Smoking café opens on Calhoun

The Gypsy Café Hookah Lounge on Calhoun Street provides students and Clifton residents with a place to relax and smoke their favorite flavor of tobacco.

Manager Abdi Cheik opened the hookah bar in November after the success of the café in Columbus.

"I wanted to provide Clifton with a place for people to exchange ideas and socialize while enjoying hookah and coffee," Cheik said.

Smoking hookah involves inhaling flavored tobacco smoke out of a hose that is attached to a chamber full of water.

A burning coal sits on top of the hookah to burn the tobacco while the water at the bottom of the chamber purifies the smoke.

"I was surprised at how easy the smoke went down," said University of Cincinnati Electronic Media student Meridith Estreicher. "It tasted just like raspberry."

The Gypsy Café has to limit the amount of snacks and beverages they sell because of the new smoking ban laws.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, in order for an establishment to permit smoking indoors, more than 80 percent of its profit must come from tobacco sales.

"[That's why] we sell everything hookah here. You can purchase everything from the tobacco and charcoal to the hookahs themselves," Cheik said.

The Gypsy Café offers more than 10 different flavors of tobacco to smoke for $10 a hookah and $5 for a refill.

Customers are encouraged to try a variety of flavors or mix them if they so desire.

"I recommend the rose and mint flavors," Cheik said.

The Gypsy Café offers more than just flavored tobacco.

There are a variety of teas and fair trade coffees to enjoy as well as free WIFI access.

In addition, every Wednesday night at 7 p.m., a independent or foreign film is shown in the back room.

With hours from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., the Gypsy Café provides a great place for some late night studying or hanging out with friends.

"Right now I'm just studying the flow of traffic, and then we might hire on some more people and extend our hours from 11 a.m. until 4 a.m.," Cheik said.

The Gypsy Café has been maintaining a low profile, its only advertising being word of mouth.

"We came up with the name Gypsy Café because we wanted a name that conveyed a sense of mystery and underground," Cheik said.

Now the word is out, people can be seen socializing and smoking through the windows of the café.

Patrons have already started coming in to relax with uniquely flavored tobacco at the Gypsy Café located at 117 Calhoun St., across from Panera.

"I'm coming here at least once a week to work on homework," Estreicher said. "I'm in love with the atmosphere of this place."