Hookah 101 – Glossary of Hookah Terms
- September 30th, 2010
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Many people have questions about what is the appropriate term for certain parts of their hookah, or just hookah terms in general. Here is a list of all hookah related terms and their definitions.
Many people have questions about what is the appropriate term for certain parts of their hookah, or just hookah terms in general. Here is a list of all hookah related terms and their definitions.
Ash Catcher – The round metal detachable plate that is located under the bowl of the hookah, which is used to catch the ash from the charcoal.
Base – The glass vase at the bottom of your hookah is the base. The base holds water which filtrates the smoke for a smoother smoking experience.
Bowl – The bowl sits on top of your hookah, and is typically made from clay or pyrex.
Charcoal – The charcoal is what lights your tobacco and keeps it lit throughout your session. Charcoal comes in two varieties, quick-lighting which lights using a simple lighter or match, and natural charcoal which requires a stove top to light.
Grommet – There are three types of grommets used on your hookah. Hose grommets are used to connect your hose to the base of your hookah, and ensure a tight seal so that you do not suck in air. Bowl grommets attach the bowl to the top of the hookah. Vase grommets attach and seal the glass base to the main shaft.
Hose – The hose is used to draw the smoke from the hookah to your mouth. Hoses come in many styles, shapes, and colors, so that you can match the design to your specific hookah.
Mouthpiece – Plastic tips are often used in hookah lounges for sanitary reasons, they allow multiple people to share the same hookah without needing more than one hose.
Nargile – The term used for a hookah in many countries around the world.
Shaft – The shaft is the heart of the hookah, it is typically made from stainless steel, and connects everything together.
Shisha – The flavored tobacco used when smoking hookah. unlike dry pipe tobacco, shisha is moist and typically contains honey or molasses, and fruit flavoring. Shisha comes in many brands and varieties.
Tongs – Tongs are used to safely handle charcoal, allowing you to move the coal around the bowl for even usage.
Wind Cover – these are used when smoking hookah outdoors, they are placed on top of the hookah, usually resting on the ash catcher, and they cover the entire bowl so that the wind does not effect your smoking experience, and help retain the heat.
Along with barefoot running, yoga has become hugely trendy in the world of physical fitness. By extension, meditation is taking on a more mainstream popularity, as well. At West Hartford Yoga, you can try it out for yourself, or just take advantage of the cheapness, at several-day-a-week $5 yoga and free meditation sessions. About once a month, you can try out a free intro to yoga class, too. By the way, barefoot running is also free. just take off your shoes and haul ass.
The Hartford Party Starters Union. they put on great shows! Dance parties! Concerts at Bushnell Park and the Wadsworth! THE WADSWORTH! They’ve set out to make Hartford awesome and, since they began almost two years ago, they've brought Janelle Monae (pictured, at the HPSU still Wavy event this past summer) Andrew W.K. and Neon Indian here. we can't wait to see what they do next.
Hookahs are big water pipes that bubble when smoked. they can have as many as four or five hoses, so they’re a great group activity! And though most people think hookahs are for pot-smoking, they’re actually best for smoking a fruity tobacco called shisha. (You could, of course, smoke weed with a hookah, but potheads have discovered that doing so is a waste of pot — there’s too much filtration or something.) what this means is that smoking hookahs in West Hartford, at the newly opened 1,001 Arabian Nights on Park Road or in West Hartford center or at the Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan, is a totally legal group activity, which may make it more or less appealing, depending on how dangerous you like to live.
We pointed out last year that those of you looking to get tied up and slapped around a little can head over to Leisure Time on Zion Street. It’s a bondage club that meets pretty regularly, and is open to new members. Turns out there’s other places you can get off at, too, like the Society, a Connecticut-registered LLC that meets in a Hartford community center for bondage forums, discussions, playtime, etc. Of course, nobody’s taking their clothes off at community centers. It’s just a launching point, if you will.
Hartford’s got bushels and bushels of farmers markets with enough stock to allow you to put yourself in the fantasy position of never having to walk your ass into another grocery store. the Hartford Regional Farmers Market is gigantic, bringing together produce and meat from over 4,000 farms. there are other markets in Bristol, Newington, East Hartford, Enfield, Farmington, and more. Go to ct.gov and search “DOAG” or “farmers markets.”
Unfortunately, you might have to wait around for this one, but you should be relieved to know that there was a law that was just passed allowing farmers to make pickles! I know! so starting January 2011, farmers — and therefore farmers markets — are going to be able to legally sell pickles. Good news for a region that’s already got some good delis (Rein’s in Vernon; Reuben’s in West Hartford) with great pickles. And don't forget kimchi! (You can find the pickled cabbage at Ichiban, in Hartford.)
See Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and U2 laser shows at the Children’s Museum in West Hartford. Is there anything else to be said here?
Sea Tea Improv (get it?) is a Hartford-based comedy troupe who do lots of comedy events in and around the city. they also do a monthly dinner theater, the City Steam Brew-Ha-Ha, at City Steam Brewery. In fact, there’s no shortage of comedy around here — catch a show at the Hartford Funny Bone or take an improv class at Park Road Playhouse. take a look at twitter.com/CTImprov for show and class times and stuff.
Think of Vintage Baseball as a Renaissance Faire or Civil War Reenactment for sports fans. Isn’t it refreshing to be reminded that jocks can be geeks, too? the Friends of Vintage Baseball in Hartford is one of the sweetest things about the city. all summer, at Colt Park, the team plays baseball in vintage costume by vintage rules (they’re slightly different!), and you can get vintage soda and food and souvenirs, too. Go to friendsofvintagebaseball.org for more info.
It’s cool that part of the Appalachian Trail goes through Connecticut, so you can sort of hop on and walk for a bit, then tell people you “hiked the Appalachian Trail.” Or you can swing by Sessions Woods park in Burlington, Conn., which has lots and lots of trails and hikes and wildlife-appreciation activities like those. And if you have the right permits you can go bowhunting!
From the outside, Wild Bill’s Nostalgia Center looks like a circus or a funhouse or something. big cartoon characters and superheroes and icons decorate the outer walls, including the Beatles and American iconography. Simply driving by might be enough. But come on. You gotta go in there! You’ll find videos and DVDs, CDs and tapes, magazines and books and records and statues and memorabilia and other weird/cool stuff. Wild Bill’s like a tripped-out hoarder.
The well-loved poet Wallace Stevens spent much of his life in Hartford, working at the Hartford. there are a couple of local things you can do to honor him. You can go get a job at the Hartford, or you can go hang out with the Friends and Enemies of Wallace Stevens, whose mission is to preserve the cultural legacy of the poet. Go there, get deep. Or go to the Hartford, get paid.
Pearl Street might be one of the best places in the city. It’s where TheaterWorks is and Bin228. the plays at TheaterWorks are frequently interesting, challenging and funny, and Bin228’s bathroom alone is worth going for (there's this little table in there with a box of tissues and a candle on it; it's wonderful). Outside the W.C., there's great wine and cocktails, and a tiny little sidewalk patio that’s not even roped off. It’s here that’s best to go and sip a glass of white wine on a cool night with a friend, a man or woman, or a magazine.
CATALOGUE is a monthly (or so) exhibit of artists’ work from all over the region. they usually take place in studios or suites in Parkville above Real Art Ways, or, once, in a box truck that cruised around town, making arty pitstops. the guys who run CATALOGUE say it’s a collaboration of art, music, community and space. In one event, pictured, the artist Brendan Mahoney made bowls of soup, one at a time, for everyone who wanted. Mmm. for more info, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
City Councilman Luis Cotto loves this place enough to have a reputation for loving this place (not that he’s alone). recently, Cotto started a project called Center without Walls, which is a series of performances, art exhibits and workshops that have involved the artist Favianna Rodriguez (whose work is pictured) and the saxophonist Miguel Zenon, among many others. take a look at Cotto's blog, ionhartford.com, for more about these and other events.
Apart from just general library awesomeness, the Hartford Public Library has a particularly kick-ass setup. There's your standard (as though it weren't enough) free access to DVDs, books on tape, books, Internet and computers, and then there are classes, programs, readings and workshops too. They'll teach you to use a computer and they'll teach you to make a wreath for Christmas. Or they'll just help you find what you're looking for. Chances are they have it.
Which is the most enjoyable? Bong, Pipe, Hookah?
From lunch until after midnight, the aroma of chicken shawarma, beef kebab, falafel, brick-oven baked bread and 80 flavors of tobacco drift through the air. It’s the scene on any given day at the Shisha Café, and the patrons come for the comfort food of their youths.
) where do you buy your shishaa? and not online please..
