Water Pipe (Hookah)

Some call it sheesha (Egyptians), others nargileh (Lebanese).

This ancient water pipe has been used for centuries to smoke away the day's stress, while relaxing with friends and relatives.

The original water pipe came from India, but it was rather primitive as it was made out of coconut shell. Its popularity spread to Iran and then to the rest of the Arab world. But it was in Turkey that the Water Pipe completed its revolution, and did not change its style for the last few hundred years.

Unfortunately like most wonderful thing from the past, the Water Pipe suffered a decline with the availability of the cigarettes. Smoking a Water Pipe is nothing like smoking a cigarette, Cigarettes are for nervous people, competitive people, people on the run.

When you smoke a Water Pipe, you have time to think. It teaches you patience and tolerance, and gives you an appreciation of a good company. Sheesha smokers have a much more balanced approach to life than cigarette smokers do. The smoke is noticeably cooler than cigarette smoke, and lightly intoxicating. Before long, the water begins to turn brown; smokers' say it is filtering out many of the harmful substances that they would otherwise be inhaling.

The Water Pipe (sheesha) consists of four parts, the bottom part is made of glass where the water is contained. This part is connected to a brass (sometimes stainless steel) figure top which is the "the heart " of the sheesha, this part, the regulator, takes the smoke from the tobacco when the person inhales from the "lai" (the flexible tube which end by mouthpiece). The whole apparatus, made of a variety of materials, which might be glass, brass, gold, silver, wood or cane, is richly decorated.

The water pipe tobacco "MU'ASSEL" comes in different flavors. It is available in natural plain flavor like "El-hennawy" the most world-wide famous brand for water pipe tobacco, or in different flavors like apple "Tofahah", which is the most popular, strawberry, mint, apricot, rose and many other flavors.

There are many principles in smoking sheesha some of them are:

1- Never light your cigarette by using burning coal of the waterpipe.

2- The water pipe should never be placed higher than the level of your seat.

3- Never pass the waterpipe directly to another person. Always first put it down and let the next person pick it up.

4- Water pipe are made for smoking specially prepared tobacco (called MU'ASSEL) that you can only get from good Tobacconists. If you use dry tobacco it will cause throat irritation.

How to set a water pipe

1- Fill the glass base of the waterpipe with water. Make sure you don't fill too much. You should fill enough to approximately cover the tube from the top section by about an inch when it is placed over the base.

2- Place the heart (top part) over the base (the glass vase). Make sure it fits snugly and is airtight. You may have to add gauze on the inside of the top section.

3- Attach the mouthpiece to the top section, again making sure that the joint is airtight.

4- Test that your setup is airtight by placing your hand on top of the waterpipe and then sucking in through the mouth piece.
If everything is okay, you should feel a pull at your hand and see bubbles in the water.
If either of these two things don't happen, then in all likelihood, you have air escaping from somewhere. Carefully check to find the source.

5- If your setup is airtight, place some of the tobacco (MU'ASSEL) on top of the water pipe (haggar). If you smoke a flavored MU'ASSEL it is recommended to cover the tobacco by aluminum foil and pierced several times with toothpick.

6- Go outside and light your charcoal, you can get the self-lighting charcoal (especially made for water pipe, no kerosene add).

7- When lit bring the charcoal inside, holding it with a pair of tongs and place it on top of the tobacco.

8- Gently pressing down on the charcoal, suck in using the mouthpiece. You should notice smoke building up inside the base and eventually (after about 3-4 puffs); you should feel the taste of the tobacco in your mouth.