The traditional way to burn oud is to place a chip on a piece of charcoal. The resinated wood bubbles and simmers on the coal as it heats up, releasing a fragrant smoke that can be absolutely beautiful, but often times is simply overwhelming to do indoors with the windows closed. I find it too much smoke to really enjoy. However, the oud can also be burned in an incense burner that is basically a small hotplate with a controllable thermostat. To do this, I have to grind up the oud chips into a powder. I use a small mortar and pestle to grind the oud for the burner. Using this method, the oud doesn't quite bubble or simmer. Rather, it just gently emits an incense smoke that is simply gorgeous. I think the fragrance that is emitted this way is likely the fragrance perfumers are trying to capture when they distill oud resin into oil. The downside here, though, is that the oud is not completely consumed, so I don't get the full spectrum of fragrances available in the wood. I'm ok with this, though, because I will aggregate what's left after a number of burns and put it on a coal (when the windows are open). Sometimes I mix some sandalwood in with the oud.
Not sure, don't know what that is. This is what I currently use. They can be a bit tough to light, but they burn slowly and for a while.
No worries. I've never smoked from a hookah, and don't know how they're used.
