How to Prepare a Hookah?

Do you know that besides cigars and cigarettes one can smoke something completely different, something that is not similar to a cigarette, neither in mood, nor in taste. If you are a true lover of exclusive and exotic tastes of cigars and cigarettes, then you just have to try a HOOKAH!

You can ask, what is it? Why should you try a hookah? It’s very simple. Now we will tell you, explain and show, and you will understand everything by yourself.

Hookah

A hookah (Persian name is قلیان) is a water filter in the form of a flask made of glass and metal with a tube (charcoal), a bowl and a long flexible hose (chibouk) that filters and cools the smoke that you breath in. As a filter a jar is usually used that can be filled with water or wine. A hookah is also often called narghile. The word hookah in the Pakistan dictionary Urdu meant a pot of a small size where eastern women were hiding their precious jewelries.

History:

First hookahs appeared in India and were very simple and primitive as they were produced from the nutshell of coconuts. In the 15th century producing of glass was rapidly spreading in India, and a hookah started to be made of glass. Later, a hookah appeared in Iran, Turkey and other East-Asian states. It was in Turkey where a hookah got its modern look that hasn’t been changing during two hundred years. Narcil – that’s the name of the palm, coconut that was used for the first hookah, just because of this a hookah is called narghile. Smoking a hookah became an essential part in Turkish cafes and shops in the 16 century. At the end of the 19 – beginning of the 20 centuries a hookah became popular in Europe – among rank and fashion.

Narghile (nargile; Persian, from narghile – a coconut from which narghile was originally made) is a device for smoking similar to a hookah, but having unlike it a long hose instead of a tube.

Hookahs are divided into two kinds according to joining: screwed and compound. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages.

Screwed hookahs have appeared recently, but have already gained popularity. The advantage is that with such joining one may not be afraid that the water jar will jump out and break. With torsion of the charcoal into the water jar the construction becomes unite. And the disadvantage is that such screwing wears out and not always it is possible to find a jar for this joint.

Compound hookahs are classic. To join the charcoal with the water jar a sealant is needed that provides tightness. And if the jar is broken, it can always be changed to a new one.

A hookah smoke almost doesn’t contain pitches and exactly because of this smoking a hookah differs from all the other ways of smoking tobacco and is the most harmless. You may smoke a hookah from time to time getting a true pleasure from it and without any harm to your health. In ancient times as well as today hookahs were smoked for relaxing and ending with stress during a rest.

The variety of tobacco and its various combinations is so big that every hookah bar and cafe has its own unique hookah menu. A hookah menu is a unique combination of tobacco sorts. Don’t be afraid, try your own combinations and you will reveal your own recipe for yourself. Create your own hookah tobacco!

Structure and accessories of a hookah:

The water jar – it is the lower part of a hookah, a vessel for liquid. It cools and filters the smoke, purifies from pitch. The water jar must always be firm. They are made of glass, metal, plastic. The case of metal is not practical at all and the level of water is not seen. Plastic is for a longer period of work, but it adds the smell of plastic. And finally, the most practical and popular material is glass or crystal. Everything is seen through it. It’s easy to wash. The most popular glass is Bohemia.

The charcoal is the upper part of a hookah. As well as the water jar it purifies the smoke and purifies from pitch. The height, weight and producer’s quality is very important for the charcoal. The higher the charcoal, the more the smoke is filtered and cooled. The tube of the charcoal must be dipped into water for 2-3 sm. A quality charcoal must have the thickness of walls not less than 3 mm.

The valve – it is used for letting out an excess smoke.

The plate – prevents falling of the coal ashes on the floor. Moreover during smoking the coal becomes covered with ashes that are better to shake off to the plate. In such a way you keep the warm temperature.

The bowl – is the place for tobacco. It should be deep and well-blown. Bowls can be clay and ceramic. Clay bowls are better, but they don’t look beautiful. Ceramic bowls keep warmth weaker, but they are stronger and more beautiful.

Chilim is another name for a hookah or the bowl.

The hose – first of all it should be hermetic. Hoses are made of leather, velvet, elastic fabric, leather-cloth. It is not recommended to wash hoses, drying them up from the outside is almost impossible. It will start to rot, except for the hose made of leather. The diameter of the hose must be wide for an easy and saturated inhalation.

The mouth piece – is the final part of the hose. Through it the smoke comes to the lungs. It can be once-only or for multiple using. A hookah is smoked in a comfortable way with the help of it.

The windguard – is an accessory intended for preventing of hitting of sparkles from coal on the carpet.

Each of the mentioned above accessories for a hookah has more than one kind.

A hookah is not just a device for smoking, the spirit of the whole East is in it, and its secret is revealed when you are inhaling this incredibly light smoke.

You will find without effort such fragrances as green apple, melon, grape, rose, lilac, jasmine, mint, chocolate, banana and many others. If you don’t know how to assemble or fill up a hookah, the instruction for assembling and filling up is at our web-site.

Our web-site suggests to you irrefragable information about the way of choosing a hookah and accessories. We are waiting for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.amazingtobacco.com

How to fill up, smoke and take care of a hookah.

To prepare a hookah, one should start with its appearance. A hookah should always be clean. If you don’t wash the bowl, then it’s recommended to smoke only one sort of tobacco through it. If you are constantly changing tobacco, then the bowl should be washed to avoid mixing of smells and tastes of tobacco.

The charcoal should be washed once for 5-6 times of smoking with the help of a cleaner to avoid corrosion from the constant contact with water. As far as it’s the main filter of the tobacco smoke and tobacco sap flows to it, after smoking tobacco pitch is left on the walls.

The water jar should be washed when dirtied.

The hose mustn’t be washed at all. Its metal spring may rust, and you will feel a disgusting taste when smoking. And the hose itself may start rotting.

The liquid that is poured into a hookah, is recommended to be changed every time with a new smoking, as it is a filter and it gathers various harmful dashes.

If a hookah is new and hasn’t been smoked yet, then it should be washed in warm water without washing facilities.

The next thing to take care of is coal. It should be qualitative: not to have a variety of smells, burn till the end, it should be used only when it is flamed till redness. Coal is divided into two main kinds: natural and quickly inflammable. In the case of natural coal you should break off a pair of pieces of 5-7 sm (there is also perforated coal, a line for breaking off is already marked) and put it on a source of warmth (it’s almost impossible to fire such coal with a lighter), a gas stove or an electric oven. The necessary time for lighting up the coal is from 1 to 3 minutes. If you use quickly inflammable coal, then it is not needed to light it up beforehand. But note that such coal mustn’t be lighted up on the tobacco bowl. Quickly inflammable coal should be taken by tweezers and after setting fire you should wait until the spark runs through the whole square of the tablet and only after that put on the bowl. Never light up from the coal. It is considered as a display of disrespect.

Tobacco should be fresh (wet and sticky enough, as a rule, sap should be coming from it). If tobacco is laid too densely, then a hookah will be inhaled with difficulty. Existing black sorts of tobacco are much drier than fragranced ones, and we don’t advise to keep such tobaccos for long. When you are laying tobacco into the bowl, you should sort it out. Take out large pieces. Leaves should be straightened by hands and reduced to fine particles. Lay this tobacco in an even layer till the edges. Wrap up the bowl with foil (that is denser). Make holes. You may make a lot of holes but of a small diameter, or little holes but of a big diameter, of the size of a match head. When everything is ready for smoking, the process starts with an important stage. Place 2-3 coal pieces on the edges of the bowl. Wait for a couple of minutes. You should inhale slowly and for long, otherwise tobacco will start burning and will become bitter. When the bowl with tobacco starts to heat, take away the coal that you placed on the edges of the bowl, in such a way you will be able to control the temperature. When the coal starts to go out, it can be changed to new coal.

After smoking it is recommended to wash and clean the hookah on the same day, it will enable you to extend the time of working of the hookah.

The most popular tobacco sorts are:

Mu’essel (translated to English as ‘honey’) – special coal, used exclusively for a hookah, for shisha.

Tumbak (black tobacco, pure tobacco) – special tobacco without any supplements used exclusively for a hookah.

Jurak – tobacco with a touch of aroma oils from India.

Shisha – tobacco, translated from Arabian as a hookah.

It is a known fact that the best present is something that brings to our life something new, unusual. A hookah is a fine, original souvenir-present. It can be a way out for many women in searching for a present for loved men. A hookah can be not only a device for getting pleasure from smoking, but also a souvenir as well as a fine addition to interior. In our shop hookahs are always in stock.

Now a hookah has spread a lot all over the world. The main countries where hookahs are produced are China, Syria, Egypt. But a hookah should be chosen not by the country of production but by its quality. The best materials for a hookah are brass, stainless steel, zink-alloys. On average a hookah of 60-80 sm should weigh 1.5-2 kg.

Basic rules of etiquette:

1) If you smoke a hookah, then avoid smoking cigarettes or cigars as a rather acrid smell will spoil the hookah fragrance.

2) Smoking a hookah with alcohol is not welcomed as the effect of alcohol can be unpredictable.

3) Only original tobacco for a hookah can be used in a hookah, usual tobacco may cause a burn of the throat.

4) Try not to take the mouthpiece with hands, but put it on the plate or keep by the flexible part.

1) Smoke a hookah after or during the meal. Smoking on an empty stomach may cause giddiness or nausea.

2) During smoking a hookah it is preferable to drink a tea or eat fruits, it will help to avoid nausea and dryness in the mouth.

3) The liquid in the water jar should be as cold as possible.

4) You may also add mint leaves or several drops of lemon into the water jar, don’t be afraid of making experiments, try different variants.

Actually only a hookahs lover that will not spare neither oneself nor his or her time for looking after a hookah, may purchase such a chic thing as a HOOKAH! Because every thing, no matter where and what you purchased, requires care and looking after it. We all know that there is nothing eternal, but to extend the existence of your exotic hookah, these things are just needed: concern, love, looking after, care. Because really, a hookah is some higher thing than cigarettes or cigars. It’s a peak of pleasure for smokers. We advise you to try. Don’t be afraid of trying something new, who knows, it may appear your favourite thing.