Inhaling Smoke

[Joshmmc]

I've now owned a hookah for a few months and have never really inhaled the smoke, but I had a buddy over yesterday who inhaled about half the time, usually with smaller pulls. Made me wonder how many other people enjoyed smoking this way. It also occurs to me that some people do a kind of minor form of inhale, just to the front of their throat for the benefit of unique exhales such as smoke rings, but in this case, I mean full inhales into your lungs like how you would smoke a cigarette. Not sure if this has been discussed before or not, I'm very new to any form of hookah community. Thanks in advance. Edited May 27, 2008 by Joshmmc

[mya2323]

That poll doesn't answer the question you're posing. You're asking how do you smoke your hookah? And obviously the options you have don't reflect that.

[Winter]

Usually when one smokes hookah, one "inhales" the smoke meaning sucking in the smoke into the lungs so when the smoke is blown out, it's thick and dense. Are you just puffing at it? If that's the case, I don't think you're getting the full enjoyment out of hookah because the visuals of the smoke and the buzz from the nicotine due to deep pulls makes smoking hookah much, much, much more enjoyable.

[Joshmmc]

thanks for the answers guys, i didnt realize everybody inhaled, the way i see other people smoke, it isnt as obvious as with a cigarette where u remove your mouth from the smoke then take a breath of fresh air to bring it into your lungs.

[OC4111]

Winter's right, if you're getting dense even decent clouds then you're inhaling. If people don't believe you then have them exhale from their nose when after they hit the hookah. If smokes comes out from their nose then they inhaled.

[liquidglass]

good point OC


well the idea of inhaling seems bad, and if I'm correct traditionally it was just puffed on and not inhaled. But I personally prefer to inhale, just make sure to get some oxygen sometimes lol.

[cb1021]

not inhaling is like smelling the flavor, inhaling is like taking a big bite of flavor.

[derogatory]

I don't always inhale either. Although most of the time when I'm not inhaling I am french inhaling through my nostrils, but even then I don't always inhale the stuff, just most of the time. I'd say roughly close to 3/4 of the time, maybe a bit less.

[Joshmmc]

Thanks for all the posts guys, answered my question very well aready. ill have to try to start inhaling more

[ilikemyusername]

DON"T inhale like a cig, take full deep rythmic breaths. that's how you fog everything out.

[Voski]

I do it every now and then especially when I am trying to get a buzz. I like to French inhale a lot so it is the same as inhaling it.

[Dirk Skene]

I do not inhale. But I came to hookah as a former brier pipe & cigar smoker.

[fifthmanstanding]

wait wait wait. So there are people to who don't inhale the smoke? Isn't that like non-alcoholic beer?

[Codename067]

You are inhaling either way. One's mouth is not big enough to hold much smoke.

I am inhaling all the time at least.

THEN AGAIN, thats different from say, inhaling the smoke like that of the cigarettes.

Two different inhale 'methods'. Edited May 31, 2008 by Codename067

[peterjmag]

There are three different things I've seen people do:

• Merely taking short puffs from the hose, like you would with a cigar (albeit with a bit more force so the smoke actually comes through)
• Sucking on the hose for a few seconds and then breathing in some air too, like a cigarette (this way, all the smoke from your hit ends up in your lungs, but much less comes out when you exhale... and the taste is usually gone too)
• Sucking on the hose for a few seconds and then just exhaling, which is how I believe hookah is meant to be smoked (in this case, you get some smoke in your lungs and some that just stays in your mouth before you exhale, so you get the flavor too)

I always think it's silly when people smoke it like a cigar or a cigarette, but then again, maybe I've been doing it wrong this whole time.

[filmigeek]

There are three different things I've seen people do:

• Merely taking short puffs from the hose, like you would with a cigar (albeit with a bit more force so the smoke actually comes through)
• Sucking on the hose for a few seconds and then breathing in some air too, like a cigarette (this way, all the smoke from your hit ends up in your lungs, but much less comes out when you exhale... and the taste is usually gone too)
• Sucking on the hose for a few seconds and then just exhaling, which is how I believe hookah is meant to be smoked (in this case, you get some smoke in your lungs and some that just stays in your mouth before you exhale, so you get the flavor too)

I always think it's silly when people smoke it like a cigar or a cigarette, but then again, maybe I've been doing it wrong this whole time.

I am new to hookah (I've smoked 4 times now, all in the past week) and I've been experimenting with different ways of inhaling so this thread has been real interesting to me.

I am a former cigarette smoker but I could tell immediately that cigarette-style inhaling was not the right thing for houkah. Part of the reason you breath in a little air with cigarette smoke is that cigarette smoke is hot; the air cools it a bit so it doesn't burn in your lungs when you inhale. This isn't necessary with hookah smoke which is already cool and smooth as it enters your mouth.

What I am finding works best for me is the third option described by peterjmag above. I take a nice, long, slow pull on the hose - almost like meditative breathing, it's very relaxing - pulling from my lungs, not from my mouth, so that I am inhaling while I pull. Then I immediately exhale. I also find I get the best flavor if I exhale through my nose; I guess getting the sense of smell involved enhances the perception of flavor.

[Khronokai]

Nice deep slow inhales, every time.

[vaypourus]

wait wait wait. So there are people to who don't inhale the smoke? Isn't that like non-alcoholic beer?

I think its more like non-alcoholic water.

[waterboi]

Inhale everytime I smoke. Maybe not deep inhales but we all inhale alittle when we smoke . I dont inhale alot because I like the taste of the smoke.

[mattathayde]

always inhale. i figured out the other night after having a hookah after a long break from it (not that i wanted to just didnt have access/money for a while). my lungs were kind of sore because i was inhaling really deep because i was trying to get thicker smoke, probably needed a second coal on the hookah we were smoking but didnt toss one on.

i always inhale, used to not inhale very deep but now i do, i just need to get my own hookah so i can set it up right and get nice thick smoke

the smoke is not the kind you savor in the mouth, you need to have a lot of smoke passing over your tongue to get the flavor IMHO

-matt