Shisha Snarl – The Coolest Cat Online!

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Joshua

I came across this cool picture yesterday, a cat chilling out with a shisha pipe. The cat’s relaxing while smoking shisha, lying down on cushioning with the shisha pipe and a bowl of water right next to him.

Shisha Smoking Cat

Shisha Smoking Cat

There are plenty of shisha smoking animals online, I even wrote a post about a shisha pipe smoking squirrel. But this pictures different…. it’s real, no editing, nothing, the cats just chilled out lying down by the shisha on the balcony. I wonder if Whiskers produce a shisha tobacco, Sardine & Mackerel flavour or perhaps Chicken & Duck!

Another cool cat with a shisha can be seen here http://www.quitor.com/h2o-pipe-with-cat.html

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Shisha pipe smoker Jabba the Hutt!

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Joshua

Stars Wars ruthless gangster Jabba the Hutt has been caught smoking shisha pipes in between film shoots at the Hollywood studios. There’s rumours flying round that Jabba, Skywalker and K-3PO were all smoking away on the shisha pipe at the time the producers discovered them in the makeup room, but they have only disciplined Jabba the Hutt for bringing the pipe to the studios.

The 600 year old crime lord appears to be really proud of the shisha pipe incident in the picture. The shisha pipe although looking a little like a globe has a brass base and side stem for the tobacco and a clear tube to inhale from working in place of the shisha hose.

Shisha Pipe Smoker Jabba The Hutt!

Shisha Pipe Smoker Jabba The Hutt!

Who would have thought that Star Wars the family film starring Luke Skywalker and Jabba the Hutt since 1977 contained shisha pipe smoking way before the shisha pipe smoking trend hit the the western world!

The only other western film that I can think of that has shown the shisha pipe was the original Alice and Wonderland with the shisha smoking caterpillar way back in the year 1951 and obviously the recent release in 2010.

Are there any other films that anyone knows of where the shisha pipe makes an appearance?

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Shisha pipe smoking squirrels

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Joshua

This has got to be one of the funniest photo’s I have ever come across on the internet. The shisha pipe smoking squirrel picture that I stumbled upon at funnypictures24.com shows a red squirrel named Cyril from the wood lands of North America smoking on an Indian golden copper shisha pipe.

shisha-pipe-squirrel

Shisha pipe smoking squirrel

Squirrels although may look very nice and cute running up and down trees and collecting nuts but they have become a major problem in some parts of the United States of America and not only have they started to smoke shisha pipes but also steal from cabins and cars parked up in the nature reserves.

The trouble is that the squirrels have become so used to human interaction they are no longer afraid, becoming a constant problem for the people of North America that can no longer leave shisha pipes, beers or food in the garden without these rodents interest.

Apparently the squirrels have already become fussy about the food they steal, not eating corn flacks or coco pops but loving crunchy nut! How long do you think it’s before they only start smoking al fakher shisha tobacco rather the nakhla!

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Shisha Pipe Set Up

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Joshua

For those who have been smoking shisha pipes for years then you may think you already know all there is to know about shisha pipe set up but continue reading as I’m sure you’ll be surprised. And for those new to shisha then read on as you shall find some simple information along with tips and tricks included in this shisha pipe set up guide to help you get the most from your smoke.

shisha pipe set up

Shisha Pipe Set Up

  1. Unpack your shisha pipe and all the contents from its box or bag.
  2. Take the glass base of the pipe and fill with water so that the water level shall cover the stem of the shisha pipe once pushed into the glass. The stem should be submerged by no less than one inch, ideally 1.5 inches.
  3. Pack your shisha bowl with your tobacco or herbal shisha, I would suggest about 10 grams of the shisha flavour, more or less depending on how long you wish to smoke for.
  4. Cover the top of the shisha bowl using aluminum foil. Poking some small holes to allow the heat to pass through from the charcoal to the tobacco.
  5. Push the bowl on to the top of the shisha pipes making sure a rubber or nylon bowl grommet (seal) is in place.
  6. Connect the shisha pipes hose or hoses to the stem. Again checking that there are the hose seals in place.
  7. Ignite the shisha coal and place it on top of the bowl.
  8. Place the shisha pipe on the ground or at a low level so that it is not easily going to be pulled of knocked over.
  9. Start smoking, enjoying your favourite shisha flavours

Now you’ve got the basic idea you should try experimenting with your shisha pipe. Mixing shisha flavours together, adding ice or even alcohol to the water.

A great tasting shisha tobacco mix to try is cherry cola. Blend 6 grams of cola shisha tobacco or herbal shisha with 4 grams of cherry. For mixing the shisha flavours rub/mix while pressing the two flavours together.  Rub and mix for several minutes then leave as long as possible in an air tight bag or container prior to smoking.

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Is Electronic Shisha Charcoal Worth Buying?

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Joshua

Did you know you can now buy shisha charcoal that is nothing more than an electronic filament that heats up?  The new electronic shisha charcoal is battery operated allowing you to smoke shisha all day every day while totally free of charcoal.

shisha charcoal

Electronic Shisha Charcoal

The new device shall cost you around £60 so even if not straight away if you’re a regular shisha smoker the electronic shisha charcoal shall save you a fortune over time. And not only will it save you money but there are many added benefits of the electronic shisha charcoal.

100% Chemical Free

Been electronic the coal contains no potassium nitrate or potassium chlorate. These are two of the most common chemicals found in quick igniting shisha charcoal.

Better Shisha Flavour

The burning of regular shisha charcoals produces a smoke and odour that can taint the taste of your shisha. Electronic coal does not produce any smoke nor does it give off any odour or taste, improving the overall taste given from your shisha flavours.

Cost of Electronic Shisha Charcoal

Electronic shisha coals cost around £60 to buy, the equivalent to perhaps as many as 600 regular coals. Remember there shall also be an amount of electricity used to charge the coal periodically. I don’t know about you but it would take me about five years before it started to save me money. In which time either my shisha pipe or the electronic coals may have even broke!

Constant Heat Source

Electronic coals provide a constant heat source for your shisha pipe. The electronic coals are high density ceramic which reach temperatures of 110 degrees centigrade within as little as three minutes. The charcoal stays at a constant 110 degrees centigrade until you finish your smoke and turn them off.

Safer than regular charcoal

At all times the electronic shisha coal is attached to the shisha pipe ash tray and cannot fall like regular coal. You will also find that electronic shisha coal is cleaner and easier to use, you don’t even have to worry about storing it like with regular charcoals.

Posted in Shisha Accessories, Shisha Inventions | 1 Comment

Herbal Shisha Tobacco Poll Results

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Joshua

I was reading through the results of a shisha online web poll the other day. The question was “what is your favourite herbal shisha or shisha tobacco?”

The options to select from included soex herbal, high-life herbal shisha, el rosha, al salaam, hydro herbal, black label, el fakher, nakhla, el waha, starbuzz and other. The results for the poll were as follows.

Herbal Shisha Tobacco Brand Number of Votes Percentage
Al Fakher 42 41.20%
Starbuzz 17 16.70%
Soex Herbal 11 10.80%
El Nakhla 7 6.90%
High-Life Herbal 6 5.90%
El Waha 6 5.90%
Other 6 5.90%
El Rosha Herbal 5 4.90%
El Saalaam Herbal 1 1.00%
Hydro Herbal 1 1.00%
Black Label Herbal 0 0.0

As you can see from above al fakher shisha tobacco is clearly the winner with 41% of the votes and black label not even getting a vote. It’s interesting to see soex herbal shisha up there in 3rd position with almost 11% of votes; I personally smoke it and find it the best value for money not to mention the best tasting herbal shisha available.

I recently tried another herbal shisha tobacco from Beetobacco Egypt. It’s a new herbal shisha that’s not on the list to vote for. Available in over 35 flavours it’s another herbal shisha made from sugar cane like Soex. The Beetobacco from Egypt comes wrapped in 25g shots along with larger 100g and 250g packets.

Does anyone know where to buy the Egyptian Beetobacco herbal shisha online?

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Shisha pipes with an ice compartment

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Joshua

Yesterday I was smoking from a shisha pipe that included an ice compartment. It was like an ice bucket shaped chamber surrounding the downpipe of the shisha pipe just below the bowl and tray.

For the first few minutes it seemed the smoke was as normal, there were no noticeable effects of the ice or any difference in the temperature or quality of the smoke. As little as five minutes later the smoke had started to change and the taste seemed somewhat cooler and sweeter.

What it was, is that for the first few minutes there was too little surface area of ice covering the downpipe of the shisha pipe but as the ice started to melt and increase the contact area with the pipe the cold heat energy transferred more efficiently.

shisha pipe ice shisha bowl

Shisha pipe ice shisha bowl

I was reading on another blog that its good practice to start with some chilled water as well as the ice, even slushy ice if you can get it so to deliver a cool smoke from the very first pull! And for an even cooler smoke put ice in the chamber and the base or maybe even freeze your shisha pipe stem!

I also found out that there are ice shisha bowls like the one shown in the image to the right.  Apparently there very easy to use, all you do is fill the bowl with water then put in the freezer waiting until frozen and place on you shisha pipe.

Posted in Shisha Pipes | 2 Comments

Buy Shisha Pipes – What to look for when buying shisha

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Joshua

Buying a shisha pipe is different to buying other products. The reason being is that shisha pipes are handmade, well at least the authentic one’s are. Not only are they handmade but each component is handmade in a different factory and when it all comes together there can be compatibility problems or even defects. Besides a visual inspection to check there’s no chips, cracks dents or scratches check out the five operational points below to help you select a shisha pipe that shall last you years to come.

  • The first thing to check when buying a shisha pipe is that the stem of the pipe tightly fits it to the glass base of the shisha. There should be a black, white or clear rubber seal in place.
  • The next thing to look for is to check that shisha hose and shisha bowl seals or sometimes known as grommets are included with the pipe
  • Check the hose is airtight and allows plenty of air through it. Cover the one end of the shisha hose using your finger and blow through it. You should find that no air escapes nor leaks. To check the air flow, without your finger covering the end simply breathe through the hose. If it’s difficult to inhale or like sucking through a 2mm drinking straw then this may indicate a blockage.
  • After positioning the hose and bowl seals make sure to check that both the bowl fits on top and that the hose pushes into the hose input by at least a centimetre.
  • Check that the shisha pipe you’re buying is airtight. Simply place your hand over the bowl and by drawing through the hose you should feel the suction on the palm of your hand. There should be no air leaking in from any of the joints of the shisha pipes.

Above all when you buy shisha check that the retailer has experience and knowledge of shisha pipes and that they offer a returns or exchange policy.

Posted in Shisha Pipes, Shisha Shops | 2 Comments

Shisha Bowl Double Head

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Joshua

For the first time ever I smoked a single hose shisha pipe using a double head shisha bowl today. I placed mint flavour shisha tobacco on the one side and lemon on the other. The quantity of smoke produced from the two bowl fulls of shisha tobacco was immense, thick white clouds of smoke filled the air and almost filled my house!

Although there were a few plus points of the bowl the downsides I found from smoking through the double shisha bowl were:

  • It lasted for over two hours and for one person, two hours was way too long, I guess probably the equivalent to thirty or forty cigarettes. No wonder I was coughing towards the end!
  • The double head shisha bowl consumes too much shisha tobacco. I used about fifty grams, twenty five grams in each bowl.
  • I used four discs of shisha charcoal keeping it going.

    shisha bowl

    Shisha Bowl - Double Head

I’ve concluded that while the double head shisha bowl maybe good on multi hose pipes, so that more than one person is smoking. On your own through a single hose shisha pipe an ordinary ceramic, stainless steel or clay shisha bowl is more suitable and less expensive to buy and smoke from.

Have you ever smoked shisha pipes with a double head bowl?

Posted in Shisha Inventions, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Khalil Mamoon Shisha Shop – Cairo, Egypt

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Joshua

I’ve been reading through the posts of several shisha smoking forums of late and a question I keep hearing come up time and time again is, “where can I find the Khalil Mamoon shisha shop in Cairo, Egypt?”

The posts usually start with something like “I am going on holiday to Egypt next month and wondering where I can buy a authentic Khalil Mamoon?”

There seems to be many replies to the question, addresses provided, offers of posting to hotels in Sharm El Sheikh or even guided tours and help from local Egyptians that are willing to take you to the Khalil Mamoon shisha shop in Cairo’s bazaar.

The one thing I have not found is a map of where the Khalil Mamoon shisha shop is located, this is why I have decided to write a post and provide a Google map pin pointing the location of the shop for all of those who may be visiting.

Google Map of Khalil Mamoon Shisha Shop in Cairo, Egypt

Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatmi, El-gamaleya, Qism El-gamaleya, Cairo, Egypt

And for those of you now using smart phones it should be dead easy to find if you use the following longitude and latitude coordinates 30.051490, 31.261600 to guide you in.

Posted in Shisha Shops | 7 Comments