How does a hookah work?

Question

I have a small wooden hookah sold to me by a kashmiri in Goa's flea market. I'm not too sure whether this could be used or its just a showpiece. Could someone help me on this. Thanks.

Answer 1

The hookah ­- also known as the narghile and the sheesha ­­- is a traditional Middle Eastern water pipe used for smoking.

The hookah is comprised of four main parts: The smoke chamber - which is partially filled with water - a bowl which contains the tobacco and the heating apparatus and the pipe, which connects the bowl with the base and the hose, through which the user inhales the smoke.

How does the hookah work? It's quite simple. When a smoker inhales through the hose, the air passes through the coal on top of the hookah, heating the tobacco. This gives off smoke, pulled away from the tobacco, which travels from the bowl down the pipe, through the water and into the air of the smoke chamber where it is inhaled by the smoker.

Since the tobacco smoke passes through the water, the nicotine in the tobacco is filtered in addition to cooling the smoke.

Answer 2

As said above, such a small one is probably for decoration only.

With a real hookah, the tobacco is placed in a pipe with a stem that goes into a bowl of water at the bottom of the hookah. The water cools the smoke, and makes it much smoother to inhale.

What marks a hookah apart from a standard water pipe is the tubing to the mouthpiece. You just suck on the mouthpiece, and the smoke will be filtered down through the water, bubble up into the main chamber, and from there you suck on your mouthpiece.

Answer 3

water goes in the bowl, the flexi tube attaches ,fill small container wth tobacco (or something more exotic) light and puff "the water results in a cooled smoke " try it it should work ok

Answer 4

If its really small (<8 inches) and wooden..it may just be for decoration.

Answer 5

Here itis! They sell them where I am in Germany! I am interested in buying one too for pipe tobacco!