Category: Hookah

What Exactly is a Hookah?

The hookah has a long and storied history. Also known variously as a hubble-bubble, narghile, shisha, or water pipe, among other names, hookahs have been used for a mellow tobacco smoking experience in Asia and the Middle East for centuries. Coming to the Middle East from India, the hookah started out as a humble coconut shell. In Turkey, it evolved into the true hookah, becoming a mainstay of coffee house life during the 17th century. Hookah smoking is still very common in cafes and restaurants throughout the Middle East.

Many rituals, of preparation, lighting, and smoking etiquette, surround the use of the hookah. People gathered in the coffee houses to smoke together, exchanging news and stories–or simply sharing quiet, meditative time. Recalling a more relaxed and unhurried past, hookahs conjure tales of journeys along the Nile, long nights in exotically scented gardens, the spice of the bazaar, and the sinuous music of the belly dance.

Hookahs were smoked by women gathered for tea, by students engaging in intellectual discussion, men playing games of chance, and simple gatherings of friends for enjoyment and relaxation. Offering a guest a puff at the house hookah, or narghile, was a sign of welcome and hospitality. Rather than a habit of nervousness, as many might classify the cigarette, the hookah is an entry to tranquility and reflection. It is a connection to the past and an oasis of civilized fellowship in the frenetic present.

With such a long history, it’s not surprising that the craftsmanship in a hookah approaches the level of art; most hookahs are exquisitely detailed and beautiful. At one time, each part of the hookah was produced by a craftsman specifically trained to produce just that piece. Materials used included silver, crystal, and amber. When you add in the centuries of tradition and ritual in which the hookah is steeped, it’s easy to see that this ancient water pipe represents the nexus of a singular and luxuriant experience in smoke and social interaction–and why it’s becoming so popular in the West.

Hookahs are for College Students

For centuries, Eastern cultures have embraced this simple, yet curious device known as the hookah. Though the designs and materials have changed through the years, the hookah’s social function is still intact. Too few things exist that are able to bring people – sometimes complete strangers – together in such an intimate fashion. Struggling for a place in the United States and European countries, the hookah has found its place in college and university towns.

Hookahs have seemingly always had a place in Eastern cultures. The hookah has, however, only recently begun to grab footing in the United States and European countries. Less than 10 years ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find a hookah bar or cafe outside of the cultural areas of larger cities. These days, if you survey the land around large university campuses, you will find a strange, new type of business cropping up. Though some offer exotic coffees and others offer alcoholic beverages, hookah cafes and bars are giving today’s college students a much-needed place to unwind after a day full of studies. Drawn by curiosity, students find themselves in a world of sheer imagination that is truly unique among the countless hangouts that abound around colleges and universities.

Hookahs were created to solve a problem among tobacco smokers. When heated, tobacco creates a smoke that, without cooling, is harsh and nearly unbearable. The hookah introduced a simple, yet novel way to cool the hot, harsh smoke. When a smoker inhales, the smoke first travels through water and is cooled before it ever reaches the smoker’s mouth. This smooth experience is quite different from smoking cigarettes or cigars and is almost always commented upon by first-time hookah smokers.

In addition to being a cooler smoke, the tobaccos used in hookahs are generally flavored. These flavors range from fruits like apples and oranges, to modern-day flavors like bubble gum and cola. It’s this flavored smoke that has really made hookahs the preferred smoke among college students.

Look around a hookah bar or cafe and you will see tightly-huddled masses sitting around a dozen or so hookahs, talking about everything from this week’s exams to next year’s newest cars. This simple device has an extraordinary power to bring together people of all backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities. It knows no boundaries and performs its social function with relative ease.

Business owners recognize the power of college towns. They provide businesses with a constant flow of fresh customers from semester to semester. New students arrive and seasoned students bring the new students to the cafes and bars. It’s a process that repeats itself over and over again.

So, if you’re looking for a new, fresh place to meet new friends, go on a hunt for your local hookah establishment. You’ll be glad you did!

How To Buy Hookahs Wholesale

Given the growing popularity of hookah smoking and hookah lounges, wholesale hookahs represent a tremendous value — if you can get your hands on one (or more). . For someone who is considering starting a retail hookah shop or smoking lounge, or who wants to add variety to an existing restaurant, tobacco shop, or bar, researching the options is among the first necessary steps.

Buying wholesale hookahs doesn’t mean buying cheaply made or unattractive product. Hand-blown glass in shimmering colors, elegantly traced in 21 karat gold, crystal, highly glazed ceramics, cloisonn?©-decorated brass, stainless steel worked into graceful curves, and carved wooden pieces all go into the making of a hookah. Since part of the joy of hookah smoking is the beauty and aesthetic pleasure of the hookah itself, wholesale hookahs come in a variety of lovely designs only surpassed by expensive custom models. In addition, styles range from traditional Egyptian and Syrian to modern and neo-exotic interpretations of the classic hookah, rotating hookahs, and more.

Things to look for in wholesale hookahs are quality of craftsmanship and durability of materials used. Stainless steel, Pyrex glass, and stone or ceramic are the best materials, the ones which can take repeated use while continuing to provide a pleasurable, smoking experience. Some metals, like copper, should be avoided (smoking from copper is actually poisonous). Wholesale hookahs are available in wood and brass and other materials, but these materials will not stand up terribly well to the test of time and use.

The base, or vase, of the hookah, is generally where the most artistic effort is expended, as it sets the tone for the whole piece. Hoses should be durable and include replaceable, disposable mouthpieces for individual smokers; hoses come in a variety of styles, from the basic to those covered in soft velvety fabric in lush colors, with carved and dyed wooden ends. The stem between the body and the tobacco bowl can vary widely in height, and is most often a gracefully wrought stainless steel in today’s hookahs. The tobacco bowl will be stone, glazed or unglazed clay, metal, or beautifully colored and shaped Pyrex, and can range in design from simple to ornamental.

Wholesalers will generally require a minimum purchase of $250 to $400, though some will have a higher first-time minimum. Wholesale hookah prices range from $30 to $60 per pipe. A number of accessories must be considered when looking at wholesale hookahs, among them the metal tongs, or pincers, for the hookah charcoal, screens for holding the coal, the hookah charcoal itself, disposable mouthpieces, cleaning brushes, rubber stoppers, and replacement bases, hoses, grommets, and other parts.

Hookah vs. Cigar

More than likely, you’ve seen a hookah in your lifetime. However, unless you’re a regular at a hookah bar, you’ve probably forgotten all about it. Do you still think you’ve never heard of a hookah? Think back. Way back. There you are, lying on your bed, while your Mother is reading the fantastic tale of a little girl in a land of pure imagination. If you guessed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you’d be wrong. No, this book was written nearly 100 years before Roald Dahl’s tale of Charlie. The book (and later movie) that gives children their first glimpse of this curious device is Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, wrote about an inquisitive, smoking caterpillar. You may remember Sammy Davis, Jr., perched atop a giant mushroom, asking young Alice, “Who … Are … You?” The device the caterpillar was smoking is called a hookah!

Hookahs have been around, in one form or another, for several centuries with their origins generally traced back to what is modern day Turkey. Needing a way to cool the smoke that leaves a tobacco pipe, the Turkish developed a way for the smoke to first pass through water before being inhaled. This cooled the smoke and gave the hookah its trademark bubbling sound.

Modern hookahs have evolved in design but still perform the same, simplistic function as the hookahs of old. The tobacco that is smoked in the hookah has also seen evolution and change. Originally, tobaccos would be mixed with molasses or honey and placed in the bowl-like apparatus atop the hookah. Coals would be directly-applied to this mixture and, instead of burning, the tobacco would be heated to the appropriate temperature to create smoke. Today’s hookah tobacco, commonly referred to as ‘shisha,’ is made with modern components. Tobacco, glycerin and sugar are combined with countless flavors to produce a truly unique smoking experience. The flavors range from fruity apples and oranges to cultural favorites like bubble gum and cola. In fact, there are over 50 flavors available to today’s hookah smokers!

As mentioned before, the tobacco is heated rather than burned. The hookah tobacco is generally void of the chemical additives found in cigarettes. In fact, hookah tobacco is usually composed of only tobacco, glycerin, sugar and flavoring. This is a far cry from the nearly 600 additives that can legally be added to cigarettes. These additives also transform into other chemicals when burned – a process that happens every time a cigarette is lit and smoked.

Cigars, another ‘natural smoke,’ have long been the gourmet smoke among smokers and socialites. They have a “good ol’ boy” reputation that makes it socially unwelcome for women to smoke and are usually found in cigar bars and private clubs. For years, cigars have had no real competition and the hookah stands poised to edge out a serious piece of the gourmet smoking market.

Hookahs come in all sizes, makes and colors. They are crafting of everything from acrylic to crystal, which allows them to traverse the social lines. People can spend anywhere from $20 to $5,000 to find the hookah of their dreams. There are even custom hookah producers who, if you cannot find the hookah you are seeking, will build a hookah that is completely personalized and truly yours.

The cigar bars of yesteryear are finding themselves in direct competition with a new type of business that is sprouting up everywhere. From college towns to bustling metropolises, hookah bars and cafes are becoming the new, trendy place to hang out and smoke. Patrons can rent a hookah (or bring their own) and smoke for anywhere from $7.00 to $20.00 per bowl of tobacco. Each bowl of tobacco can be smoked for nearly an hour, making this an inexpensive alternative to cigars and other smokes.

More than anything, the hookah provides its participants with a wholly-unique, intimate environment that has no boundaries or rules. Everyone is allowed and dreams, thoughts and opinions fly, completely unabated.

Business entrepreneurs are recognizing the curious draw that the hookah has over customers. The investment to open a hookah bar or cafe pails in comparison to the funds required to open a cigar bar. There’s no need for an elaborate humidor and, in fact, one could even get away with just offering hookahs. It’s no wonder that hookah bars are one of the fastest growing concepts among modern day bars and cafes. As simplistic as the hookah’s design, a hookah business is incredibly easy for first-time business owners to own and operate and requires a minimum in upfront capital investments.

So, from a hookah-smoking caterpillar to the day’s newest craze, hookahs have come a long way. Only time will tell if they have a chance against cigars and other gourmet smokes but one thing’s for sure: hookahs are here to stay.