Jungle Fever: Smoking Paraphernalia & Legal Highs

Cleaning bongs, vaporizers and pipes is essential to keeping your equipment in first class condition and ensuring a good smoking experience.

Most people want an effective, but simple, cleaning technique that is not going to take too much time and also does not present them with the risk of damaging their bong; whether it be a simple acrylic version, highly sophisticated glass bong or a multi-pipe bong, when they come to use it the day after a heavy party.

There are a number of options when choosing cleaning products for you bongs and pipes. The company promotes the Dr Green Bong Cleaner, which is suitable for use on acrylic, metal, glass and ceramics.

For the lazier cleaner there is also the option of the twist-a-pipe, which is as simple to use as it is to clean and means you can choose what length pipe you use each time by pulling out and twisting the pipe to the desired length. The pipes are made from anodised aluminium, making them unlikely to break, however much twisting, pulling and cleaning you do.

Other methods for cleaning bongs that have been tried by users include using acetone and pipe cleaners. Alcohol and salt are also sometimes used as a cheap and effective method. Roor produce their own range of cleaning accessories for Roor pipes and bongs and there are a number of products out there to ensure your bong does not become dirty and full of smoke you do not want hanging around for your next session.

ROOR pipes are produced by renowned glass moulding company Roor, which is also well known for its range of bongs.

Roor do a variety of steam roller pipes, which are all hand blown and made from silicate glass, using generous quantities to make their Roor Pipes more durable.

The design of Roor pipes is renowned by both new and more established users across the world. In 2009, the company scooped first prize in the glass category at the 22nd ‘High Times Cup’ in Amsterdam. The company showcased the Roor Excalibur, which stands at over six feet tall.

Roor are known for their unique twist on the market, adding fun and originality to their designs, particularly in the form of the 33-piece Cypress Hill collector’s editions.

The company also has an enviable reputation as one of the best bong suppliers internationally, due to their ease of use and the quality of glass, which makes them more durable and easier to clean.

The range of bongs available caters for every need, from small indoor pipes to the larger Icemaster models, which is where they start to become more expensive. 

Roor are produced in Germany, but have a strong reputation and following in Holland. The company seems to have thought of everything to make their product stand out, not only in the precision and durability of the design, but also in the quality of the replacement parts available. Hand blown glass bowls are available in plain designs for functionality and also in unique and detailed designs for people who want to give their bong an added twist of interest.

The company also produces bong bags, rolling papers and stash jars and with the quality of material and reputation they have gained, it is easy to see why they are one of the biggest providers in the market today.

One of the most enjoyable ways to consume tobacco is with the aid of a hookah. Of course, the main charm of the hookah is that it can accommodate multiple smokers at the same time. There are many different types of hookah, and the styles range from plain to flamboyant. For those in the know, the most colourful and flamboyant types of hookah are usually accompanied by novelty ashtrays.       

As far as more classic styles, most often the skinny middle section of the hookah is comprised of some type of metal. Actually, this is even true of more modern hookah designs, as this section of the hookah must be durable.

The bottom section of the hookah is where the most variety tends to appear. This bottom section may be comprised of glass, or of wood. It may be clear or solid. In any case, this section of the hookah is usually stylized. If an artist made the hookah in question, this is where the telltale signs would be found.

Roor pipes have a well deserved reputation as the finest smoking pipes available. Noted for their modern minimalist design with clean straight lines, Roor pipes are admired by glass blowers just as much as smokers as an excellent example of their art.

Made from borosilicate glass they are exceptionally strong, their sturdy construction is a major reason for the quality difference over their cheaper, but more fragile competitors. The Roor pipes come in a range of thickness from 2mm to their green line of pipes with 7mm walls. Each level is a significant progression in strength, and also price.

Roor pipes also come in a range of chamber sizes up to the Blue 1000, which as its name suggests holds 1000 ml of smoke. The chambers are also well engineered so that the scientifically determined optimum ratio of water and smoke can be reached to maximise the smoker’s enjoyment. Most customers choose the straight shaped chamber, but those who prefer a smoother smoke can opt for a beaker base that allows extra cooling. Roor has also introduced the Classic Pipe with a bulb base, reminiscent of the water pipes of the Middle East and the Orient.

The superb meeting of form and function that Roor pipes embody make them the standard that other pipes should aspire too. They may be pricey, but they remain the prime choice for those who refuse to compromise on quality.

Hookah pipes are a way of smoking tobacco or other mixed herbal ingredients where the substance being smoked has been cooled by water before being inhaled. This large water pipe originally came from India, but is particularly associated with the Middle East, especially Iran and Turkey. Its popularity with smokers of legal substances has grown over the years as it also offers the opportunity to be shared socially.

Hookahs are referred to by many names: the hubble bubble pipe, shisha or narghile being quite common. The pipes come in many different shapes and sizes, some with ornate decorations that make them attractive as ornamental, as well as practical, pieces.

Using a Hookah Pipe

At the base of the pipe is a glass vase that is filled with water, and a down stem is submerged. At the top of the pipe, tobacco is heated then smoke is produced and is sucked through a hose down the stem into the water in the vase at the bottom. The smoke then rises above the water and into the opening of the hose port, then reaching the mouth of the smoker.

Smokers who use hookah pipes do not need to use glass ashtrays or other similar products like spinning ashtrays, though many will have a range of paraphernalia depending on which legal high they are using. A hookah is not easily portable, so other accessories such as Roor Pipes or a Rizla rolling machine are more likely to provide easier access to the required substance if on the move.

There are many different types of bongs out there, but perhaps none as special and individual as Roor pipes. The world-renowned German glass blower, Martin Birzle and his team specialise in perfecting 2mm-7mm thick glass bongs. Each individual bong has the signature mark of the creator to ensure its authenticity.

Roor pipes can be bought over the internet and in specialist shops, but always keep an eye out for the signature mark. They start at around £80-£90 which may sound somewhat expensive, but their quality and usability is of a very high standard.

How to Use Your Roor Pipe

•    Make sure your pipe is clean, dry and free of any dust or other particles that may be harmful if inhaled. Your Roor pipe will only give you the optimum experience if it is properly maintained and looked after.

•    Test the optimum water level by heating some water in a clean and substance free pipe. You do not want too little water, which will hinder the proper vaporisation of your tobacco or other legal high. Similarly, you do not want too much, as it might bubble up and touch your mouth, which can be dangerous and painful.

•    Ensure that whatever you are smoking is correctly spread out in the bowl of the pipe, so that vaporisation occurs consistently and evenly.

•    When you are ready to start smoking, light the substance and inhale deeply. Make sure that you remove the bowl so that the pipe is only filled with enough smoke that you can empty in one motion.

Cigarettes now have a pretty bad reputation, and pipe smoking and cigars follow close behind because they all involve the inhalation of smoke, which contains carcinogenic elements.  There is, however, an alternative to these which has been around for several thousand years and removes most of the harmful products that cause cancer and various other conditions.

We are talking about the bong, a variation on and probably original form of the more familiar hookah pipe, or hubble-bubble, which is still commonly seen throughout the Middle East today.  Bongs have their origins in the countries of Eastern Asia such as Thailand, and the unusual name comes from the Thai word for a hollow bamboo shoot, which was the original inhalation conduit.

Hookah pipes and bongs use the same method of getting purified smoke to the lungs rather than inhaling it directly from the burning plant material.  They use water as a filtration mechanism to filter out the harmful molecules, which become trapped in the water as the smoke bubbles through.  The tube is then used to suck up the vapour when the bubbles burst above the water, hence the common description, ‘hubble-bubble’.

Vaporizers cut out the smoke entirely by only heating the plant mixture to a point just short of actual combustion to release a vapour of active ingredients, and are widely regarded as the safest equipment for inhaling plant products.  The sophisticated Volcano Vaporizer is used in aromatherapy to give patients controlled dosages of vapour.

A hookah pipe is a type of water pipe that is used for legal herbal smoking. It consists of a container that is filled with water, through which the smoking material – a legal herb – is filtered. A tube extends from the top of the container and holds a small bowl with live, hot coal, upon which the herbs are placed. The tube extends down through the water and a mouthpiece attached to a flexible tube is connected to the side of the container. When the smoke is inhaled through the mouthpiece, air pressure pulls the smoke from the burning coals through the water, filtering it from particles. Diagrams and explanations related to the way the hookah works, and how it is constructed, can be found on the Internet.

Hookahs are often called shishas, from the Persia word for glass or bottle. Hookah pipes come in various styles, known as Syrian and Egyptian hookahs, and one can easily find travelling hookahs and custom-designed hookahs. A conventional hookah is made of blown glass and is usually decorated elaborately with bits of enamel or gold paint, porcelain, silver, carved stones, or pieces of leather.

Legal herb smoking, through hookahs, pipes, and bongs, is big business these days. A whole line of accessories exists for the hookah, including metal tongs and special charcoal that can burn for a half hour or more. Legal herbs are smoked most often in social groups. When this is the case, the hookah is not passed around; instead, it is simply set down between uses to allow other smokers to take a turn.

Herbal smoking is growing in popularity and is currently enjoyed by many people around the world. This legal activity requires the smoker to inhale the fumes of various herbs as they are burned. The inhaling is done through pipes and bongs, sometimes called chillums, or through filled and rolled cigarette papers. In addition to pipes and bongs, herbal-high vaporisers are used by people who are sensitive to smoke. Vaporizers are also used for inhalation therapy, when treating respiratory illnesses, such as asthma.

Generally, the herbs consumed in herbal smoking are legal to possess. A herbal high is pleasant, and much less intense and brief than a cannabis-induced high. Herbs that are used for legal smoking are also commonly used in teas and often in cooking. Some of the herbs used in herbal smoking to achieve legal highs are hops, salvia divinorum, chamomile, ginseng, damiana, wild dagga, kava kava, passionflower, and there are more. When herbs are combined, smokers often use a substance called mugwort powder that acts as binding material to hold together the mixture. The herbs are then put into the pipe, bong or chillum, where they are lit and smoked.

Many of these herbs come from Hawaii and Mexico, where they are grown. However, no matter what the country or area of origin is these herbs can be purchased over the Internet. Herbs, bongs, rolling paper, instructions for smoking and all the information you can possibly need for obtaining a legal herbal high can be found online.

A pipe smoker must have accessories to really enjoy this kind of hobby. A humidor or pipe rack is not a necessity, but other accessories are essential.

Some of these are butane lighters or wooden matches, a pipe tool, and pipe cleaners. Butane lighters or matches are needed to light the pipe, a pipe tool includes a tamper and reamer, and the pipe cleaner is very important. Keeping the pipe clean can mean the difference between enjoying a costly bowl of imported tobacco or destroying it in a dirty stem or screen.

To clean the pipe screen, gently remove it with a tweezers, blow on it and inspect. If the screen is still dirty, hold a lighter or match to it while you hold it with the tweezers and burn away any residue. Let it burn for not more than five seconds. After letting it cool, blow off any remaining ashes and inspect it again. If it is free of tears, it may be reinstalled for reuse.

A dirty pipe stem that is clogged with residue will also impede proper burning and waste tobacco. To clean the stem, detach it from the mouthpiece and insert an inexpensive wire-cored fabric-covered pipe cleaner, soaked in a solvent such as alcohol, and work it back and forth until the stem is clean. Clean the mouthpiece the same way.

Smokers need to clean their pipe screens to ensure proper combustion that will not waste expensive tobacco. High quality screens last longer and require less maintenance.