Guide To Hookah Culture: Preparation and Health Effects

By Miroslav Sedláček and Timotej Jančár

Today, more and more people are trying hookah smoking as a way to relax. But is this activity as safe as some people think? Buy this book and find out once and for all.
The hookah has a long and rich history, dating back to 1500. It is traditionally used as a way of smoking with groups of people. Hookah is also often referred to as shisha or narghile. Hookah smoking has become a popular activity that continues to be enjoyed by millions of people around the world. There are different types of tobacco flavours to choose from and lots of accessories.
From where does this strange and exotic culture originates? Are there drugs in it? And how did it spread through the world? These and many other topics are covered in this book.

 

For example:

• What is hookah?
• How is it made?
• What are the health risks of hookah smoking?
• How do you prepare and smoke a hookah?
• Accessories, tips and tricks for hookahs.

This book will walk you through all these aspects of hookah and explain everything you always wanted to know or didn't understand with practical pictures and clear explanations.

At the end of the book, we will also provide you with a secret tip to bring you and your friends an amazing and unique experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Miroslav Sedláček
• Release date: Jun 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201870447

Book preview

Guide to Hookah culture

Tips, Preparation and Health Effects

Miroslav Sedláček, Timotej Jančár

Copyright © 2012 Timotej Jančár and Miroslav Sedláček Photo:

Timotej Jančár, Jozef Peniak, Meduse Design, Shutterstock.

Illustrated by: Dávid Lazár

All rights reserved.

No part of this book can be reproduced or stored in a retrieval

system or transmitted in any form or by any means, i.e., electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express

written consent of the authors.

Cover design by: B R E T T G R I M E S D E S I G N

Cigarettes are for twitchy, competitive, and stressed-out people. Smoking a hookah gives us time to think. It teaches us patience and tolerance and allows us to enjoy good company. Hookah smokers have a much more balanced life approach than cigarette smokers.

Ismap Ertep

The authors would like to thank their families and friends for their mental support and constructive criticism. A special thanks goes to: Eva Jančárová, Veronika Jančárová, MUDr. Kateřina Bergendiová, PhD., Anahit Chačaturianová, Simona Nickmanová, Ing. Kateřina Basandová, Ing. Tomáš Stáň, Tomáš Muška, PhDr., Ivan Jančár, Ing. Ladislav Basanda a LB International, Ltd.

Contents

1. Introduction

2. History

3. How hookah works

4. Hookah types

Traditional hookah and its variants

Modern hookahs

Glass hookahs

5. Meduse Design

6. Hookah maintenance

7. Accessories

Bowls

Bowl-Mod

Vortex

Phunnel

Hot-Shot

Hoses

Other accessories

8. Tobaccos

Tobacco brands and their history

Fumary

Doobacco

Al Fakher

Starbuzz

El Nakhla

Jeff´s Seven Elements

Herbal and other mixtures

Hydro herbal

Soex

Shiazo

9. Charcoals

Natural charcoal

Fast-burning charcoal

Fireplace charcoal

Electric coal

10. Hookah preparation

Cleaning of all parts before smoking

Preparation of hookah for smoking

Problems and solutions

What the hookah should look like

Tobacco blending

11. Tobacco preparation

12. Tobacco aroma and flavour combination

13. Use of tarboosh

14. Moving the coals

15. Tips and tricks

Apple bowl

Juices

Ice lemon

Cooling

Coloured water

Building your own hookah from fruit

16. Health effects

Cigarettes and hookah

Coals and tobacco

Addictiveness

Passive smoking

Hookah detoxication measures

17. Smoking culture

18. Buying advice

Glossary

Sources

Introduction

When we hear the word hookah, most of us usually picture an old smoking Turk or Arab, shah or sultan, sitting on luxurious cushions in the harem of his lavish palace. But the idea of hookah being associated exclusively to the Indo-Arab world is nowadays a thing of the past. In this book we will see, among other things, that the hookah is slowly becoming part of today’s modern world.

Recently, the hookah has been going through a renaissance. It is not, however, similar to the case of the cigarette-smoking boom at the beginning of the 20th century. Cigarettes are for stressed-out people who do not have any time to relax and whose lives are a non-stop roller coaster, since they are unable to stop for a moment and have a rest. Smoking hookah gradually becomes a new hobby, comparable to smoking cigars or classic hookahs. For many, the hookah has become a symbol of relaxation and in some cases even a subject of modern art. Just look at some modern hookahs, which in addition to the experience of smoking itself also bring visual pleasure. First, we will focus on theoretical facts, such as the development of the hookah, its operation and existing types amongst which you can choose the one that will suit you best. Next, we will look at how the hookah is prepared, how to solve the problems that may occur while smoking it, and we will point out many more practical procedures. We will pay close attention to its structure and present the latest models of bowls and hoses, as well as the novelties in the range of tobacco. Our book provides all the necessary information about hookah for both beginners and experienced smokers.

The procedures are described in detail, while considering practicality. At the end, you will find a brief glossary of terms associated with the hookah as well as other technical terms that were used. There are many names for hookah today. The variety of names stems from the fact that each region had its own dialect or derived names from different parts of the hookah. In India, it was known as huqqa, which means vessel or jug. Since India was part of the British Empire, the name was translated into English as hookah. In Egypt, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf, we come across the name shisha, which means glass in Persian. This term has been adopted by English as well, but nowadays it also refers to the tobacco that is used for hookah. The name nargileh is most commonly used in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. The origin of this word can again be found in Persian, where narghile means coconut. This publication also presents the peculiar rituals and the specific culture that have developed around the hookah over the past centuries. But nothing stops you from experimenting. In a separate chapter, we will share with you several proven procedures and tricks.

Hookah anatomy

Hookah anatomy

History

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Since historians have not yet researched the topic of hookahs thoroughly, we do not have only one theory, but several.

The first physical evidence of a hookah was found during archaeological excavations in 1971 in South and East Africa. The expedition was led by J. C. Dombrowski, who found the remains of bowls in a cave near the town of Lalibela in Ethiopia. According to the radiocarbon dating method, they date approximately to the year 1320. One of the popular theories is that the hookah originated on both continents, in Africa and in Asia, independently of each other.

Even though the hookahs from both continents were similar, they differed in their use. It is believed that African hookahs were used exclusively for smoking marijuana, and they were the forerunners of today's water bongs. Hookahs in India, Persia and Southeast Asia were used mainly for opium and hashish smoking until the discovery of molasses tobacco.

The first, fairly primitive, version of the hookah was called the narcil. It was made