How a Hookah Works

Last week I covered the origins of hookah. Today I show you how a hookah works.

This photo is originally from Blue Lizard Hookah the website for a hookah lounge in Tampa Florida. The bowl on top is typically covered in foil (though I have a little metal piece with holes) and the coal heats the shisha within the bowl. My hookah also has an ice holder on top to make the smoke cooler thus giving you a smoother smoke. If you have your own hookah I highly recommend putting ice in the vase with water, as it will help cool the smoke as well. You can put other liquids in the vase, such as milk or alcohol. I've personally never tried alcohol and only tried milk once. Milk made very thick smoke, but does have a chance of bubbling back up into the hose which is gross. Personally I only use water.

If you own your own hookah make sure you clean it regularly. Buying a plastic hose will allow you to clean the hose easily. Most hookah hoses have metal coils inside which will eventually rust and no one wants to inhale rust. If you buy a hose with a metal coil inside try to find one where the coil is made of stainless steel. If you do not clean your vase, stem, and hose regularly you will get the taste of other flavors you've smoked. 

If you smoke in a hookah bar ask for mouth tips. They are little plastic pieces you attach to the end of the mouth piece and reduce your risk of contracting a cold or disease from past smokers. Also look for hookah bars that use natural coals as opposed to quick lights. Quick light coals will make the smoke taste... bad. If you live in Colorado I recommend going to Hooked on Hookah either in Colorado Springs (6406 N. Academy Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80918 (719) 886-7107) or Boulder (2065 30th Street, Boulder, CO 80301 (303) 442-4364). Both locations use quick lights, but the staff is very friendly and have a nice quiet atmosphere most nights. Another great location in Boulder is Hookah House (1325 Broadway St, Boulder, CO (303) 444-0804) they have great service and use natural coals. Hookah House gets crowded and is a very small space, but the service makes up for it. A lot of hookah bars in Denver are very "clubbish" which I personally am not a huge fan of, but it depends on what you are looking for in a hookah bar. Should you be on Oahu and want to check out a cool hookah bar in Honolulu, The Burning Tree (3613 Waialae Avenue  Honolulu, HI 96816 (808) 626-5694) wasn't bad. In the San Francisco bay area there is Hookah Nites (235 University ave. Palo Alto, CA 94301 (650) 330-0654) and a lot of other hookah lounges I have not had the opportunity to visit yet.      

Eventually I plan on writing reviews about various hookah bars I've visited, but that is for another day. Hope you enjoyed this post on how a hookah works along with some recommendations on how to smoke and where to smoke. 

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy. 

       

Origins of Hookah

I have decided that I will be writing about Hookah as well, because it's my blog and other game bloggers write about random stuff too. So expect a random hookah post mixed in with the posts about gaming. I'll even talk about good games to play while smoking, which there aren't too many because you need one hand to smoke. Or you need to get really good at hands-free smoking.

Writing about hookah makes my blog slightly international still, since hookah originated in India about a millennia ago. It was designed out of coconut shells and was meant to smoke Opium and hashish. The hookah made it's way through Persia where people started smoking Tombeik with it. Tombeik is a type of tobacco grown in modern day Iran. They redesigned the hookah at this point and it was made out of wood. About 500 years ago hookah made it's way to Turkey, where modern day hookahs were designed. It was primarily smoked by the upper classes and intellectuals. This is where it changed from a wooden design to glass and brass and became more of an artwork.

Evolution of Hookah

200-300 years ago hookah cafes became popular in Turkey. Hookah spread into Lebanon and Egypt and around this time shisha as we know it came to be. Shisha is what we refer to in America as the tobacco you smoke out of a hookah and is tobacco, honey molasses, and dried fruit. This is brief overview of the history of hookah, you can read more here if you would like more detailed information.

"Cigarettes are for nervous people, competitive people, people on the run [...] When you smoke a narghile, you have time to think. It teaches you patience and tolerance, and gives you an appreciation of good company. Narghile smokers have a much more balanced approach to life than cigarette smokers." (Ismet Ertep, 71 years Turkey)

When we were in Germany during the summer would we bring on of our hookahs down to the river (the Danube). We enjoyed many lazy warm summer days smoking, grilling, and drinking. 

We also enjoyed bringing the joys of beer pong to Europeans. The French folks in our group got very good at playing. 

A gaming post to follow this one tomorrow! Check back =)

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.