Are Hookahs the New Cigar?

by Nancy Kallis Don't Count the Days, Make the Days Count

More than likely, you've seen a hookah in your lifetime. However, unless you're a regular at a hookah bar, you've probably forgotten all about it. Do you still think you've never heard of hookah? Think back. Way back. Hookahs have been around, in one form or another, for several centuries with their origins generally traced back to what is modern-day Turkey. Needing a way to cool the smoke that leaves a tobacco pipe, the Turkish developed a way for the smoke to first pass through water before being inhaled. This cooled the smoke and gave the hookah its trademark bubbling sound.

Modern hookahs have evolved in design but still perform the same, simplistic function as the hookahs of old. The tobacco that is smoked in the hookah has also seen evolution and change. Originally, tobacco would be mixed with molasses or honey and placed in the bowl-like apparatus atop the hookah. Coals would be directly-applied to this mixture and, instead of burning, the tobacco would be heated to the appropriate temperature to create smoke.

Today's hookah tobacco, commonly referred to as Shisha is made with modern components. Tobacco, glycerin, and sugar are combined with countless flavors to produce a truly unique smoking experience. The flavors range from fruity apples and oranges to cultural favorites like bubble gum and cola. There are over 50 flavors available to today's hookah smokers!

How to Fill Your Chillum with Tobacco

There are a few different ways to fill your chillum with tobacco. The first way is to use a pipe stem. Cut the stem off the pipe, then thread the stem into the top of the chillum. Turn it so that the tobacco is facing down, and screw on the cap. You can also use an e-cigarette adapter to fill your chillum with nicotine vapor. Simply remove the mouthpiece and replace it with an adapter that fits over the Chillum opening. Finally, you can use a syringe to fill your chillum with tobacco by injecting it through the top opening.

As mentioned before, the tobacco is heated rather than burned. Hookah tobacco is generally void of the chemical additives found in cigarettes. Hookah tobacco is usually composed of only tobacco, glycerin, sugar, and flavoring. This is a far cry from the nearly 600 additives that can legally be added to cigarettes. These additives also transform into other chemicals when burned - a process that happens every time a cigarette is lit and smoked.

Cigars, another 'natural smoke,' have long been the gourmet smoke among smokers and socialites. They have a "good old boy" reputation that makes it socially unwelcome for women to smoke and are usually found in cigar bars and private clubs. For years, cigars have had no real competition and the hookah stands poised to edge out a serious piece of the gourmet smoking market.

Hookahs come in all sizes, makes, and colors. They are crafting everything from acrylic to crystal, which allows them to traverse the social lines. People can spend anywhere from $20 to $5,000 to find the hookah of their dreams. There are even custom hookah producers who, if you cannot find the hookah you are seeking, will build a hookah that is completely personalized and truly yours.

The cigar bars are finding themselves in direct competition with a new type of business that is sprouting up everywhere. From college towns to bustling metropolises, hookah bars and cafes are becoming the new, trendy place to hang out and smoke. Patrons can rent a hookah and smoke for anywhere from $7.00 to $20.00 per bowl of tobacco. Each bowl of tobacco can be smoked for nearly an hour, making this an inexpensive alternative to cigars and other smokes.

More than anything, the hookah provides its participants with a wholly-unique, intimate environment that has no boundaries or rules. Everyone is allowed and dreams, thoughts, and opinions fly, completely unabated.

Business entrepreneurs are recognizing the curious draw that hookah has over customers. The investment to open a hookah bar or cafe pails in comparison to the funds required to open a cigar bar. There's no need for an elaborate humidor and one could even get away with just offering hookahs. It's no wonder that hookah bars are one of the fastest-growing concepts among modern-day bars and cafes. As simplistic as the hookah's design, a hookah business is incredibly easy for first-time business owners to own and operate and requires a minimum of upfront capital investments.

So, from a hookah-smoking caterpillar to the day's newest craze, hookahs have come a long way. Only time will tell if they have a chance against cigars and other gourmet smokes but one thing's for sure: hookahs are here to stay.