Shisha

A new trend popping up in many metropolitan cities is Hookah Bars, whuch are small lounges where you can eat, relax, drink and smoke shisha. In the Middle East, from Turkey to India, there are shisha cafes where people gather to smoke and drink coffee or tea. A hookah is known by many different names in different parts of the world: a shisha, a nargile (pronounced nar-geelah), a hubble-bubble or hubbly-bubbly, a waterpipe. A hookah consists of a hollow glass (sometimes clay or brass) base which is filled with water, a vertical pipe topped with a clay bowl for the shisha and coals, and a usually colorful hose. When one sucks on the hose, the smoke is drawn down the pipe and through the water, which cools and filters it. This also produces a peaceful bubbling sound.

The hookah uses a small charcoal tablet to gently heat a special, flavor-infused tobacco blend. The tobacco never burns, but is filtered as it is drawn through the water-filled, hand-blown glass base and inhaled through ornate, embroidered hoses. The vapor is incredibly smooth, sweet and aromatic. Hookah has been used for centuries to smoke away the day’s stress, while relaxing with friends and family.

Shisha is tobacco (also called tabac, tombak, tumbak, gouza, guza, moassel, sheesha) mixed with molasses and fruit flavors and is smoked in a hookah. Shisha tobacco is not your typical tobacco and is different from that found in cigars and cigarettes.

The smoke from the tobacco is cooled as it passes through a water-filled glass bowl and then inhaled through a flexible tube. The water in the bowl acts as a barrier for the most harmful substance in tobacco tar. For this reason, many hookah smokers feel that the shisha is a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes, but doctors take a dim view of this. Whereas smoking a cigarette lasts around five minutes, a full-on hookah experience can last 45 minutes, meaning users inhale a larger volume of smoke than they would from a cigarette. And as with any tobacco, there is a risk of oral cancer.

Overall, the hookah is a very cool and different experience. But if you’re going to try out this trendy relaxing pipe, be sure to do your research and put your health first.

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