This Is The Art of Cloud

“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity--not a threat”

It seems that there is always a tension between innovation (let’s call it progress) and tradition (let’s call it status quo).  This fact is no less true in the world of the Hookah, Shisha, Nargile, Gelyoun, and Hubbly Bubbly.  In discussing our forthcoming “Electric Hookah Head™” with some people in the Hookah community, I’ve heard feedback that for some, the coal itself is part of the process and tradition of using a Hookah.

While I can certainly understand this perspective, I must humbly disagree.  The reality is that in the 600 or so years since Hookahs were first invented to filter tobacco smoke, the process and tradition has undergone continual changes.  In the beginning, most Hookahs were made from clay and had a solid wooden pipe to smoke from.  The coal sat directly on the tobacco (there was obviously no aluminum foil 600 years ago) and the tobacco was unflavored.  These first Hookahs were not very ornamental and were produced with function in mind, rather than the totality of the experience.  As time went on, decorative metal replaced clay, and ornate glass replaced metal, and soon, even this will change.  From this perspective, it becomes clear that the tradition of Hookah, Shisha, Nargile, Gelyoun, and Hubbly Bubbly use is to innovate and be creative–just looking at the myriad of names for the same thing demonstrates this in a poignant and elegant way.

Flash forward to the present and you have Sparx–the first major leap forward since the first tobacco flavors were produced.  One of our core values is innovation and with that creativity.  We don’t believe that taking the coal away from the Hookah diminishes, in any way, the experience.  If anything it makes it more pure.

Smoking a Hookah heated by coals produces ash, and other compounds that find their way into the Hookah users lungs; a result I believe we can all agree is best to avoid.  In addition to the harmful health effects of coal, the ash and compounds from the coal add a “flavor” (and I use that term loosely) that can only be described as “coaly.”  It’s not good, but it’s tolerable in most circumstances, even though it definitely diminishes the experience.

On the other hand, the Electric Hookah Head™ has no ash, maintains a purer flavor, and is, in every way, a healthier smoke than what one would get from coal.  I have sampled both, and the future is Electric.  Just as factories are moving towards a “greener” alternative, so too must this ancient art… the Art of Cloud™.

This is Sparx™!

Check out the latest press-release on Sparx: http://tinyurl.com/ygw2x7y.