Hookah Terminology - The Lingo You Need for Your Hookah Business

For many Hookah enthusiasts and Hookah heads, Hookah terminology is as natural as can be. This blog may just be a refresher for that group of Hookah smokers.  Not everyone has had the time and ability to learn all the Hookah lingo. Maybe you're just starting your Hookah business. Maybe you simply carry Hookahs in your retail store and would like a way to better communicate with your Hookah customers. Whatever the case may be, knowing your Hookah lingo can help set you apart and become the go to place for Hookah in your town.

There are quite a few different names and terms for a Hookah even. Nargileh, Waterpipe, Shisha, just to name a few. For the sake of this overview we will stick with Hookah.

Starting off, we have the Hookah Bowl which many refer to as a head, or sometimes phunnel/funnel as well. This is the past of the hookah you load your tobacco, or shisha in. If you aren't sure how to load a bowl, you can check out this easy tutorial that will have you rocking in no time!

Next we have the main portion of the Hookah. Most often called the Stem, but some folks call it a shank, or shaft, pipe, stem, to name a few common ones. 

On the stem you have the Hose port where you put your hose into the hookah. This is also sometimes called the hose adapter.  On the opposite side of the Hose port, you have the Purge Port, or Purge, or exhaust, exhaust valve, sometimes even just the valve. This is where when you blow into your hose, the purge valve will open up allowing the smoke from the base to escape. 

Next we have the Hookah Tray, or sometime called a plate, especially with how large and ornate trays are becoming these days. 

Moving along we have the Hookah base. This is often referred to as the glass, the jar, the vase, all very common terms for the Hookah base. The base is where you put the water to filter your Hookah session. You insert the stem into the base to bring the set up together. 

Next up we have the Hookah Hose. This is pretty much just called a hose, although I have heard terms like Tube before as well. The Hose will have 3 main components. It will have a handle, the tubing, and the hose heel. The handle is the end you hold and smoke out of, the tubing is the long, well, tubing on the hose. The heel is the opposite end of the handle and that is what you use to plug the hose into the Hookah Hose Port. 

The Hookah Grommets are one of the most critical parts of a Hookah. These small rubber pieces are what hold the entire set up together. You have the bowl grommet that you put on the top of your stem before you put your bowl on to ensure a nice air tight seal. 

The Hose grommet is what helps seal the heel of your hose into the hose port to again make sure the connection is nice and air tight so all you taste is the delicious hookah smoke. 

The last grommet we will talk about is the base grommet. This is the rubber piece that goes on the stem that helps it lock into place when you put it on the base. While most of the other grommet styles are universal, finding the perfect base grommet is a bit more difficult as with so many handmade hookahs on the market like Khalil Mamoon, etc there are minor size differences between stems and bases. There are a few tricks to getting a perfect fit with not too much effort. One trick I like to do when my base grommet isn't quite as snug or tight to the base as I would like. I take some athletic tape, or electrical tape and wrap a few layers on my stem before sliding my grommet on there. This will give you a custom and perfect fit every time!

Now that we have talked a bit about the different grommets, I should mention they are also often called Gaskets, or just rubber pieces as well.