Three glowing coconut coals inside a black heat management device on a clay hookah bowl, against a dark background.

8 August 2026 · door ShishaSmaak

Coconut or quick-light charcoal: when to pick which

Burn time, taste and cost per session side by side, so you know when each coal makes sense.

The short answer

Coconut charcoal is pressed from coconut shell and burns for 60 to 90 minutes without any aftertaste. Quick-light charcoal glows through within a minute thanks to an ignition agent, but burns for less time and gives the first few draws a faint chemical taste. At home you choose coconut, on the road quick-light.

In brief

  • Coconut charcoal burns for 60 to 90 minutes, quick-light for 30 to 40
  • Quick-light needs no charcoal burner, coconut does
  • The aftertaste of quick-light disappears after the first few minutes
  • Per session coconut is cheaper, per kilo quick-light looks cheaper
  • For at home, coconut is nearly always the better choice

Standing in front of the charcoal, the choice is often confusing: one box costs three times as much as the other, and both say they are suitable for shisha. Yet they do something quite different.

We set burn time, taste, convenience and cost side by side, so you know which coal suits which moment.

Box of DUM Black 27 with three loose cube-shaped coals in front, matte black 27 millimetre blocks with the grainy fracture of pressed coconut shell.

Coconut charcoal

How to recognise real coconut charcoal

Coconut charcoal is pressed coconut shell, nothing more. It is matte black, slightly grainy and breaks off dry. You smell nothing on it, and that is exactly the point: there is no ignition layer around it that burns along while you light it. The 26 or 27 millimetre cube is the standard. It burns through evenly because the heat has the same distance to travel to the centre from every side.

View the coconut charcoal

The difference at a glance

Coconut charcoal is pressed cubes of coconut shell, without additives. Quick-light charcoal is round tablets with an ignition agent in them, which is what lets you light them with a lighter.

That one difference, ignition agent or not, explains nearly everything else that differs.

How coconut charcoal burns

A coconut coal needs a charcoal burner and takes six to ten minutes to glow through all over. After that it burns evenly for 60 to 90 minutes.

That long, stable heat is exactly what you want: you do not have to top up halfway and the flavor stays the same from start to finish.

Which size do you pick

25 and 26 mm are the most used sizes. Larger 27 mm cubes burn longer but give more heat, which can be too much on a small bowl.

How quick-light charcoal burns

Hold a lighter to it and within a minute the whole coal sparks through. No charcoal burner, no waiting.

The downside: they burn for 30 to 40 minutes and get noticeably weaker towards the end. On a longer session you top up halfway.

What it does to the taste

The ignition agent in quick-light charcoal burns off in the first few minutes and gives a slight chemical aftertaste while it does. Let them glow through completely, until no spark is running any more, and most of that is gone.

Coconut charcoal does not have that problem. It is odourless and tasteless, which shows most with delicate fruit flavors.

Cost per session

Per kilo quick-light looks cheaper, but that is not the right comparison. Work it out per session:

  • Coconut: three to four cubes per session of 60 to 90 minutes.
  • Quick-light: two to three tablets, and on a long session you top up.
  • A kilo of coconut charcoal therefore yields more sessions than a box of quick-light.

When do you pick which

At home, with a charcoal burner within reach: coconut. Better taste, longer session, lower cost per evening.

At a festival, in a park or at someone else's place without a burner: quick-light. Convenience weighs more there than the last few percent of flavor.

Need it now?

Order charcoal that suits the way you smoke

Coconut charcoal for at home, quick-light for on the road. Both in stock.

  • Ordered before 18:00, delivered tomorrow (NL)
  • Free shipping from 89.99 euro
  • Over 1,000 items in stock
View the charcoalGo to the charcoal burners

Lighting: two routes, one outcome

Quick-light charcoal you light with a lighter. Coconut charcoal needs a burner and is only ready once it glows all over.

  • White box of Al Mani Easy Light Charcoal with a loose round 33 millimetre coal in front, the flat disc shape you light with a lighter.
  • Black electric charcoal burner DUM AD-C500 with a spiral element and control dial, which brings coconut charcoal up to temperature in eight to ten minutes.
  • A hand lifts a basket with four glowing coconut coals off the burner with tongs, the cubes glowing orange all over and ready for the bowl.

What you need

Charcoal and burner we recommend ourselves

The types from this article, ready to order.

View all charcoal
  • DUM 27 mm Kokoskolen 1 KG – Geurloos & Lang Brandend - Shisha Smaak

    DUM 27mm Coconut Charcoal 1 KG – Odorless & Long Lasting

    €6,49 €7,99
  • Tom Cococha Gold 25mm Kolen 3 KG - Shisha Smaak

    Tom Cococha Gold 25mm Coals 3 KG

    €19,49 €24,99
  • Black Coco's 26mm Kolen 1 KG - Shisha Smaak

    Black Coco's 26mm Coals 1 KG

    €6,99 €8,99
  • Tom Coco C28 Kolen 1 KG - Shisha Smaak

    Tom Coco C28 Coals 1 KG

    €6,49 €7,99

The tongs are not an accessory

Stainless steel charcoal tongs of 30 centimetres, long enough to place a glowing coal on the bowl without holding your hand above the heat.
Thirty centimetres keeps your hand out of the heat column above the bowl. With tongs of fifteen centimetres your knuckles hang just above a coal at 800 degrees.

Buying shisha charcoal at ShishaSmaak

We keep both kinds in stock. Have a look at our shisha charcoal, the accessories that go with it such as charcoal burners, and the complete hookah range. Ordered before 18:00 arrives tomorrow.

Keep looking

The categories that fit this topic best.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

The questions customers ask us most often about this topic.

How much charcoal do I need per session?
With coconut charcoal three to four cubes, with quick-light charcoal two to three tablets.

Can I light quick-light charcoal on a charcoal burner?
You can, but you do not have to. They are made to be lit with a lighter.

Why does my first draw taste chemical?
The quick-light coal was probably not fully glowed through. Wait until no spark is running any more.

Which coconut coal size fits my bowl?
25 and 26 mm fit almost any bowl. 27 mm gives more heat and suits a larger bowl better.

How do I store charcoal best?
Dry and sealed. Charcoal that takes up moisture glows through poorly and gives less heat.

Is coconut charcoal better for the environment?
It is made from a by-product of the coconut industry and contains no chemical additives.

Not seeing your question?

In short

If you have a charcoal burner, coconut is nearly always the better choice: longer, cleaner and cheaper per session. Quick-light is there for the moments when convenience beats perfection.

Written by

The ShishaSmaak editors, shishawinkel

We sell hookahs, flavors and charcoal ourselves, and we try out everything we describe.

Gepubliceerd op 8 August 2026

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