How to Make a Hookah
By Devyn Mode and Shayna Waltower
Ever wondered how to smoke hookah at home? Shane Ross is an employee at Cherry Street Hookah in downtown Macon.
Hookah is an instrument used to smoke shisha, which is a molasses-based tobacco. For this process you will need a base, a stand, a bowl, a hose, tobacco, tin-foil and an air pump. Ross has a simple seven-step tutorial that will teach you how to pack your own hookah.
First, he measures a handful of tobacco in the bowl he will use. It is important not to use too much tobacco because it will not smoke. He knows he has the right amount when at eye level the tobacco is even with the bowl.
Next, he rinses the properly measured tobacco under cold water. This helps the tobacco smoke better since it is originally thick, wet and sticky.
The third step is to separate the rinsed tobacco on a cutting board and then to sprinkle it into the bowl. This is the most important part of the process because if the tobacco is packed too tightly or not rinsed thoroughly, it will not smoke.
After he puts the tobacco in the bowl, he wraps the bowl with tin foil as tightly as possible. Then he pokes very small holes all over the top of the foil with a toothpick. The more holes he pokes, the more smoke the hookah will produce. However, poking too many holes can cause the tobacco to burn very quickly.
Step five is to heat the coal. He uses tongs to hold the coal and lights it with a blow torch for about six seconds. Once it is hot, he places the coal onto the now tin-foil-covered bowl.
Next, he uses an air mattress pump to get to hookah going. He puts the end of the hose into the air pump and, slowly, smoke will build up in the base of the hookah.
Once the base is filled with thick smoke the hookah is ready to use. If the hookah is not smoking properly, be sure to check the water level in the base and give it a few minutes to produce thick smoke.
