The Egyptian Hubbly is The gold standard of luxury hookahs – but why?
“An industry leader, highly sought after and the prime hookah that all other hookahs are compared to.”
In this article we break down why this type of hookah has become the de facto go-to in the world of hubbly bubbly.
What is an Egyptian Hubbly?
Without a doubt the most known and widely available hookah today, Egyptian hubblys are considered the most authentic version of hubblys and highly sought after in the hookah world. It’s a combination of traditional and classic styles; a true air of the old world and one with which you can enjoy the pleasures of smoking from a traditional hookah.
Origin of the Egyptian Hubbly
Even though hookah smoking did not necessarily originate in Egypt, it sure is thanks to this branch of the hookah’s evolution that has made the pipe so popular.
Let’s take a quick look at the breakdown below:
16th Century
The first hookah smoking pipe was reportedly created in the 16th century by a Persian physician of Akbar; Abdul-Fath Gilani, in the Indian city of Fatehpur Sikri during Mughal India.
From here it spread to Persia first, where the mechanism was modified before spreading further on to the near East.
19th Century
Fast forward to the 19th century – the hookah tradition has spread to the Middle East where traditional forms of hookah tobacco seen prior was reformed into “Mu’Assel” by mixing the tobacco with honey or molasses.
The term “Mu’Assel” is translated to “with honey” but refers to flavoured tobacco in general – as even mint, watermelon, lemon, and grape was added to the concoctions.
To support all the wonderful new flavours as well as assisting in keeping the tobacco cool, a purge port (or purge valve) was introduced and added to the heart of the hookah. Little did they know at the time, but this changed the course of hookah history entirely.
For those who don’t know: a purge port/valve is an exit-only opening that is used to remove left over / excess smoke from the vase. Simply blow into your hookah hose and the vase will empty itself of smoke – particularly handy when your session is overheating. The smoke may become pungent and taste unpleasant in the case where one heats your shisha too hard, or you had prepared your bowl imprecisely.
Shisha became such a popular way of passing time and socialising with one another, its integration into society had grown so deep that shisha cafes were erected to accompany the growing demand of hookah enthusiasts. Shisha promoted a community among the patrons and workers alike, uniting all races, living classes and genders alike.
20th Century
By now the hookah mechanism has grown to be widely known and by this time had deepened its culture throughout India, Persia, Turkey, the Middle East and even neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Israel – each culture adding their own “spin off” and unique details.
By the late 1900’s, the hookah culture had spread to almost every country in the world, as countries where it originated carried their custom with them as a way to share a piece of their culture with the world.
21st Century
The hookah industry surfaces in the United States and US pioneers found ways to improve upon traditional designs with modern technology.
And thus, the “modern” hookah was born.
Are Egyptian Hubblys Good?
They’re the industry gold-standard for quality hookahs, most or all other hookah smoking experiences being compared to the drag you get out of an Egyptian hubbly.
And the fact that they’re mildly priced and widely available makes this traditional hookah an absolute must-have for any hookah enthusiast.
They’ve got the “perfect open draw’, making it easy to inhale larger amounts of smoke without much effort at all. Their traditional bowls are made up of red clay or ceramic, which does a fantastic job at retaining the heat provided by your coal. Their beautiful, ornate shafts are mostly made of copper – however can also be a mixed metal. (Stainless steel, copper, or brass)
Traditional Egyptian hubblys do not support the use of HMD’s (Heat management systems) , so you’ll have to stick to old school foil and precision hole pricking to make the best of your mechanism.
Egyptian bowls pull air through your tobacco, rather than around it. (As with phunnel bowls) This ensures a flavourful puff each and every time, no matter what type of tobacco you’re smoking.
Note: Most traditional hookahs only have a single draw pipe, and benefit from smoking a single flavoured tobacco. The water can be left in the vase after a session, further enriching the flavour of your next session.
Why are Egyptian Hubblys so popular?
Most hookahs that can be bought over the counter today are either traditional Egyptian hookahs or modern Chinese or American spin-offs. Since the Asia’s and America’s were latecomers to the hookah market, traditional Egyptian hookahs are still popularly spoken of and has built up its reputation to be the “gold standard” in luxury hookah smoking.
Their flat bowl design is perfect for enjoying traditional blends of hookah tobacco. They favour dry and sticky traditional tobaccos above the juicer modern tobacco with molasses.
Sure, you can get modern, “improved upon” versions manufactured in many places like Russia, America, China etc. but you’ll always face the issue of quantity over quality.
Modern hookahs mostly have more than one draw pipe and are almost infinitely customizable. In the end, it really just boils down to what your smoking style is.
Egyptian hubbly features: Pros vs Cons
As with anything, Egyptian hookahs come with their pros and cons. We’ve made a short summary below, starting with the pros.
Drag tightness – Egyptian hubblys offer a loose drag, although not as loose as modern hubblys. This delivers a satisfying, yet elegant smoking experience.
Availability – Egyptian hubblys are available in most hookah shops and are one of the most widely available hookah types today.
Single piece mechanism – Unlike modern hookahs that need to be assembled using 3-4 parts, seals and extra settings, traditional Egyptian hubblys are one single piece (or stem) that’s simply placed down into the water vase – simple as that! This reduces maintenance and is much easier to set up.
Low cost – Egyptian hubblys are perfectly priced for their reputation. They’re a little pricier than most modern hookahs, but more affordable than rare, collectable or extremely ornate Persian or Syrian hookahs. To simplify – you’ll get a great bang for your buck without spending a small fortune.
Ash contamination – Because of the design of the bowl (5 holes on a flat surface) tobacco might enter the inside of the bowl and obstruct the copper shaft and leak down your rubber seal. This can be avoided by proper packing of your bowl; simply by packing both less and loosely around the air openings.
Possible burning of tobacco – Packing the bowl too tight, especially towards where the tobacco will come in contact with the foil, will result in your top layer of tobacco being burnt and leaving an undesirable flavour sensation – not something you would prefer above your favourite flavour, we can promise you that.
Clay bowls can break easily – Without a doubt, one of the least favourite aspects of traditional hookahs. Chipped clay or ceramic bowls decrease overall heat retention and can ruin the aesthetics of your mechanism. Even worse, they can also completely shatter quite easily when dropped.
Flat bowl design – Be careful when packing your bowl, packing it too tight over the air inlets might result in clogging.
Tobacco types: Egyptian vs phunnel bowls
Egyptian bowls are fantastic to have for traditional blends of hookah tobacco. The airflow focused through the bottom of the bowl is needed for those dry and sticky tobaccos to give you the best session possible.
On the other hand, phunnel bowls are ideal for all modern tobacco types as they are juicy, rather than sticky. The juice that makes up these blends will be saved by the dish instead of escaping down the five-hole-design of Egyptian bowls.
Egyptian bowls are great if you want to burn through all the tobacco you packed in a shorter time, providing beautiful and strong flavour. Their bowl design can be seen as a downfall however, as modern hookah tobacco types can drip through (unless meticulously packed) which then leaves the tobacco leaves defenceless against the heat.
This can lead to heat-management issues or even just your session being cut short.
Although phunnel bowls seem like the clear winner when using modern hookah tobacco, they can prove harder to pack than the Egyptian bowl at first. Packed too tight, you may end up burning through the first layers of shisha instead of having the heat travelling evenly through everything.
And of course, no one likes benign left with unused hookah tobacco after a session.
Summary
Traditional Egyptian vs modern hookahs – which type of smoker are you?
If you prefer smoking with a group of friends (3 or more including yourself) a modern hookah might be your best bet. Flavours can be swapped out session after session without affecting one another, and up to 4-6 people can smoke simultaneously.
The drag is very loose and smoking almost feels like it has no resistance.
If you’re someone who considers yourself a hookah enthusiast, someone who enjoys a hookah by themselves or even just with one extra person, a traditional Egyptian hubbly will absolutely tower above any aspect of modern hookahs.
They thrive when only a single flavoured tobacco is used, (great when you know what your ideal flavour is) and flavours will become more intense as you use the same flavour again and again. Keeping the same water in the vase will also add to a more intense session when you smoke again.
The drag is loose, but has just enough tightness to offer a stimulating experience where one doesn’t have to fully inhale to get the feeling you’re after. There’s good reason people refer to Egyptian hubblys as the industry “gold standard of luxury hookahs”
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