Tag: Shisha

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Hookah water alternatives

Hookah Water Alternatives

Adding water to your hookah base may seem like a forgone conclusion for your sessions. But did you know there are actually several alternatives that you can try out instead of going with plain ol’ water?

I’m going to list a few of the best options out there, but keep in mind that water only is still the way to go. The following substitutes are simply great ways of mixing it up once in a while.

  1. Coconut milk. Many people swear by this liquid for their hookah sessions. Not only is the flavor enhanced by it, but your smoke will be very different. Users often mention that the smoke is much thicker, giving a totally different feel when inhaling. Another cool thing about coconut milk is that you can make huge smoke clouds if that’s something you’re into. 
  2. Coffee. Most people enjoy having a nice cup of coffee during their hookah sessions so hey, why not put the darn thing straight in the hookah? People usually go with a 50/50 mix of water and their favorite coffee blend. If you try this combination and really enjoy it, just keep in mind that using hot coffee too often will eventually ruin your hose. I would suggest keeping a hose on hand uniquely for coffee blends and not using your regular hoses. 
  3. Mint leaves. This is a great natural ingredient you can add along with your water. It is often said that mint leaves the smoke tasting fresher. It might even help with cold symptoms as it is a natural herbal plant (you’re going to have to try it for yourself). 
  4. Tea. Speaking of herbs, tea is a nice healthy addition to your hookah base. You will have to play around with different combinations of flavors and teas but try to match them accordingly (stronger teas with stronger flavors). 
  5. Whiskey. Now listen very carefully, when it comes to whiskey, or any other alcohol mentioned in this list, take it easy. Don’t go pouring half a bottle in your base because you are going to hate yourself shortly after. If used in moderation, mixed in with water, it can really compliment the taste of your flavors.
  6. Orange juice. You can use pretty much any juice you can think of if OJ isn’t your thing. Orange juice is definitely a popular choice though. You can also try different combinations of juices. Watermelon and orange juice can do wonders on a hot summer day. 

We could keep this list going forever as there are literally hundreds of liquids you can try out but these are some of the more popular options. Remember, when using alcohol, go easy on ratios and gradually work your way up to the perfect amount. We also strongly recommend using dedicated hoses for your different liquids other than water so that you don’t ruin your main hose.

Have your own secret blend? We want to hear about it! Share us your unique blends and we might feature it in our future blog articles. 

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Shisha Fruit Head

Shisha Fruit Head

If you’re looking to try something new for your upcoming hookah session, keep reading because we have exactly what you’re looking for. 

Fruit heads are an awesome way of mixing up your typical shisha session with your friends. Not only can you experience different and unique flavors, but you can also show off your creative artistic side (unless you don’t have one, like me). 

What is a shisha fruit head exactly? The idea is to replace your hookah bowl with a fruit of your choice, that you will sculpt out. You then stuff your flavors in the fruit head as you would with your regular bowl. Fruit heads can really add some extra zip to your regular flavors. 

Here are the pros and cons you need to know before making your first fruit head. 

Cons: 

  • Things are going to get messy. If you’ve ever made a jack-o-lantern, you can expect this process to be basically the same. 
  • Properly heating your flavors might be a challenge if the interior of your fruit head is damp. 
  • You will need to invest way more time in your session preparation. The clean up will also be more extensive. 

Pro:

  • You will discover new and unique flavors otherwise impossible to create with regular shisha sessions.
  • It can be a fun activity to do with friends or your loved one.
  • If your regular bowl breaks, this can be a life-saving alternative until you receive a new bowl. 

If you’re not sure which fruit to use for your bowl head, we’ve listed below the most commonly used fruits. You can get creative and use pretty much anything but ideally you want a fruit with a rigid exterior. 

Lemon 

Pear 

Grapefruit 

Lime 

Apple

Orange

Pineapple 

Watermelon 

Now that you’ve decided which fruit you want to use, let’s go over the steps on how to create the head. Keep in mind the following steps are meant to be used as guidelines. Certain fruits will require additional specific steps but the idea is the same.

First step. Cut off the upper part of the fruit (approximately ⅓ of the fruit should be sufficient). 

Second step. Remove all the filling within the fruit but make sure to leave at least 1 cm of thickness. 

Third step. Grab a paper towel and gently damp the inside of your fruit to remove any excess juice. This might take a few attempts before you find your sweet spot. While you don’t want too much juice, you also don’t want to leave it completely dry as this will greatly diminish the flavor during your session. 

The last steps before installing your fruit head is to cut out a small hole at the bottom and line it with aluminum foil. You’re going to want to poke a few tiny holes in the foil to allow the smoke to pass through. 

At this point your fruit head should be all set and ready for action. Gently sit it on the top of your hookah and stuff your flavors in there.

Enjoy your session!

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Hookah Troubleshoot

Hookah Troubleshoot

If your hookah does not seem to be working properly, there is no need to panic (not yet anyways!). In this article, we will go over the complete list of things to double check when you need to troubleshoot your hookah.

The first thing you want to look at is your water level. If you water is too low, your session will be harsh and the smoke will be raspy. If your water level is too high, it will be very difficult to pull your smoke and you risk getting some water in your hose. Ideally, you want your water to hover 1 ½ inch above your down stem. 

Once that is taken care of, we will secure all of the connective parts. Start by ensuring that your base grommet is properly sealed. After, check the hose and bowl grommets as well. It only takes one loose end to mess up your entire session. You also want to make sure your using the proper grommets for the proper connections. A base grommet won’t help you a whole lot at the bowl connection. 

Next up is your hose. We will start by looking at the connective parts of both ends of the hose. Make sure they are nice and tight. If everything checks out so far, closely scan your entire hose and see if there are not any tears. 

The following step is to use our hose to confirm that all the connections are in working order. You will blow into your hose and if smoke escapes from your purge, you are all set. It’s also worth unscrewing your purge to take a look at your ball bearing to clear out any built up residue that might have accumulated over time, preventing your smoke from completely escaping. 

If your hookah still isn’t working properly, we are going to keep moving on up. Your coals might be the culprit in this scenario. If the coals aren’t properly lit when taken off the stove, they will likely fade out quickly. When this happens, you will notice a very bad taste in your smoke so it’s worth paying attention to this. A good indicator that your coals are not ready for action is a lack of “glow”. You want your coals to be glowing fully before moving them onto your bowl. 

In addition, it is never a bad idea to regularly flip your coals during your sessions. This will help the hookah maintain a consistent heat level and not mess up the flavor of your shisha. 

If you are still having a hard time smoking your hookah, you may have made the mistake of over or under packing your bowl. If you notice that it’s looking a little thin, sprinkle a bit more on top of your original coat. 

If you think you have put too much, stir it up a bit to clear some air passage and even maybe remove a small amount. 

Good job, you have just completed a top to bottom diagnosis of your hookah and you should be back in business!

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Signs it’s time to change your hookah

Signs it’s time to change your hookah

If you are reading this article, you are probably wondering if that time has indeed come for your hookah. Although we hope your hookah still has some mileage left in the tank, we are going to give you a few indications that it’s time to change your hookah and go shopping for a new one.

First indication: The flavor of your shisha is way off. If you start noticing that the flavor from your previous sessions start carrying over to each new subsequent session, your hookah “might” be past its prime. Sometimes a proper scrub might remedy the issue. If not, you might want to start looking for a new hookah. With that being said, we can’t stress enough how important it is to wash your entire setup after each and every session to prevent this from happening. Also, do not wait 3 days after your session to wash it, the sooner the better. 

Second indication: Rust starts appearing. Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot you can do about this one. The good news is that most of the new lines of hookahs are made with superior quality materials that aren’t as likely to rust (or will not rush at all, ever). Sometimes investing in a more expensive hookah is the cheaper long-term solution. Again, washing your hookah immediately after every session will help delay the onset of rust.

Third indication: Cracks and broken parts. We know this probably sounds obvious to most of you. Nevertheless, we still frequently see people walking around with worn-out, beaten to death hookahs that look like they were found in a dig from a lost civilization. We get it, just because it looks in rough shape does not mean it is not working but when it comes to hookahs…it usually does. Even the tiniest of cracks can affect the quality of your session and the effect will only compound with time. 

To cap things off on a positive note, we will go over certain circumstances where only the hose needs to be changed, not the entire hookah.

Hose discoloration. If you own a brightly colored hose and start to notice discoloration, no need to panic. This is perfectly normal. Washing it will not bring the original color back, but it will still work perfectly fine. Keep in mind that eventually you will need to change it as it will start changing the flavor of your shisha.

Funky smell. Regularly testing the smell of your hose is good practise as it is a great indicator of the health of your hose. If it does smell weird, try washing it with hot water and lemon juice. If the smell persists, you’re out of luck and it’s time to change your hose.

We hope this helps you in your decision and we wish long life to your hookah!

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History of Hookah

History of Hookah

Perhaps you are a rookie hookah user, or maybe you have been smoking from a hookah for many years. However, do you know exactly how far back the history of hookahs go? It goes way back, all the way to the 16th century to be precise. Hookahs are a huge part of the history of tobacco smoking and are an integral part of the Indian, Persian, Turkish and Egyptian and other Middle Eastern cultures. 

What helped sparked the creation of the first ever hookah was the booming exportation of glass from the East India Trading Company to India. With the abundance of glass, people started creating what were the first ever prototypes of hookahs. It did not take long for the hookah to grow in popularity. 

The device spread across several countries and people began using them to smoke Ajami, which is a strong, flavorless kind of tobacco. 

It became especially popular amongst noblemen as a way to show off social status and significance. During the Ottoman Empire reign, sultans were known to take portraits with their hookahs as a way to illustrate their prestige. 

In the 17th century, the hookah really took off in the Persian Empire. Persians began to smoke a dark leaf tobacco known as Haji. At this point in time, the use of hookahs were no longer limited to higher status individuals.  

In the 18th century, the hookah made its way into the Turkish culture and we started seeing some innovations in the design. Blacksmiths would customize the hookahs by engraving religious symbols and markings. Much like with the Ottoman Empire, the Turks associated well-crafted hookahs with important social status. It would often be smoked after royal dinners and diplomatic meetings. The act of sharing a hookah was a way to display respect for another person. Failure to do so often led to serious confrontations and disputes.  

In the 19th century, it made its way into the Middle East. The Egyptians would go on to produce the first ever flavored tobacco. They would mix honey or molasses with the tobacco. Soon after, they would create several new flavors by incorporating dried fruits such as lemon, grape, watermelon and mint. 

Hookah’s became so popular in Egypt, they began to build the first ever shisha café’s which are still growing in worldwide popularity to this day. Shisha sessions were a way for people of different origins to sit down together, relax and ultimately build strong bonds with one another. 

Eventually, in the 1900’s, the use of shisha became a regular sight on all continents. Today, the hookah industry is having a hard time keeping up with the demand as it has become so popular. Shisha café’s are multiplying across major cities in North America. Although the technology and design of the hookahs have vastly changed over the past 500 years, the tradition remains the same. Sharing your hookah with friends, family and visitors is still perceived as a great sign of respect.

When it comes to hookahs, there is nearly an infinite number of ways you can customize your setup to produce a unique shisha session. Different flavors, different combinations of multiple flavors, with nicotine, without nicotine, using water or other alternatives and the list goes on.