An electrically-powered hookah apparatus comprising: - a vessel configured to contain liquid, provided with an aperture; - a housing comprising: - a first section removably fitted over the aperture of the vessel and forming with the vessel a smoking chamber, the smoking chamber being provided with a smoke outlet connectable to a hose pipe; and - a second section comprising: - a combustion unit including a capsule holder configured to hold capsules of combustible material and a heating unit configured to heat the capsules and generate smoke from the combustible material; and - an electronics unit including an electric power unit and a programmable controller connected to the power unit and configured to controllably power the heating unit; and - a conduit having a first extremity extending in the combustion unit and a second extremity extending in the vessel, said second extremity being sized and configured to be immersed in the liquid during operation of the apparatus, the conduit forming part of a smoke path from the combustion unit to the smoke outlet; - characterised in that the programmable controller comprises memory containing instructions to modulate a temperature of the heating unit between a plurality of predefined states. - a vessel configured to contain liquid, provided with an aperture; - a housing comprising: - a first section removably fitted over the aperture of the vessel and forming with the vessel a smoking chamber, the smoking chamber being provided with a smoke outlet connectable to a hose pipe; and - a second section comprising: - a combustion unit including a capsule holder configured to hold capsules of combustible material and a heating unit configured to heat the capsules and generate smoke from the combustible material; and - an electronics unit including an electric power unit and a programmable controller connected to the power unit and configured to controllably power the heating unit; and - a conduit having a first extremity extending in the combustion unit and a second extremity extending in the vessel, said second extremity being sized and configured to be immersed in the liquid during operation of the apparatus, the conduit forming part of a smoke path from the combustion unit to the smoke outlet; - characterised in that the programmable controller comprises memory containing instructions to modulate a temperature of the heating unit between a plurality of predefined states. - a housing comprising: - a first section removably fitted over the aperture of the vessel and forming with the vessel a smoking chamber, the smoking chamber being provided with a smoke outlet connectable to a hose pipe; and - a second section comprising: - a combustion unit including a capsule holder configured to hold capsules of combustible material and a heating unit configured to heat the capsules and generate smoke from the combustible material; and - an electronics unit including an electric power unit and a programmable controller connected to the power unit and configured to controllably power the heating unit; and - a combustion unit including a capsule holder configured to hold capsules of combustible material and a heating unit configured to heat the capsules and generate smoke from the combustible material; and - an electronics unit including an electric power unit and a programmable controller connected to the power unit and configured to controllably power the heating unit; and - a conduit having a first extremity extending in the combustion unit and a second extremity extending in the vessel, said second extremity being sized and configured to be immersed in the liquid during operation of the apparatus, the conduit forming part of a smoke path from the combustion unit to the smoke outlet; - characterised in that the programmable controller comprises memory containing instructions to modulate a temperature of the heating unit between a plurality of predefined states.