Everywhere in the Middle East, in cities or rural villages, you will inevitably find people sucking on tall, usually cheaply made shisha pipes made from glass. This earthen Hookah from the Netherlands adds class to the popular past time. Just in time for Christmas?
Whereas most Hookah pipes are mass produced in factories, this gorgeous new interpretation is handmade in the Netherlands out of matte ceramic, granulated cork, which is one of the most sustainable materials on the planet given how quickly it is reproduced, earthenware, dolomite and other materials.
“The stiffness of ceramics is used in an optimal way,” according to Studio Lorier, which advertises this and other ceramic goods on Etsy.
“Even the cup for the tobacco is integrated in the ceramic top part. Sealing the hookah on crucial parts will be achieved by the flexibility of cork.”
The ceramic base is filled half way with water and the tobacco is placed loosely in the integrated ceramic cup. A stainless steel ring, which is provided, seals the aluminum foil on top of the cup, upon which the charcoal is placed. The product even comes with tongs, as well as a six foot black pipe.
Given the use of natural materials, this handcrafted, artisanal hookah makes conventional pipes look kind of sleazy, but we would be remiss to glamorize the practice of smoking.
(Related: Shiazo’s Burn and Stink Free Shisha Hits the Streets)
For a long time, people assumed that smoking shisha is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, since there are no added chemicals and it isn’t addictive, but a lot of research has come down the pipes to suggest otherwise.
In an earlier BBC article, the paper reports that teens who smoke shisha were found to have high levels of carbon monoxide in their bodies as a result of their exposure to the charcoal.
They had triple the amount coursing through their bodies than those who had not smoked shisha, while the feeling of being high, say experts, may be an early indicator of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The BBC’s Claire Hammond also reported that since people end up smoking a pipe for up to an hour, they end up taking 100-200 times more puffs than they would on a single cigarette.
We hate to be party poopers, especially since smoking shisha in the Middle East is considered every bit as acceptable as binge drinking in some western countries, but we say – if you’re going to do it, you may as well do it in style and in a way that is a little more earth friendly!
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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