Size matters, when it comes to your hookah... but it does not matter much! The length of the metal stem that reaches down from the pipes head to slightly under water in the glass base, does to a certain amount decide how much of the unsavory stuff like nicotine and tar is filtered out from the smoke, but at either end of the scale pretty soon a point is reached where the law of diminishing returns applies. If you shorten that stem to its practical minimum, you still won't get all the rubbish into your mouth and/or lungs, and if you lengthen it to above your head you still won't keep all the rubbish out of them.

 

Contrary to the general opinion that the water in the base filters out most of the stuff, it's mainly the metal stem that does this. The water is more for cooling and moistening the smoke, making it tastier. The metal stem, of whatever length, catches rubbish. Even the shortest stem catches some, and even the longest stem can't catch all. Basically this means that those gorgeously decorative hookahs of six or seven foot high don't smoke perceptibly "cleaner" than let's say a 30-incher - but they look marvellous! Every now and then one happens to be featured in our Various hookah sizes section.