What Exactly is a Hookah? Sometimes it is even not damp, but juicy. Externally good hookah tobacco looks like jam - large leaves of tobacco, translucent and sticky, are stuck together in one continuous mass.
Recently hookah extends worldwide like a shot - in parallel with tourism increase. So, according to the observations of some Polish travel company, each tenth tourist coming back from Egypt brings this smoking set together with other souvenirs.
Taking Inspiration from the 'Hookah', a new way of consuming alcohol that offers an immediate hit with no hangover the next day has been introduced in the United Kingdom.
The new method is known as AWOL, an acronym for 'Alcohol With Out Liquid', and could become a hit in the global club scene due to the euphoric 'high' created when alcohol is vaporised, mixed with oxygen and inhaled.
AWOL machines serve bar customers via tubes and could be seen as a modern version of the 'Nargile' or 'Hookah', which originated in India and became popular in Middle East.
Like the Hookah, the AWOL machine has a central body and a number of tubes running from it. The user chooses which spirit will be used and the spirit is loaded into a diffuser capsule in the machine. The oxygen bubbles are then passed through the capsule, absorbing the alcohol, before being inhaled through a tube. The resultant cloudy alcohol vapour is then inhaled from the end of the tube via a device akin to an asthma inhaler.
Once inhaled, the alcoholic gas goes straight into the bloodstream to give an instant 'hit'. The potent combination of oxygen and alcohol creates a feeling of well-being which intensifies the longer the vapour is inhaled.
These bars are now facing severe business challenges as according to the new regulation in united Kingdom like the ban on smoking bars the hookahs will also be forced out of the public life. How they able to survive it is yet to seen as number of minorities are the one that run such bars.
With such a long history, it's not surprising that the craftsmanship in a hookah approaches the level of art; most hookahs are exquisitely detailed and beautiful. At one time, each part of the hookah was produced by a craftsman specifically trained to produce just that piece. Materials used included silver, crystal, and amber. When you add in the centuries of tradition and ritual in which the hookah is steeped, it's easy to see that this ancient water pipe represents the nexus of a singular and luxuriant experience in smoke and social interaction--and why it's becoming so popular in the West.
The body, or govde, of a hookah pipe consists of a curved vessel which holds water. A graceful stem rises from the body and at the top of the stem is a bowl, or lle, which holds the tobacco. From one to several flexible hoses, the marpuc, with a mouthpiece, or agizlik, at the end, are used to draw the hookah smoke down through the water. The hookah tobacco is heated by charcoal and the water filters and cools the smoke. The water gurgles gently, like a woodland stream, and, in the process, makes the smoke smooth and cool.
The word shisha, which is often another word for hookah, comes from the Persian meaning glass or bottle.
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