Category: Let's talk
Spiros is getting me an arghile (also called hooka, water pipe etc) for my birthday. It's an authentic one not the modern glass type. Anyway, he doesn't smoke anything and I only smoke cigarettes. So I've got a few questions before starting on my adventure.
1. What is the best type of tobacco for a beginner? Should I get the traditional toumbeki or will that be too heavy for me? What have you found to be the best kind as far as taste and smell? How do I prepare it? They said something about having to wash certain types. Is this true for all?
2. How much water and tobacco should I use?
3. Can I draw on it like a cigarette or do I need to use the special smoking technique used with dry pipes? I've never gotten the hang of that.
4. They say the average session lasts for between 30 and 40 minutes. What if I wanted to have a shorter one? How do I get rid of the extra
tobacco and water? How do I put the arghile out.
5. What is the best kind of charcoal to use? Don't worry. I won't be lighting this thing on my own as it would probably cause trouble since I can't see it.
6. How do I clean my arghile?
7. What are the best conditions for storing my tobacco?
8. Do you have any extra tips or advice for me?
Thanks for any help given.
I can only answer question 8; and my answers going to be that you should give up smoking. Its a great answer, since it solves questions 1 through 7 as well.
I've wanted to try a hookah for a long time. Have fun!
I'm sorry to hear that you've been sucked in by the media and mainstream propaganda about smoking. You might want to check out
http://www.forces.org
and
http://www.smokersclub.com
Forces especially has information that disproves most of what people say. There site has become very large and very cluttered for screenreaders over the last few years, but the info is still there, under the evidence section. All are unbiassed studies, performed, sometimes, at major learning institutions like Oxford University. I wrote about this for my honour's logic class and got an A+. I learned, for example, that up to ten cigarettes a day is okay. Nicotine is a pain blocker, prevents Parkinsons and Ultzheimers for up to five years, has been used to improve the motor skills of the mentally retarded and in asbestos workers, prevents a certain type of lung cancer. And there's alot more. The Smoker's Club also has a newsletter with updates on smoking bands, and sometimes, on repeals of those bans, plus a few things not related to smoking but definitely related to civil rights. Now am I saying that everyone should smoke or that you should smoke like a chimney? No. Everything should be done in moderation. I myself smoke about two cigarettes a day, sometimes less, and I've been a smoker for four years. What I am saying is to not follow everything you hear from the drug companies and the media. Also, don't buy tobacco with additives if you could help it. There's no doubt that those aren't good for you. And if you're really worried, smoke an electronic cigarette. those are awesome. But back to the topic at hand, narghile smokers, I'm waiting on your replies.
When i read your topick about argile in here and on klango the song Πεντε χρόνια δηκασμένος μέσα στο γκεντι κουλέ, για παρηγοριά οι μάγκες μου πατούσαν αργηλέ, comes to my mind.
You will need Greek to read this.
Sorry i can't be more help. I don't smoke myself lol.
Bravo re Niko! Excellent song, especially the original version from Vangelis Papazoglou and Stelakis Perpiniadis! But I'm not smoking mavraki any time soon. I will bring out the baglama and play if the mood strikes me though. ÂÝâáéá, ìðïñþ íá äéáâÜóù ôá ÅëëçíéêÜ åäþ ãéáôß êÜíù ôá ìáèÞìáôÜ ìïõ óôç áõôÞ ôç åðïëïãéóôÞ.
Yes i like the original version as well.
I have called a cd called Ta sklira and it has got rebetika from the 30s and they all speak about argile. Probably you have got this one.
I also like the song Óå åíáí íôåêå ìðïõêáñáíå.
I think this is the title anyway.
Anyway sorry for changing the subject.
Âñå; Äåí óáêïõëåýôçêá ôßðïôá. That came out really weird, so it must've not coppied right when you wrote it. Anyway, that cd sounds awesome! Yes, rebetes are always singing about the arghile. Check out the Bluesclub2, Golemschmolem and Antigonita1 channels on youtube. They've got some amazing stuff, especially the first one! Don't worry about the subject. Rebetika is always welcomed.
I used to have one of these and still smoke occasionally. Here goes, to the best of my ability:
1. The best kind for a beginner as far as taste and smell is definitely the double apple. Goes down smooth (and depending on the brand) flavorful. The higher quality tobacco you get, the pricier obviously. I've seen 250 gram boxes range from $5 to $20 depending on quality. The most common are Nakhla and Al-Fakhr. Those are the lowest and highest quality, respectively. Most of the difference can be noticed in the flavor (both come in a ton of different flavors). There are a few other widely available brands in between as well.
I've tried the traditional stuff once and thought it was way too heavy. Then again, I don't smoke cigarettes; your being a more regular smoker may factor into your liking it more. I've never heard of tobacco you have to wash.
2. You want to fill your bowl but pack it loosely. Packing the bowl too tightly will make it difficult to draw on the hose. The water is tricky. The amount of water you want to fill your base with depends on its size.
3. You can draw on it like a cigarette.
4. For a shorter session, just put out the coal. This may also require some sighted assistance. To get rid of the extra tobacco, just scrape it out of the bowl and toss it. Just dump out the water.
If you want a longer session, you could brush off the dry layer of tobacco that's in the bowl, reapply the tin foil then light another coal and put it on top in place of the burned out coal.
5. The most convenient kind is the quick-lighting coals that contain flammable chemicals. The most widely used brand of these is Three Kings. When lighting the coals if using this method, light the coal before applying it to the bowl and wait until the sparks stop flying before applying it. When first being lit, they give off a kind of gross chemy odor you don't want to be inhaling when you're smoking. Once you've applied the coal to the top of the bowl, you're good to go. There are also natural coals. Smoking with these tends to taste better but lighting them/maintaining them takes a little more work. You'd most likely want the aid of a sighted person for the duration of the session while using naturals.
6. A little water through the pipe/hose once every few sessions helps a lot. Hookahs also come with a little brush that you can use to scrape resin from the inside of the pipe/bowl with.
7. Refrigeration works well.
8. I think you've covered all the bases.
Hope I was helpful.
Thanks soooo much for everything! I'll definitely keep all of these in mind. I actually got it last week and tried it. It's very large, like they have in the clubs and though it's not the authentic clay kind that I really wanted, it is very nice. It's made of glass and metal and has the valve for the water. The hose has a nice fabric over it and the mouthpiece is wood not plastic. The guy who sold it to Spiros suggested that I should start with the light stuff and then try the medium if I wanted. He gave him two flavours, peach and strawberry. I tried the peach and smoked for an hour. I loved the experience but the tobacco was very light for me and I didn't particularly care for the artificial perfumy taste. I'll try the strawberry but am pretty sure that I'll be getting toumbeki in the future or, if possible, one that's flavoured naturally. I think we used the real charcoal cause it took awhile to heat up and he blew on it to keep it lit. Unfortunately, we didn't have the tongs so that we could light it over the stove, so he had to blow on them to get them going. We also wound up using three of them in order to get the proper amount of smoke and throat hit. I know this is something I won't be doing on my own, but it is really cool. If I really like it, I might get one of those pocket water pipes that don't require charcoal etc, only I'm not sure if you can smoke real narghile tobacco in them. Thanks for the tip on keeping the tobacco cold. I think I'll go and put it in the fridge now.
I do like strawberry; never had peach. You know what works really well as a mixer and always gives you a nice kick is mint. I also like mint on its own but most don't. Mint/apple x2 is an awesome-tasting, mid-range strength combo.
Thanks. I'm careful with mint, as I've heard it can be dangerous if alot is injested, but it is very nice. I think I'd like to try plain tobacco and actually put fruit peelings or fruit juice in the bowl. That way, I'll get a natural flavoring, and if I don't like it, I just won't add it next time.
I agree with b3n. Why smoke in the first place!
I am sure glad that I don't have that nasty habbit anymore.
Bla bla bla. Anties are so annoying, especially when they're ex-smokers. Go pat yourself on the back and let the rest of us enjoy a good smoke.
So here's an update on my arghile. I now smoke it pretty much every weekend when my bf is here and can help me with it. This time around, he brought a new tobacco (Star Buzz Strawberry Kiwi). Believe it or not, this one was actually made in America. It was in a tin instead of a bag like the first ones from Egypt and it cost $18 instead of $10. But the flavour was very nice. To me, it tasted more like regular tobacco and not perfumey like the other one. It was also less sweet, until it got to the end and picked up a huge amount of sugary taste and it only had .05mg of nicotine and no tar. The best was the charcoal. We've tried at least two different brands, but this time, we got an all natural organic wood charcoal. It actually cost the same amount as the other but the difference was like day and night. On and on it burned, seeming never to stop. We put two on instead of one, which turned out to be totally unnecessary. It still had a tiny bit of flame in it when we extinguished it almost three hours after beginning (usually, I smoke for about an hour). lol I actually switched tobaccos cause the irst one burnt a bit from the amount of time. Definitely recommended. We had a bit of a problem for about two weeks with the water. It kept getting into the hose and frustrating both of us. But when Spiros went back to the shop to pick up the tobacco and charcoal, the guy told him not to put so much water in it. Overall, I adore my arghile and think it's one of the best gifts ever.
I don't smoke myself, but if I could get fresh, organic tobacco with nothing added, guaranteed, I might try it. I've heard that tobacco in its most natural form is no worse for you than having a cup or two of coffee. It's all the chemicals that the tobacco companies add to cigarettes and cigars these days that cause all the negative health effects we talk about these days. Last time I checked, plants don't contain tar, cyonide, and other lab generated chemicals. You shouldn't believe everything you read just because they claim it's from a health site or whatever. There are always two sides to every story. So, the only question I can answer for you, Tiffanitsa, is to make sure the tobacco is fresh, with no additives. Good luck.
Opa!!! someone who's not brainwashed! Yes, it's the additives that cause all of these problems. Granted, if you smoke a huge amount every day, that isn't a good thing, but that's for anything. You could drink too much water or eat too much and get sick. Usually,, of course, these things are good for you, but when you overdo it, even they can become harmful. there's a study from Oxford University that says up to ten cigarettes a day is okay. I smoke maybe one or two, sometimes none. the most I'll usually smoke is four. Alot of this antismoking propaganda, from health side effects and second hand smoke, is either wildly exagerated or plain untrue. I'm a smoker's rights advocate and often frequent sites like
http://www.forces.org
and
http://www.smokersclub.com
I always buy additive-free cigarettes, and when I can, I buy the loose tobacco from
http://www.ryotobacco.com
I'm finding it insanely difficult to locate toumbeki (goes by several names), the traditional plain tobacco that's supposed to be used with the arghile. All the places have only the flavoured ones.
I smoke a regular wood pipe and smoke sunset rum. I like my tobacco moist not very dry. It sounds as if you'd probably be better off with a regular pipe though they require maintenance. Sounds like too this hookah probably is more of a pain in the ass. There are 3 different types of tobaccos...aeromatic, verginia, and english. google it they have their differences. I smoke cigars as well, and I like my lucky strike cigarettes after a meal.
Ocean dream, if you want to try smoking tobacco, and you don't want chemicals, follow these directions.
1. go on and find out if there is a tobaccanist in your area.
2. call that tobaccanist if there is one and ask, "do you have a walk in humidor?"
3. if they say yes, go there, if they say no, try a different one.
4. ask the person to help you pick out a cigar and show you how to light it and how to smoke it.
5. enjoy a cigar.
Cigars, or quality cigars, which will be found in a walk in humidor, are not made with chemicals. They are nothing but whole tobaco leaves. if you find one that you enjoy, then get some and enjoy.
If you are blind, don't worry, lighting a cigar as a blind person is very easy, message me if you want details.
to the orriginal poster, I have no idea about those kinds of pipes. However, I do know that to store tobacco you should keep it somewhat moist, not wet, just humidified. they make small disks for this purpose in loose tobacco. refrigerating tobacco will actually make it dry out faster. Refrigerated air is very very dry air. Dry tobacco, if its naturally flavored, is harsh and unpleasant. Ask a tobaccanist for tips on storing your tobacco.
Thank you, Silver Lightning.
some like their baccy real moist like me and some like it kinda sorta moist. the less moist the more bite and burn it'll have goin down.
They're not a pain. I just can't smoke them on my own which is annoying. I've tried the wooden pipes and can't get the hang of it. An arghile smoker will inhale just like a cigarette smoker. But with the dry pipes it's different. Still, I adore the smell of pipe tobacco, so am looking for a brand of cigarettes called Springwater. they're made with half Virginia cigarette tobacco and half Cavendish. I've also tried Black n Milds but though the smell was fabulous, the taste wasn't that great. Do any other such things exist but with high quality tobacco? I'm also interested in cigars. Can I get ones that aren't expensive but that are additive-free? How difficult are they to cut for someone with no sight? Do they contain more or less nicotine than cigarettes?
Cigars are simple to cut for a blind person. To cut a cigar you use, believe it or not, a cutter. A cut can look like a pair of scissors, or it can take a more common form. Imagine if you will a board, drill a hole in the middle of the board, and attach handles to the end of the board, put a blad in the hole, and you have a cutter. you pull the handles apart, which opens it, put the cigar in, and squeeze it shut. No danger whatsoever.
It is entirely possible to find inexpensive cigars without chemicals, and cigars have no nicatene at all. nicatene is a chemical added to cigars. Cigars can be habit forming, but it is a physical habit, not a chemical one. You can find cigars in all different shapes, sizes, flavors and prices. find a cigar shop near you, go in, and spend some time asking questions and see if they'll let you smoke a cigar.
awesome! I didn't know that all of that. there's one right in my town. I'll have to go in one day and check it out. Some cigars, to me, smell absolutely horrible. But others smell downright nice. How do I know when I'm getting a real cigar versus a chemical-filled one?
hand rolled cigars are pure tobacco. machine rolled cigars have chemicals to make the tobacco stick together in the machine. You will know two ways. First, your tobacconist will not lie to you if he wants you to come back, and believe me he does. I used to work at a cigar shop, and you don't lie to your costomers about quality. Second, if you can follow the veins of the leaves along the outside, its real. If it has a bunch of lines going in all directions, its probably not.
If you have sighted help, they can look to see if the outside of the cigar looks solid, or if it looks like its made in a bunch of strips. Strips mean machines, solid means someone rolled that cigar by hand. Never, ever, ever, smoke a machine rolled cigar if you want quality.
Thanks a million. This is really helpful.
the best and cheapest and best tasting cigars are made by santa fe which is a branch of swisher sweets. they come in packs of 20 like cigarettes and are in regular, grape, sweet strawberry, peach, and menthol. They are $1.49 or $2 per pack depending on where you live. Black and mileds are ok, I cannot finish one myself. Lucky strike cigarettes are good to me it is like smoking a loaf of toasted bread. I've got a few boxes of chocolate and watermellon cigars but I don't really see a difference between them.
Ooh! I'll have to check them out wfor sure. What are they actuall called? Do you know if they're additive-free and if these are the cigarillos that I keep hearing about? It sounds like they'd be far easier to smoke than the usual ones. I know with Black N Milds, I'd smoke a litle and then come back to them. I only smoked a whole one once and I'll never do that again. My throat burned and the nicotine was insane!
No, those cigars aren't chemical free. They are machine rolled knock offs of a good brand. If you want flavored cigars, the only place you'll get them with any quality, is from an acid. Acids are a brand of cigar made by a company called drew estates. they infuse their cigars, instead of dipping them like most flavored cigars.
If you want the taste of watermellon though, have a jolly rancher, don't smoke a cigarette. That makes no sense. Watermellon is not a flavor of tobacco. Cigar smoking is for the flavor of tobacco, not fruit. Most self respecting tobacconists won't even sell dipped or machine rolled cigars. No repeat customer buys them. It just isn't economical.
I'm all for regular tobacco, and in fact, am looking for it for my arghile. the problem is that most tobacco for that has flavours and nonsense. I'd rather get real tobacco and put an orange peal or something in the bowl with the water, the way it's traditionally done. as for cigars, are there any quality brands that make them small like cigarettes?
Yes, romeo and juliet, the brand not the play, makes small cigars. As does CAO, and nearly every other company. They are very good, just as the regular sized cigars are.
Can you inhale on them normally or is the method the same as smoking a regular cigar? sorry for all the crazy questions.
Its the same method as smoking any other cigar. You don't inhale.
personally I inhale and I never said they wre additive free, but they're good for me. If I want something with flavor I'll get something with flavor and I dont' worry all tha tmuch about additives. I will stay away from cigarettes just plain nasty. and santa fe's are pretty economical at $1.49/$2. if you want a good ass cigar then head over to www.vegassmokes.com. Pipe smoking is on the rise, according to Vegas Smokes it also smells much better too. I usually smoke my luckies after a meal only because it's quick and tastes good. I've tried cammels winstons and luckies and I will never go back to the first 2. Just bad tasting. and filters. lol. yeah right. if I'm gonna smoke smoke the real thing, first thing I did when I got my pipe was remove the filter. vegas smokes also might be able to help you out with your issues you had while smoking a regular pipe he goes into some great detail about pipe care and lighting a bol.
there are plenty of wonderful cigarette tobaccos out there. The best is the loose kind that you can use to make your own cigs. Almost all are additive-free and they're alot cheaper when ought in bulk than store-bought cigarettes.
http://www.ryomagazine.com
has great information on tobaccos and on the two methos of making cigarettes, rolling and using an injector. The first is ryo or roll your own and uses papers and filters (the latter being optional for some people) and the second uses tubes *usually with filters attached) and injectors. Reviews of said accessories can also be found at ryo Magazine.
Ok, how can you say that you don't smoke cigarettes, and then say you smoke luckies? Little news flash for you here, lucky strikes, are cigarettes. They are unfiltered cigarettes. I smoked them myself until I couldn't afford the eight dollar a pack price tag. You make no sense.
Yeah, I was wondering that myself. While each tobacco has it's own unique scent and taste, even in store bought brands, I can't see how you can say that cigarettes are smelly and that you don't smoke them and then admit to smoking Lucky Strikes. They're made with regular cigarette tobacco so would smell like most other cigarettes.
I smoke both cigars and now a pipe. I bought a Missouri Meerschaum pipe which I used for awhile, it's coated corn cob, but just purchased a hardwood pipe which I'm sure I'll like better. No lighting cigars is easy, though the pipe is a bit trickier. That trickiness mostly is not being blind, everyone has to learn how.
I thought Meerschaum is a high quality clay, not wood or corn cob.
So I'm still at it, smoking my arghile every weekend, sometimes two or three times during the two days, and it's still as wonderful as ever. I've tried a few different types of tobacco now and generally stick with the Egyptian ones because that's pretty much all they sell. Unfortunately, we haven't spotted anything from the Middle East, which is known to have an amazing variety and authenticity to their tobaccos. The American strawberry was nice but very wet and some tended to get into my mouth as I inhaled so I switched to another brand with the same flavour. I've tried Apple, since I kept hearing great things about it, and though it was nice, it wasn't as great for me as it was for others. This last weekend, Spiros brought me totally unflavoured tobacco, again from Egypt. I'm not sure if it was the toumbeki that I've been seeking (I don't think so, since it didn't need to be washed and had the consistancy of the others) but it was definitely a change from the norm. It wasn't bad but it was very bland. I plan on putting an orange peal or something in the bowl of water next time to give it a flavour in the traditional way. I'll need to do a tiny bit of research to see what fruits can be used and how it's done, but it should be interesting if nothing else. We also got a new part for the arghile itself. This is where the charcoal and tobacco is put. I don't know the name in English. Anyway, the original broke so we got one with two compartments, allowing two different flavours to be smoked at the same time. It works really well and the fire and throat hit have been wonderful. It's actually adjustable so can fit on large and small pipes alike. I'd still like a clay or coconut arghile but this one has been serving me very well and I'm satisfied. I'll keep you guys updated as I try new flavours.
As for cigars, my friend brought over some tiny ones that are almost the exact same size as cigarettes, only a bit fatter and longer. I knew that these were cheapies but they weren't that bad considering. One flavour was strawberry and one was tobacco. I then found a brand of little cigars called Nesticos. These are actually organic! I'm not sure if they're flavoured or not but they certainly sound interesting, cheap and easy to use. I'll have to try them. But for now, I'm happy with my arghile, my Karelias cigarettes that a friend brought back from Greece for me and my electronic cigarette with it's many flavours.
Meerschaum is a mineral yes. Missouri Meerschaum is a company that produces corn cob pipes with coating of some kind.
Ah, gotcha. Thanks. *smile*