Once again we are taking a look at the countless options you have when choosing a hookah and hookah accessories.
Today the subject is the different types of hookah stems that are out there.
First is what many people are most familiar with. The classic Egyptian stem. Hookahs, like the Khalil Mamoon Exotica pictured here, consist of a straight pipe acting as the actual stem, where smoke travels through the hookah, surrounded by an outer shell that is purely for aesthetics and can take many shapes. The outer appearance can range from simple to very elaborate and include things like acrylic inserts, as seen in the Magdy Zidan Oracle, or different kinds of metal, as seen in the Khalil Mamoon Trimetals. These stems are some of the most widely seen and makeup most of the lineup from Khalil Mamoon, Magdy Zidan and other Egyptian manufacturers. Most often these have a traditional chamber heart, which means that the hose port and the purge valve open up directly into the vase.
Next we have solid brass stems commonly found in Syrian hookahs. There is no outer shell. The entire stem is solid. Not every solid brass stem you find is Syrian though. The Magdy Zidan Cairo is a great example of an Egyptian stem that utilizes a solid brass construction. These hookahs also, for the most part, use traditional chamber hearts. Of course there are exceptions like in the case of the Darwish line. They are solid brass and Syrian but have what is known as a common plated chamber. The purge and hose port share a chamber inside the heart of the hookah and this makes it hard to purge because when you blow into the hose the air just circulates inside the heart and goes right out the purge instead of clearing out the vase.
There are other styles of hookah that fall into a more traditional category that you are not likely to find. Some hookahs designed for jurak and tobamel have wooden stems that are made to absorb and retain the flavors of what is smoked through them but also the nicotine. Then there are the outliers like the hand blown glass hookahs you can find once in a while that are often expensive but very cool. Meduse and Crown Hookahs are the only two I know of right now. There are even ceramic and clay hookahs like those made by Nectar Hookahs. The variation is endless.
Lastly, we have what I would refer to as the “Mod” type of hookah. These can vary so much it’s amazing. They can be solid brass, stainless steel, aluminum and pretty much anything else that can be used to mass produce hookahs. These hookahs are made in factories and are not hand crafted. Mya Saray is the most well known of the mod hookah companies. These hookahs are mostly made in China and have common plated chamber. This does not make them useless it just means that they can have a little trouble purging.
These are just some general guidelines to take into account when purchasing a hookah. Everyone has their own style preference and the most important thing to think about is really the function of the hookah anyway. Does it smoke well? Good. If it doesn’t then who cares how pretty it looks?
Related posts:
- What Is The Best Hookah?
- Cairo Professional Series Hookah
- Khalil Mamoon Halzone Large Single Hose Hookah
