Hookah!

So, is anyone else here a fan of the middle-eastern tobacco pipe? I've been a joyous hookah user for almost two years. I had my first experiance at a lounge just before New Years Eve, and was -amazed- when the orange flavored tobacco actually tasted like orange. I bought a small one, two pouches of tobacco (Double apple, a strong anisey flavor, and cherry) and was hooked. There's nothing quite so relaxing as a masterfully set up hookah and good conversation. Am I alone here, or do I spy at least one or two other partakers?

i own three hookahs and at the cigar shop i work at we sell hookahs i love it i try all different types of tobacco and my favorite is mint. im always looking for new ideas for smoking hookah so let me know if you have any.:tu

while not technically hookah - I like smoking shisha with my gf..

I first experienced the middle eastern water pipe on the shores of the Bosphorus River in Istanbul. Strong apple tea, apple flavored tobacco, backgammon, and waiters swirling about the dock with pots full of flaming coals to refresh our nargile. Truly a wonderfully relaxing experience. I have since smoked a few more bowls of the fruit molasses laden tobacco here in the states and I can forsee more of it in the future:)

yep, I keep a large 4 pipe hookah around for parties and such. delightful smoker! I've found that you can get herbal shisha in almost as many scents/flavors as shaving soap.

Got the bug in Iraq.
I have several now.

John P.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bhands

i own three hookahs and at the cigar shop i work at we sell hookahs i love it i try all different types of tobacco and my favorite is mint. im always looking for new ideas for smoking hookah so let me know if you have any.:tu

---

Yee-haw. Have you tried the apple head yet? It's amazing, all the juice keeps the shisha so incredibly moist, you can apply tons of heat and get an absolute -cloud- of billowing smoke. The only problem is that about an hour is all you get out of a head, after that the heat makes it collapse in on itself.

Wine, soda, juice, etc. in the base instead of water... Some folks swear by a 1:3 milk/water ratio, but I think it's pretty gross m'self.

There's not much you can do to improve hookah, I think. A nice, tall one-hoser with ice water, some spicy cinnamon tea or strong turkish coffee and a chessboard... it's just damn delightful.

Also, Jockey's, are you talking about Soex? How is that stuff? I've heard that the flavor's are flat and shallow compared to the tobacco.

I would like to say......anyone in NYC that wants to Hookah.....send me a PM.....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheDoctor

Also, Jockey's, are you talking about Soex? How is that stuff? I've heard that the flavor's are flat and shallow compared to the tobacco.

---

never tried soex, but I use a product from a competitor, black label.
http://www.hookahhub.com/Black-Label...-p-1-c-43.html

the flavors are every bit as good as tobacco if not a tad stronger. they absolutely soak this stuff in whatever flavor. the rose and jamaican rum are especial favorites of mine. plus, no tar, no nicotine, etc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jockeys

never tried soex, but I use a product from a competitor, black label.
http://www.hookahhub.com/Black-Label...-p-1-c-43.html

the flavors are every bit as good as tobacco if not a tad stronger. they absolutely soak this stuff in whatever flavor. the rose and jamaican rum are especial favorites of mine. plus, no tar, no nicotine, etc.

---

My friend, I hate to dissapoint. Tar is the solid material that's left behind after all gaseous components are taken out of the smoke produced after burning the material, and herbal shisha has that very same stuff. Shisha manufacturers get around that by claiming 0% tar on the label, because that technically means there's no -added- tar mixed into the blend, but it comes into being after smoking. Besides, the long-term effects of smoking herbs aren't well studied yet, they could be better, as bad or worse than tobacco.

All that said, I still want to try the stuff. There's a local hookah shop that carries it, and I'm hoping to get my butt up there this weekend!

For the price, Starbuzz is soaked too. Fusion is oversoaked, and Al Fakher is (really, really sweet) well-soaked in the glycerin/flavor mix too. Yummy, yummy stuff.

Haven't tried any of the non-tobacco stuff. Might be interesting to try now, I'm quite intrigued. Usually when someone mentions non-tobacco they refer to something that is illegal and I have no intention of using.
FWIW While I liked Al Fakher last time I was smoking my hookah regularly, I had to take it easy with the starbuzz. Lot of strong tobacco and it has a kick. I didn't like it as much.

John P.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JohnP

Haven't tried any of the non-tobacco stuff. Might be interesting to try now, I'm quite intrigued. Usually when someone mentions non-tobacco they refer to something that is illegal and I have no intention of using.
FWIW While I liked Al Fakher last time I was smoking my hookah regularly, I had to take it easy with the starbuzz. Lot of strong tobacco and it has a kick. I didn't like it as much.

John P.

---

Ahh. Whatever you do, stay away from Tangiers. :D
Only tobacco that ever made me puke, super-high nicotine content. You might have had Starbuzz back in the days before they started rinsing they're stuff heavier. Nicotine's water-soluble, so the extra rinsing really removes a lot of that kick. I'm not sure when they started it, but I know they definitely made the not-washed/washed changeover. I just don't buy it because it's twenty bucks a tin.

smoked half a can of Black Label rose-flavored shisha last night with 3 friends... fantastic! much smoother than tobacco, delightful smell and taste, nice dense smoke.

I've never tried hookah.. Is it like cigar ? pipe ? or cigarettes ?

None of the above. Hard to describe. With a hookah, the smoke/steam/whatever it is tastes like the stuff smells. Also, because the tobacco never burns, your clothes do not stink when you are done as with the others.
My advice would be if you are curious to look up a local hookah bar and give it a try that way first.
Afterwards, if you are interested in continuing, it's usually cheaper to own your own hookah and buy tobacco and charcoal for it than it is to keep using the hookah bar.
John P.

Had a great time at Horus in NYC. 15 a bowl.....OUCH....but it was worth the conversation time ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by IsaacRN

Had a great time at Horus in NYC. 15 a bowl.....OUCH....but it was worth the conversation time ;)

---

Horus? I think I've heard of that place somewhere before... For 15 a pop, that better be swanky! What was the price on a refill? And, did they say what brand they were giving you?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by justchillin

I've never tried hookah.. Is it like cigar ? pipe ? or cigarettes ?

---

When you smoke hookah, you are enjoying the process of cooking tobacco, not burning it with the harsh, high heat at the end of your cigarette. The stuff you inhale is a combination of glycerin vapor and flavored tobacco smoke, filtered through a few inches of cool water. The mo'assel (a combination of flavorings, glycerin, honey, molasses and tobacco) is heated by a red-hot coal. The length of the hose and the water filter cools the smoke to a seriously smooth, luxurious level. It doesn't even taste like tobacco at this point. The smoke is thick and tasty, and comes out as a billowing cloud. Master the art of the smoke ring and be a hit at parties! Meet interesting people! Impress your friends and attract the women!

...Erhem. Anyhow. Find a local lounge if you want to try it out. If the smoke is harsh or flavorless, they're doing something wrong. Find a flavor you like, but just know that blueberry never tastes good, cherry always tastes like cough syrup and mango has a tendency to be nauseatingly sweet. If you like it, you can get started at home with a supply of coals, tobacco and a small pipe for about a hundred dollars.

Another hookah lover here--and I love Tangiers; it's my favorite brand!:D
You have to pack the stuff very differently from regular shisha or else it's ungodly harsh! When you do it right, it's the most flavorful of them all, probably. I'll post more info later--must rest up for jury duty tomorrow...:rolleyes:

just had some friends over last night, and one of 'em brought along a bag of apricot brandy pipe tobacco... in the spirit of experimentation, we dumped some of that, some dried apricots, a spoonful of honey, and a shot of brandy into the hookah's bowl and piled on the coals. what a smoke!

This is right up my alley as I am a moderator over at www.hookahpro.com and used to be an online retailer for all things hookah. I have a bunch of hookahs and accessories as well as a ton of shisha at the house. My wholesaler connections are still good so if you need anything you just PM Husky LOL Last night I smoked AF Golden Esk Apple. I am a huge Tangiers fan and yes it does take some getting used to as far as acclimating and packing and heat management.

Billy

I love hookahs as well...my parents are both from Iran so I've always been around them. I have 3 at home...one with stones/glass base, stone/crystal, and one just brass/glass (the beater). I am friends with the gentleman who owns Mya Saray...http://www.myasaray.com/home.asp they do make some of the finest hookahs around, if anyone is ever in Virginia and would like to go see their warehouse...PM me and I'd be glad to take you.

I will be in VA Beach the 21st through the 25th and I would LOVE to see that place. How far away would it be from the Va Beach/Norfolk area? PM incoming Sarty

Billy

Darn I just mapped it and its about a 4 hour drive, I may have to wait until I move there at the end of the year as I will be in a conference and only available evenings the week of 21 April. Dang it I really wanted to go hehe

Billy

Hey Billy...I went ahead and sent you PM back. I think you're a ways from Northern Virginia, so we'll work it out when you move down!