I’ve looked in the past, haven’t found any head shops even remotely close. I’ve found a lot of hookah shops online, I just prefer to order things from websites that people reccomend, when possible. I suppose there’s probably a hookah forum out there somehwere as well.
I just ordered some traditional tobacco from these guys: They answered questions, and shipped properly with tracking email. http://www.hookahcompany.com/default.htm I’ll buy a hookah from them one of these days. A “pimp” hookah. LOL
I’ve just googled it to show you an example of the cheap pipe I use when my friend and I have a smoking and JD session, check out the hookahshop.uk, and its the brass/pyrex pipe thats retailing at £22.99. No doubt you can spend a great deal more but this has worked fine for years!
Here’s a cool hookah blog. Great pics. http://www.thehookahlounge.org/2008/08/03/hookah-domain-forum-passes-2000-members/
I checked out both sites, they look good, Thanks!
Ah boy, wish I woulda read a little more about these things before I purchased one for my wife, then again this could work out nicely too now that I think about it…
jk A 45 minute session (what was referred to as typical) with the Hookah nets you more tar than a pack of full flavored Marlboros, no wonder my lungs felt like black death when I was finished. Not to be the bearer of bad news but figured I should share for those who care. The kicker is that less than half the nicotine of the cigarettes is ingested which could make people smoke more to compensate, so they say. Again, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Google; ‘Hookah, Tar’ and you’ll find more than a few studies with similar test results.
Yep, tar isn’t water soluble so the water only traps the heaviest of particles. I was amused to read how some of the Hookah sites claim the health benefits are by the reduction of the most dangerous substance in smoking; nicotine! It looks like there’s much disinformation involved with the marketing of the Hookah at this point.
Im afraid if you smoke it its bad, you just decide whether thats going to spoil your enjoyment or not. I personally wouldn’t, but I am glad its just snuff for me now.
I won’t make any health claims for hookah smoking, but hookah tobacco IS simmered rather than burned. Little if any tar is present. This becomes clearer if one exhales through a clean cloth. Compare the marks of the a hookah exhale with a similar volume of pipe, cigar or cigarette smoke, and you will be amazed at how little tar is evident. The “smoke” from a hookah pipe is actually a glycerine vapor with flavors and tobacco distillates. This does not make it safe. But I enjoy it at long intervals quite a bit! As for the buzz, many of the popular flavored tobaccos are double or triple washed and have very little nicotine. For those who want to get the full experience I recommend brands like Layalina, Naklah and Al Waha. There is an excellent and strong brand produced in San Diego called Tangiers. It will kick your ass every time. A major factor in the hookah experience is the coals used to heat the tobacco. This can make or break the whole session, so experienced hookah smokers tend to stay away from cheap quick lite charcoals. If possible get natural charcoal as it burns cleaner and hotter than anything and never ever use charcoal briquettes from your barbeque. I’d also like to recommend hookahforum.com as a good resource for information on every aspect of hookah usages. They have reviews on various pipes, vendors, tobaccos, charcoals, lounges etc.
The charcoal is vital to the entire operation, and not getting it sufficiently heated will ruin the session as you say. If the tar is low, and it IS simmered, which I’ve never thought about before, will this have an impact on the amount of carbon monoxide in the blood? As I understand it, thats very nearly as dangerous as tar when it come to the heart, over long use.
I’ve been jonesing for a hookah. I think it is very cool and I will invest in a nice one soon. Had to buy tires this month, though :(. Although they can be a bit spendy, a real nice one can be had for not too much. I’d like to get an all brass one with blue glass. Compared to some briar pipes, hookahs are inexpensive.
You certainly don’t need an expensive one. The one I use was about £20, I think you just pay for the embellishments with the pricey ones, as long as you use charcoal, the right tobacco and water, you will be fine.
snuffster, I think there must be some carbon monoxide from the coals. So moderation is the key. Also ventilation.
The lungs are the first and only place the tar goes. Thats why a smokers lungs are black and its the tar that is the main cause of cancer - or its consituents.
Snuffster, I was told by a cardiologist that the tar also gets taken up in one’s blood and clods one’s veins. That’s why he insisted that I stop smoking after the first stents were placed in my chest. According to him, the stents will trap the tar and lead to an even worse blockage of the veins.
OK, points well take, scotty. Here’s the method I’d propose. Draw equal volumes of cigarette smoke and hookah vapors thought identical rounds of filter paper. Observe the relative degree of coloration, as tar, it’s safe to say will darken a white filter, as it does to cigarette or pipe filters. It would be interesting to also to compare the weight of each round before and after with an lab scale rated +/- .0001g, after removing any water vapor, of course.
Cheers Pieter, didn’t know that, soo glad I’ve kicked smoke!!