🔥 Charcoal / Coal Holders

Just as essential as the shisha itself: the charcoal

In our world, we've learned the hard way what it's like to want to enjoy your shisha and be missing a component. When we're out of aluminum foil, we improvise with the one from home or use a kaloud, and when we need a poker or fork, we improvise with our hands and a toothpick. Even when we're missing a flavor for our clay bowl, we mix molasses and leftovers from various packs to make a concoction. But when what we lack are shisha charcoals, the world suddenly becomes a lot harder. Where can I find two charcoals at this hour of the night?

Unfortunately, we've experienced this more times than we'd like to admit, but for this very reason, it's so necessary not to skimp when buying charcoal. This is a vital purchase to enjoy your shisha, and it's something that eventually runs out, so it doesn't matter if you buy one, three, or five kilos; if you like shisha, they'll last you less time than you'd expect.

For this reason, in this section, we're going to give charcoals the value they deserve, those great forgotten ones that always seem to be left over until they're needed.

Will any kind of charcoal do?

To answer your question, dear friend: yes, but no. Any heat source is welcome, but not just any kind of charcoal is suitable for use in your shisha, and you should keep this in mind. In North African countries, for example, it's very common to see that in tea houses, wood charcoal with irregular shapes and sizes is used. This gives it a lot of personality and is something exotic from these countries, which, to this day, still make shishas in a more traditional way.

However, in the rest of the world, the market has greatly popularized coconut shell charcoal. These have a high calorific capacity and offer optimal performance. They come in different formats and sizes, although the most popularized shisha  charcoal currently is the 26-millimeter square charcoal. You could even use barbecue charcoal in your shisha, but besides being difficult to light, the ash and smell they leave make them completely unsuitable, not to mention the taste they would impart to your shisha. Therefore, I'm sorry, but no, don't try to shove charcoal that's not meant for shisha into your provost because it won't work.

It makes no sense to avoid shisha charcoals because they are precisely designed to work well and not affect the flavor or performance of your shisha. Additionally, the market offers us different formats to adapt to your tastes and needs. In particular, besides the classic square format we mentioned, there are also hexagonal coals with a rectangular shape and disc-shaped thirds. These latter ones, for example, are very convenient for kaloud users as they are easier to fit into this heat management device than square ones.

As for sizes, although the most sold format is 26 millimeters, there are other versions of 28 and even 31. This gives shisha enthusiasts a multitude of possibilities and different combinations, allowing them to use two or three charcoals of different sizes to achieve greater or lesser combustion.

In our store, we have a wide variety of these charcoals, and that's why we're going to explain how one shisha charcoal format differs from another and why each has a specific use that can be useful.

So, how do I light the charcoals?

It's useless to have four kilos of charcoal if we don't have a way to light them, so we'll need an electric stove or a gas one. Some of us shisha enthusiasts have had to struggle to light charcoals when we didn't have the right tool for it, sometimes resorting to a ceramic stove or even, though it sounds crazy, a heat gun (don't ask). Therefore, and with experience as the teacher, any shisha enthusiast will tell you that you must have at least one of these stoves in your hand, first for your convenience and second for your safety. In the corresponding section, we'll talk more in detail about these.

What you must keep in mind is that even in the greatest need, don't fall into the use of quick-light charcoal. These were used years ago due to a lack of alternatives, and although they are very convenient to light, they leave a horrible taste in your shisha and have no heat power.

However, the shisha charcoal market is constantly modernizing, and there are brands that innovate and create different products like natural quick-light charcoal that can save you in a rare situation, or for example, the max flow, charcoals with a hole in the center to allow greater heat efficiency.

There are no best options, the best charcoal is the one you choose

With so many brands and different types of shisha charcoals on the market, it can be difficult to choose. It's not just the format or the size, but each charcoal has a different heat management and ash production depending on the manufacturer. In the end, every shisha enthusiast becomes a fan of a brand, and although it's recommended to vary to discover how different charcoals work, you'll eventually get used to buying a specific brand and format.

At 1001 Cachimbas, we can only encourage you to try the different shisha charcoals we have in our catalog to find your favorite, and most importantly: keep a couple of kilos of charcoal at home for emergencies and a 250-gram box of charcoal in your bag, you'll thank us later.