Hookah secrets: how to choose, prepare and enjoy

How to choose a quality hookah and what tricks you need to use in preparing it

There is no exact date for the invention of the hookah. It is known that hookahs came from the Middle East. Over their long history, they have undergone many changes: shape, materials, sizes have changed, but the internal structure of the hookah has remained unchanged for many centuries.

Hookah Manufacturers

Today, hookahs are very popular not only in Eastern countries, but throughout the world. In different countries you can find different names for hookahs: nargile, shisha, okka, ghalyan. In Europe they are called hubble-bubble or hubbly-bubbly.

Hookahs appeared in Russia relatively recently, but have already gained enormous recognition. They are mainly supplied from Egypt, Turkey, the UAE and Syria. Ayman, an employee of the Kaifana company, shared with us how to choose a high-quality hookah and what tricks to use in preparing it.

Differences between hookahs: how to choose?

Often hookahs are made simply for beauty. And people who understand little about it buy them. Therefore, when buying a hookah you need to be very careful. Particular attention should be paid to the materials from which its parts are made.

The hookah consists of four parts:

- hoses
- mine
- cup
- flask

1. Hoses. The rubber parts must be very durable, but at the same time flexible. The main thing is that they do not allow air to pass through, otherwise smoking will simply not be possible.

2. Mine. The shaft - the main body of the hookah - must be made of copper. Very often, due to the desire to save money, manufacturers use other materials, so when purchasing, you need to carefully look at what the case is made of. The shape of the shaft itself is also important - it should be straight.

3. Cup. In principle, the cup can be any. But if the hookah has a small cup, then it is most likely decorative. It is recommended to choose a cup that will accommodate more tobacco.

4. Flask. The flask should not be small either. The tube that passes through it should be in the middle. There are many miniature hookahs on sale now, but the smaller the hookah, the faster the cooling occurs. And accordingly, the pleasure from smoking is less. It’s best to buy a hookah somewhere around 70 cm – at least 50 cm.”

How to prepare a hookah

Hookah on the water

- The simplest hookah is prepared on water. There are several cooking tricks that usually only hookah makers know. First, the tube must be lowered into the flask with water so that the water covers it by two fingers. If the water level is higher, the hookah will not smoke well. The second important point is the cup where the tobacco is placed. The tobacco does not need to be compressed too tightly. It should not be packed too tightly. And when you cover the cup, make sure that the tobacco does not come into contact with the foil - this is the most important thing. The fewer holes you make in the foil, the longer the hookah will smoke.

Tricks

New tricks have appeared that not even every hookah lover knows about. For example, there is a method that increases the time of hookah smoking. It consists in making holes in the foil only on one side, and leaving the other half closed. About 15 minutes after you start smoking, you can twist the foil. If you use this method, then smoking a hookah can last for about an hour and a half, while in the usual way you would smoke it for no more than half an hour.

But this applies to water hookahs. Now many other types of hookah preparation have appeared.

Fruit hookah

If a water hookah prepared in the usual way can be smoked for 30-40 minutes, then fruit hookahs are initially designed for one and a half to two hours.

The selection of fruits is very wide. These include oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, and watermelons. Even in Egypt I have not seen such diversity.

Hookah with alcohol

Alcohol also gives a different flavor to the hookah. Well, and, of course, hookah with alcohol is more relaxing. For me, the best hookah is white wine. But the main thing is not to overdo it. Usually in restaurants they add 150, maximum 200 ml of wine. And this is the optimal amount. Of course, if you use stronger drinks, then the volume needs to be reduced. For example, if you are making a hookah with cognac, then 200 ml is too much.

In general, making a hookah is an art. It’s difficult to talk about all the tricks in a nutshell. If you like smoking hookah and want to buy it for home, then carefully monitor the actions of hookah smokers in cafes and restaurants. This will teach you how to properly prepare a hookah and avoid unpleasant surprises when purchasing.

Polina Dushatskaya