Shisha FAQ
Whether you are just starting your shisha journey or are looking to restock your regular rotation of flavors, look no further than Hookah-Shisha.com. Hookah-Shisha.com is the world’s largest online shop for flavored hookah tobacco.
Serving shisha enthusiasts in the United States and around the globe since 2000, our team of experts provides the best shisha tobacco flavor recommendations and hookah advice. Our staff team has the expert knowledge needed to help you to create the best-tasting hookah smoke sessions every time. Find answers to common questions below, or reach out to our friendly customer service team with any other questions you may have. You can also check our blog for informative guides, top flavors, custom shisha mixes, and more!
What is shisha?
Shisha is also known as shisha tobacco, hookah tobacco, or flavored molasses. Shisha is a form of flavored tobacco designed to be smoked out of a water pipe called a “hookah” or “narguile.” Hookah smoking dates back to the 1500s. Initially, shisha smokers used unflavored tobacco. Today, flavored shisha is popular with shisha smokers.
How To Buy Shisha and Flavored Hookah Tobacco
As the experts here at Hookah-Shisha.com, we have collected and curated some of the world’s best shisha brands and flavors for our online hookah store! Our online store lets you browse products or use our filters to refine your search and focus on the best shisha for your next smoke session.
Filtering results by the brand is a great way to discover high-quality shisha flavors from companies like Al Fakher Tobacco, Starbuzz Shisha Tobacco, Fumari Shisha Tobacco, Social Smoke Hookah Tobacco, Fantasia Shisha Tobacco, Trifecta Shisha Tobacco, Tangiers Shisha Tobacco, and more! Click on your preferred brands in the sidebar to see our products from those brands.
Use our flavor filter to find optimal flavors for your shisha session. Choose from flavors such as Pear Chill, Cinnamon Gum, Raspberry Kamikaze, Lemon Loaf, Mint Cream, Blueberry Banana, and more!
You can also filter your search results by price, allowing you to focus on brands and size options that fit your budget. We also have a type filter, allowing you to focus on blonde-leaf, dark-leaf, nicotine-free, or traditional shisha flavors.
Each brand offers a variety of size options ranging from 50g boxes to 1000g tubs. We also offer a collection of custom shisha “super packs” and have a size filter you can use, ensuring that discovering and restocking your favorite flavors has never been easier.
How is shisha made?
The primary ingredients in shisha are tobacco leaves, glycerin, flavoring liquids, and molasses or honey. Experts recommend avoiding backstrap molasses. Unsulphured molasses is best, and you should also opt for vegetable glycerin. Your flavoring liquids should have a neutral grain alcohol or glycerin base. You should be aware that choosing oil-based flavorings affects the flavor and texture, which affects the quality of your shisha session.
Making shisha begins with collecting these ingredients. Next, producers take the dry tobacco leaves and soak them in water. Soaking weakens the tobacco taste and removes nicotine from the leaves. Soaking for shorter periods retains the tobacco flavor and nicotine. Soaking until the water runs clear eliminates the tobacco taste from the final product.
Next, producers remove the stems from the soaked tobacco leaves. Stems contain high levels of nicotine and taste bitter, so removing them improves the flavor of your shisha.
Next, manufacturers mix honey or molasses with the flavorings and glycerin. They combine these ingredients and add the tobacco leaves. The mixture's sealed and left to soak. While it's possible to work with a mixture that soaks overnight, soaking for more extended periods improves the shisha's flavor.
What do I need to smoke shisha?
Hookah users need several accessories for their shisha sessions. You first need a water pipe called a hookah or narguile. Your hookah impacts the type of shisha you use because some hookahs have wider openings, allowing finely chopped leaves to slip into the stem. You can avoid this by choosing appropriate shisha for your hookah. Make sure your hookah's clean before each smoke session.
Other essentials include water, shisha, and aluminum foil. You'll need water to fill your hookah's base, and the aluminum foil covers your bowl after you fill it with shisha. Some hookahs come with a screen you can use instead of aluminum foil.
It's a good idea to have drinking water or mint tea on hand when you're ready to start your smoke session. We provide more insight about drinking during shisha sessions in the next section.
You'll need coals for your smoke session. The two main types of coals are quick-light coals and natural coals. Manufacturers use organic ingredients to produce both types of charcoal. Natural coals are typically coconut husk coals made with leftover coconut husks and shells. The husks and shells are carbonized, ground into powder, and mixed with a binding agent made from organic ingredients, such as corn starch and water. The primary difference with quick-light charcoal is the chemical accelerant added to the briquette's exterior. Common accelerants include benzene and sulfur.
You'll need a pair of metal tongs. Stainless steel tongs enable you to move or hold charcoal briquettes without burning your fingers.
The final item you'll need is a lighting tool. The type of lighter you need depends on the type of hookah charcoal you choose. Use an electric burner or freestanding hookah charcoal burner to light natural hookah charcoal. Set the briquettes on the burner and turn it on high. Once the bottom's lit, use the metal tongs to pick up the briquettes and rotate them until you've lit all sides.
You can light quick-light coals on an electric burner by following the same steps for lighting natural charcoal. It's also an option to use a torch or lighter to start quick-light coals. Hold the coal with a pair of tongs and hold the lighting tool against the first side of the briquette. Repeat the process until you've lit all sides.
Charcoal briquettes are black. They start producing ash when lit, which turns the briquette gray. When they're lit, you should also see an orange glow from the coals.
How do I smoke shisha?
Shisha flavor is packed into a hookah bowl or “head” that typically sits at the very top of the pipe. That bowl is covered with aluminum foil or a screen. Once the foil or screen is in place, set lit hookah coals on top. The pieces of hookah charcoal burn at low enough temperatures to vaporize the molasses, glycerin, and flavoring without combusting the tobacco (or other plant material). Wait a few minutes to ensure you’ve heated the flavored tobacco before you begin.
The hookah’s mouthpiece connects to a hookah hose that pulls the smoke through the hookah shaft. Along the way, the smoke’s filtered and cooled by the water in the base. Cooling the smoke results in thick clouds of smooth, flavorful shisha smoke and allows hookah users to inhale deeper and retain those breaths longer. Experts recommend waiting a couple of minutes between inhalations. You’ll also improve your shisha session if you drink water or mint tea before and during your smoke.
How long does a shisha session last?
Your equipment affects the length of your shisha sessions. Heat management devices, or HMDs, help prolong your shisha smoking. How you manage the heat with your hookah charcoal is a priority for how long a hookah bowl will last. Larger bowls also enable you to enjoy longer shisha sessions because they hold more shisha.
Your breathing rate also impacts the length of your hookah session. You'll enjoy a more extended shisha session if you space out your breaths.
The shape of your bowl and your shisha packing method also affect the length of your shisha sessions. While typical smoke sessions usually last between 45 minutes and one hour, learning about how long a bowl of shisha should last and factors affecting the length of your smoke session can ensure you enjoy longer smoke sessions.
Can I mix shisha flavors?
You can absolutely mix shisha flavors! One of the most exciting parts of smoking hookah is being able to unlock your own custom mixes by combining individual shisha flavors and creating blends that reflect your tastes as a hookah smoker. Learning the basics about mixing shisha tobacco is a fantastic way to expand your hookah use, ensuring hookah smokers discover shisha flavor combinations they love.
How do I store shisha?
Correctly storing your hookah tobacco products ensures they retain their flavor. Your shisha's flavor profile will deteriorate if it dries out, so you should keep it in an airtight container. Keeping your shisha in a cool, dry place is ideal. Many shisha brands include storage jars or tins that are ideal for storing your flavor, but you can also use a plastic Tupperware container or shisha storage container to help keep your tobacco fresh!
Does shisha expire?
Shisha has a shelf life, and most shisha brands have an expiration date between 1 and 2 years after the production date. Optimal storage can ensure your shisha lasts beyond the expiration date, which is why you must learn how to store your shisha flavors correctly to maximize its lifespan.
Are there tobacco-free or nicotine-free hookah flavors?
Yes! Many manufacturers make tobacco-free alternatives you can use for your shisha sessions. Tobacco-free alternatives include shisha made with natural porous rocks, hookah gels, or hookah paste. Hookah paste is organic, but it's a good idea to research the ingredients to ensure you're getting the best tobacco-free alternative for you.
You can also use herbal recipes instead of tobacco leaves. Each shisha brand has its own flavor formulas, and most keep their recipes secret, and herbal shisha molasses manufacturers are no exception. Although herbal shisha molasses makers may not share what they use in their recipes, common ingredients for herbal shisha include apple slices or sugarcane fiber.
The herbal ingredients are combined with honey or molasses, vegetable glycerin, and flavoring. Since this type of shisha is nicotine-free, you will not experience any form of nicotine head buzz. At Hookah-Shisha.com, we carry several herbal shisha brands.
What is the difference between blonde-leaf and dark-leaf shisha?
"Blonde" leaf and "dark" leaf are the two main types of shisha tobacco available for hookah use. Understanding the differences between blonde- and dark-leaf shisha tobacco can help you determine which of these two types of shisha tobacco is right for you.
Dark-leaf shisha flavors are made using dark brown (sometimes black) tobacco leaves that contain a much higher amount of nicotine and deliver a strong tobacco flavor. Dark-leaf shisha, or black-leaf shisha, is also unwashed shisha. Since it's unwashed, it retains all its nicotine and flavor.
Experts suggest new smokers start with blonde-leaf shisha flavors. Blonde-leaf shisha flavors are made using light brown, golden tobacco leaves. The blonde leaf is relatively low in nicotine and goes through the washing process during production. Washing these leaves removes more nicotine, ensuring the blonde-leaf shisha flavor delivers a smooth flavor without too much of a head buzz.
