The human being first discovered the tobacco before Christ. People those
burned the leaves of tobacco to pray the God, noticed the pleasant taste
and since then it has been used. The tobacco is shaped by lots of civilization
until today. It is used in pipe, became cigars, and just chewed, but
none of these styles became united more than that of water pipe.
The Indians, who were burning the coconut
outer layer which was similar to tobacco and by inserting a bamboo into
a coconut to enjoy, started the water pipe culture that would go on
for centuries. Water pipe has transformed to be a culture from that
time up till now. The ancestors, have set a great value as much as to
inherit water pipe to their grandchildren. Sometimes it took its place
beside the Sultans and sometimes it was deprived of the value it deserved.
Today the water pipe and the dazzling culture around, it is preparing
to turn back to its magnificent old days. Day by day the culture which
adds magic to the tobacco is getting more and more interest.
The name water pipe which is an important part of eastern culture, derives
from a Persian word 'nargil' which means coconut. The first samples
of water pipe which was named ‘Shisa’ in Arabic and 'Kalyan'
in Persian was seen in India. The first water pipe, which was made of
the coconut’s outer layer that was similar to the tobacco by inserting
a bamboo to the coconut, left its place to marrow squash while bringing
a new dimension consumption of the Indian hemp. After getting popular
day by day, porcelain and silver body water pipes appeared and followed
by the tile, silver plated and glass made water pipes. First it became
widespread among the Persians and after Arabs.
The Ottoman Empire defined as the civilization of conversation by the researchers was inhaling the smoke of the water pipe and smoking it through the air since the day they first knew the water pipe in 16th century.
Today, water pipe is still continuing
the mission to be the best friend of the chatting experts without losing
its mission as it was in the past.
Because, according to the addicts, smoking water pipe alone does not
make any sense without chatting. Hence; coffee houses still keep their
popularity as the residence of chat and conversation.
TOILFUL BUT TASTY...
Smoking water pipe is not only so delicious but also hard to prepare.
It seems so easy to prepare water pipe to smoke from exterior but fundamentally
it needs many processes to follow. The water pipe consists of 'Tobacco
Bowl', 'Trunk', 'tube', and the "Glass base".
The part that we put the tobacco is called as "Lüle"(ceramic
tobacco
bowI), the long trunk is called as "Ser", the glass Base where
we pour the water to filter the smoke is called "Shisa"and
the elastic tube which transports the smoke in the glass base to your
mouth is called, as
"Marpuç" .
The most important element of the water pipe is the tobacco. The tobacco,
which is named "Tömbeki” is left to be dampened after
it is chopped up the night before. It is kept for some time by covering
with a dampish towel. The secret of a good water pipe lies behind the
good dampening of the tobacco. The tobacco is carefully placed into
the ceramic tobaceo bowl, that’s into the holey bowl, after having
left into the water for some time by squeezing its water right before
the service; and then the tobacco is holed right from the center by
the help of steel pins. The tobacco placed into the bowl is wrapped
with again dampened but halved tobacco leaf and whose large venous are
taken. And then it is burned with the cinder from Pirnal Coal, which
is obtained from a short natured oak tree, placing it on the long trunk
This is classical tobacco type, that’s a type of tobacco used
by the
Ottomans and other nations till a few years' before.
HONEY, ROSE & CAPPICINNO FLOWERED TOBACCOS
Today, there is another sort of tobacco, which is imported from Egypt and Jordan and called Bahri or Arabian tobacco besides that. These tobaccos are made of fermented fruits and especially demanded by the teenager smokers. These types of tobaccos are made of fruit or plants which have sharp smells like apple, mint, apricot, strawberry, banana, pine apples. The most expensive tobaccos are the ones with honey, rose and cappuccino flowered which are imported from S.Arabia.
The water that is poured into the glass base may vary as per the type of the tobacco which you choose to smoke. For instance; if you want to smoke cappuccino or banana flowered tobacco you should pour milk instead of water into the glass base.
THE OTTOMANS TASTED IT IN THE
16thCENTURY...
The tobacco entered the world of Ottomans and started to be smoked between
the years 1601 - 1603, 110 years after the America was discovered. At
first, they were only charging customs duty from the tobaccos imported
from foreign countries; but later on, The Religious
Authorities announced a fatwa against the tobacco use upon the increase,
of tobacco addicts. Thereupon, the Sultan Ahmet, the First, issued a
mandate in order to ban the usage of the tobacco; but during the era
of the Sultan Mustafa and Osman, the Second, whom had the power after
Sultan Ahmet, the First, the prohibition had no important effect.
THE ANATOMY OF WATER PIPE
Sipsi (mouthpiece): A mouthpiece to mount to the elastic tube to make the water pipe economical and is given to the ones who want to smoke.
Lüle (Ceramic Tobacco Bow): It is the ceramic bowl where the tobacco is placed in without compressing and the cinder put on.
Tömbeki (Tobacco): The only water pipe tobacco used before the flavored tobaccos are produced.
Mangir (charcoal): The charcoal of the water pipe should last longer; therefore, burned and slaked oak coal is used.
Marpuc (Elastic Tube): the whole part from the trunk to the edge where the smoke is sucked, including the tube.
WATER PIPE SHOULD BE SMOKED SLOW BY SLOW...
It is necessary to know all the smoking techniques to enjoy the water pipe. All professional smokers had determined a different and personal form of pleasure.
However, the point which all the smokers agree on is that "IT IS BETTER T0 SMOKE SLOW BY SLOW”.
Here are some of the smoking techniques
according to the professionals;
First of all, it is smoked like a pipe, not like cigarettes. It means
you should suck like breathing so that the water in the base can bubble
and tobacco burns easily.
At the meantime; there are two different smoking techniques- one from stomach and the other from breast. Smoking with breast is more difficult; so smoking from the stomach is preferred. In this method you suck the smoke through your stomach using your diaphragm and blow it out.
There is air pocket above in the water
base and when you suck from the elastic tube the smoke goes right there.
After that, it vacuums through the water and then flows into the water.
At last it arrives at you.
The most important difference that distinguishes the water pipe from
the cigarette is that the smoke gets cooled through the water and in
this stage the harmful materials in the tobacco is filtered.