In contemporary society, the sight of a woman lighting up a cigarette has become a notable trend, rare though it may be, reflecting a unique fashion statement. When one’s gaze falls upon elegantly dressed women, their nails painted in a kaleidoscope of colors, casually holding a cigarette between their fingers and gracefully exhaling rings of smoke, I am invariably reminded of my father’s old copper hookah.
It has witnessed decades of his leisure, becoming a silent companion to his dialogues with time. As my siblings and I grew up, married, and ventured into business, our family’s fortunes improved. With gentle persuasion, we finally convinced our father to retire his beloved hookah to a spot on the bookshelf, ending its daily use. It now guards memories of the past, the smoke of yesteryears no longer kindled.
The villagers affectionately refer to it as “the old hookah.” Forged from pure copper, its round body and solid base were designed to hold just enough water for smoke to be filtered through. The lid fits snugly, with a pipe extending from its side . The long, curved stem is adorned with hand-carved patterns, each a testament to the passage of time, marrying beauty with function.
In the 1980s, when the pace of life seemed slower and the divide between city and country was more pronounced, my father reveled in the leisurely ambiance that surrounded him. Despite the popularity of cigarettes, he always preferred the traditional charm and rich tobacco flavor offered by his copper hookah. In those less materialistic times, the hookah became a part of his way of savoring life.
what is copper hookah
Perhaps due to its venerable age, the hookah’s once lustrous hue has faded to a pale tint. The structure of the hookah is rectangular, comprised of two primary components: the mouthpiece and the body. The movable mouthpiece is round and faces upward, attached to auous sin pipe. A short distance from where the lips meet the piece is a mesh filter, placed to hold the tobacco above and prevent it from slipping through.
The lower section of the movable mouthpiece is a hollow cylinder that fits snugly into a correspondingly larger round aperture within the body of the hookah, designed for easy removal of the mouthpiece to discard the ashes and to refill the body with water; the hollow center of the body is filled with water to filter the smoke, mitigating the impact of the tar and safeguarding the smoker’s health.
Located at the rear of the body is a compartment for storing tobacco. The pipe is slender and slightly curved, ascending well above the rear of the body to facilitate the drawing of smoke. The entire hookah carries an air of dignified beauty, making it a valuable collectible as a piece of craftsmanship. The water tobacco available in the market at that time, brought in from distant places and processed locally, shone a bright yellow and exuded a heady fragrance of tobacco.
How to smoke a copper hookah
Smoking a hookah is deceptively intricate. It all starts with the water in the base, which must be measured with precision for optimal smoke filtration. When drawing from the hookah, one must find the sweet spot for the stem’s submersion—neither too deep nor too shallow. If too deep, a seasoned smoker knows to pinch the stem and gently pull to release a few drops of water; if too shallow, a careful addition of water is needed, drop by drop, until each draw feels smooth and effortless.
Then comes the mastery of the draw itself. Beginners often struggle with too soft a pull, resulting in a weak flow that fails to properly ignite the tobacco, leaving the rich aromas untapped. Draw too hard, and you’re met with a harsh backlash as the water rushes up, stinging the throat and bringing tears to the eyes. Once the tobacco is set, lips form a tight circle, and a controlled breath ignites the coal, the flame gently coaxing the bowl. Drawing on the mouthpiece, the smoke bubbles through the water with a deep, rhythmic gurgle. A rich tapestry of tobacco aroma unfolds in the air, smoothing out the creases of time on an elder’s face, as contentment washes over like a soothing spring, seeing comfort and tranquility deep into the soul .