Archive for the ‘History’ Category

• 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.

  

• The True Story Of Shisha

  Date: 2010.02.19 | Category: History | Response: 1

  
  When most of you hear the word “Shisha” you think about the tobacco that is used while smoking hookah. Well, buddy, I hate to tell you, but that’d be wrong.  Actually, because of the lack of language translation, different cultures had to come up with their own name for the glass pipe that we know and love. In the Arabic language they say Shisha, Nargeela or Argeela. Narghilè (but sometimes pronounced Argilah) is the name most commonly used in Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria. Narghile derives from the Persian word nārghile, meaning coconut (remember this; we’re coming back to it). In the United States, the name most used is “hookah” and it obviously caught on. We did, however, hold true to some of the history of the word, and the tobacco we use in the hookah took on the shisha name. The original shisha, as this blog would suggest, is the Middle Eastern word for “glass”.  And while most countries have developed a term that best fits their own cultures, we’re going to focus primarily on the Middle Eastern origins.

  So, without further ado…

  Once upon a time, (actually, around 1550 AD) an Emperor of India (Asia) invented the Hookah as a means to better socialize with his noblemen. This was, of course, after the introduction of Western tobacco to the International market. Now, it is arguable that the Middle East was really the first culture to adapt this form of ‘social smoking’, so in the effort to be fair, I’ll discuss both possibilities.

  First of all, a “Hookah” is the glass pipe that you use to smoke shisha . It usually consists of a vase that you fill with water, a stem, on top of that stem is a bowl (preferably a Vortex!), and then you have your choice of hoses (1 to 4 in most cases). The first Hookah was constructed from a coconut shell, but an Indian Physician named Hakim Abul Fateh Gilani hypothesized that smoking was harmful to your health, so in order to clean it up a bit, he invented a system to filter the smoke through water- subsequently purifying the smoke for inhalation. This new system which included a glass vase filled with water is strikingly similar to what is still used today.  This design was widely accepted by most cultures and quickly became a popular past-time. And to be honest, the look of the hookah hasn’t really changed all that much in the past 500 years.

  In India, Hookah smoking was a sign of wealth and privilege, but the Middle East had something else in mind. Arabs discovered hookahs pretty soon after their invention and made it the social sensation of the century! But really, in the Arabic Culture, smoking hookah is a social event. It’s a way to make the neighbors a part of your family, get the whole family together, sit down, smoke some shisha and relax. Shisha, as we’ve previously discussed, is the name for the tobacco used in hookahs, and also has a multitude of varied names. (to read an extremely witty, yet informative blog on Shisha History, click here) It is a part of their Tradition, and it is said that in the Arab Culture are some of the heaviest hookah smokers in the world. (And boy do I believe it) This tradition quickly caught on, and spread to other social places where people gather such as coffee houses, and more modernly, lounges. Indians might have invented the hookah, but Arabs invented the Hookah Culture – true story.