About how to smoke hookah know, probably, all. But about how to smoke hookah correctly - few. But it is the little things that determine whether you get pleasure from the process or, on the contrary, disappointed, earning a headache. We asked 5 simple, but very important questions about smoking aromatic smoke to the person who knows everything about it - the founder of hookah delivery service in Bali Hookah Xpress Delivery Roman Shershnev.
What foods and drinks should you not mix hookah smoking with?
I wouldn't mix it with alcohol. I understand that many people take them in pairs or decide to smoke after they have increased the degree, but this will be a completely unnecessary intoxication of the body. Separate the two processes. Drink wine - drink wine. Decide to smoke hookah - it will relax you perfectly.
There are almost no restrictions on food.
Do not combine hookah with too bright food, which will trivialize the flavor of hookah. For example, durian or some kind of fierce spices. Ideal for hookah is tea, fruit, water, lemonade, sometimes coffee.
Who is prohibited to smoke hookah?
Well, here, of course, there are an individual tolerance to nicotine, lung diseases and everything related to the lungs. Naturally, pregnant women and children. I wouldn't order hookah if I had problems with blood pressure. There are probably no more contraindications. The main thing is that everything in moderation and wisely. By the way, to dispel all the talk, hookah does much less harm than cigarettes or vape. This is scientifically proven.
How do I know if the charcoal or tobacco has gone bad and is not suitable for smoking?
Charcoal should not emit any additional strange odors when lit. It should not crumble, it should not burn strongly, that is, it will tell us that the process of production of coal was standard, quality, good, and we will not have any headache after smoking. Coal must be stored in conditions of reduced humidity and reduced temperature, because there have been cases of spontaneous combustion of coal simply because of the heat. Even the ship that was transporting it burned.
As for tobacco, let me start with storage. Naturally, tobacco does not need to be kept open for years, but in a closed package, in a vacuum, it can wait for its time for quite a long time. For example, Darkside and Starline have no expiration date, and you can keep it closed for a very, very long time. Up to six months quietly it can be used. Less high-quality tobaccos, for example, Arab brands are stored less, the manufacturer writes about it on the packaging.
Basic rules of hygiene when smoking hookah in establishments
The main, I would say, the basic rule - do not touch the hookah pipe with your mouth, without wearing a disposable mouthpiece.
And make sure that the hookah itself is clean.
If when inhaling into your mouth something fell into your mouth, some crumbs - immediately change the hookah. Call the hookah operator, complain. There is a possibility that it is, for example, pieces of rust you inhaled. Or the remnants of dirt from an unwashed hookah. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in establishments.
In Bali, sometimes you look and think - is this even legal? Hookah is almost rotten, and they bring it as if nothing happened and put it on the guest's table. If you have used our delivery, then you have an idea of what the cleanliness of hookah looks like, approaching to the reference.
If we're talking about smoking at home, you should change consumables more often. Silicone hose at least every three months. Do not be lazy to take care of the hookah, then no rust and dirt will not fly into your mouth.
How do you recognize the tricks of a hookah artist who wants to save money on a guest?
There are a lot of tricks in fact. And most of them, coming to the institution, you will never discover.
The first is, of course, the run of illiquid flavors. That is, you can offer you some author's mixes, which will include a flavor that has been on the shelf for a long time. Well, no one, apparently, he does not need it.
And, in fact, the institution decides how to chase away the illiquid.
Second, under the guise of premium tobaccos and premium brands, cheap tobacco is laid on the bottom of the cup in a neat layer. Probably the same flavor or shade. And you just smoke cheap tobacco for the price of premium. This is very common in most clubs, where tipsy customers will never suspect anything. Another popular deception is underweight tobacco in the bowl. That is, a standard bowl, the average holds 20 grams of tobacco when it is air-layered in a certain way. Hookah smokers can put you not 20, but 17. This is enough, of course, but you will smoke less than you usually do. And they will save 3 grams of tobacco on one hookah. This is quite a large amount per month.
How do you know when it's time to change your hookah?
It's simple. I personally have two criteria. I periodically look at the clock. 45-50 minutes of smoking - the hookah can already be changed. Even if there is still some flavor. According to my very rich experience, the juiciest, the most delicious and juicy period of flavor in hookah is up to 45-50 minutes. Someone smokes it for hours, someone can smoke it for 2-3 hours. I will score a hookah and exactly the same hookah will be at the neighbor's place. The neighbor can smoke for 2 hours. I'll smoke for 45 minutes and change the bowl.
Second. Naturally, it's a loss of flavor. That is, there is such a flavor curve, and it starts to go down after about 45-50 minutes. In some brands it starts to go down sharply, in some brands it starts to go down more smoothly, but it definitely starts to go down.
There's another reason. If someone or something ruined the hookah. Let's say it burned. Or a piece of coal got inside and it's impossible to smoke it. There are still you know such comrades who blow so much that the water from the bulb even reaches the bowl. Such a hookah should be replaced.
Why can you get a headache after hookah?
It's all elementary. The first reason and it is also the most common - poor-quality charcoal, which in production is not finished roasting, not cleaned, not dried.
The second is poor-quality tobacco, which probably contains improperly balanced substances.
And the third is an overabundance of nicotine. It also causes headaches. That is, if you have smoked three hookahs in a row, you are at maximum risk. A headache is practically guaranteed. But, as a rule, a person, when he smokes a hookah, he already feels satiation.
The fourth thing that can give you a headache - in very rare cases, but it also happens - is because of poor quality materials of the hookah itself. It may be rotten, it may contain some impurities of different metals, possibly heavy. And if you smoke from such a hookah, you can get poisoning of the organism. That's why I don't trust handmade hookahs, noname hookahs. Even those made by my friends, because health is more important.
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