Shishapresso Continues Innovation Drive

The Shishapresso system revolutionized hookah smoking. But the company behind it doesn’t rest on its laurels and has recently introduced several improvements.

By Thomas Schmid

When it was first launched in June of 2014, the Shishapresso system created a sensation and completely revolutionized the hookah-smoking experience. Thanks to a proprietary aluminum capsule fitting into a custom-designed ceramic bowl, it became possible for the first time to enjoy a hookah without having to handle sticky shisha tobacco. Lebanon-based Shishapresso S.A.L. has since earned a string of international awards for its invention. But as the saying goes, there is always room for improvement. Accordingly, the company certainly hasn’t rested on its well-deserved laurels, but continuously strives to make the Shishapresso experience better and better.

A Re-designed Capsule

Even the aluminum capsule – at first glance a seemingly perfect example of creative engineering – has been subjected to further improvements.

“We have widened the diameter of the capsule’s bottom holes [through which tobacco smoke enters the hookah proper] to provide better draw and thus more smoke for the user,” says Shshapresso S.A.L. co-founder and c.e.o., Samer Jalloul. “Using a specialized process, we have also made the tobacco fluffier to ensure that less shaking is required before use to break up the tobacco inside [the capsule],” he adds. Besides a tobacco blend, the original version of the sealed capsules contained small agitator balls. When the capsule was shaken, these balls helped loosen up the tobacco, preparing it for smoking. While these agitators still exist in the improved capsules, the shaking process has now become much easier.

The New, Improved Bowl

But perhaps the most important improvement within the Shishapresso system concerns the bowl, as the company launched in November 2015 one made entirely of silicone. It effectively phases out the previous glazed ceramic bowl – which in itself was an improvement over traditional fired-clay bowls at the time.

“Ceramic as a material is very sensitive to heat, and therefore its final shape is conditional on the amount of heat it received when it was kiln-fired,” Jalloul explains. In other words: Every single ceramic bowl naturally came with tiny variations in its diameter and the shape of its opening into which the Shishapresso capsules are placed.

These variations – however small – potentially affected the smoking experience, as the system is dependent on a really tight fit of the capsule into the bowl.

“As the diameter of the bowl is so important to create an air tight grip around the capsule, the diameter variations in some cases caused air leakage that would compromise the draw,” said Jalloul. “You could compare that effect to drawing from a straw that has an unwanted hole in it,” he elaborates. “Also, because the capsules are made of aluminum, they cannot absorb the excess [tobacco] juices like a clay bowl would, which meant that they would drip down [into the hookah’s water container].”

An Elegant Solution

To resolve these two issues, the company decided to create a new bowl made entirely of silicone. Replacing ceramic, Jalloul and his partner wanted a material that was both heat-resistant and at the same time would hold the capsules snuggly and absolutely air-tight, ensuring proper draw.

“We were able to source a type of silicone material that is commonly used for producing household baking trays,” he said. “So we contacted some of the manufacturers that were making silicone baking trays, told them what we wanted, and after several prototypes we had reached the final bowl design.”

Instead of being rigid like the old ceramic bowls, the new silicone bowls are flexible and can therefore adjust to each aluminum capsule, leaving no gaps around the rim that would potentially impede the draw. A re-design of the bowl also elegantly addressed the liquid-dripping issue. “Our new silicone bowl incorporates a concave liquid catching ring around its bottom, which prevents tobacco juices from dripping into in the hookah’s water container,” Jalloul explains.

Apart from being of consistent size and diameter, offering better grip for the capsule and being heat resistant to very high temperatures, each of the improved bowls is light-weight and unbreakable thanks to the silicone material used.

“In addition, there is no longer a need for a rubber grommet to affix the bowl to the shisha shaft. The user simply plugs it in directly,” says Jalloul.

Market Expansion

Visibly proud, Jalloul adds that customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far. “Whoever has had the pleasure of trying out our new bowl has praised its superior properties [compared to the old ceramic bowl].” And just as the company is continuing its efforts to further perfect the Shishapresso system, it is eagerly expanding its marketing and sales network around the globe. Besides its birth country of Lebanon, Shishapresso is currently available in the United States, Paraguay, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi-Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Malaysia, and New Zealand. Planned new markets where Shishapresso is going to be launched in the near future include South Africa, Ivory Coast, Iraq, Ukraine, and Mexico.