Sheesha Smoking In Lounges
Smoking flavored tobacco through indirect heat that has been cooled and filtered by passing through water is done through a sheesha pipe, also known as a hookah or water pipe, and the practice originated in the Middle East, and continues to be used there today. Literally translated from the Persian word for glass, it is a type of glass used for smoking and not for bottles. Smoking a sheesha was a common method for the men to gather and drink coffee, much like a small café serving burgers and soda.
With the health concerns being pushed into many Middle Eastern countries, hookah cafes are being closed similar to the ones in the United States in cities where smoking in public has been banned. Even environments in which herbal shisha is used, which contain no tar and no nicotine, sheesha pipe smoking is banned. Similar to pubs and bars in other countries, citizens would gather in hookah bars for coffee and smoke, often spending hours sitting and smoking sheesha tobacco as a means of gathering for companionship.
True sheesha smoking uses indirect heat to smoke the moist tobacco mixture through a bottle filled with liquid. While most bottles contain water, many hookah smokers will use wine or another type of alcohol-based blend through which to filter the smoke and cool the sensation from the charcoal used to heat the tobacco.
Tobacco Never Burns In Hookah Pipe
Many dispute the claims that the smoke for sheesha pipes is harmful since many of the tobaccos used contain no tar and nicotine and the only object that burns in the charcoal tablet used for indirect heating of the tobacco. Even when using tobacco with nicotine, the contention is the tobacco does not actually burn and is not releasing the carcinogens blamed for many diseases from smoking cigarettes and cigars. Additionally, the smoke is filtered through water before being inhaled by the sheesha user.
When sheesha smoking, the tobacco is placed in a bowl at the top of the pipe and a wire mesh screen or metal screen is placed over the top of the pipe. A tablet or stick of charcoal is placed on the metal, to touching the tobacco, which heats the blend for smoking. As the sheesha user draws on their hose stem, the smoke is pulled from the bowl, through the water and into the area above the water chamber after being filtered by the liquid in the pipe.