Chitika

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

What Is a Hookah?

By John McCree


A hookah is a device for smoking flavorful tobacco, allowing for purification of the smoke through a water basin before inhalation. The source of hookahs is in the Middle East, where one can still get the best quality hookahs in the world. Hookahs are constructed in a straightforward way with basic parts.

Components

The end of the body is immersed in a water jar through which the smoke produced by burning tobacco passes. As the smoke exits the bottom of the body, it is purified by the water and stored in the air chamber right above the water. Passing smoke through water cools down the temperature of the smoke and makes it more suitable for the lungs, which is another beneficial side effect of purifying smoke with water. The hose can be seen in the diagram on the top left of water jar. It is not fully represented here, but the hose normally extends 1 or more meters. The smoker puffs on the hose and breathes in the smoker from the air chamber. After inhaling, the smoker breathes out clean and fragrant smoke. Hookahs are generally smoked in a social, group setting where smokers can enjoy each others' company.

What Do You Inhale from a Hookah?

Hookahs are generally used to smoke flavorful tobacco known as "shisha". 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.

Normally shishas use a base of fruit flavor such as Apple, Mango or Peach. But, nowadays most of the well-known manufacturers are testing with off-shoots of these fruity flavors, for example Peaches 'n Cream, or Banana Split.

Adding flavor to tobacco at the time of production has become quite simple and now there are a variety of different flavors. Unique flavors are made because basically every ingredient can be combined in dried, tobacco, glycerin and sweetener.

Where Did Hookahs Come From?

The very first hookah was designed by a Persian physician known as Abul-Fath Gilani in the 1500's. The term hookah comes from the indian name of this device "huqqa." He developed a system to pass smoke with a water basin to purify the smoke as he was concerned with the health risks of smoking. It is argued, however, that the hookah already existed in other areas of Persia, so the exact origin is unclear. Regardless, the recognition of the hookah grew all through India and Pakistan, westward into Iran, Turkey, and Lebanon. In turkey, the Turkish elite class swiftly grew fond of hookah and thereon it spread in to Lebanon, Syria and into parts of northern Africa. It is now gaining popularity in the rest of the globe.

Through its journey, the hookah has gathered several additional names:

Nargile (also pronounced Argilee) - Primarily used in Mediterranean nations

Narguile - used in Spain

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

Sheesha - used by countries in Northern Africa from Morocco to Egypt, and the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf including 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 Want To Buy a Hookah, Where Should I Go?

Hookahs can be bought in brick and mortar shops as well as from online shops. Hookah shops have grown with the rise in popularity of hookah bars across the U.S. since the turn of the century. You can easily find a hookah shop close to you if you live in a populated urban area in the U.S. In the Mediterranean countries and the Persian Gulf, hookahs have grown to be a part of daily lives of individuals. However, this is not the case in the U.S.

In case you are not able to locate a hookah shop or you prefer to shop from the ease of your home then you can purchase a hookah on the Internet.

Are There Any Health Risks Connected with Smoking Hookah?

Whether smoking hookah is less hazardous than smoking cigarettes is still not known. While inhaling any kind of smoke into your lungs poses a certain degree of threat, hookah enthusiasts point out that hookah smoking is safer since the smoke is cleaner and more purified than cigarette smoke. Critics point out that hookah contains more toxic compounds in comparison with cigarettes. It has compounds such as tar, carbonmonoxide and heavy metals. Another factor is that a hookah session may last as long as 1 hour and sometimes even longer whereas a cigarette goes for only 3-4 minutes. On the other hand hookah is not as addictive as cigarettes. People smoke hookah once in one week or bi weekly just for fun whereas a cigarette smoker smokes cigarettes everyday, several times.




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