Thread: Hookah!

Haven't tried any of the non-tobacco stuff. Might be interesting to try now, I'm quite intrigued. Usually when someone mentions non-tobacco they refer to something that is illegal and I have no intention of using.
FWIW While I liked Al Fakher last time I was smoking my hookah regularly, I had to take it easy with the starbuzz. Lot of strong tobacco and it has a kick. I didn't like it as much.

John P.

Originally Posted by JohnP

Haven't tried any of the non-tobacco stuff. Might be interesting to try now, I'm quite intrigued. Usually when someone mentions non-tobacco they refer to something that is illegal and I have no intention of using.
FWIW While I liked Al Fakher last time I was smoking my hookah regularly, I had to take it easy with the starbuzz. Lot of strong tobacco and it has a kick. I didn't like it as much.

John P.

Ahh. Whatever you do, stay away from Tangiers.
Only tobacco that ever made me puke, super-high nicotine content. You might have had Starbuzz back in the days before they started rinsing they're stuff heavier. Nicotine's water-soluble, so the extra rinsing really removes a lot of that kick. I'm not sure when they started it, but I know they definitely made the not-washed/washed changeover. I just don't buy it because it's twenty bucks a tin.

smoked half a can of Black Label rose-flavored shisha last night with 3 friends... fantastic! much smoother than tobacco, delightful smell and taste, nice dense smoke.

I've never tried hookah.. Is it like cigar ? pipe ? or cigarettes ?

None of the above. Hard to describe. With a hookah, the smoke/steam/whatever it is tastes like the stuff smells. Also, because the tobacco never burns, your clothes do not stink when you are done as with the others.
My advice would be if you are curious to look up a local hookah bar and give it a try that way first.
Afterwards, if you are interested in continuing, it's usually cheaper to own your own hookah and buy tobacco and charcoal for it than it is to keep using the hookah bar.
John P.

Had a great time at Horus in NYC. 15 a bowl.....OUCH....but it was worth the conversation time

Originally Posted by IsaacRN

Had a great time at Horus in NYC. 15 a bowl.....OUCH....but it was worth the conversation time

Horus? I think I've heard of that place somewhere before... For 15 a pop, that better be swanky! What was the price on a refill? And, did they say what brand they were giving you?

Originally Posted by justchillin

I've never tried hookah.. Is it like cigar ? pipe ? or cigarettes ?

When you smoke hookah, you are enjoying the process of cooking tobacco, not burning it with the harsh, high heat at the end of your cigarette. The stuff you inhale is a combination of glycerin vapor and flavored tobacco smoke, filtered through a few inches of cool water. The mo'assel (a combination of flavorings, glycerin, honey, molasses and tobacco) is heated by a red-hot coal. The length of the hose and the water filter cools the smoke to a seriously smooth, luxurious level. It doesn't even taste like tobacco at this point. The smoke is thick and tasty, and comes out as a billowing cloud. Master the art of the smoke ring and be a hit at parties! Meet interesting people! Impress your friends and attract the women!

...Erhem. Anyhow. Find a local lounge if you want to try it out. If the smoke is harsh or flavorless, they're doing something wrong. Find a flavor you like, but just know that blueberry never tastes good, cherry always tastes like cough syrup and mango has a tendency to be nauseatingly sweet. If you like it, you can get started at home with a supply of coals, tobacco and a small pipe for about a hundred dollars.

Another hookah lover here--and I love Tangiers; it's my favorite brand!
You have to pack the stuff very differently from regular shisha or else it's ungodly harsh! When you do it right, it's the most flavorful of them all, probably. I'll post more info later--must rest up for jury duty tomorrow...

just had some friends over last night, and one of 'em brought along a bag of apricot brandy pipe tobacco... in the spirit of experimentation, we dumped some of that, some dried apricots, a spoonful of honey, and a shot of brandy into the hookah's bowl and piled on the coals. what a smoke!