Hookah Love Blog

Smoke hookah at your work desk? Don’t mind if I do! While most may not have the pleasure (or the permission) to smoke their hookah at work, those with home offices (or those that work at a hookah company, haha) can enjoy a bowl of mint, mango, or margarita shisha while clacking away fervently on their computer keyboards. Much like the smoking method talked about in our post on hookahs and gaming, a lightweight, plastic washable hookah hose is perfect for “hands free” hookah smoking.

Standing no more than 16 inches tall and costing no more than a couple rounds of beers, Small Mya Saray Hookahs make the perfect desktop hookahs. The footprint is only about 5 inches wide, so they don’t take up any more space on your desk than a pencil holder, a Thermos of hot soup, or one of those metal clacky ball thingies. Their low center of gravity ensures stability, and since it’s made by Mya Saray, you know that it’s quality. In fact, all employees here at hookah-shisha.com are issued a Mya QT for their desks on their first day!

Of course, always remember to safely extinguish all of the hookah charcoal before you dispose of the ashes, or else you may set your trashcan on fire.

Here are our top 3 small Mya Hookahs that (as of the date of this posting) all have unanimously positive reviews:

Mya Petite Hookah: Borrowing its name from the French word for “small,” the Petite is proof that pint-sized pipes can produce powerful plumes (phew!).  Living up to its name, this wee water pipe is as small as you can go – any smaller and you’d see a drastic reduction in stability and smoke quality.

Mya QT Hookah: It’s not called the ‘QT’ because the base holds a quart of water, nor does it have anything to do with quantification theory (ha!). It’s actually just a homophone of the word “cutie.” We call them “crown” hookahs here in the office because of the coronal shape of the base (it’s also a personal favorite of many of our customers!).

Mya Bambino Hookah: The “great” Bambino is the Italian half brother of the Petite (Bambino = Italian for “little boy”). Fans of this hookah often comment on its sturdy grenade-shaped base and colorful enameled ornamentation on the stem.

The Petite, QT, and Bambino hookahs come with a carrying box, cage, and case, respectively.

Tip: the black bases on these hookahs are quite opaque, so hold it up to a light to see where the water level is. Happy Smoking!

Howdy Hookah friends!

We’ve just added a new feature to our website to make the shopping experience with us more informative and interactive.  In addition to written reviews of the products we carry, you can now submit video reviews!  Let your voice be heard AND seen to hookah fans around the globe!  Here’s how:

1. Make a short video of yourself giving a review of a particular product or shisha flavor that we carry.  If you’re unsure of what to say or how to critique, a quick YouTube search of anything hookah related will yield hundreds of review videos for you to watch and garner ideas from.  Many of you have already made review videos for other hookah-related forums, so feel free to submit those!

2. If you haven’t already, upload your video to YouTube (or any other video hosting site that allows embedding).

3. Submit your video under the “video review” tab after you have clicked the “rate it” button for the particular product are you reviewing.  Simply copy and paste the URL into the appropriate box (as seen in the screenshot below).  Remember to only submit videos that YOU YOURSELF have made!

Once you’ve submitted it, we’ll review the video for appropriate content and post it in the product category.

Remember:

Keep it clean!

Be concise yet informative!

Have fun!

And most importantly, Happy Smoking!

With the summer season approaching, it got me thinking about the perfect Summer Shisha.  Naturally, the only summertime favorite that came to mind was Summer Crisp from Romman Shisha Tobacco.

Summer Crisp was one of 5 new Romman flavors we launched in February of last year. To be honest, while we were enthusiastic and happy about the taste, smoke thickness, and length of flavor, we were unsure of how it would be received. Initial skepticism was inevitable.  ”A cucumber flavored shisha tobacco? Gross!” Yes, we got a lot of that at first, and our response was always “don’t knock it till you try it.”  You have to get the image of the Wendy’s salad bar out of your head and think of a cool, wet, very subtle green melon flavor with just the tiniest refreshing hint of mint.  Think of sitting in a green pasture in breezy, 76 degree weather while drinking iced water with a lemon wedge.  There you have Summer Crisp!

Fun Cucumber Facts:

• While often misclassified as a vegetable due to their association with salad greens,  cucumbers are in fact fruits of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes pumpkins and watermelons.
• Cucumbers have one of the highest water content of any fruit, hence the term “cool as a cucumber.”
• In the summer of 2007, Pepsi launched a cucumber-flavored soda in Japan called Pepsi Ice Cucumber.  It quickly sold out, and later became a hot collectors item on eBay.

Now don’t just take my word for it.  Here are some reviews of Romman Summer Crisp that folks have left on our website:

“Summer Crisp is definitely a welcome change from all the sweet stuff. It does actually taste like cucumbers…thick smoke, long lasting flavor”  -Mr Joshua

“The BEST shisha ever.  It tastes like you’re somehow smoking cucumber-melon salad. I even got my mother to smoke it.”  -kirstencanfly

“Amazing flavor…the smoke is very thick, and taste great: The smell of this stuff is intoxicating, some kind of candy I cant quite put a finger on, but like the name states, it reminds of the good days of summer. The tobacco itself is very high quality, slightly finer than AF and far less stems, although I love both brands equally, I’ve become a fan of Romman from the very first bowl!” -Rane

“Had to try it – cucumber flavored shisha piqued my curiosity! Actually thought it was more of a melon/mint/maybe lemon blend – at least until I tried to duplicate the flavor after running out…and I can’t even come close  Whats the secret ingredient, Romman people ?!”  -Judy H

We’re not telling, Judy

Syrian Hookahs are like Halley’s Comet – They’re beautiful, majestic, and show up every 75 years (ha!)

All kidding aside, these decorative hookahs are manufactured in small batches and have a longer production time due to their hand-made nature. As a result, we receive a shipment of these on average of once a year, and they don’t stay on the shelves for very long. Contrary to the name, Syrian Hookahs are actually made in Jordan, not Syria (“Syrian” refers to the style, not the country of origin).

As discussed in an earlier post highlighting the differences between Egyptian and Syrian Hookahs, what sets these beauties apart from other hand-made hookah pipes is the manufacturing method. In short, Syrian Hookah shafts are cast rather than turned on a lathe (the traditional method of making Egyptian and Rotating Hookahs). Engravings are then meticulously hammered in by hand to give it that graceful aesthetic eloquence.

I know what some of you may be thinking: “These hookahs look nice and all, but I read in some of the reviews that the hoses are too hard to pull from.”  Yes, we noticed this too.  It seems a small drawback to our previous Syrian Hookah models was that the “openness” of the air’s path was somewhat restricted due to the size of the hose connector holes (remember our post on the importance of airflow?). To correct this, we made a few important modifications to this batch: The hose adapters were made wider and the holes were drilled larger to allow a bigger “intake” and in turn a bigger hit.

All 4 styles are currently in stock – The Snake, the Engineer, The Glyph, and of course the world-famous Chiller- all available in 1, 2, and 3 hose versions.  Happy Smoking!

Update 4/26/10 – The 10th Anniversary Sale has come to an end, but stay tuned for upcoming promos and discounts!  Happy Smoking!

O frabjous day! Hookah-Shisha.com is 10 years old!  Callooh! Callay!

To mark this momentous occasion – a whole decade of servicing and educating the ever-growing hookah community – for the next 10 days we’re taking 10% off all…what, that’s not enough? How about we double that and make that 20% off? Yeah, that’s the ticket! 20% off our Nammor Hookahs, Hookah Charcoals, and Hookah Accessories. No coupon code needed!

Last but not least, all Hookah Accessories, from glass hookah bases to hookah bowls and everything in between is included in the birthday sale as well.  Pick up that hookah hose that you’ve been eying for a while, or stock up on hookah mouth tips for that hookah party – on the cheap!

We’d like to of course thank all of our fans and supporters for helping us all these years.  We couldn’t have done it without you.  Cheers, and as always, Happy Smoking!

*The 2010 Birthday Sale begins on Friday, April 16th and ends on Sunday, April 25th at 12:00 Midnight Central Time. Additional discount codes cannot be applied to sale items, sorry.

Howdy Hookah Friends! Many of you have noticed a recent addition to our line of premium hookah tobaccos: Social Smoke Hookah Tobacco. This being the newest brand to hit the market, initial skepticism is understandable. With the buzz building and with positive reviews starting to trickle in, we’re starting to field more and more questions regarding some of the flavor names. In this post we’ll explain the “mystery flavors” so you know exactly what to expect. Happy Smoking!

Absolute Zero - While scientists have yet to reach the lowest temperature possible in any lab, Social Smoke has somehow harnessed the theoretical minus 273.15°C temperature in a little metal can! Absolute Zero is a mixture of mint flavors for an arctic blast of wintry good smoke – and you don’t need to bend the laws of thermodynamics to experience it!

Baja Blue – Smoking this flavor is sipping a cocktail on the beach while Pacific waves crash the coastline. Metaphorically of course. Baja Blue is a strong Blueberry taste mixed with subtle raspberry and grape flavors. A hint of chocolate is added as well for that extra sweetness!

Blush – Don’t be shy! This rosy refreshment won’t leave you red faced. Blush is a blend of sweet tasting fruits (with a prominent raspberry taste) mixed with a citrus tinge, topped off with a subtle sweet rose flavor.

Mobster – Here’s an offer you can’t refuse – Mobster has a nice citrus bite with raspberry and pineapple undertones, mixed with guarana bean (a flavor found in some energy drinks). This combination of ingredients sounds as mysterious as its name, but the flavor won’t leave you disappointed…or wearing cement shoes!

Potion 9 – We can’t guarantee that smoking this flavor will make you fall in love, but at least your taste buds will be tinglingly twitterpated. Potion 9 is a mixture of cherry, fresh melon, raspberry, and pineapple that tug on the heartstrings of your palate.

The Edge – It’s hip, it’s edgy, it’s pineapple-y! The taste of The Edge is as sharp as it sounds – pineapple, passion fruit, citrus, and cherry all blend together to make this tasty smoke. Don’t stand too close!

Tiger’s Blood – While the name sounds savage, this flavor is actually based on the popular snow cone syrup flavor of the same name.  Smoke this and you’ll be reminded of that first flavored shaved ice delight you got at the county fair.  Tiger’s Blood is a mix of 4 different fruits (blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and cherry) that rivals the best of berry-flavored shishas!

Did you know that tea is the 2nd most consumed beverage in the world, next to water? It’s true! With the demand for tobacco-free alternatives in the hookah market growing at a rapid rate, it’s no surprise that someone eventually figured out a way to smoke it.

Enter the next generation of herbal shisha for your hookah – Evolution Tea Herbal Shisha. We received requests from many of our hookah friends for more tobacco-free options (aside from the popular Hydro Herbal Shisha) and we’ve found something you might like! By the way, keep those requests coming!

Evolution Tea Shisha is made of 100% natural tea leaves (fun tea fact: The over 3,000 varieties of tea all come from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis) with added honey, glycerin, and flavors so the smoke is thick and the session lengthy.  We, your team of dedicated hookah product testers here in the shisha lab, have agreed that Evolution has less of a “sugar tinge” found in other herbal shishas, with a more robust smoke and a cleaner aftertaste.

With 20 flavors to choose from (blueberry was our favorite of the bunch) in 2 sizes, Evolution is bringing the concept of “afternoon tea” to a new level, and you don’t have to extend your pinkie finger when holding your hookah hose!

In the face of much fanfare, we have finally stocked Vortex Hookah Bowls! For those of you not familiar with the Vortex bowls, they are a new twist on the popular Phunnel Hookah Bowl. The Vortex provides all the great benefits of the Phunnel Bowl (allowing the shisha to stew in its own juices, retaining the moisture while keeping the shaft clean) without the hassle. At long last your days of fighting the foil and testing multiple modifications of every shape and size are over!

The key to unlocking the limitations of the Phunnel bowl is in the design of the Vortex bowl. The shape of both is similar (a raised spire in the center interior of the bowl in place of the traditional “bottom holes”) but whereas the Phunnel bowl has a single hole on top, the Vortex has four holes on the outside of the spire. Think of a fountain, and instead of water shooting out of the top, it shoots out lengthwise in four different directions; now apply the reverse principle in comparing the Phunnel bowl to the Vortex bowl. There are a few specific advantages made possible by the clever design of the Vortex: The first being it’s much easier to draw smoke, and secondly the greatest drawback of the Phunnel bowl–the single hole getting plugged by the foil–is eliminated.  Also, shisha is not as easily wasted with the Vortex bowl as the design allows it to simmer far more evenly.

When packing the Vortex bowl, you want to break up the shisha and place it loosely and evenly distributed around the center piece, filling it right up to the rim. Pull the foil taught over the top of the bowl and then poke a large number of pin sized holes around the outer rim of the bowl like a reverse doughnut. Place two coals in the North and South positions on the outer edge of the bowl and you are ready to go! Your shisha will be cooking in its own juices and you will be saved some of the tedium of toying with mods, all while keeping your hookah a little cleaner.

And remember, here in the Thunderdome; two bowls enter, one bowl leaves!

Howdy Hookah Friends!  This unusual way to smoke a hookah was sent to us from Adam Q, Owner of Redline Hookah Lounge. Thanks Adam!

Recently I had a friend tell me that she never used a screen or foils when smoking shisha–she was putting the coals directly on the tobacco. My instant reaction was “Are you crazy? Sounds like barf city!” However I was assured there was a right and wrong way to do it. So after a leap of faith, I found myself smoking with my coals directly on the shisha and heartily enjoying it. This method gives you tons of flavor with beefier smoke for those who enjoy smoking tobacco. Here is how it works:

Step 1: Load your bowl with extra shisha.  This works best with wet shisha, such as Romman Shisha Tobacco.  It should make a small dome in the middle of the bowl.

Step 2: Place your charcoal directly on the top of the pile.

Step 3: This step is absolutely crucial, DO NOT SMOKE IT for 10-15 Minutes. This time is left for the coals to cook the top layer of shisha. This is where that extra shisha comes in handy. The top layer is cooked into a charred “screen” of shisha – no metal screens or foils needed. (Note: this will produce more smoke coming from the bowl, so be sure to do this  in a well ventilated area or outdoors.)

Step 4: Puff at will.

This method is not for everyone. I don’t expect everyone to renounce their foils and go “Old School,” but it is a much better experience that I had imagined and it will really shock your friends when they see you roasting a fresh bowl, Old School style!

Some call them grommets, others call them gaskets. While these little rubbery curios are some of the smallest components of a hookah, it can be argued that they’re the most important – a true hookah aficionado knows that the first key step of a great smoke is a completely air-tight seal.  We’ve broken down the various hookah grommets individually in the hopes that you’ll find the right one for your hookah.  Let’s start from the top:

Hookah Bowl Grommets: The bottom opening of your average hookah bowl measures about 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter. These vary in thickness, from the thin Mya bowl grommet to the thick Mod bowl grommet. If you start noticing the bowl start to slide up the bowl stem in the middle of your smoking session, or if the bowl leans to one side, try the ol’ paper towel trick.