Is smoking hookah bad for you? A guide to healthy hookah.

I do enjoy smoking shisha, or whatever is in the bowl, be it herbal shisha, tobacco shisha, or the strange smokable stones that may or may not become more popular in the future. Nonetheless, the question was bound to come up: Is smoking hookah bad for you? Well, it's a more complex question than you think.

First of all, you've got to consider all of the different kinds of things that can be smoked out of a hookah. Is it herbal? Is it tobacco based? There are some things with high nicotine content, others with low. One thing is for sure: While about 5,000 chemicals have been identified so far in cigarette smoke, chemists and pharmacologists from Saudi Arabia only found 142 chemicals in shisha smoke. Shisha is, therefore, at the very least better than cigarettes. As for herbal shisha and the stones, I'm not entirely sure -- but I do think that they lack nicotine.
Another concern in what you're putting in the vase. Water is fine, of course -- it's water. Soda, alcohol, and juice, however, may be less healthy to use. I personally would only use water in the vase; the others are much more risky, in my opinion.
The biggest problem with hookah smoking, and one that can't be avoided, is the fact that you're inhaling something that goes through metal and, sometimes, plastic or rubber. Obviously you aren't literally taking bites out of a block of lead or steel, but some small residue may come through. If a hookah company has, for some reason, decided to use lead in the making of the hookah, there is a chance you'll breathe that in.

Obviously, smoking anything is pretty unhealthy. However, one or even ten sessions a week will probably not effect you much. You probably won't get cancer; you probably won't get bronchitis.

According to the World Health Organization, smoking a bowl of shisha gives you smoke equivalent to 100-200 cigarettes. I won't disagree that the smoke output may be at that level. Still, if you sat someone down and forced them to smoke a bowl of shisha, they would be fine after that session; sit the same person down and force them to smoke 100 cigarettes without a break, and they'll most likely become sick. They might not even be able to do it. That in itself says something.

I won't pretend that hookah smoking is healthy. It's obviously not. There are, however, ways to minimize the dangers presented to your body:
- Smoke herbal shisha. This ensures that you'll not be taking in the nicotine that, though small, is present in tobacco. If you don't like herbal shisha, that's fine; just remember that herbal is healthier.
- Only use water in the vase. Anything else can be potentially hazardous to your health.
- Don't smoke too much! Smoking for five hours or more is probably bad for you, regardless of what you smoke.
- Check what the hookah company made the hookah out of. Is there lead? Probably not a good idea to buy that one.
- Use a larger hookah. The smoke will be less intense.
- Don't smoke anything to accompany hookah smoke. My girlfriend has a cigarette before she enters the hookah bar we frequent, and she has at least two after. That's just not healthy.

Keep these things in mind and know that, while smoking will never be healthy, you can do things to ensure that your smoking experience is at the very least healthier than another person's. And please, even though you may be curious, don't smoke 100-200 cigarettes in a row; it will ruin you.

Happy smoking!

Fantasia Dragon's Breath Shisha Review

Fantasia Dragon's Breath Shisha Review

Dragon's Breath was introduced to me as a "dragonfruit" flavor. I've never once in my life had dragon fruit, so it interested me. I ordered it and sat down to try it. The buzz was between mild and medium, a decent buzz, my preferred level. For those of you who prefer a very strong buzz -- probably stay away from Fantasia.

Strength: 3.5/5

The flavor was just plain strange. It seemed like a citrus-y blend of maybe oranges and pineapple, with a very strong bubblegum presence. It was a little more dry tasting than I'm used to, if that makes sense. I've never tasted dragon fruit, so I don't know if that was accurate.

Flavor: 3/5

The flavor lasted a good, long while and did last through the three coals provided. It stayed with me for a while after -- at least twenty minutes. It's one of the longest lasting flavors I've had, but the bubblegum-y flavor was... not appreciated. I'm not a big fan of bubblegum.

Longevity: 4/5

The smoke output of Dragon's Breath is what will keep people coming back. It's GREAT. So much that I couldn't even see the person next to me -- OR around me! Police could use this to smoke people out of a car or building. There's so much smoke! It was like swimming in smoke!

Smoke Output: 5/5

Dragon's Breath is a decent flavor. I wasn't a big fan of the bubblegum feeling of it, but it's good when you get the subtle citrus flavor. I'm not sure if other people get the massive bubblegum flavor, it doesn't seem to fit -- maybe they didn't clean the hose or something? Anyways, if you like massive smoke output and subtle flavor, then Dragon's Breath is for you.

Final Rating: 4/5

Al Fahker Grape Shisha Review

Al Fahker Grape Shisha Review

Al Fahker is quickly becoming one of my favorite brands of shisha. It's decently strong, flavorful, and with a wide range of options -- plus, it's not as expensive as, say, Starbuzz, or Fantasia. Last night, I tried Al Fahker's Grape shisha. I was not disappointed with my choice! The shisha gave off a pleasant medium buzz that kept going for a good while after we finished smoking. I must admit, I wasn't feeling well when we began, and it almost overpowered me at one point because of that -- but I still enjoyed it.

Strength: 4/5

The flavor is the reason why I like it so much. It's a really, really powerful grape flavor! You're filled with it from the second that you start. It's very nice, like drinking a grape soda. I won't say it tastes just like grape juice, because it doesn't, but a good grape soda flavor is still great.

Flavor: 5/5

The flavor stayed with me for at least half an hour after I stopped smoking. The shisha itself also lasted longer than expected; around one and a half hours between three people and one hose. I sat out for the last half hour, because I wasn't feeling well beforehand, and the flavor stayed with me until about 5-10 minutes after the other two finished smoking.

Longevity: 4.5/5

There was a very large amount of smoke given off by it (the shisha). I was able to do all of my usual tricks with it, and it gave off enough that if I were to blow it all out I couldn't see the person next to me. Nothing is lacking in this department!

Smoke Output: 5/5

What you see is what you get. Al Fahker has produced a wonderful grape flavor with lots of smoke output. Nothing is lacking in this shisha! You will like it, especially if you're a fan of grape! The only complaint that I have is that I was sick when I had it and couldn't enjoy the full amount of time that we were having it. You can buy Al Fahker Grape Shisha here.

Final Rating: 4.5/5

Fantasia Incredible Hulk Shisha Review

Fantasia Incredible Hulk Shisha Review

The first time I tried Incredible Hulk was a few weeks ago. My friends and I agreed that it wasn't a bad flavor; just not one that we think we'll be getting any time soon. As per usual, the setup was on the medium-sized pumpkin hookah with a standard bowl and some quick-lighting coals. It wasn't very strong at all, giving me no buzz whatsoever. It was kind of disappointing, actually, as the waitress said that these were fairly strong.

Strength: 1/5

As far as flavor goes, there's not much to be had here. It's a mellow flavor, never overpowering. Frankly, it tastes vaguely like Mountain Dew, but a little off -- like some kind of generic brand Diet Dew. I was told it tasted like Mountain Dew, and I guess it's kind of accurate, but it's not very powerful, and it's all extremely mellow.

Flavor: 2/5

There was no buzz to speak of, so there wasn't a lasting effect there. The flavor was weak and mellow when we started, and it didn't pick up -- but it stayed with me for a good 30 minutes afterwards.

Longevity: 3/5

Smoke output was alright. Not good, but alright. You're not getting any huge clouds from this. It might disappoint you. It was fine for me; not too much, not too little. Friends of mine prefer massive quantities of smoke, so we won't be getting this together any time soon.

Smoke Output: 2/5

If you like Mountain Dew, you might like Incredible Hulk. It's not powerful, it won't last you too long, but if you just want a simple flavor to pass around with some friends for awhile, this might be good for you. I wouldn't buy it for personal use, though, so keep that in mind. If you want to buy it, check out Fantasia's website. 

Final Rating: 2/5

Al Fahker Watermelon Shisha Review

Al Fakher Watermelon Shisha Review

The hookah bar nearest to me, Shi Chai, offers (as far as I know) Al Fakhir, Starbuzz, and Fantasia tobacco. They use hookahs that look vaguely like those pictured (they use QTs) and, from what I can tell, Three Kings coals. The bowl is a standard bowl, nothing special there. It looks like they used Reynolds Wrap on the bowl, and came out with one lit coal on the top, with two sitting in the ash tray.
When I saw Watermelon on the menu, the first thing that I asked was how strong it was. The waitress said that it's very strong -- I'm afraid that this was incorrect. I had a small buzz from this flavor, but nothing really worth mentioning. Perhaps she was talking about the flavor, but this seemed false as well; the watermelon flavor's strength only kept up for a little while.

Strength:2.5/5

Regardless of the strength, the flavor was, for the most part, sweet and enjoyable. It really tasted like watermelon!-- well, watermelon with a bit of sugar sprinkled on top. I don't know how other people like their watermelon, but every watermelon I've had has been juicy and sweet, and Al Fakher really hit the nail on the head for awhile.

Flavor:4/5

What really brought the flavor down was the longevity. It was sweet and light through the first coal, a bit heavier but still sweet through the second coal, but 1/4 of the way through my third coal, the smoke had nearly vanished and the flavor was mild if present at all. It's a shame, because I really was enjoying the flavor! I also could barely recall the flavor after a few minutes of not smoking. If you want something that'll stay with you all day, this isn't for you.

Longevity:2.5/5

The thing that a lot of smokers want to know is whether or not a kind of shisha gives off a lot of smoke. YOU ARE IN LUCK. For as long as the flavor lasted, there was a ridiculous amount of smoke -- so ridiculous, in fact, that I couldn't do any of my normal tricks, like blowing "O"s. There is so much smoke given off by this shisha!

Smoke Output:5/5

If you like a short smoke with a sweet, medium-level flavor, minimal buzz, and massive smoke output, you should like Al Fakher's Watermelon flavor! However, if you like strong flavor with a lot of buzz, you should look elsewhere. Al Fakher is, however, decent, and very cheap. You can buy it here.
Final Rating: 3.5/5

How I review

Greetings everyone! You may call me Ninty. I'll be using this blog for reviewing purposes. Mostly, it's actually for myself more than anyone else; I can't always remember which flavors I like and which ones I don't!
The hookah bar I frequent is Shi Chai in Milwaukee. It's dark and atmospheric, and they've got a menu of 50+ flavors to choose from. I'll be going over each of those flavors eventually, and hopefully even more as time goes on.
I rate things on a 5-point scale, including .5 ratings. I'll go over the strength, flavor, longevity, and smoke output, then give it an average score out of five based on those. If you disagree with me, feel free to comment; I welcome discussion! Also, if you've got any requests for a flavor review, please comment on this post.
I look forward to your continued reading and discussion!