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What Is a Hookah?

By Hookah Joe


Used for smoking flavorful tobacco, a hookah is device that purifies smoke through a water basin before inhalation. The the best quality hookahs are found in the region of in and around Middle East, where the hookahs essentially belong to. The components of hookahs are simple and constructed in a straightforward manner.

Components

The image here shows the key components of a hookah. Basically, smoke produced by the burning tobacco is passed down via the body, the end of which is immersed in the water jar. The smoke is stored in an air chamber above the water once it is purified by the water. Passing smoke through water cools down the temperature of the smoke and makes it much more appropriate for the lungs, which is an additional beneficial side effect of purifying smoke with water. On the top left section of the water jar in this diagram is the hose. It is not fully represented here, but the hose normally stretches 1 or more meters. The smoker smokes through the hose by puffing on it. The end result is an extremely satisfying, fragrant, thick, and clear smoke exhaled by the smoker. In general, people smoke hookah while sitting in groups with their close friends on family taking pleasure in their company.

What Do You Inhale from a Hookah?

Ordinarily hookahs are used to smoke shisha, which is flavorful tobacco. Modern-day shisha consists of some or all of the following: tobacco, treacle (uncrystallized syrup produced in refining sugar), honey, sugar, molasses, glycerin, nicotine, dried fruit and distilled water.

Shisha is generally fruit flavor based. But, nowadays most of the popular producers are testing with off-shoots of these fruity tastes, for example Peaches 'n Cream, or Banana Split.

Adding flavor to tobacco during production has become very easy and now there are a range of different flavors. Any ingredient can be mixed in dried tobacco during the production to create unique flavors.

Where Did Hookahs Come From?

The very first hookah was invented by a Persian physician called Abul-Fath Gilani in the 1500's. The word hookah comes from the indian name of this device "huqqa." He produced a system to pass smoke through a water basin to purify the smoke because he was concerned with the health risks of smoking. But, it is said that even before he invented it, hookah existed in other parts of Persia. Whatever the case, the popularity of the hookah grew throughout India and Pakistan, westward into Iran, Turkey, and Lebanon. When the hookah arrived at Turkey, its fame increased in the Turkish elite, and it swiftly spread through Lebanon and Syria to the rest of the Middle East and into northern Africa. Now, it has become very well liked over the world.

As the hookah reached different countries, it picked up various names.

Nargile (also pronounced Argilee) - Generally used in Mediterranean countries

Narguile - used in Spain

Lula (or lulava) - used in Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina

Sheesha - used in Morocco, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia

Qalyan - used in Iran

Karim Khan - used in Russia, Belarus

Chillim - used in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan

Huqqa - used in India and Pakistan

Gudugudaa - used in Maldives

Marra Pipe - used in the UK

I Wish To Purchase a Hookah, Where Should I Go?

You can visit a shop in-person to purchase a hookah or you can get one on the net. Since the beginning of this century, the number of hookah shops and hookah bars in the U.S. has increased. People who live in the more populated towns can certainly get a hookah shop around them. In contrast to much of the Mediterranean nations and Persian Gulf, hookahs haven't made their way into the lives of everyday U.S. people.

If you do not want to wander around looking for a hookah, then you a purchase one on the Internet from a number of shops online that provide high quality hookahs and shishas.

Are There Any Health Risks Associated with Smoking Hookah?

Whether smoking hookah is safer than smoking cigarettes is still not known. Those who are in favor of smoking hookah say that the smoke that comes from hookah is cleaner since it is purified through water and that the temperature of the smoke is also moderate. Detractors point out that hookah includes more harmful toxins in comparison with cigarettes. It has compounds such as tar, carbonmonoxide and heavy metals. Another argument is that hookah smoking sessions can last 60 minutes or longer, so the amount of smoke breathed in is much greater than cigarette smoking. On the other hand hookah is not as addictive as cigarettes. People smoke hookah once in a week or bi weekly just for fun whereas a cigarette smoker smokes cigarettes each day, multiple times.




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