dry completely before the next session.
While cleaning, check the silicone bowl gasket. If it is cracked or hard, replace it, otherwise the bowl leaks air. How to get the rest of your hookah clean is covered under Cleaning a hookah.
Dark patches and fine lines: bleeding and crazing
If a bowl turns dark in places on the outside, molasses is seeping into the clay. The hookah scene calls this bleeding. With glazed bowls it happens rarely and late; with ceramics it cannot be ruled out entirely. It does not affect function.
Fine lines in the glaze are called crazing. They occur because clay and glaze expand to different degrees when heated and cooled. This also changes nothing about smoking. A crack running right through the clay is something different: then the bowl draws in air, and you need a new one. You can find the selection under Hookain Phunnel.
Frequently asked questions
How much tobacco fits into a Lit Lip?
A Lit Lip holds around 12 g of Virginia or 16 g of Dark Leaf. The Lit Lip Large and the Lesh Lip hold significantly more, with 17 g of Virginia or 24 g of Dark Leaf.
Lit Lip or Lit Lip Pro: what is different?
Both have the same shape. The Pro is made of a denser clay blend and is built minimally smaller. The capacity is almost the same.
Which Hookain Phunnel is the most economical?
The Low Lip with around 6 g of Virginia, followed by Low Load and Arcturus with around 8 g. All three have a shallow well.
Do I need to season a new Hookain bowl?
No. Rinse it out with warm water before the first session and let it dry completely.
Why is my bowl turning dark on the outside?
Then molasses is seeping into the clay, which is called bleeding. With glazed bowls it rarely happens and does not affect function.
Does every HMD fit a Hookain Phunnel?
Almost all ranges are matched to standard HMDs, and the fit is stated on the respective product. The Copa is built for aluminium foil.
About the author
Julian
Hookah expert
For this article
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