How Do You Smoke?

[Hajo Flettner]

I'm curious about how people here smoke. Personally, I have never inhaled any sort of smoke for the simple reason that I enjoy the taste of good tobacco and I never saw the point of inhaling.
When I smoke a narghile I "sip" just as most pipe and cigar smokers do yet I have seen lots of comments here indicating that most of you inhale. Does inhaling heighten your enjoyment of shisha?
I am guessing that most inhalers are former cigarette smokers. Am I right in this assumption?

Any input is welcome. Edited February 11, 2007 by Hajo Flettner

[Bleeding_Heart1]

no, people inhale because its not harsh and its better:D i inhale and i smoke ciggs, need to stop but hey, and i enjoy hookah 190870-098251-089% more.

[enfer singe]

I honestly don't know anyone who doesn't inhale unless it is their first time and they are either scared of it or don't know how to do it. I notice that the best flavor comes when I am inhaling the smoke over my tongue and then when blowing it out. Most of my friends are not cigarette smokers and neither am I and we smoke hookah because cigarettes seem like smoking poop compared too hookah.

Anyway, does it highten the enjoyment? Maybe. I think it is fun to blow out a fat cloud and not be able to see the person in front of you. I have never gotten decent smoke without fully inhalling, but next time you smoke just try it out and see for yourself.

[Hajo Flettner]

What I'm hearing is interesting. I guess I should point out that when I say inhale I mean draw the smoke into your lungs rather then just into your mouth and over your tongue. Thanks for the replies so far.

[imagelessdude]

When we smoke and 'inhale', we usually bring a gallon of smoke into our lungs... am I right guys?

[DizzyGuy]

I suck as much smoke as possible... that and the act of blowing billowing clouds of smoke out *and maybe some rings* is just relaxing to me

[imagelessdude]

I personally love it when I exhale so much smoke, I cant see anything. Try smoking in a shut car [while parked]. You wont be able to see a thing haha.

[enfer singe]

When we smoke and 'inhale', we usually bring a gallon of smoke into our lungs... am I right guys?

yea, and hajo I know what you mean but not fully inhaling but I think it is a different flavor when you fully inhale rather than just in the mouth type thing.  I don't know, maybe you have a different setup but with all the hookahs I have used just inhaling into your mouth isn't enough to really get the smoke moving.

[imagelessdude]

Hey Hajo, I forgot to mention, how can you feel the hookah buzz without inhaling? lol People here say tangiers packs a buzz, but I know from experience that Nakhla packs a big punch too. Its just not quite as flavorful.

[DizzyGuy]

OH, and I'm NOT a former cig smoke... straight up to hookah... and in fact, I've never known anyone to just "sip" the hookah... heck, I've tried, but just *barely* any smoke comes out... what's your set up? Pics?

[imagelessdude]

OH, and I'm NOT a former cig smoke... straight up to hookah... and in fact, I've never known anyone to just "sip" the hookah... heck, I've tried, but just *barely* any smoke comes out... what's your set up? Pics?

Well... the flavors REALLY good if you have an already hot and established bowl and you take little quick sucks and spit the smoke and do it repeatedly... the smoke keeps going... but its a really odd way to smoke.... I do it occaisionally when my bowls are like almost done... just for the concentrated taste. I could never smoke a whole session like that.

[Hajo Flettner]

When we smoke and 'inhale', we usually bring a gallon of smoke into our lungs... am I right guys?

yea, and hajo I know what you mean but not fully inhaling but I think it is a different flavor when you fully inhale rather than just in the mouth type thing. I don't know, maybe you have a different setup but with all the hookahs I have used just inhaling into your mouth isn't enough to really get the smoke moving.

Well I get a decent amount of smoke when I puff away for an hour or more on my Zaghoul, Ark Sous, Shîh 'el-beled and Hebesha. Still, I suppose I should try inhaling just to see what it's like. Funny thing is everyone I know in daily life that has not been a cigarette smoker pretty much smokes the way I do. I guess I know a lot of strange tobamel/mu'essel fans.

[.cOLt.45.]

lmao mee too dizzy!! Im exactly the same way

[imagelessdude]

Whoa whoa.. zaghoul? Thats a whole different animal... do you ever smoke regular shisha? Like Layalina, Al-Waha, Al-Fakher, Havana, Nakhla? The molasses stuff.. lol not the zaghoul lol I tried it once... rly dry.

[Halon]

I'm pretty hardcore into cigars and I definitely inhale hookah. I believe that you get tons more flavor this way. Cigars are extremely complex and (at least the good ones) have many varying flavors and are designed to be 'sipped' on. Hookah, on the other hand, is designed to be inhaled and has only one or two prevalent flavors (and these flavors are artificial, whereas cigar flavors come directly from the tobaccos themselves). Hookah does not require the smoker to concentrate on the flavors and varying undertones. You just take a big hit and it's like "oh shit, this is cherry!".
It is intended to be more of an 'easy' smoke, as it has a very obvious flavor to it. You inhale it, maybe get buzzed, enjoy a very strong flavor, and relax. Cigars (and arguably pipes) are made to have complex flavors and varying hints of this or that. You need to only take in a little bit of smoke and concentrate hard on it.
Both are very different (IMO) and if you smoke each like they are intended then you'll get the full experience of both (inhaling cigars just stings your throat, and in my experience not inhaling hookah provides you with unsatisfactory flavor and no buzz).
So I recommend you try inhaling hookah, and I know you'll have a much better experience than when only taking shisha smoke in to your mouth!


TYLER

[Apollo]

i inhale simply because i love blowing smoke rings, i tried not inhaleing a few times, and i could taste the shisha but couldnt see the smoke....which is 3/4 of the enjoyment for me.... ive never smoked cigs

[Drake BBNR]

Yeah, I hate cigs. I think they are harsh but I still inhale the hookah. It is way more smooth than anything else you'll ever smoke. I don't see how you can even compare inhaling with not inhaling. The buzz is the best part. I would suggest giving inhaling a try. If you don't like it go back to what you were doing. To his, his own.

[Hajo Flettner]

DizzyGuy - "OH, and I'm NOT a former cig smoke... straight up to hookah... and in fact, I've never known anyone to just "sip" the hookah... heck, I've tried, but just *barely* any smoke comes out... what's your set up? Pics?" &


I hate cigs as well because of the crapy quality of the tobacco, smoking paper and the heat from short filler. During my last move I lost all of my pipes save so right now I use a 90cm Syrian lent me a friend and a 65cm Persian deal made totally out of nickel plated brass lent by my cousin. I have no idea how how to post pics. to imagelessdude - don't know about a "buzz" but all that matters to me is taste, texture and my love of tobacco lore. It's an aesthetic , social thing I guess.

imagelessdude - "Well... the flavors REALLY good if you have an already hot and established bowl and you take little quick sucks and spit the smoke and do it repeatedly... the smoke keeps going... but its a really odd way to smoke.... I do it occaisionally when my bowls are like almost done... just for the concentrated taste. I could never smoke a whole session like that."

Well my draws are not that short and I hold it a few seconds to get the taste. No great clouds but lot of milk in the base and enough smoke to fill a good sized room in an hour.

imagelessdude - "Whoa whoa.. zaghoul? Thats a whole different animal... do you ever smoke regular shisha? Like Layalina, Al-Waha, Al-Fakher, Havana, Nakhla? The molasses stuff.. lol not the zaghoul lol I tried it once... rly dry."

Well I love El Basha Jassamine, Rose and Al-Waha Bahraini and honey. Does Al Hebesha Eclipse (the one with the moon on the front) qualify as normal?

Halon - I can find lots of subtle aspects to mu'essel but it's mainly a matter of the texture of smoke. While smoke mu'essel like I do cigars are pipes except i'm a bit more aggressive. Tobamel and tombac are great for stimulating my brain and taste buds. Subtlety is the basis of rationality and from fine nuances come sensual awareness.

Still, I suppose a big draw into the lungs may be worth a try although I can't figure out why it should matter.

[web250]

I inhale. "Sipping" just doesn't do it for me.

[EvansLight]

Yea i inhale. And i think he was pointing out what form of inhaling for a reason. Some people consider inhaling, as actually inhaling into your lungs, then inhaling more air I have way to many smoker friends....

And the common place practice with a hookah is to inhale into the lungs. I promise you get just as much if not more flavor that way.

[Macho555]

I always inhale...I tryed "sipping" (I'm in love with that term) when I first got my hookah, but I found I enjoyed it vastly more when I inhaled. I'm with everyone else...that cloud of smoke is just something that shouldn't be missed in the hookah experiance.

[SLF_1452_]

Ive been smokin hookah for over a year now, and have never in my life smoked a cigarette, and i dont plan to. About half of the hookah smokers i know smoke cigarettes as well, so its a fair assumption.

[[LB]]

wow i couldnt imagine what your doing smoking hookah if your not inhaling it, its not like smoking a cigar. The idea is to get the fluffly clouds, and you cant do that if your not inhalin.

[yashman19]

Hey Hajo, I forgot to mention, how can you feel the hookah buzz without inhaling? lol People here say tangiers packs a buzz, but I know from experience that Nakhla packs a big punch too. Its just not quite as flavorful.

Your body absorbs nicotine through your mouth, as well as lungs. Ever smoked a cigar? Most people don't inhale cigar smoke as its very harsh, but still get knocked on their ass if the cigar they're smoking is packed with nicotine. It still gets absorbed through your mouth.

[fewwdragon]

It's perference. I do both nearly every session. Hookah is all about enjoyment try inhaling if you like it do if not there is absolutly nothing wrong with that either.