How to smoke a Hookah pipe

Long associated with the Arab world and India, hookah pipes are enjoying a fresh surge of popularity in Europe, particularly among students and young people. A sociable way of smoking flavoured tobacco (and occasionally more potent substances), the distinctive glass-bottomed water pipes are popping up in trendy bars from Madrid to Moscow.

If you fancy a puff, at home or abroad, remember that a small pinch of shisha tobacco goes a very long way. If you're not getting much smoke or flavour, it's probably because your coals are not hot enough. Whether you inhale or not is up to you. There's no right or wrong way.

It's polite to invite your companions to share your pipe. Always leave your hookah at ground level and never pass it directly to another person. Put it down when you've finished with it and let the next person pick it up. It's considered very bad form to light a cigarette with the coals of your hookah.

Don't let the fruity flavours fool you into thinking shisha is harmless. You are still getting all the tar and nicotine of an ordinary cigarette, along with some nasty hydrocarbons from the smouldering charcoal. A 45-minute session of smoking a hookah pipe is the equivalent of having nine cigarettes.

· More information at www.shishapipe.net