El Hennawy Melon

 So I got this stuff for free with a purchase from Hookahset.com to review it. Medium cut, great flavor, of course it's one of those "melon" flavors that tastes like cantaloupe. It's not too wet and is made to be a contender to the regular Nakhla line so it is very similar in that aspect. This would be the kind of shisha with which you can try the overpack packing method. One of the things that surprised me most, and what others might not like about it, is for some reason, maybe due to a mixing of flavors from my black tea, the smoke started to taste like butter to me. I'm no fatty but it was quite interesting. It's a shisha that's cheap as hell as in 4-5 bucks for 250gs and it has great flavor if you know how to pack it. 9/10 for taste, 9/10 for clouds, 9/10 for smoothness = 9/10.

Nakhla Double Apple

Some people love it, some people hate it...I happen to fall under the group that doesn't like it. While the flavor on this shisha is exceptional the buzz I get from it is just not my cup of tea. You receive a heavy nicotine buzz from it and while some people like it, I personally get queasy from it to say the least. I do not smoke for the buzz but more-so for the flavor. Product is very classic in nature and so it receives a 9/10 for flavor but a 7/10 for the overall vibe from me.

Starbuzz....again

After being suckered in to try a different flavor of starbuzz again I decided to pick up a 100g tin of Safari Melon Dew. To say the least I was not disappointed as I was last time. Smooth smoke, big clouds and a large price tag. Practically 10 dollars for 100g! FOUR times as much as nakhla. I guess the allure of this product is the fact that given the right tools, a monkey can pack the perfect bowl of this stuff... it's extremely moist. As a product in itself I'd give it a 8.5/10 but with the terrible cost I'd say an overall 7/10.

Next Flavor

 

Absolute Zero will be the next flavor I buy. I have never bought from Social Smoke but it was recommended to me by the owners of the company itself. Review to come shortly.

Smokin at school

What to drink while smoking?

Personally I love drinking Chamomile tea while smoking....it's an all natural relaxer....bad thing about it is about 2 hours after you finish you gotta poo because i believe that it's also a natural mild-laxative. Oh well...it's one of those clean poops where you sit for 5 seconds and lose 10 pounds, feels great.

Another great thing I like to drink if I'm going for the more sweet effect is sunkist or lemonade. Really fruity, really sugary and pretty much the only time I would drink any kind of soda. Some people prefer just plain, cold water and I'll drink that if I go out to a hookah bar and am in a pinch for money.


So I want to know, what do you guys drink when you smoke?

Weed in your Hookah?

No I do not put any weed in my hookah. Yes I know that it was what it was originally created for but I find it disrespectful and in bad taste to put it in a bowl. To say the least...it really is NOT the most efficient way to smoke your hash and it's a complete waste. You're supposed to smoke hookah for the flavor and just chilling while you smoke hash to get high. Case in point, if you don't want to waste your weed, don't put it in a hookah bowl, put it in your bong. :)

Aluminum foil or Screen?

From my experience aluminum foil is definitely the way to go. The only use of screens I have so far is for creating a cushion of air on a fruit bowl so that the apple or pear does not caramelize as quickly. The best aluminum foil to use is Reynolds HD or regular Reynolds but two-fold. You may ask "Why?" well because using only one layer of cheap foil would give the shisha more heat and it would singe and/or burn faster. The key to big clouds and great flavor is heat management and with double the protection you cannot go wrong!

Mixes you ask?!

I call shisha that i use specifically for mixing..."mixers" It's shisha that I would never smoke by itself. Of these I would call: Mizo Mint, Nakhla Vanilla, Nakhla Lemon. These are the flavors that go pretty much good with anything. The mint adds to the cool, the vanilla makes the smoke smoother and the lemon adds a sour kick. My highest recomendations for combos would be:
1. Cherry Vanilla
2. Peach Lemon
3. Peach Mint
4. Grape Vanilla
5. Lemon Mint

That would be my top 5, if you guys want a bigger list of good combos, feel free to say so and I'll add more!

Current favorite flavor?

El Basha Grape from Nakhla...it's washed tobacco so it lacks the heavy nicotine buzz which i hate anyway. When you smell it, it has a cranberry/wine scent and it tastes absolutely delicious if set up properly.

Where to buy?

As much as I love supporting the little guys I would suggest ordering online from hookah-shisha.com or hookahset.com. Both have great deals all the time and their prices are cheap. They also offer free shipping after a certain price requirement has been fulfilled. Definitely check them out.

Next post will be about some of my own personal shisha recommendations and favorites.

Addiction to hookah?

From my own experience, although the nicotine levels in shisha is much much lower than that in cigarettes there are a few brands that make black shisha with a higher content percentage of nicotine. People that smoke black shisha usually don't bother with foil as they are people from the "old country." Even at a 0.5% nicotine average, washed tobacco shisha is quite addicting for some. Somebody I know has constant urges to smoke constantly...nothing on the level of cigarettes but still having urges is not all that great. I only smoke occasionally whenever I watch a show or a movie so I don't feel the need that I HAVE to smoke. On that note, I will never smoke cigarettes.

Namoor Hoses

Hopefully I will be able to pick up a Namoor hose soon. Rave reviews from everywhere including hookahpro.com...tried one at a friend's house and the pull was absolutely effortless. Definitely a piece worth having in my collection as it is time to change my shitty washable vinyl clear hose.

What a beauty!

My Khalid Mamoon

I just bought a new Khalid Mamoon last week, 26 inches tall with a blue vase that matches my room. Currently working on getting a namoor hose and a vortex bowl. Currently smoking nakhla double apple out of an egyptian bowl and a film canister diffuser. Boy is this great.

New Blog

This is basically a new blog for hookah. I myself am a hookah enthusiast and I love smoking all the time. This blog is basically about how to set up properly, some Do-it-yourself tutorials and what items to buy and where from! Stay tuned! :D