Size Matters: How Tall Is Your Hookah?

Have you ever wondered if the height of your hookah makes a difference in the way it smokes? Do you think a tall hookah is better than a short one, or do you prefer to compact and ease of the smaller hookahs?

Although this issue certainly is one of personal preference, there are some considerations to be made before you shell out the cash to get the hookah of your dreams. For one, Size Matters.

The taller you hookah is, the more time the smoke has to “bubble up” and therefor be filtered and cool down from the time that it’s cherry in the bowl till the time it hits your lips. For me, that’s a big issue. A nice cool smoke makes your evening a lot more pleasant than a harsh, hot smoke like you would get from a smaller hookah. On the other hand, a smaller hookah may be just the thing you want to haul around to your friend’s house and if you had a taller hookah, it would just sit on you coffee table.

In the end, the question of “How Tall Is Your Hookah” comes down to personal preference. But if you want a cleaner, cooler smoke, go Big.

How To Make Your Own Shisha, Shisha Recipes

Wow, today has been a busy day at TheHookahLounge. And, today is your lucky day if you have always wanted to learn How to make Your Own Shisha or get some Shisha Recipes. Yes, it is possible to make your own shisha on the cheap and impress your friends with how cool you are by making you own shisha.

Here is a link to the article…

How to Make Your Own Shisha

So head on over, check out the article, make some hookah and leave a comment on how to do it or go leave us a longer How To on our new forum at www.forum.thehookahlounge.org!

Why Is My Hookah Harsh?

Lately I Have been asked quite often, Why is My Hookah Harsh? If your hookah isn’t as smooth as you like it, you’ll find yourself smoking less and less (and we can’t have that now, can we?). So, lets try to figure out your problem…

1. First off, take a look at this list of Hookah Tips to see if any of these will help your experience…

2. If those Tips don’t help, make sure that you are setting up the hookah correctly. I know, I know, you’ve done it a million times. Just brush up and make sure you are doing it right… you might have forgotten a step in your years of smoking.

3. Many times you will find that your hookah is smoking a bit too harsh if your shisha hasn’t been taken care of well and it is too dry and burning too quickly. I’d suggest reading these two little diddies ( Shisha Info 1, Shisha Info 2) and make sure that your shisha isn’t having any problems.

4. Lastly, I’ve found that usually your hookah is a bit too harsh if the coal gets to burning the sheesha too much. When it gets harsh, back that coal off a little bit and let the shisha get back to a reasonable temperature. Remember to take your time and treat the hookah like a part of the party and usually the hookah will give back some love too.

A Guide to Hookah Smoking

The slow and relaxed experience of smoking a hookah, which includes preparation of the hookah and the tobacco, is the whole point of hookah smoking. It’s not about a buzz or a nicotine fix, it’s about the relaxed space, among friends and out of time, that is created by the hookah and the act of smoking it. Typically, a hookah smoking session lasts somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes.

After carefully preparing a clean hookah with cold water, selecting a flavorful tobacco for the bowl, lighting and adding the charcoal, the aromatic hookah smoke is drawn bubbling through the water. Cooled and softened after being filtered by the water, light, pleasant smoke infuses the senses, lingering on the air, encouraging slow meditative breathing and sweetening conversation, games of dominoes, or quiet contemplation and study.

Some techniques used to enhance the experience of hookah smoking are adding ice to the water and chilling the hoses beforehand. The lush fruit flavors of hookah smoke can be heightened by the addition of fruit juice or wine to the water in the base, and both customers and proprietors of hookah smoking lounges regularly combine tobacco flavors to come up with their own special blends.

Some tips and warnings given by veteran smokers include the following: always use the proper charcoal, specifically made for hookah smoking-regular charcoal briquettes cause carbon monoxide poisoning, and charcoal which isn’t low-smoke will overwhelm the hookah smoke; only a very small amount of hookah tobacco is needed in the bowl, since a little goes a long way; if the smoke or flavor are lacking, it’s probably because the coals aren’t hot enough-when smoking for more than half an hour or so, fresh coals will be needed.

Because hookah smoking is, and has traditionally been, a social activity, the etiquette which attends it is important. Some of the rules of etiquette are never to light cigarettes using the charcoal that heats the hookah tobacco; avoid blowing smoke in the face of another person unless they ask–so they can taste the flavor being smoked; since the point of the individual plastic mouthpiece is health and safety, don’t share them; when one person is done smoking but the hookah is still in use, setting a hose directly on the table signifies that smoker is finished and another person may use the hose; when a hookah smoking session is completed, the hoses should be wrapped around the stem; finally, don’t smoke anything but tobacco out of a hookah.