So I figured I'd snatch March's first blog post, and seeing as how I have only posted one note so far, it's about time for me to make another.
I had almost planned from the start to make a post dedicated to my most important addiction, which is my addiction to tobacco.
I'll start with an introduction. I've never habitually smoked cigarettes, but I can reasonably say that I've been addicted to nicotine for a while now. I don't recollect the first time I smoked shisha, but I'd venture a guess that it was sometime in my senior year, or possibly freshman year of college.
After I had my initial taste of the delights that hookahs bring, it wasn't long until I had to have one myself. I started off with a minimal setup of a no-name $40 glass based hookah from The Hideaway in Dinkytown. That lasted me quite a few months, primarily smoking Pharaoh's tobacco. One thing you should know about me, though, is that once I delve into something, whether it be keeping aquariums, printmaking, or in this case, owning and enjoying hookahs, I try to learn as much about the subject as possible. Aided by the internet, I have learned a whole lot about hookahs.
I quickly discovered that not only are the brand of coals that you use and the varieties of shisha that you smoke important, but also your hose, and general setup. Due to this discovery, I went out and bought another hookah, dubbed affectionately 'The Amber Spyglass', and purchased a Razan hose. The importance of a quality hose is often overlooked, and it can lead to greater splendor through the smoking of your hookah. Razan hoses are often considered the best hoses around, and retail for about $20-25.
Key points about Razan hoses are as follows:
Washable plastic hose material, comparable to a garden hose, which makes it easy to clean without fear of rusting (non washable hoses are wound with wire which will rust if washed),
Large handle. This is a personal preference, but I feel that it's a worthwhile plus to mention.
Wider hose. This is the kicker of the hose argument, if there is one. Razan hoses are quite a bit wider all along the length of the hose, which makes it easier to draw, and facilitates larger quantities of smoke for those big clouds you often dream of. (Or maybe I'm the only one who dreams about that).
Now, hoses aside, the quality of your hookah is essential for a quality smoke. I currently have a Mya Vortex (retail for about $100, pictured above), which has not let me down as of yet. The biggest benefit of buying a high quality hookah, in my opinion, is how long it lasts. Repeated draws on a hookah lead to water vapor getting in the stem, which often times ends up in corrosion of the threads that screw it into the base. A higher quality hookah will have at least some preventative measures, such as being made of stainless steel, which will prevent this from occurring too quickly, but I don't think any hookah is immune to this.
Aside from the quality of your hookah and hose, the other important things are coals and shisha.
I personally prefer Tangiers shisha. It's an American company (Yeah, America! Right?) that uses all US grown tobacco. They have multiple types of shisha that they sell, Tangiers Premium, Tangiers Lucid, and Tangiers F-Line.
Premium is their standard, and has the most flavors to choose from. It's unwashed tobacco, which makes it different from garden variety head shop brands like Pharaoh's etc. This means that the tobacco has a higher nicotine content, and this is very noticable if you smoke it after only smoking washed tobacco. F-Line is their goofy offshoot line that has caffeine. I've tried this, and I didn't think it was anything to shout about, I didn't really notice anything different. Plus, it's probably just bad news bears for your body, but fuck that anyways. Lastly, the Lucid line is their washed tobacco, and thus has less nicotine content, for those bitches who can't handle a little heat. Overall, I've smoked a lot of brands of shisha, but Tangiers is always my number one when it comes to shisha. If you use natural coals, one bowl of Tangiers can last for 3 hours+ with full flavor.
Now, for coals. I'm pretty lazy, so I just use 3 Kings instant lights, which I consider to be the best of all the instant light coals, in the categories of price, flavor, and time to light. A box of 100 coals sells for about $13.
If you want to be more picky, and smoke the highest quality bowls, you'll go natural coals. The problem with these is that they take several minutes to light while being held over a burner. The ideal situation would be either having a personal burner or a stove near whever you smoke. Benefits from smoking natural coals are that you'll never taste the coal, due to the lack of added chemicals for the 'quick-light' aspect. I'd guess that they are considerably healthier for you, but that may not be true, and also who cares. Brands I've read to be good are Coco Nara and Exotica Japanese coals. Never tried them though, so you'll have to see for yourself.
Well this kind of turned into me basically jerking off Tangiers and Razan hoses for being so great, but rightfully so, because they both kick ass.
I'm not going to go into health issues here, because, to be honest, I don't care.
Keep enjoying tasty shisha, I am.
Forgot, one last thing. Prices listed are based on what I've paid before at www.mnhookah.com Tarik and the rest of the crew are some good guys, and they've got good deals and ship fast.
