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For those of you that got the news, how did you feel about it? – The government has issued a warning to shisha cafes in Manchester about indoor smoking. A big shout out to all the Manchester shisha lovers.

The borough of Rusholme has seen more than 30 shisha cafes open up in the last 3 years. The excuse by the government is that smoking in enclosed areas is against the law

Two cafes in Rusholme, ‘Shotz Café’ and ‘Blue Mist’ were fined £3000 for allowing customers to smoke shisha in smoke-free areas. The owners had to face the court and were subsequently found guilty of the offence. The government saw this as a ‘warning to other businesses that think they can get away with the law’.

Challenges faced

There are a couple of major concerns raised about hookah smoking: Firstly, there are several shisha cafes that operate illegally. Secondly, local residents to the lounges have also reported anti-social behaviour resulting from shisha cafes operating till early hours of the morning.

In this light, the local councils are working with café owners to make owners fully aware of the consequences of allowing indoor smoking. The councils also claim that they are working with the police, the fire service and HMRC to implement enforcement issues later on in the year.

Given the growing concerns of the illegal hookah cafes, the local councils intends to launch a campaign against the offence as well as shisha smoking as a whole – perceives shisha smoking to be more dangerous than cigarette smoking.

Is this supposed to mean that we should stop smoking shisha? – Of course not. If the government’s intention is to scare away shisha lovers then they should try another trick.

The good thing is that the only area affected so far is Manchester. There are several shisha cafes around the UK. Check out the shisha lounges page.

This brings me to the next topic: Is shisha smoking more harmful than cigarette smoking? I need your opinions on these. Check out my knowledge centre and blog – I will be come up with a blog on that in the coming weeks.

Like I promised, I am back this time to feed you all on what popped up in my mind whilst I was enjoying a shisha smoke. I was having a good time – perfect shisha, perfect tobacco, perfect flavour, perfect lounge and environment but the music was enough to put me off smoking Shisha temporarily. (Of course not, Smoking shisha is my part-time job).

On this note, I am writing this blog to share my views on the several genres of music that could give your shisha smoking experience an extra spice. Remember, they are my views – could conflict with yours. I randomly conducted a survey on the choice of music for a smoke whilst in my regular café. This is what I gathered:

R & B

Most of you expected R&B to be first choice right? Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce were the few names I gathered. (You might think I asked girls only – of course not). Imagine the sound of ‘We found love’ or ‘Born this way’ just when you’re about to start your smoke. For you girls, picture yourself having a good smoke whilst the DJ steams the beat of ‘Run the World (girls)’.

Automatically, the groove is on and you are motivated to exhale your smoke to the beat of the song.

Arabic Jams

For those of you who read the blog on the history of shisha, you would find out that shisha was originated from the Arabic countries. So no doubt that many of us would love some Arabic jams whilst having a smoke. Some suitable tracks in this genre are: ‘Baghdad’ by Bernard Herrmann, Any Nancy Ajram  track, classical arrabic, ‘Mundian to Bach Ke’ (a.k.a Beware of the Boys) and other recent tunes by Panjabi MC or Matisyahu. Also, many of us would fancy Arabic techno.

Jazz

For ultra-chill, how about Bohren & Der club of Gore? The ambiance will be all over the place.

Hip/Hop

Many of us like to smoke and rap to the lines of Drake, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, especially if you get the flow right. If you smoking at a lounge/café, how would you feel if everyone is singing to the same song? That would definitely get you going.

Bashment

Every lounge would play bashment at some point during their hours. You need some tunes by Vybz Kartel to keep you in the mood. As for the ladies, the majority will rise from their seats, heading for the dance floor.

Classics (Instrumentals)

In as much as we all love some ambiance whilst having a smoke, sometimes all we need is a quite environment to tick all the boxes when it comes to shisha smoking. You might have had a bad day at work and counting on the hookah to relieve you of the stress. You definitely need some smooth, soothing jams. How about classics by Floyd, Zeppelin and the Stones?

These recommendations are well suited to those who rely on music to get the best out of you. Might not work out for you. For others, the music isn’t really an issue because the hookah tends to enhance whatever mood they already in .It’s fair to say that music has a great part to play.

Sorry for the delay in publishing very enriching blogs. I have been busy visiting and recommending some favourable bars and lounges, forgetting that I have to feed you all with some information valuable to give you the best shisha smoke of your lifetime. My badL

The good news is I now have better insights as I took out time to visit popular and emerging shisha lounges across the UK. As a matter of fact, I was present for the opening of Vapour Lounge. Check out their page Vapour Shisha Lounge

On with the show.

We all know shisha smoking is a very recreational activity especially when you are able to blow out monster clouds and bubbles. What if in the course of having a smoke, you get frail and flavourless smoke?

Personally, if that happened to me, I am going to bail out. LOLJ. To solve this problem, I’ve identified a few potential reasons that might have prompted this mix-up.

Your hookah might be leaking

Most of you will ignore this – it is understandable because we sometimes are in a hurry to get the ecstasy of the shisha experience. Check your shisha tube for any leaks. You will always get thin smoke if air is penetrating into your shisha. This is because:

1. Fresh air is mixing up with the array and weakening the smoke.
2. Because air has penetrated, there isn’t any heat to warm up the coals that produce the smoke.

Double-check your heat

This actually has to be the 1^st reason. If there’s no heat, how do you expect to get smoke? (Some of you have your heads down now). The amount of coal you use will depend on the size of your bowl. For instance a single lemon coal won’t be enough heat unless you are using a tiny bowl. Modern-styled tobaccos produce heat easily so all you need is the appropriate amount of coal. 2 pieces of coal should be enough to give you an excellent smoke.

How old is your shisha and tobacco?

This is pretty obvious – the older your shisha/tobacco, the less smoke it exhales. If you’re still using the same shisha your parents used then it’s high time you do some retailers some good – check online for some good deals on shisha tubes and fresh tobacco.

In summary, if you have a modern shisha with the appropriate amount of coal, then you are set to go. Enjoy your smoke and stay tuned as I will be releasing more blogs regularly.

If you a football fan, finding the perfect Shisha Spot to support your team is no easy task with Screensize, seating and other factors either making or breaking your experience.

Cafe Natural Shisha lounge

In light of Manchester City playing Tottenham and Arsenal playing Manchester United this sunday I though I would share my top five Shisha Cafes to watch the games:

Located in the heart of Camden this is a lovely small shisha place in London. The coffee is perfect, “I’m a coffee snob so i should know” shisha smoke is of great quality and has a nice atmosphere.

Read More

Pasha Shisha Lounge Bradford

A must visit shisha café with a blend of European, North African and Asian frameworks. With a capacity of over 500, fellow shisha lovers can all conglomerate in one joint to share their lifetime experiences while smoking a variety of shisha flavours.

Pasha Shisha is not just a shisha lounge but a restaurant serving affluent meals at affordable prices and the bar is hugely recognised for its styled range of cocktails. Just located off Leeds road, it is easily accessible and welcomes early bookings for huge
events.

Read More

Moroccan Gardens

A quaint indoor Shisha Lounge, with a good atmosphere.

Read More

Starlight Cafe at Peaches

Nice fully outdoor Shisha Cafe with a nice size screen

Read More

Find a nice Shisha spot in the winter is a tricky task, if you are anything like me finding a shisha cafe with ample heating is difficult and with the smoking laws stating that 50% of a cafe should be open to the elements  this definitely makes it trickier.

Here is my top Shish cafes in London perfect for the seasonal break.

Coco browns  – Ilford (Ice Shish/ Hookah)

Coco Browns cafe is located on Ilford lane, Ilford is way overdue a real coffee shop and this hits the spot, Coco Browns has a luxurious Shisha Lounge at the back of the venue the ceiling of the lounge is decorated in small led lights and along with the low lighting add to a sophisticated atmosphere.

Find out more >

Pasha Bradford

A must visit shisha café with a blend of European, North African and Asian frameworks. With a capacity of over 500, fellow shisha lovers can all conglomerate in one joint to share their lifetime experiences while smoking a variety of shisha flavours.

Find out more >

Moroccan gardens- Ilford (Regular Shisha)

A quaint indoor Shisha Lounge, with a good atmosphere and women looking for some privacy will love the women’s only aera.

Find out more >

Funky Brownz

Awesome Cafes all over the UK providing great Shisha, food and atmosphere

 Find out more >

What makes you and I want to rush to a shisha lounge for an exciting shisha smoke is the flavouring of the tobacco. When smoking a shisha, the fruit-flavoured tobacco smells affluent and tastes smooth which gives you an intriguing experience. Smoking flavoured shisha is a sociable, fun, relaxing and romantic activity and takes the stress out of individuals. It is a good chance to have an ‘informal’ business meeting or a date with your partner.

There are loads of sensational, fruity and smooth shisha flavours available for shisha lovers. Shisha flavours that are 100% tobacco and nicotine-free are highly recommended for shisha lovers. You should make sure that your chosen flavour falls in this category in order to have the time of your life. Popular shisha flavour molasses such as Soex and High-life herbal are great tasting and very original.

There are two different types of shisha available; regular tobacco flavours and herbal shisha tobacco flavours. Just as the name suggests, regular tobacco is for those who are regular smokers. For those of you who don’t smoke, don’t feel left out. Herbal tobacco is just for you. It contains natural ingredients and artificial flavours and has 0% tobacco and 0% nicotine. Below are shisha flavours classed in the two main categories:

Herbal Molasses flavours:

Tobacco flavours:

It is worth trying to mix 2 or more shisha flavours above in order to have a new and complex taste. You can even start your own brand by having tested and mixed up several flavours to produce a cocktail. You can customise the flavour to be sweet or sour as you wish. Popular mixtures include lemon, lime & mint. Also, you might want to add ice or other ingredients such as vodka, wine, fruit juice or any form of liquor to the water to give it a nourishing taste and enhance the experience.

Popular mixtures of shisha flavours include:

Bang Bang                              Big Bruce                                First Date

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Check out theCafe Cush Hoodies, Cafe Cush is an great Shisha Cafe in the heart of Leyton and definatley worth a visit.

Check it out..

It will always be worth stopping down for a Shisha smoke at a luxurious shisha lounge after a lengthy day of work or lectures. However, with the harsh rainy weather and winter coming up, fellow shisha lovers would tend to buy their shisha tubes and smoke from home. Not a bad idea after all. It is important that shisha lovers are guided on how to setup a perfect shisha to set themselves in a perfect condition for an indoor smoke. You might think these steps are as long as your arm but after having practised a few times, you would smoke shisha even in the mornings once you rise from bed. This is a much detailed guide on how to setup your own shisha.

Step 1: Fill the vase of your shisha pipe with water. Ensure that the pipe is not overfilled – water level should be approximately an inch above the bottom of the metal tube when immersed into the water

Step 2: Position the shisha tube over the water vase. Monitor that it fits securely with
no air passage. You should find a rubber cork between the vase and the metal stem to
keep everything air tight.

Step 3: Place the metal circular tray on the top of the shisha stem.

Step 4: Position the clay bowl on to the top of the metal shisha stem. You should again find another cork to keep the link between the stem and bowl air tight

Step 5: Ensure that the whole shisha pipe is setup in an air tight manner. You can test this by placing your hand over the top of the shisha bowl and then suck through the hose. For everything to go according to plan, you should feel a downward pull on your hand and bubbles would instantly start forming in the water vase. If any of the two don’t happen then re-check all the steps above and find out the source of the air leak.

Step 6: Once you have an air tight shisha tube, you are about set to go. Add some flavoured tobacco of your choice into the shisha clay bowl. Sprinkle it onto the bowl and do not overfill the bowl so as to allow air circulation. Ideally, it should be filled to the top of the bowl.

Step 7: Cover the bowl with some foil paper to make it flat and air tight .Using a sharp object (e.g. a toothpick), create tiny holes in the form of a circle along the top of the bowl so that air can circulate through.

Step 8: Light up your favourite shisha charcoal and position over the foiled clay bowl using a pair of tongs. Blow up the lighted coal so it becomes red hot. Remember that too many coals will make your smoke a little fumy.

Step 9: You are set for a smoke from the shisha hose. Be patient and wait for the charcoal to heat properly by taking quick and short sucks on the mouthpiece. It should take 2 minutes or less. You should now get the flavour of your chosen shisha tobacco. Do not forget to wash up your shisha after having a smoke especially if you change flavours regularly. The remains of some flavours accumulate on the shisha if notwashed off. It’s recommended to brush the metal section of the shisha and wash the water vase with warm water.

With the big Manchester derby imminent, finding the perfect Shish cafe is essential, Bellow is my list of the best Shisha Lounges to catch the football this weekend.

Cafe Cush

With a Huge project and large seating capacity Cafe Cush is the perfect place to catch the game, Not to mention their exquisite Shisha and milkakes.

Check out Cafe Cush

Pasha Shisha Lounge

With a Seating Capacity of over 500, Pineapple Shisha Heads, desserts and shakes the Pasha Lounge is the place you want to be.

Read Shisha Lovers Pasha Lounge review or check out the Pasha Shisha Lounge

Majlis Gardens Shisha Lounge

On the roof tops on a warehouse building in Leicester the Majlis Gardens Shisha Lounge is a pleasant surprise. The Seating capacity and various screens will provide a great atmosphere

Check out Majlis Gardens

Coffee Inn Shisha Lounge

A small place with a regular Man u following go here if you want good food and want some atmosphere. Call before you go to ensure they are open for the early kick off…

Check out Coffee Inn