How I became a Hookah Freak

I guess it all started about 4 years ago when I moved into a new house. I was lucky that I picked this particular house because the neighbors were some of the nicest people I have ever met. Only after about two days they invited me to come to a barbecue at their house. When I walked in I was surprised by a sweet aroma in the air and soothing intoxicating music playing in the background. Everyone was sitting in a circle around something that caught my attention as soon as I gazed upon it, and they were all talking about things that most people of our generation are too scared to talk about. I knew I was home.

When I was asked, “Do You Hookah?”, I didn’t quite know how to respond. I could only say what most people say, “What is Hookah?” Little did I know my life was about to be forever changed by a word and a tradition I had never heard of.

I have always prided myself on the fact that I knew a little about everything, so how was it possible that I had never heard of this thing called “hookah”? At first, I thought the word was made up and I was part of some elaborate joke… especially when I heard the other names for it: shisha, narghile, hubble-bubble, argeela, ghalyoun and hugga. Apparently, these are just a few of its names.

Now I know what a hookah is.

I quickly learned that the hookah has been around for over 600 years and is used by numerous cultures. Hookah is a glass water pipe used to smoke flavored shisha. That’s the easiest way to explain it but no where near describes it’s many definitions. After I was educated about the hookah, I got to smoke it for the very first time with soon to be long time friends. The first flavor I ever smoked was lemon and from the very first puff I was in love. I wanted to try every shisha flavor there was (and it turns out there are at least over 75 different flavors in a variety of brands). I have yet to try every shisha flavor, but I’m well on my way.

Within the next couple weeks of smoking hookah I bought my very first hooka - a large rotating 2-hose Egyptian hookah and a variety of assorted 50g packs. I still have it today, though I don’t use it as much as I use to (only because I now own 6 hookahs!) Yeah, I’m a hookah freak – I love hookahs, I collect hookahs. (As I’m typing I’m smoking my new favorite blend, Vanilla Mojito.)

The best thing about the hookah is that the possibilities are endless. There are so many different types of hookahs: small, medium, or large; Egyptian, Persian, or Modern. There are 1, 2, 3 or 4-hosed hookahs and I’ve even seen some with as many as 8! The vases come in all sorts of shapes like the classic round, the modern bottle and even a wide based dish vase. Don’t even get me started on the colors and designs of the vases! There are so many to choose from… I guess that’s how I ended up owning so many hookahs.

With all these options available, hookahs have really become an expression of your personality - so if you are in the market, I suggest customizing your own hookah. Are you traditional? Do you have a flair for all things modern? Do you prefer exotic things? By customizing your narghile - you can pick any kind of hose you want (velvet, synthetic leather, or cobra hoses) to accommodate your personal tastes. But the possibilities don’t end there. You can get ceramic bowls, stainless steel bowls, and (my personal favorite) pyrex bowls. You can use metal charcoal screens, plastic mouthpieces and hookah filters (for those who want to cut down on the 0.5% nicotine in the shisha). You can even buy a metal wind cover so you can enjoy the weather outside without the wind blowing the charcoal off the bowl. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the charcoal! Did you know that charcoal is not just used for cooking steaks or hamburgers? There are special self lighting charcoals that are made just for hookah. The coal sits on top of the screen and heats the tobacco without actually touching it. If you don’t believe me, you just have to see for yourself.

Smoking hookah is the best social experience you can have with your friends or even people you’ve just met. It relaxes the mood especially when you’re having deep passionate discussions on politics, religion or global issues.

If you’re still skeptical about buying your very own hookah then I suggest taking a group of your friends to a hookah lounge. You will soon be surprised how much fun you will have. And, if you’re like me you will probably fall in love with the hookah your very first time. And then you too will be a Hookah freak!

-Hookah Man

The Art Of Hookah

This exotic cultural item has a long and rich history. Originating in India or Persia as a coconut shell with a straw sticking out of it, the hookah migrated its way throughout the Middle East, where each new group that it encountered customized its fashion and style -first with a metal stem, then with colorful painted glass, then with flexible decorative hoses. Even today the hookah continues to evolve with new vase shapes, styles, and colors (Have you seen the new Sahara Hookah designs?), although not always for the better (ugh, acrylic vases…).

Hookahs really are objects of beauty. With subtle feminine curves and organic shapes, the hookah is art. Traditionally, most hookahs are hand crafted – the stem cast, plated and engraved by hand, the vase blown and hand-painted, the hoses painstakingly wrapped with velvets, leathers, foils, and embellishments. You’ll find these types of pipes available in exotic Middle Eastern markets as well as all over the web. More modern styles are also becoming more readily available and encompass everything from acrylic bee-hive shapes to truly unique styles and colors of glass with intricate patterns.

You’ll also find hookahs in art, which to me absolutely proves that hookahs are worthy the art status. It was customary for aristocrats to have their hookah in commissioned portraits (be sure to visit Hookahs in Art to view some of these exotic paintings.)

In addition to the beauty of the hookah itself, the act of hookah-ing is a bit of an art form as well. I’ve been smoking hookah for a long time now - prior to the hookah boom when hookah replacement parts became readily available - so I can look back nostalgically at those days past correcting my hookah air flow with electrical tape and using barbecue charcoals for heat. Those days are gone and we are now able to find everything from rubber grommets and nicotine filters to replacement vases, hoses, and stems. Even with all of these conveniences, you still must have a measure of patience when setting up your hookah - the water level has to be just right and all of the pieces must fit together to create the optimum airflow and the shisha must be distributed evenly, and the foil needs to perforated, but not too much… well, you get the idea.

Thankfully the social nature of the hookah has yet to change and continues to thrive despite new stringent smoking ordinances. It is still and - I hope - will always be a social event. It’s a chance to sit down and relax for 45 minutes, which if you’re anything like me, is something you rarely get to do. It’s an opportunity to chat with friends - whether it’s about politics, religion, work, or just plain old gossip. It’s a way to unwind and take a deep breath – preferably of Double Apple, Rose, Lemonade, Butterscotch, oh the possibilities…
Written By: Hookah Queen