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A Shisha in an Arab country or a Nargile from Turkey. Call it what you will, but when it comes to the origin of the hookah, Made in India is a tag that just cannot be shaken off. A modest journey that began from a desi coconut shell took the hookah to great heights in Iran while it experienced heavy-duty development in Turkey. The journey came quite a circle as the hookah returned home, this time not to a zamindar’s courtyard but straight into our favourite night haunt.
If you think there’s not much to choose between smoking a cigarette and smoking a hookah, you’re obviously staring at the wrong end of the fire.
“The mood is quite contrary; while you tend to light up a cigarette as soon as you feel your stress levels shooting up, you normally smoke a hookah when you are relaxed,” points out Sovan Mukherjee, manager at Shisha, Calcutta’s first hookah bar.
Cut to 2006 and, indeed, few chill-out acts seem to be as stylish as smoking a hookah. And while you are spoilt for choice with a feast of flavours like rose, lemon, peach, strawberry, apple, cherry, mint, kiwi and mango, taking your perfect pick is the mere beginning of an exciting adventure.
“In fact, the hookah even gives everyone a lesson or two in patience and its leisurely pace teaches people how to relax and appreciate good company,” adds Sovan.
If you want to hot up your style statement this season with a shisha, here is the GoodLife guide on how to do it right.
Shisha facts
A rare combination of aesthetic appeal and functionality comes alive in the hookah. Here are some important elements that make up this exquisite luxury tool:
• A glass base that holds the hookah. This could be well decorated or painted to go with your Moroccan theme, lounge-style den.
• A shaft or the stainless steel pipe that is fixed to the base.
• A round flat metallic plate on top that acts as an ash catcher.
• A clay bowl that is covered with foil. “This is the bowl that holds the tobacco made with fruit pulp and honey,” explains Sovan.
• A rubber pipe.
• The mouth piece.
Do
• Inhale a hookah slowly and release it according to your own comfort level. Remember that the amount of smoke you exhale does not measure how cool you are.
• Keep changing the charcoal if you feel the smoke is not coming out right. The frequency should be close to 10 minutes if smoking in a group of four.
• Enjoy a hookah only in a group of two. That is the optimum usage of a shisha as many mouths huddling around one dilutes the essence.
• Order for your next hookah well in time. Preparing it takes a while so don’t expect it the minute you ask for one.
• Clean your palate after a meal with a glass of water or half your chilled drink. You’ll enjoy the shisha much more on a clear palate.
• Change the plastic mouth piece since sharing it is quite unhygienic.
Don’t
• While smoking in a group, don’t turn the hookah around while offering others. Just pass on the plastic pipe.
• Never use the hookah for lighting up your cigarette, remember this is not your match box or Zippo.
• Holding the hookah at the steel shaft is a no-no. So hold it from the glass base while shifting or smoking it.
• Tequila shots complete with the salt and lemon act just do not gel with a hookah. So avoid strongly-flavoured liquors.
• Don’t combine the wrong snacks with your hookah. A strawberry-flavoured hookah will never feel good with spicy kebabs.
Home made
• Flavour your hookah with some wine. After pouring water in the base, add some ice and then add wine slowly with a spoon, so that it floats on the water. Your wine hookah, red or white, is ready.
• To strengthen the flavour, simply add the required fruit juice.
• Store the fruit-pulp and honey-made tobacco in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• You can mix and match your flavours like a cocktail but do it smartly. For example, mango goes well with banana but will not go well with citrus bases.
• Add milk to your hookah to get thicker smoke.
• Never clean your hookah with soap or other agents. Just pour some lukewarm water into the base and clean with a long brush. Similarly, clean the rubber pipe by passing some water through it and shaking it after blocking both the ends.