Hookah - What's Next?

Hello again, and welcome to another weekly B2 blog post. Hookah as a whole has changed a lot over the last twenty or so years. For those of you unaware, we've seen things like the invention of coconut coals, "modern" shisha tobacco like Starbuzz, and the invention of HMDs as a whole over the last ten years or so alone. These are all things that almost everyone uses on a daily basis, and yet it's insane to think the fact that they didn't even exist ten or so years ago. But where do we go from here? What's the "next step" in hookah? I have a few ideas that I think we may see come to light over the next few years, but I also want your input. Yes, you, reading this. What do you think is going to be the next "big thing" in hookah? What's going to change the game? What's going to make my smoking experience even better, and how? I want to hear your thoughts in the comments below, in addition to what you think of my ideas. Electric Coals/Electric HMD Since HMD's are such a prevalent thing in the industry right now (as they should be), so I think that a natural progression is that we have an adjustable electric HMD, or electric coals. This is a hard thing to do, because shisha tobacco isn't meant to be smoked at the exact same temperature for the entirety of a session - as coals diminish, so does the vast majority of tobacco quality. The other issue - if a tobacco is smoked at full heat output for a prolonged period of time, won't it shorten the overall lifetime of a bowl? I'm not a scientist by any means, but I have no doubt that this isn't going to be an easy thing to research, let alone produce. That said, we've seen a lot of great innovations from great companies over the last year or two, so I think it's safe to say that a product like this isn't too far away. Adjustable Hoses This is something that, quite frankly, I'm surprised I haven't seen come to prevalence yet. Picture this - a hookah hose that can be adjusted to fit your every whim. Like longer hoses? Make it longer! Like shorter handles? Unscrew it! This is a really trivial thing, but I think these little things could make a huge difference in the long term. Granted, this kind of product has to be quality. While yes, maybe this is just a gimmick, it doesn't mean that the product has to be garbage. But imagine, a hose that can be customized to your every desire. Want a different hose material? No problem! Want a super long extendo hose? Done. It's not a super complex idea, nor is it something that would require a ton of manufacturing prowess to pull it off. However, I think it's a small thing that could help make buying the "perfect hose" an easier process. The "Self-Packer" Imagine a world where your hands are always clean, and your bowls are always perfect. Imagine it. Little bit more. Yeah, pure bliss, right? Imagine a world where you don't have to pack your own bowls, because the self packer does it for you. I honestly have no clue in the slightest of how this would be pulled off, but picture a little machine that packs your bowls for you. Every bowl will be consistent, and consistently awesome at that. There wouldn't be any margin for error, since there's no human element to the packing process, and every bowl comes out perfect. Again, I have literally no clue in the slightest how something like this would even be feasible... but I would absolutely love to see it happen. Maybe that's the lazy in me speaking, but it would be a major innovation for hookah, and it would be a very unique product to the market. Tell me your ideas! What do you think? Do you agree with my ideas? Or am I just spouting nonsense? Let me know! I want your opinions on this, and I'd like to see what you guys think the future of hookah is. Ultimately, the future is in our hands, and if you have a fantastic idea, go after it. Pursue it. Make it happen. Change the industry. No one else is going to do it for you, so you need to do it for the good of the community. I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments below! As always guys, thank you so much for reading, and happy smokes!