Hookah is currently among the most popular devices used for enjoying tobacco. This water pipe type of apparatus can be both single and multi-stemmed and has been used for smoking ever since it was invented back in the 15th century.
Hookah’s popularity exploded over the past couple of decades and is now an inevitable part of modern cultures and societies all across the globe. Some claim it is even the preferred form of smoking when compared to regular cigars or cigarettes.
We at Smokey News love hookahs as much as the next guy, which is why we decided to delve a bit deeper into the origin and fun details about this cool instrument and provide all our smokey fans out there with 9 interesting facts about hookah that you maybe don’t know.
1. Hookah has many names
Depending on where you are and where you were born, you may call this device by some other name. Some of the most used alternative names for hookah include:
- Narghile/Nargile
- Molasses
- Argileh
- Shisha (the name for tobacco you smoke with hookah)
- Tobamel
- Maasel
- Tombak
2. Why Shisha is so delicious
Most people refer to hookah tobacco as shisha or shisha tobacco. Shisha is so tasty because it is generally a mix of tobacco, fruit and molasses.
Sweet.
3. Girl power!
During the 19th century, hookahs were mainly used by women. Namely, the whole process of smoking hookah takes time, and since men were much busier than women back then, they had to opt for regular cigarettes.
4. Water is not for cleaning
The water in a hookah is not used for cleaning the smoke, but for cooling it down. (Although it does filter the smoke a bit)
5. It’s all about the taste
Currently, the two most popular shisha flavors in the world are Double Apple and Mint.
6. You can use real fruit as a hookah bowl
You can actually use real fruits (like apples, oranges, coconuts, pineapples, etc) as a hookah bowl from which you can smoke shisha. In fact, the first ever hookah that was made had a shell base made of a coconut.
7. Hookah is meant to be placed on the floor
When it was first invented, hookah was made to stand on the floor as opposed to resting on the table or any other type of elevated platform.
8. You can do tricks with your hookah
There’s a way to make bubbles using your hookah. Simply use a mix of soap, water and glycerine, while the water bottle you are using should be cut to approximately 4 inches.
9. Persia VS India
According to many hookah origin stories, this device gained popularity in India, but some claim it was actually invented in Persia.
How To Use A Hookah
After these 9 fun facts about hookah, it is time to learn how to make the most out of your hookah experience by finding out how it works and how to use it properly.
Here’s how hookah works: the smoke that is inside the device is both cooled and filtered by the water in the hookah. The shisha in the hookah is first heated in the bowl that is placed at the top of the device, and then the smoke goes through the water at the base.
To smoke hookah follow these 7 easy steps:
- Fill the bottle so it is half-full (not half-empty) using cold water
- Place the stem and the hose onto the hookah
- Pull the tobacco pieces into the bowl using hookah tongs
- Use foil to wrap the tobacco bowl (9 layers of foil should be enough) and poke anywhere between 30 and 50 holes in the foil
- Put the bowl filled with tobacco onto the bottle and light up the coal
- OPTIONAL: use windscreen by placing it on the lid
- Enjoy your hookah session
For more fun articles, and quality hookah equipment, visit SmokeyNews.com!