Archive for May, 2010

• How to Smoke like the Elders

  Date: 2010.05.27 | Category: History, Tobacco | Response: 0

  

  In a world full of technological innovation, it’s not often that you see things that stay the same for centuries at a time.  That’s the beauty of hookah – and the flavored tobaccos smoked from it.  Shisha has, of course, taken a variety of changes, especially when it was introduced to the United States where a great deal of people had a palette more suited to candy instead of intense natural flavors.

  However, the forefathers of hookah smoked a different kind of shisha, sometimes it was only flavored with the molasses it was coated with – other times it had been mixed with oil from compressing Orange rinds or Rose petals.  So, how do we go back to that experience today?

  Fortunately, a few brands have stuck by the traditional style in at least a few of their flavors, giving you a chance to take a trip back in time with your smoke.  One notable brand is Nakhla, which (according to sources) started making their tobacco way back in 1913.  If you’re ever in shisha café in Egypt or the Middle East it’s likely what you’re smoking is Nakhla.  While the company has grown into some of the more candy-like flavors that are popular today, they also maintain a great selection of unflavored and traditional flavors.  If you’ve ever wondered what a simple tobacco and molasses mix tastes like, Nakhla Zaghloul is about as traditional as you can get.

  Another brand of shisha that produces a high amount of both traditional flavors and candy flavors but is well known for utilizing molasses is Al Fakher.  Some of their flavors, such as Mint, Rose, and Soft Black emphasize flavors that would have been used in the old days.  Even though the brand was only been around since 1999, it has taken over the market in its home country of the UAE.  As one of the staple brands that still uses molasses, Al Fakher should be on anyone’s list to try as a traditional or semi-traditional shisha.

  The oldest manufacturer still making tobacco in the world is based out of India – the brand is called Desi Murli and their formula is much different than the standard shisha we smoke today.  Made from a conglomerate of tobacco and natural spices, this is truly what went into the hookahs of old.  Now, the big difference between Desi Murli and a lot of the newer shishas comes from the fact that it doesn’t have any sort of humectants in it yet.  No honey, no glycerine, no molasses.  You get to add it yourself – most people simply add honey to the mix and start smoking, making Desi Murli one of the truly traditional tobaccos.

  Finally we come to a relative newcomer to the market, Ayam Zaman.  While it hasn’t been available for very long (the official release was October of 2008), the Arabic name actually translates to, “Times Past,” or “Back in the day.”  Using molasses, thick cut, hearty tobacco leaves, and very traditional flavoring, it leaves little to the imagination as far as how moassel was smoked in the past – especially in Middle Eastern countries. Designed to be a true-to-history replication, definitely add this to your list of shisha to try if you’re interested in the old ways.

  So, if you’re feeling a little bit oldschool, or maybe just in the mood for something in your hookah that has more flavor but doesn’t taste like candy – you might want to try any of the suggested shishas above.  I promise that you won’t be disappointed.

  

• What’s up with all of these stems?

  Date: 2010.05.21 | Category: Hookah Accessories, Hookah Stems | Response: 0

  If you’re an avid hookah smoker you’ve probably checked out every hookah store out there and browsed through their wares.  If you’ve scoped out enough sites you’ve more than likely seen your fair share of stems and have a good idea of which stems come from where – but here’s a crash course on the stem styles of hookah nations the world over to help clear up any questions!

  First, we should take a good look at Egyptian stems.  Highly traditional, these stems are still hand-made for the most part, so you’ll see welding marks around hose adaptors and other key structural points.  Egyptian stems utilize brass, copper, and stainless steel; Sometimes all 3 of the metals at the same time! Two companies that idealize the Egyptian style of stem are Magdy Zidan and Khalil Mamoon.  The top selling Egyptian stem according to customer demand are the Khalil Mamoon tri-metal stems.

  

  The next big stem producing country is Syria. 13% of the population is Syria smoke tobacco, making it one of the prime hookah nations in the world.  Syrian stems are usually entirely made of brass or stainless steel without any mixing, though they are sometimes coated in nickel to give them a silver sheen.  Their stems are generally very traditional looking with a modern twist – the pieces are welded together by hand after they’ve been laser etched, adding a touch of finesse to them.  Nour is one of the leading producers of Syrian hookah stems.  All of Nour’s solid brass stems tend to be the best sellers from Syria.

  

  Finally, we come to China, the master producer of the world.  Chinese made stems tend to range from semi-traditional to extremely modern…  Chinese stems come in all shapes and sizes, all of the parts are machine manufactured so that they fit perfectly together – in fact it’s nearly impossible to find any sort of welding mark on a Chinese made stem.  The major advantage of Chinese stems tends to come from the way they break down, and since their adaptors aren’t welded in, switching a stem from a 1 hose to multiple hoses is extremely simple.   Typically Chinese stems are entirely composed of stainless steel, but others brush a coat of zinc or nickel on to them.  Some Chinese manufacturers have taken a hint from the traditional stem manufacturers and have begun to utilize brass into their designs to make a heavier product.  One of the main things China does differently is add a design of cloisonné or ceramic on the outside around the stem.  Some of the best selling Chinese produced stems include the Mya QT and the Sahara Nar.

  

  And there you have it – a tour through the major stem producing countries and a decent idea on how to gauge the differences between their products!

  

• Packing the Vortex Bowl – A Comprehensive Guide of Awesome

  Date: 2010.05.14 | Category: Uncategorized | Response: 3

  

  Our Vortex bowl has convincingly changed the hookah industry by allowing for longer lasting smoking sessions and locking flavors into the bowl.  It ranks as the top selling bowl on the market.  Since it is so popular, we do get some questions about it, so we’ve constructed a nice tutorial video for you and we’ll review some of the key points of packing and using the Vortex bowl with this blog.

  First things first, we have a few different renditions of the Vortex Bowl – the first being our standard Vortex that comes in Ceramic, Metal and Pyrex varieties.  Then there is the Genie Vortex bowl that fits on all of our smaller hookahs.  All of these bowls are available in a wide variety of colors to suit your mixing and matching needs.

  To pack the shisha properly, you will have to get your fingers a little bit dirty.  All you have to do is break it up a bit and sprinkle it around the spire, providing the holes on the spire with maximum airflow.  Now, to make sure this works out perfectly, you can move any excess shisha away from the rim until it is about a half of a centimeter down.   This ensures when you cover the bowl with foil that no foil will touch any shisha, preventing shisha from burning.

  Now – once you’ve got that under control, you can add your foil to the top.  Just pop on a sheet and tighten the edges down and around so that the bowl is sealed off.  After sealing all you have left to do is punch holes.  We have an accessory, the hole puncher, that makes a perfect pattern when placed exactly over the spire, or if you’re more into making your own holes, the best way we’ve found is to make 3 concentric rings of holes around the spire in the middle of the bowl.  This gives a perfect amount of heat and airflow.

  Once your holes are punched, the final thing you have to worry about are the charcoals.  With just about any shisha you really only need 2 charcoals, whether you’re using Three Kings, Akhla, or CocoNara coals.  You can place them side by side, or you can make a half stack with the two coals, with 1 leaning on the other for a little bit less heat.  However, if you’re smoking a really thick and juicy shisha, something like Ayam Zaman, Nakhla, or Tangiers – you might want to add a little bit more heat, you can use three coals if it just isn’t hitting well enough for you.

  And there you have it – the simplest way to make the Vortex work for you and give you the finest smoking experience available – with no burning and juices stashed away at the bottom of the bowl, you’re sure to never go back to the standard way of smoking!