How to Correctly Set-Up a Hookah

A Hookah (also called Nargila) is a middle eastern water pipe that is used for smoking flavored tobacco. I have seen a few how to videos online and read a few instructional articles on the tactics of correctly setting up a Hookah but none come close to my method. Before setting up and packing the Hookah make sure it is clean. I recommend purchasing a plastic hose instead of the fancy leather ones. The plastic hose will run you about 8 bucks and is well worth it! Traditional leather hoses tend to be difficult to clean without damaging them over short periods of time. The plastic Hookah hose can be cleaned after every use and tends to make the flavors taste much better as a result. I also recommend that you use a drop (extremely small drop) of dish soap to clean the Hookah base. First fill the Hookah base with water (room temperature), then add a drop of dish soap and rinse the base until all of the soap is gone (if you use too much soap it will be very difficult to get all of the soap out of the base). The stem can be flushed out with clean water, make sure you flush it out until the water coming out is clear to ensure that the stem is clean. The ceramic bowl can also be rinsed with clean water. Take a dry towel and soak up the water if any remains in the bowl after rinsing it. Make sure that no soap or dirty pieces are used when setting up the Hookah. DO NOT smoke the Hookah if there is still soap in the base.

Step 1: Make sure the base is room temperature as it may break if it is too hot or cold for this step. Fill the Hookah base with cool water so that the stem is about 1/4 of an inch in the water then add about a cup of ice.

Step 2: Once you have made your tobacco flavor selection place the tobacco on a cutting board or paper plate (do not use a napkin or paper towel as they will absorb the molasses and as a result take away from the flavor. Give the tobacco a "Fluff" by gently pulling the tobacco pieces apart from each other so that they are not clumped together. Then place the tobacco in the bowl making sure it is still fluffed. This will ensure that the tobacco will burn evenly and it will prevent the tobacco from becoming harsh.