This video is a bit on the long side, but still entertaining.  A lot of smoke rings tricks are included here including the cheek tap ring method, shooting a small ring through a big one and even smoke rings out of the nose.  Intro is about 10 seconds.  These guy have obviously spent a long time practicing this stuff.

My wife is the most accomplished smoke ring artist I know:

Pretty soon she’ll be able to beat this guy.

Well I said some harsh things about Coco Nara coals before, and I would now like to retract this harshness.  I guess this is the kind of coal that you only appreciate after you get to know it a little bit.  After I figured out how to light these coconut-derived, sugar-cube shaped beauties, they turned out to be a truly fabulous facilitator of smoking joy.

I figured out that my little stove top burners are not ideal for lighting the coals, but if I balance them just right over the flame and light both sides as intensely as possible, then the payoff is well worth it.

In this case, I had transitioned them from the heat of some other coals once they were sufficiently heated to smoke on their own two feet:

It’s true what they say — Once these Coco Nara coals get goin’, they burn clean, strong and for a really long time.  I was enjoying this particular bowl so much (the shisha happened to be Layalina, Kiwi flavor) that I hated leaving it.  After I had smoked it for about 30 minutes, neither the coal nor the shisha showed any signs of letting up.

This goes to show ya, sometimes the right shisha and the right coals come together to make the perfect, burning bowl of harmony.

See the happy smoke:

And this is surely a happy smoke ring:

Good job Coco Nara, and good job Layalina.  Did I mention that Layalina is another one of those dependable, not too expensive brands of shisha.  A small box like the one show below doesn’t usually cost more than $2-3.

As an example of how to blow smoke rings, I thought I would post a video of someone who is ridiculously good at it:

I, for one, am content to blow two or three smoke rings per inhale, but don’t let me limit you.

So, how is it done?  I tell you now.

I figured out just tonight that you can blow smoke rings either with air pushed with the back of the tongue (and and “O” face) or with slight puffs from the back of your throat (also with an “O” face).

1. Tongue only method: Using your tongue, you can blow smoke rings without inhaling at all (or at least hardly at all).  Shape your tongue similar to how it would be shaped if you were gagging.  But, before you actually gag, push the back of your tongue forward along with a puff of smoke.  As you practice, you will have to experiment with what kind of an “O” face you should use to make the smoke into a ring-shape.  When you first start out, the rings will be thin and barely perceptible.  But when you get better they will get more dense, even to the point that you they look as thick and heavy as a chocolate glazed doughnut.

2. The (more common) back of throat method: Gather a thick concentration of smoke in the back of your mouth, then create a slight puff with your throat, again, similar to a gag reflex, only it lasts for about a half second.   You’ll have to experiment with your “O” face (everyone’s is different) but generally it requires a slight extension of the lips in a circular form as the smoke is pushed in a sudden burst, or puff.

It takes practice, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get it right away.  One of the best ways to learn is to watch someone who is already good at it, looking at how they hold their tongue, through and lips.

Also, don’t forget to take a breath of regular fresh air every so often while your practicing so you don’t pass out from oxygen deprivation.  (-:

Pomegranate Shisha by Prince Molasses.  I had my doubts, but it ended up being great.  Good balance of tangy, fruity and sweet.  Very smooth, high quality smoke.  This little box cost me

(what does this look like to you?  to me: a pig heart.  nummy.)

Smoky Pics (courtesy of Pomegranate Shisha by Prince Molasses):

Smoke Ring.