Tokin the hubbly bubbly
 

I had (almost) quit smoking before coming to the Middle East. My first night here some buddies of mine took me to a nargila (hookah) bar. Id smoked a few times back in DC, but since I got here its been on a much more regular basis. Ive also seen many different ways of preparing it here that make the ones back home seem like a muddy cigar from an old mans sock.

Question is, who here is tokin the old water pipe? Where do you get your stock? Have any tricks of the trade to share?

Are you talking about tobacco?

Yeah, a hookah smokes tobacco out of a bong-like device. Sometimes the tobacco is flavored, sometimes not. It's a very mild smoke... Think a pipe, only even milder and sweeter.

I did it for the first time in New Orleans...I loved it. We had peach and jasmine. It was almost like inhaling the steam from tea.

Hookah is freakin awesome

there's hookah bars in Vancouver that me and my buddies go to when they come down.

Presumably you could use it for hash too. I've done more bongs than I can possibly remember, but never an actual hookah pipe.

Though I saw one for sale in a shop a while back... about £60. Was considering it for a while, but I don't think I could justify the expense... plus I'd have to explain it to my folks.

i smoke the hookah occasionally... i started on a friends... and now i have one of my own... dont smoke it that often...

still on my first 2 50g of tobacco... the strawberry is alright,the flavor is a bit on the weak side tho... and havnt opend the mint yet...

I haven't even tried to smoke. I'm such a loser.

I did smoke a cigar, though. That was pretty okay.

I love smoking hookah. I've yet to buy my own though, because if I did I think I'd develop black lung. Its just so smooth and relaxing. There's very little I enjoy doing more to end a good night or to mellow out than smoking hookah. For the record stay away from Margarita flavored shishah, its pretty nasty. Jasmine is the best I think I've had.

Forgive me for my ignorance but what the fuck is hubbly bubbly? At first, I suspected it was some kind of weed but after reading some post here, its not...

Well see I was thinking weed as well, because outside of the states, my understanding is the most common thing to smoke in a hookah is hash or marijuana, that's at least been my direct (though admittedly brief) experience. Since this happened somewhere outside the US, I thought maybe it was... but now it sounds more like it might just be tobacco.

Yeah, no shame in any of it. It's very bad for your health. If it's your thing, you either outweight or ignore the risks. That's why, for me, I smoke very, very rarely.

It is tobacco loaded into a water pipe. You cover it with foil and put a charcoal on top. The result is a sweet slow burning tobacco pulled through water to make it a lot smoother going down. I know people that cough up a lung from one puff on a cig but can take a lung full of nargila like puff the magic dragon. Ive heard though that 1 bowl of nargila is like smoking a pack of jacks, but you cant tell when you pull it.

Some people do smoke hashish in the nargila (the call it the "magic" one in most places) but that is an exception, not the rule in most bars. The people I know that smoke nargila daily over here smoke the magic one rarely if at all.

In fact, most of the people I have seen smoking hash or mj over here have smoked it out of a cigar.

Hmm, I think like analog, I'd pretty much gathered that the hookah tended to be used for hash. It sounds really interesting. I actually came across something about a hookah in a book I'm reading where he talks about tobacco being mixed with honey, fruit juice and little pieces of fruit.

The part I found really interesting though was this: He talks about taking the argila head (whatever that is) and replaces it with an apple into which he has punched a load of holes. Supposedly works really well.

Some more interesting stuff here: http://www.techism.com/narghile/en/index.html

I'll have to try this sometime.

Just curious.....what are you doing in the Middle East?

And why smoke if not to get high?

---this "zipper" on my chest reminds me to never smoke again...

Ahh my friend, that is one of the best tricks Ive learned here.

Im working for the UN. And you do get a bit of a head rush. It mellows you out and the sweet smell of it adds to it. Also, its legal and a community activity. Try it, then you will understand.

Yeah tobacco is good in a hookah, and I'm not a tobacco smoker by any means... it's just a nice mellow drag, and good for just sitting around with some friends and having a leisurely pull. There used to be a place downtown where you could just sit around and pull on a hookah for a while, and they served food... main dishes, and a vast array of little snacks and appetizer-like foods... including, are you ready for this? S'mores! You got a little can of sterno under a grill they bring you, with graham crackers and chocolate bars and marshmellows, and you can make smores right over the fire at your table... AND they had tater tots! I can't tell you how good some of that was while relaxing with a hookah... especially if you got high before going, the smooth smoke of tobacco after the marijuana just multiplies your happiness. :)

Where were you exactly Analog? And where exactly are you Sho Nuff?

Ive been in Jerusalem for the past couple of months but I started smoking hookahs back in DC.

I've been seriously entertaining the thought of getting a hookah... any advice for a first timer?

The most important think about chosing a hookah is finding the right upper body. I recommend a solid peice of a brass without any fancy bends in the body. They may look good, but all they ultimately accomplish is deminishing your pull. Also, look for an upper that fits into the bottom without screwing it in. If those grooves are damaged, you will loose your tight seal. Look for a hookah upper with cloth wrapped around the bottom. Wetting that cloth and inserting the upper into the lower will give you best seal.

Make sure you get multiple heads as well because they have been know to break and leave smokers without options for loading tobacco unless they get creative (ie the apple mentioned above)

Get a pipe that you like and pulls well. Avoid the wooden ones. Look for brass. Get some caps to put on the end of the pipe if youll be smoking with shady characters.

Look for as much brass and glass as possible. Avoid the other materials.

Hope this helps. Anything else feel free to ask.

I just bought one as a xmas present for my girlfriend - this morning on my way to work in fact. There were quite a few on display but I went for something smaller and less intimidating (not really a concern of mine, she has to take this thing home at the end of the day and I dont want her parents thinking 'pothead' when they see it).

Nicely decorated glass bottle with a brass top and a rubber seal that seals it pretty nicely. Got an extra head as well.

Just a quick question: Are there any health benefits to smoking this stuff? I mean the tobacco we get down here contains no nicotine and virtually no tar (so says the on-pack label) and I've heard some of the Muslim families actually use it as a remedy for asthma in children. :hmm:

got one from time spent in Egypt, smoked the pipe in the evening instead of cigarettes felt better for it

love my shisha pipe about 3 ft tall blue glass base anbd plain corded pipe love apple flavoured Molasses


the site below is uk based but sells everything you need and has a good FAQ section.

http://www.shishapipe.net/

orlando, florida, u.s.

And I agree with Sho Nuff, brass is best (for the price), but glass is the best is money isn't so much an object. Not just better-looking, but I can notice a difference in the quality you get over time. Plus the glass is easier to clean without worrying about scuffing it too much and exposing worn brass to your next pull. So for my two cents, get glass if you can afford it.

Smoking hookah is MUCH worse for you than cigarettes. Ive heard that each head is equivalent to smoking 15 - 20 cigarettes. I havent heard anything about health benefits.

the accualy name of that tobacco is shisha. its moit tobbaco soaked in mollassis and typicaly flavored. one of my freinds had a couple of hookas and we would go out to the beach or somthign with a couple other guys and just smoke. it was good times.


one of the things he liked to do was flavor the water in the pipe. if you have mint tobacco drop a few altoids in the water. or mabey some apple juice for apple flavored taboacco. it adds another layer of flavor .. SOO GOOD

try this site its ware he got most of his gear. http://www.hookah-shisha.com/

instead of water use a CHEAP VODKA it is a strange hit

Rum and ice works well too. Or just ice alone. Makes the pull even smoother.

hrm....
I might have to look into one of these...

/currently at 3 packs a day
//tobacco is yummy.

The actual amount of tobacco inhaled may be close to 15 cigs, but there are no (usually) fillers in shisha, there is little or no tar and you are not smoking burned paper (carbon smoke). If you use good coal, they should not allow carbon into your drag either. Each of those are the worst parts of cigarettes. Not saying it's GOOD for you, per se, but I'd bet the overall negative effects to your lungs, especially regarding carcinogens, are fewer with hookah.

This is just my opinion, however, and should NOT be taken as fact.

What about stainless steel instead of brass? Any pros or cons? Also, what about clay/ceramic bowls instead of metal bowls?

Well, I picked up my hookah last night. It's a syrian style I believe and is quite tall... 35" perhaps? I purchased only some peach Nakhla shisha. I ordered some more online though, and some regular coals (not sure I like the quick light ones). *happy*

being of middle eastern origin myself i can surely say that you wont go to a mid easterners place without finding a hubbly bubbly in their house...even in a western country!

of course i've got one..im a non smoker, but i smoke it when people come over or we go down to the beach or something. we get plenty of looks and smiles from people walking by.

the tobacco comes in all different flavours from apple to jamine to mango..you name it its probably out there. i'm not to sure about the health benefits/risks though.

Do you use screens or a foil or neither? I know foil isn't ideal for regular use due to issues with aluminum build-up in your body (also that aluminum foil from your kitchen has other things in it). I've also read a few places that old skool folk just set the coal on the tobacco and due to it's moisture it won't burn, but rather gets a sort of skin along the top. Is this true? Any hints on this? Also, I ordered some standard coals (non quick-light). They are lemon wood coals. Does anyone have any real preference NOT to use quick light? Thanks!

ive just come back from a few days on holiday where we put the hubbly bubbly to good use.

there are special foils that some people buy and use.. i just use the standard home foil. as for putting the coal directly on the tobacco..no thats a no -go..you'll end up burning the tobacco and you'll end up with a bitter taste with every puff. also try moving the coal around on top of the tobacco to delay the burning process of the tobacco.

when using coals, try and not use huge coals that will burn the tobacco too quick. use one or two small ones, that way it'll last you longer. you want just enough heat..not too much and not too little.. you need the right mix for a full puff..you'll work it out as you go.. the quick light ones are good cos they are not as intense. ive never tried the wooden ones, but i hear that they give the best taste.