Hookah? What exactly is hookah?

WHAT IS HOOKAH

Over 400 years ago, the ancient tradition of hookah smoking begun over in Asia and the middle east is now enjoyed all over the world.

Hookahs utilize water pipes to smoke sweetened and flavored tobacco. Hookah is also referred to as narghile, argileh, shisha, hubble-bubble, and Goza depending on what region of the world you are in. Hookahs are made of three parts - the water base at the bottom, the shisha chamber/bowl and the tubes that stem from the chamber. More recently, there have been the addition of windscreens that are used to covers the shisha bowl to prevent excess wind that’ll speed up the burning of the coals and shisha. You may also hear of the electronic hookah heads that electronically heat of the shisha without the need of the coals.

Shisha is made from some type of tea, sugarcane, fruit or hemp leaves and sweetened with molasses, fruit pulp, honey, or glycerin with additional flavor added like coconut, fruit flavors, mint, or coffee. Depending upon if its herbal shisha or shisha tobacco, it can contain tobacco and nicotine. The flavorings sweeten the taste and aroma of the tobacco, making it an overall great smoking experience. 

Many times, hookah is done as a social activity and you can find hookah lounges and cafes all over the world or purchase your own hookah and enjoy it at home with friends and family. 
HOW IT WORKS 

The base of the hookah is first filled with water, not completely as you want enough room to properly allow ventilation so enough smoke can be created. 
The bowl is filled with the desired shisha and covered with aluminum. The aluminum then is poked with a tiny object, like a needle so that when the coals are placed on top it can burn the shisha - the purpose of the tiny holes is so that the shisha doesn’t burn too quickly. 

As the charcoal heats the tobacco below, smoke is created. During the session, as you suck/pull on the hoses, - smoke is pulled through the water base, cooling it before inhalation.

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