Pipe Tobacco and Hookahs

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Mikem

Mikem

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Question for the masses. I wasn't exactly sure where to put this subject, but since I'm curious more about the type of tobacco then the hookah itself I figured I would put it here.

I have a small Hookah that I purchased awhile back and occasionally smoke it in the shop while working. I have been using the fruit based blends that they sell at the local cigarette shop for hookahs. My question is; In countries where the hookah is common what type of tobacco do they use? My guess is not the fruit based stuff you find at hookah shops here in the states. Are they used with stout type blends such as your Balkans or heavy English blends, or some kind of straight Virginia? I'm thinking about giving it a try with something like London blend 1000 or Fairmorn's Lancers Slices. What do you think? Any ideas or thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hey Mike.

Ive been smoking a hookah for a few years now and, from what I know............those fruit -based baccies ARE pretty popular.
Experimented with some pipe tobacco and honey a while ago and it wasnt too bad.
Just a lot of hassle.
Some of the newer offerings from Tangiers (name of company) have quite a lot of different flavors and a good deal of nicotine which makes them a nice change of pace from the briars and the stogies.
 
It's my understanding that the apple-flavored hookah tobacco is wildly popular in the Middle East.

I would guess anything that benefits from a calabash would do all right in a hookah. They both draw the smoke through a fluid chamber to exand and cool: in a hookah, the fluid is water, and in a 'bash it's air. If you're going to prepare the shisha the usual way, with the charcoal tablet, you probably don't have to dry out your pipe tobacco at all, since neither bite nor burning will be an issue.
 
Before I retired last year, I traveled and worked in the Middle East for several years. Typically ended a fine meal by sharing a hookah with my fellow diners. Always had a fruit-flavored tobacco. While I don't care for aromatics in a briar or meer; in a hookah it's wonderful! My favorite is the pineapple flavor. Just great following dessert, with a wonderful cup of thick, strong Middle eastern coffee!! FTRPLT
 
Thanks for the answers and education gentlemen. For some reason I thought that they were using other types of blends/tobacco in hookahs in the Middle East other than the "fruit" based ones. I tried a plumb based tobacco last night after dinner and it was pretty good. I'm still going to try out one of my more stout English blends and see what it does.
 
Doc Manhattan":04ooqavp said:
It's my understanding that the apple-flavored hookah tobacco is wildly popular in the Middle East.

I would guess anything that benefits from a calabash would do all right in a hookah. They both draw the smoke through a fluid chamber to exand and cool: in a hookah, the fluid is water, and in a 'bash it's air. If you're going to prepare the shisha the usual way, with the charcoal tablet, you probably don't have to dry out your pipe tobacco at all, since neither bite nor burning will be an issue.
Click to expand...
Doc, add a Kirsten to that, as it has the "expansion" chamber as well and it does cool and draw out a lot of the moisture. It the Kirsten case, I still dry out the tobacco to just about the same level as I do for "regular" pipes, or it will bite a bit. But you're correct (in my experience) that that concept really does cool and reduce the moisture level of the smoke.

Natch
 
The "fruit" tobaccos are what is used. There are quite a variety of flavours and a number of different companies making them. I have seen all different fruits, flowers, pine flavored, and pistachio.

I would have to say double apple and strawberry are probably the most common here. Some people also combine them and let them meld for a while. Try mixing lemon and double apple....

Just don't forget to dump the water when you are done; that stuff will start to stink!
 
if you want a really cool experience,
use milk and ice in your vase instead of water................and if you wanna try some wicked weed PM your address and I'll send you some samples.
Tangiers makes some really great tobacco and it is chock full of nicotine.
DO NOT smoke on an empty stomach.
Believe me... :sleep:
 
I smoke a hookah as well. The only question I would have about smoking pipe blends in hookas would be about the way these smoke.

Hookah tobacco is like jelly; I always thought the the coal heated the molasses which caused the juices (flavor) to evaporate and that is what we were smoking. Or no?
 
rick":qg5x4ctw said:
if you want a really cool experience,
use milk and ice in your vase instead of water...............
Click to expand...
You can also put some inexpensive alcohol in with the water (vodka, brandy, etc) to lighten the experience.
 
very interesting..................



This thread inspired me to fire up my hookah; smoking it right now.
Tangiers Horchata with milk / water blend in the base.

I need to eat something soon......the room is starting to spin :affraid:
 
You guys have me wanting to buy a hookah. Are the sites I see with the 30-40 dollar hookahs the way to go? The ones I see don't seem to look as cool as the ones in the movies and overseas.
 
I have a single pipe hookah that I spent a little over $25 and it seems to work fine. I have another one that I bought a long time ago that I thought I lost (thus the $25 one) that has two pipes that I think I spent around $40 for. Both were purchased at the local cigarette shop that I buy my wifes ROY cigarette tobacco and tubes. Neither one is very fancy (one has a red glass jar and the other is green).

Rick email sent and thanks for the offer.
 
I go to this hooka bar alot and have quite a few employees from the middle east. The Hooka tobaco is dessiend esspescaly for a hooka. Becouse the coals burn so hot if you used a common pipe tobbaco it would burn up like that and producew ash the mosture dose a few things one keeping it from burning up alowing you to have an hour pluss smoke. It also keeps the sesha (tobbaco) together when the hooka getts to hot ands the bowl needs to be remokved and iar blown though the small side to cool it down. So no it is not the greatest idear to smoke pipe tobaco out of a hooka.
 
From the limited experience I have, MYA hookas are the best. Those that I talked to that bought inexpensive small hookas were not happy with them. Especially if you intend to purchase smaller hookah (which I did for the ease of cleaning, didn't want to have to get into the bathtub), MYA may be your best option.

A little more expensive, but my MYA QT model is excellent. I may fire it up tonight.

The coal you use makes a difference too.
 
www.hookahjohn.com

'Bout to pull the trigger on a Medium Solid Al Fahker...

Thought long and hard about getting a Khalil Mamoun but the Syrian Brass wins out....(Brass is just cooler)

Think I'll start out with nakhla shisha..most of the reviewers at hookahpro says it taste more like real fruit than a lot of the blends out there... The Desli Muri (sp) stuff sounds pretty good though, the pipe guys smoking it says it tastes a whole lot like pipeweed.

Bunch o Bastages... Like I didn't have enough hobbies for the Mrs to fuss about....
 
OH NO YOU DON'T,,,ain't no way I'm even looking at these things,,,not going to that site,,,,forget it,,,not listening to that voice in my head,,,no no no no no no no no ,,,,,
 
Good since your not going to look I won't tell you the 10% discount code for all orders over $45...
 
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