Hookahs - Authentic Egyptian or Chinese Imposter?
Egypt has long been known in the Middle East as the best place to get a hookah and hookah accessories. The land of the pharaohs, pyramids, and sphinx is also the Motherland of the shisha (the Egyptian word for hookah). Egyptian artisans still make hookahs the old-fashioned way -- by hand and with a great deal of pride in craftsmanship. Making hookahs is still a family tradition, and the best hookah makers in Egypt have earned their spots through the continuity of traditional techniques. Glass bases are still made from hand blown colored glass, and artists still decorate them by hand using paint, glitter, decals, or etching. Hoses are made entirely by hand, from the cutting of the fabric to the turning of the wood that will become the handles to the addition of decorative elements such as braid, fringe, or fur. Shafts may be made of metals like stainless steel, brass, or chrome plated brass, but those metals are formed by the hands of master craftsmen, put together by skilled welders, and sometimes etched or decorated by artisans. Potters still use a potting wheel to make the clay bowls that we call the "head." In short, every part of a genuine Egyptian hookah is crafted by hand using traditional techniques which results in a one-of-a-kind product every time. Egyptian hookahs are so admired and respected throughout the Middle East that you'd be hard pressed to find a pipe in another Middle Eastern country that does not have some part that was made in Egypt!
When the hookah craze hit the United States, the cultural icon of the Middle East fell prey to the assembly line mentality. It didn't take long for the hookah to be added to the list of counterfeit products being mass produced in China for export to the American market. Because neither the owners of manufacturing plants or assembly line workers in China have a cultural stake or identity associated with the product, the hookahs that they produce involve no artistry. The glass bases are molded and then spray painted; the glass itself is not colored. Any designs on the glass are likewise spray painted on by machines. Machine made plastic hoses with plastic or simulated wood ends have no decorative elements on them. Machines mold shafts made from tin, aluminum, or a combination of those metals with stainless steel; sometimes, machines spray paint them in a color to match the glass. Porcelain, a material for which the Chinese are famous, has replaced the traditional clay bowl made from the rich clay of the banks of the Nile River. Cold, computerized Chinese machines have replaced the intimate touch of the Egyptian craftsmen whose work is a source of pride.
Because Egyptian hookahs set the industry standard, it has become common for sellers to falsely label their Chinese look-alikes as "authentic Egyptian" pipes. Many shoppers have been taken in by a misleading description coupled with a low price and think that they are buying a genuine Egyptian hookah when, in reality, they get an imposter. Don't be duped! Look for the identifying characteristics listed below to determine if the hookah you are considering buying is the real deal.
Characteristics of an Authentic Egyptian Hookah
Authentic Egyptian hookahs are still handmade using centuries old traditional methods. Crafted by the hands of people who have a cultural stake and identity in their product, every aspect of the authentic Egyptian hookah involves artistry and craftsmanship.
The base of an authentic Egyptian hookah is hand blown colored glass that comes in a variety of shapes and colors with hand painted designs. The most telling aspect of an authentic Egyptian base is its characteristic bands of genuine 18K gold or platinum paint.
Egyptian hoses are handcrafted using traditional methods and materials; they vary in style, color, and decorative elements.
Shafts are hand formed stainless steel, brass, or chrome plated brass in various heights, number of hose holders, designs, and decorative elements. Egyptian shafts are never made of aluminum or spray painted in a color to match the glass base!
An authentic Egyptian hookah is always sold with the same number of hoses that the shaft will hold. If you're buying a 2-hose hookah, you get 2 hoses!
Anyone who sells authentic Egyptian hookahs will have replacement parts available. Glass bases break and hoses should be replaced every few months for the sake of hygiene, so it is important to have access to individual parts for your hookah.
Characteristics of the Chinese Imposter Hookah
The Chinese imposter hookahs are mass produced in factories by machines and people who have no cultural connection to the product. The hookahs all look the same, just as one would expect from anything made on an assembly line.
Chinese bases are made of molded glass or acrylic that is spray painted with material that washes off with normal cleaning. Designs, if any, are identical with no variation in pattern or style because machines are preset to make them look a certain way.
Chinese hoses are made of plastic with plastic or simulated wood ends with no decorative elements. Sometimes the hoses are called "pleather," a marketing trick to make plastic sound better. Hoses are marketed as "washable." No hookah hose is truly washable because inside each one is a wire coil around which the hose fabric is wrapped. Running water through the hose only speeds up the deterioration process of that wire coil! There is no such thing as a washable hookah hose!
Shafts produced in China are machine made of tin, aluminum, or a combination of those metals blended with stainless steel or chrome. They are often spray painted to match the color of the glass. A hookah with a shaft that matches the color of the glass is not Egyptian! The shafts of Chinese hookahs are made of inferior metals that do not stand up to normal wear and tear. Egyptian hookahs, on the other hand, are made of strong and durable metals that can withstand time and usage.
Because sellers typically do not have replacement parts or accessories, they sell the Chinese hookahs straight from the box. This means that multiple hose hookahs are often sold with only one hose. If you're buying a 2-hose hookah, chances are that you will get only 1 hose!
To make them more appealing to the American consumer, Chinese manufactured hookahs are often sold with a hard shell carrying case. What a great way to hide an inferior product!
With the recent recall of various products manufactured in China, buyers need to be especially wary of hookahs made in and imported from China because they are painted!
To truly appreciate the cultural significance of the hookah and get the most of out of the hookah experience, you must have the real thing! While the price of some of the Chinese imports may look attractive, please keep in mind that this is definitely a case of getting what you pay for. A product that cannot stand up to the usage for which it was made is no longer a bargain when it has to be replaced over and over again. Buy an authentic Egyptian hookah and support the artisans and craftsmen who, in a world dominated by machine made goods, continue to make hookahs the way they and their families have for centuries.
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Are Hookahs the New Cigar?
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 a hookah? Think back. Way back. There you are, lying on your bed, while your Mother is reading the fantastic tale of a little girl in a land of pure imagination. If you guessed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you'd be wrong. No, this book was written nearly 100 years before Roald Dahl's tale of Charlie. The book (and later movie) that gives children their first glimpse of this curious device is Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, wrote about an inquisitive, smoking caterpillar. You may remember Sammy Davis, Jr., perched atop a giant mushroom, asking young Alice, "Who ... Are ... You?" The device the caterpillar was smoking is called a hookah!
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, tobaccos 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. In fact, there are over 50 flavors available to today's hookah smokers!
As mentioned before, the tobacco is heated rather than burned. The hookah tobacco is generally void of the chemical additives found in cigarettes. In fact, 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 ol' 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 of 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 of yesteryear 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 (or bring their own) 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 the 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, in fact, 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 in upfront capital investments.
