Smoking hookah laws are extremely similar to individual state tobacco laws. Shisha also known as “hookah tobacco” is made of tobacco, henceforth, officials have categorized shisha under the same laws of tobacco.
The American Lung Association has a very resourceful site about tobacco control. The ALA comprehensive site includes state tobacco laws and smoking policy. The SLATI state pages shows the tobacco laws per every state.
The ALA provides the following information:
- Clean Indoor Air
- Tobacco Excise Taxes
- Youth Access
- Licensing Requirements
- Smoker Protection Laws
- Advertising and Promotion
- Product Disclosure
- Tobacco Divestment
- Tobacco Settlement
In closing, the hookah use per each state depends on the law specified by the governmental body that put the law in place.
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by HookahGenie
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Nakhla Tobacco is one of the most popular tobacco manufactuers in the Middle East. It is produced by the world's largest Hookah tobacco manufacters in the world, as well. During my trip in the Middle East last summer, every street corner I passed, they had Nakhla Flavored Tobacco. I rarely came across the tobacco brands we have in the states. It was odd, how the largest world's largest hookah smoking population was not exposed to brands like Starbuzz or Fumari.
In the states, we have over 1000s of different hookah flavors, but in the motherland where these hookahs are a tradition and part of a long culture, Nakhla Tobacco was the most popular and widely used brand. With Nahkla, the tobacco scent is more potent as opposed to other tobaccos I have smoked and I consider it as one of the more authentic tobaccos from Egypt.
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by HookahGenie
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 When I was first introduced to Fumari, I was in my Freshman year of college and a couple buddies of mine took a trip down to San Diego. Since I was 18 years of age at that time, it was pretty difficult to get into bars around the Gas Lamp district until we came across a long line of young girls waiting to be sat at a place I later became familiarized to be called Fumari Lounge. We waited only 5 minutes and sat down in their front patio and ordered my first Fumari tobacco blend hookah. If I am not mistaking, we ordered their Peach flavor tobacco, which tasted delicious. They also at the time used Japanese coals, which was a step ahead of the hot dog style cafe coals. My friends and I fell in love with their tobacco and ended up purchasing like 5 100grams of Fumari Tobacco to take back home because at the time they had no online presence nor were they as branded as today. Five years later, Fumari is attempting to capture the hearts of national and global audience, and introduce their product to the world. Fumari Tobacco has changed significantly from selling their tobaccos in tubs to a more mainstream, branded packaging. Overall, the lounge had to be one of the best I have been to and the tobacco blend at the time was great. I have yet to try any of their flavors, but I am guessing they are as good as before.
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by HookahGenie
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A hookah session is a very special moment in everyone's life. When do you acctually get to sit with the pople you love and have a deep conversation and share memories with? When a group gets together and smokes hookah, it is a very memorable experience. It's probably the only time you have to relax and not have to worry about your next day or what had happened during that day. People typically sit around with either family members, associates from work, and friends.
Before a hookah is packed, people get together and choose the flavor of their choice. Today with the popularity of the hookah, tobacco brands have introduced many flavors that one can choose from. When buying hookah tobacco it is like going to the candy store because there are so many delicious varieties to choose from. Hookah smokers have a great time in trying new flavors together and seeing which one they like better.
Smoking hookah with a group is very special because a session last at least an hour but once you are sitting and relaxing, and enjoying a deep talk, no one wants to get out of their seat to leave. A hookah should be smoked in moderation so one does not abuse these remarkable times. A hookah is used for social events and not for every day use. Many young adults are begining to abuse this and smoke hookah everyday. Hookah Genie wants to advise everyone not to take advantage of the hookah and use it in moderation just like everything else in life.
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by HookahGenie
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 There is a common misconception that Hookah is harmless, or that it may even be good for you. As discussed in previous posts, this is false! Hookah tobacco contains nicotine, and there is a lot of cancerous smoke that is produced in the process of smoking Hookah. However, an alternative to tobacco has been formulated in order to reduce the risks of Hookah smoking. Herbal tobacco, 100% tobacco-free, is the new trend that has caught on due to its health-conscious blend. Coming in a wide range of flavors from different companies, herbal tobacco is about as expensive as regular tobacco, while avoiding many of the health risks. This new blend is tobacco and nicotine-free, and has been produced in many of the most popular flavors, from mint, to cherry, peach, and even melon. Of course, this is only a small portion of the available flavors, but there is a huge range to choose from. One of the best herbal tobacco companies is “Soex,” which is most often sold on internet websites as their premier herbal tobacco.
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by HookahGenie
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 One of the easiest ways to ruin your hookah is to pack it incorrectly. In order to fully enjoy your hookah experience, it’s important to take time and carefully pack your hookah in order to keep up the quality and flavor for as long as possible. It takes time to become an expert packer, but attention to detail is the most important thing. First off, your must have a bowl to put the tobacco in. I prefer bowls that are a little big taller than normal, and thinner. This gives more space to pack the hookah, while leaving room at the top to keep from being burned. I will come back to this later. Once you have your bowl of choice, you must choose your tobacco flavor that you enjoy the most. Hookah can be prepared by using one flavor, multiple flavors, herbal tobacco, and so on. The mixtures are endless, based on your personal preference; you will know which blend you enjoy best. Let’s say you choose guava and mint for this particular Hookah. Guava, being the primary flavor, must take up more volume in the bowl than mint. Take the guava and the mint tobacco out of the casing, and begin to mix them on your surface of choice. It is important to take out the little sticks and pebbles from the tobacco, but make sure not to waste the actual molasses. It is easy to separate the sticks by unwrapping them from the exterior layers of tobacco that conceal it. So make sure to remove the rubbish from the tobacco, and then begin separating the tobacco strips into smaller strips with your fingers. Finally, mix the two tobacco flavors, and place them inside the bowl. Make sure it isn’t too smashed into the bowl, but leave approximately one quarter inch of space from the top to keep the coals from burning the tobacco too quickly. Once you have packed the bowl, you must cover the top with foil. Place the foil on top, make sure the edges are very tightly held against the bowl, and remove the remainder from the bottom. Next, poke holes on the foil with a toothpick or needle. Do not make your holes too big, and make sure they are separate evenly. Then, put the bowl on the rest of the hookah, light your coals, and you’re ready to go!
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by HookahGenie
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 Hi Everyone,
Been so busy with all of our other blogs that we haven't had time to update Hookah Genie. So in the last month, we have been visiting all the tobacco shops and hookah bars, and Starbuzz tobacco is the most popular tobacco sold and smoked.
Knowing the tobacco market, I thought people go through each season with a favorite, but Starbuzz has held a good lead over the last year and for months to come.
Our favorite flavors for the summer has to be Cantaloupe and Guava. They are ultimate blend to puff away with in the summer heat. Starbuzz is extremely smart to market their tobacco as a premier tobacco and set their prices so high because smokers want quality tobacco. If they are putting chemicals into their body, they would rather put the best and enjoy their session. Remember to smoke in moderation this spring and summer, and stay tuned for our new online store!
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by HookahGenie
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 The hookah bowl which tobacco is sprinkled into does not affect the tobacco flavor. Most bowls are made of clay or ceramic, and function the same as any other hookah bowl. If you feel that your bowl is changing your experience, you should try cleaning it with a scrub after every session. We suggest you use dish washing soap to clean the bowl and rinse it with very hot water. Be sure to dry the bowl once it washed as well.
The size of the bowl should not affect the flavor of the tobacco. If the bowl is smaller, the tobacco may burn quicker causing the taste to diminish. However, the taste of the tobacco is all dependent on how long the coals are managed on the bowl.
If you feel that your bowl is ruining the taste of the tobacco, simply replace the bowl with a new one.
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by HookahGenie
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 Al-Fakher is one of the most premium tobaccos on the market. It is made in the United Arab of Emirates. The brand has been out for some time now and its still one of the most popular and sought after. The molasses in the tobacco is very thick and smells absolutely great! The tobacco rarely dries out after a year because of how moist and fresh the leaves are. In addition, its fairly easy to pack in a hookah bowl. We typically use this brand in the Egyptian Hookah because of how well it hits through the larger hookahs. There are just a few stems that need to be cleaned out but everything is in the container is good. The most unique feature about Al Fakher is that its blends of tobacco scent is very strong and once you open the package, it may fill the whole room with the smell of the flavor before even smoking out of your hookah. Overall Al Fakher has done a great job over the years in serving a consistent product to its users. It will be cool if they would create specialty flavors that no other brand carries. Rating of Al Fakher Tobacco
Flavors: A
Freshness: A
Container: A-
Quality: A
Price: Fairly Priced(Average price 9.95/250g)
Favorite flavor: Grape
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by HookahGenie
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 The method to pack a Hookah is very a special part of the process. Many have become experts in packing a perfect a bowl. It requires detail and how to pack a bowl knowledge. At Hookah Genie, w are going to provide a Do and Don't list of packing your clay/ceramic bowl:
DOs
- Thoroughly clean the bowl and dry!
- Take the tobacco out of the package and finely open the tobacco leaves
- Once all the leaves are opened chop the pieces of tobacco in pieces about 1/4 of the actual size (approx 3-4 cm)
- Slowly sprinkle the tobacco in the bowl or place each piece carefully
- Full to about 1cm from the top
- Mix flavors for desired taste
- Mix honey if tobacco is dried
- Use fruits as a substitute bowl
- Cover with aluminum or hookah foil and poke away
- Place bowl in freezer for 2 minutes to cool down the tobacco before coals are placed on foil
DONTs
- Over pack
- Place Tobacco stems in the bowl (throw it away)
- Stuff the Tobacco in the bowl
- Put any other substance than tobacco, honey, molasses in the bowl
- Place coal directly over tobacco
- Cups as making a bowl
We guarantee these are proven methods and it will definitely enhance your hookah experience.
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by HookahGenie
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Why would you want to clean your Hookah bowl right after you smoke? This task might seem tedious while you are relaxing after a session with friends. But with the research we have conducted, the black residue that remains on your bowl is Tar. That is why, when you try cleaning it days later, the black junk becomes impossible to come off. The tar may have derived from two things: the coals and tobacco. Most Hookah Tobacco packages contain tar as it spells it on the container. So once the coals begin burning the tobacco, the tar begins to produce leaving it on the bowl. Also, coals serves as the catalyst to produce tar, and the tar derived from coals are considered fairly toxic because it may contain a high benzene level. Furthermore, Tar in tobacco is a cancer-causing agent. The tar in the tobacco is what scientists believe to cause lung cancer. Despite whatever you smoke out of your Hookah, if tobacco was placed in the bowl, the tar will always remain on the bowl burning as you inhale these toxins in your lungs. That is why we recommend to clean and scrub your Hookah bowl after you finish and to replace a bowl at least once a year.
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by HookahGenie
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There are different ways to smoke your Hookah and we are here to teach methods and techniques to improve your Hookah experience. Keeping your Tobacco in your refrigerator keeps it fresh and lengthens the life of the product. The fruit juices and the molasses are kept fresh and wet causing the Tobacco not to dry, and initially not becoming expired. We do not recommend to place the Tobacco in a freezer because it will freeze and you will not be able to smoke for about 5-10 minutes until it will melt. We also recommend to place ice cubes in the water vase, however, not too much because the ice particles may cause the Hookah not too hit too well if the whole vase is filled with ice. About 35% of the glass vase should have ice to keep the smoke cool once it filters through the water. In addition, we recommend to place the stem of the Hookah, along with the bowl in the freezer 10 minutes prior to smoking. Once the smoke passes through these pieces, it becomes a lot cooler causing your throat not too burn, and ultimately keeping the Tobacco cool and not too burn quickly, as well.
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by HookahGenie
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 Starbuzz Tobacco probably has to be the hottest selling Hookah Tobacco out on the market for the last 6 months. This flavor infused brand has captured the market share of most Tobacco brands. Its slick tin container design is clean and very eye catching to the average consumer who is used to buy tobacco stuffed in a cardboard box. The branding of the product is superb and maybe responsible for creating such a buzz among the Hookah world. However, once you crack open the container, the tobacco aroma is so strong that it may fill the room which fresh fruit essence for days. It appears as though its packaging does a create job in keeping the product fresh and the aroma a secret until you open it. Starbuzz has a lot of fruit flavors along with a few specialty blends mixed together. The tobacco leaves in the packaging is nicely packed and chopped. It's easy to pack your Hookah bowls because the leaves are finely chopped as well. Overall, Starbuzz is great and the tobacco is long lasting in your Hookah. Hookah Genie gives Starbuzz an overall grade of an A.
Rating of Starbuzz Tobacco
Flavors: A-
Freshness: A-
Container: A+
Quality: A
Price: Expensive (Average price 19.95/250g)
Favorite flavor: Blueberry Grape
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by HookahGenie
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