How to Prepare a Hookah For Smoking?

A hookah, also known as a shisha pipe or water pipe, is a smoking device that uses charcoal to heat tobacco. Smoke is inhaled through a metal tube called a downstem. The smoke passes through a body of water that cools and humidifies it before entering the lungs. Tobacco is often mixed with flavoring and molasses to add additional taste and aroma to the smoke. The tobacco is then placed in a bowl and the hookah is ready to be used.

To prepare a hookah for smoking, the user should first make sure all connections are air-tight. This can be done by testing the hookah for fresh air by blocking all but one of the hose ports and inhaling through the hose. If the smoke is thin, one or more of the connections needs to be tightened and made airtight. To make the connections tighter, grommets can be used. These are rubber rings that strengthen the connection and create an airtight seal. They can be found at many hookah shops and are available in different sizes to fit the various parts of the rig.

The next step is to pour cold water into the base of the hookah. The water should cover about 1 inch of the metal stem, leaving room for air. Some people also like to add ice to the water, but this is optional.

When the hookah is ready to be smoked, it is important not to take hard pulls. It takes time for the tobacco to heat up and hard pulls can burn it and cause lightheadedness. To avoid this, smokers should take slow and well-spaced out pulls from the hose.