What is a hookah
A hookah is a water pipe for smoking flavoured tobacco. The coals sit above the tobacco and heat it, and the smoke passes through water in a glass base before you inhale it.
Hookah, shisha, narghile, kalyan: all names for the same thing. Hookah comes from the Hindustani word huqqa. Shisha is what it is called in Egypt and the Gulf states, from a Persian word for a glass vessel. In Turkey and the Balkans it is the narghile (nargila in Serbian), a word that goes back to the Persian name for coconut, so the first ones were probably made from coconut shells. Russians say kalyan, after the Persian ghalyan.
The hookah is usually traced to 16th-century India, where the invention is credited to Abul-Fath Gilani, a Persian physician at the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar. From India it spread to Persia, took roughly its present shape there and then reached the Ottoman Empire. Another version has it starting in Persia and reaching India only later.
Older hookahs were made of copper and brass, with leather hoses. Newer ones are increasingly made of stainless steel and aluminium, with a silicone hose you can wash. Some have one hose, others two or more, so several people can smoke from the same hookah at once.
How a hookah works
It all starts at the top. The coals in the heat management device heat the tobacco in the bowl without burning it. The tobacco bakes and releases flavour and glycerin, which make the thick smoke.
When you draw on the hose, the pressure inside the base drops. Air passes over the coals, through the tobacco and down the stem, then leaves the downstem below the water line. That is the bubbling you hear.
The water cools the smoke, which then collects above the water, enters the hose through the port on the base and reaches the mouthpiece. The purge valve works the other way: blow into the hose and the stale smoke leaves the base.
Hookah parts, one by one
The same parts you see in the 3D model above. Click a label in the model or read through them in order.
1 Base (vase)
The glass vessel that holds the water. Smoke from the bowl passes through the water and cools down on the way. Fill it two to three centimetres above the end of the downstem, no more.
2 Base grommet
The silicone ring between the stem and the glass. If it leaks air, the draw is weak and no smoke collects in the base.
3 Downstem
The part that goes into the water. The diffuser at the end breaks the smoke into fine bubbles, so the draw is quieter and smoother.
4 Stem base
The bottom of the stem with the hose port. Here the smoke from the base is redirected into the hose. The knurled band is for unscrewing by hand.
5 Purge valve
A ball that lets air out only. Blow into the hose and the stale smoke leaves the base through the valve.
6 Stem
The stainless steel tube that carries smoke from the bowl to the water. The longer it is, the more the smoke cools on the way.
7 Tray
Catches ash and pieces of coal that fall. Spare coals and the tongs sit on it.
8 Tongs
For moving and turning the coals. Turning them every fifteen minutes or so keeps the heat even.
9 Bowl adapter
The top of the stem that carries the bowl. The tray slides over it and rests on the stem.
10 Bowl grommet
The silicone sleeve that holds the bowl firmly and seals the joint. Without it the bowl wobbles and leaks air.
11 Bowl
The glazed ceramic bowl that holds the tobacco. This one is a phunnel: the spire in the middle keeps the juice from running down the stem.
12 Heat management device
The metal cup for the coals that replaces foil. It keeps the coals above the tobacco and spreads the heat evenly, so the tobacco bakes instead of burning.
13 Coals
Coconut charcoal, usually two or three cubes. The tobacco is only heated, so the temperature has to stay moderate.
14 Device lid
Closes over the coals and lets in just enough air through the slots. Closed, it gives a softer and cooler smoke.
15 Hose
A silicone hose can be washed and does not keep the taste of the previous session. Traditional leather hoses look nicer but cannot be washed.
16 Mouthpiece
An aluminium handle with the mouthpiece. In a lounge, a disposable hygienic tip goes on the end.
Three things that change the taste the most
- Water level: two to three centimetres above the end of the downstem. More water makes the draw heavy, less water makes the smoke hot and harsh.
- Heat: two coals to start, a third only if the smoke is thin. If it scratches your throat, remove a coal or close the lid for a minute.
- Seals: if the bowl wobbles or the draw is weak, check the grommets first. A cracked silicone seal is the most common cause.
Common questions about hookahs
Are hookah and shisha the same thing?
Yes. Hookah, shisha, narghile and kalyan are names for the same device in different countries. In Serbia people say nargila, from the Turkish word nargile.
How does a hookah work?
The coals heat the tobacco in the bowl. When you draw on the hose, the smoke goes down the stem, comes out of the downstem under the water, collects above it and travels through the hose to the mouthpiece. The bubbling you hear is that smoke passing through the water.
What are the parts of a hookah?
The main parts are the glass base with water, the stem with its downstem, the bowl for the tobacco, a heat management device or foil for the coals, the hose and the mouthpiece. Then there is the tray for ash, the purge valve and the silicone grommets that seal the joints. Each part is described above, and you can pick it out in the 3D model.
Does the water filter the smoke?
No. The water cools the smoke, so it feels softer, but it does not filter it. The US CDC says the smoke still has high levels of toxic agents after passing through the water. Hookah tobacco contains nicotine, and the charcoal gives off carbon monoxide.
Is the tobacco supposed to burn?
No. The coals sit above the tobacco, in a heat management device or on foil, and only heat it. If the smoke turns bitter and scratches your throat, the tobacco is overheating: take off one coal or close the lid partway.
Where to try one
Once you are done taking it apart, browse the venues. Shisha Place lists every hookah bar in Serbia with reviews, prices and opening hours.
Find a hookah bar
