“For centuries, men in the Middle East have gathered around hookahs to puff fruit-scented smoke, talk and pass the time. In the West, however, the water pipe became synonymous with drug culture in the 1960s, an association that lingers. But in the past couple of years, the hookah has been resurrected in youth-oriented coffeehouses, restaurants and bars, supplanting the cigar as the tobacco fad of the moment. “It’s a social thing to do. You can get a hookah and hang out,” says [Aaron] Rothe, passing the hose to his friends at the Parisian-style Gypsy Cafe. “It’s really smooth, like flavored steam almost.” The tobacco, wholesalers say, is grown in low-nitrogen soil, which makes its nicotine content lower than what is found in cigarettes…”
Berestein, Leslie. “Healthy or Not, the Hookah Habit Is Hot. Time Magazine Monday, Jan. 27, 2003
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