How Hookah Tobacco Turns to Smoke

The process in which shisha tobacco goes through to turn to smoke is rather easy. Just like any other type of product you smoke it will have to ignite with a heat source. The heat source used to turn the tobacco to smoke in hookahs is charcoal. Lit coals are placed on top of the bowl and crumbled up in order to pass heat through the tobacco and turn it into smoke. When the user inhales it will suck the heat from the coal to cause a heat transfer to the tobacco and then travels to the hose.

Setting up the Hookah

Usually people will use tin foil (with poked holes) as a screen or an actual metal screen to separate the coals from the tobacco because you don’t want direct contact. Some people may just put it directly on the head and this will produce stronger smoke but you may end up inhaling more coal ashes than you should.

Turning Tobacco to Smoke

The lit rocks (red in color) are placed on top to heat up the tobacco and the user will inhale through the hose to change the air pressure inside the hookah. This will quickly heat up the tobacco and turn it to smoke. Some smoke will quickly travel to the hose and within a minute or two the path will be quicker as the hookah is heated up.

Before the smoke reaches the hose it will go through the water jar which will cool it down a bit and make it smoother and easier to inhale. Ice may also be placed in the water jar to further cool down the smoke and by making this addition you can make your hookah session cough-free even with strong tobacco.