Those who have been to the Middle East will confirm that smoking hookah is accepted everywhere and is part of the culture of the countries of this region. The question of how to properly hookah, or, as it is called in the East, nargil, and what to do next, the locals do not arise. Our lovers of fragrant smoke do not always cope with this task. Let's take a closer look at what a hookah is, where it came from and how to properly fill it.
Where and when did the hookah appear?
More than a thousand years ago, on the border with Pakistan, in the northwestern province of India, they began to use a special smoking device - a hookah. It was not much like modern complex devices, and the base, tube and head for it were made from coconut shell.
Hookahs were originally used for the use of hash and opium. But as the culture of smoking narghile spread to the territory of Persia, more and more dark tobacco varieties began to be used.
From Persia, hookah quickly spread throughout the countries of East and North Africa, East Asia, the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula.
In the Ottoman Empire, that was the name Turkey had, hookah came in the 17th century.
It was from Turkey that a smoking device began to spread around the world, conquering the countries of the Old World, and then the American continent.
How long have smoked hookah in Russia?
For the first time, hookah came to Russia, most likely, during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 as outlandish souvenirs and trophies. At that time, his smoking was not widespread.
The time of the triumphant return of hookah to the territory of Russia can be considered the last decades, when this exotic smoking device was brought by tourists returning from vacation in Egypt and Turkey as a souvenir for smoking friends and relatives. Over the past decade, the culture of hookah use has spread quite widely and has gained popularity in youth circles.
Various entertainment venues, clubs, bars, cafes and restaurants have equipped special smoking rooms - hookah rooms. Where trained in how to hammer tobacco in a hookah, experts prepare this smoking device for all comers.
Many of those who have tried a hookah purchase it for their personal use. However, in most cases, instead of the expected pleasure, lovers of aromatic smoke face a number of problems. First of all, with how to properly hookah, so you can enjoy smoking.
Before proceeding with the description of the process of refueling, a quick look at the device of this device for smoking.
Hookah device
It consists of four main parts:
1. Smoke flask, or, as it is also called, a base chamber partially filled with water.
2. Tobacco bowls, on top of which a heating element is placed.
3. Hookah shafts made of hollow tube metal, the size of which can vary from 20 to 100 cm.
4. Hookah hose, which connects to the hole on top of the bulb or to a metal shaft. The part consists of a pipe, the hose itself and the mouthpiece.
Having learned about what this oriental smoking device consists of, let's find out how to assemble and how to hammer in a hookah.
Operation of a hookah. We assemble the device
First of all, liquid is poured into a hookah smoke flask: water, wine, milk, juice, etc. An iron element is inserted into the flask. The tube, which is located inside the base chamber and exits the upper part, must be immersed in water to a depth of five to seven centimeters. In order for the parts to be connected tightly, a sealant is needed. A hose is attached to the outlet located at the top. If there are no seals, then they can be replaced with damp thin paper or foil. After installing the hose, it is important to check the tightness of the hookah. To do this, use your finger to close the inlet, and try to draw air through the mouthpiece on the hose. If everything is assembled correctly, then the air will be drawn in with difficulty.
At the very least, a tobacco bowl is installed, which must be hermetically connected to the hookah.
How to hammer a hookah?
Hookah can be seasoned with a variety of types of tobacco: both simple and flavored. But whatever the tobacco, you need to take it a bit, about a pinch, since you need to properly hammer in a cup of hookah not to the eyeballs, but at the same time the tobacco mixture should be enough for smoking.
The bowl with the tobacco placed in it is tightly covered with foil or wire rack. According to hookah lovers, it is preferable to use foil, since the lattice is not very tight, and heats up much more slowly than foil. In the foil with any sharp object, for example, a toothpick or the tip of a pencil, it is necessary to make several holes through which hot air from the coal would fall on the tobacco.
The next step is to kindle coal. If you have regular coal, you can heat it on the stove and turn it on top of the foil with tongs. Then immediately smoke a hookah.
If you have a so-called self-igniting coal saturated with nitrate, then, folding a piece of paper or a newspaper into a tube, set it on fire and hold the coal over the flame with tongs. It is important to wait until the coal burns out completely. If this is not done, when you smoke you will feel an extremely unpleasant aftertaste in your mouth.
To the question of how to hammer a small hookah, the answer is quite simple: if you do not have a souvenir option with a sealed tube, then it is exactly the same as any ordinary device of a standard or large size.