Epic Smoke Apple on a Stick Review

Brand/Flavor:
Epic Smoke Apple on a Stick

Methodology:
-20 hits/person over 25 minutes
-3 people in the circle
-Mya Staff filled with ice water, heba diffuser attached
-2 CocoNara coals on a Mya bowl

First Impressions:
Cut kinda like Romman, but very very juicy. Sweet but tart smell. Nifty plastic tub.

Post Mortem:
I forget.

Pros:
-Caramel flavor was nice, when we had it

Cons:
-Caramel flavor frequently absent
-Apple flavor was kinda sour
-Generally just not much flavor

Andrew's Thoughts:
This was a fairly "meh" experience, beginning to end. The smell of the stuff in the tub was mildly interesting, sweet like caramel with a tangy finish, but the flavor didn't even deliver that. While I occasionally tasted some good caramel sweetness, I was generally treated to little more than thoroughly rinsed green apple peel. If I seem reluctant to recall this experience, it's because it really wasn't worth recalling.

Oh, and that diarrhea thing it did when we lifted up the bowl was just flippin' freaky.

Eric's Thoughts:
I've seen this stuff online and Andrew and I have joked about how the name is somewhat silly in the past, but when I saw it at a local tobacconist, I decided to buy some. Given their limited flavor selection, I went with something completely novel, caramel apple. The smell was very sweet, and definitely caramel, but I didn't get too too much apple. But given the way a caramel apple tastes, caramel is typically the dominant flavor, so I guess I can't fault the manufacturers for that. While the smoke did kind of live up to his over the top name, the flavor simply wasn't there. There were intermittent bursts of a sweet sugary caramel flavor that, when present, was quite intense, it simply wasn't consistent. Very frequently we would find ourselves searching for a flavor that we knew probably was there, but just wasn't coming through. A note about this, when we lifted the bowl to go clean it out, we found that a huge amount of juice had in fact run down the bowl and pooled in the pan. And while this kind of drippage is expected with a Mya bowl, this amount was just ludicrious. Perhaps a phunnel bowl will fix this, but if it's not made to be smoked out of a regular bowl with any measure of success, it won't score any points from me. I'll keep experimenting with this stuff, but as it stands, it's just bland and boring for the most part.

Peanut Gallery:
(Caroline)
You know how after you eat a popsicle you can still taste a trace amount of its flavor on the stick? That’s what Apple on a Stick is like—smoking a stick that once held an apple.

Conclusion:
Not terrible, but not worth buying again. I imagine we'll finish the stuff at parties filled with people we don't really like.

C+

Al Fakher Golden Rose Review

Brand/Flavor:
Al Fakher Golden Rose

Methodology:
-26 hits/person for me and Eric, 12 for Caroline over 30 minutes
-3 individuals in the circle
-Mya Staff filled with ice water, heba diffuser attached
-2 CocoNara coals on a Mya bowl

First Impressions:
Looks pretty typical for Al Fakher tobacco, but smells fantastic. Quite juicy, much like the Golden Eskandarani Apple.

Post Mortem:
Still a little moist, might have gone a little longer with more coals.

Pros:
-Incredibly strong and complex flavor
-Smells every bit as good as it tastes
-Moderate to strong buzz

Cons:
-Possible issue with bowl duration

Andrew's Thoughts:

Having just reviewed the Golden Eskandarani, I had high hopes for the Golden Rose, and I was not disappointed. This stuff is fantastic, from beginning to end. The flavor is intoxicating, with a fruity sweetness and citrusy undertones that complement the rose perfectly. The thick clouds fill the room with a rosey perfume, which along with the moderate buzz left me quite sedated.

Though there was some question of how long the tobacco lasts, it seems from a few subsequent experiments that we probably could have kept this bowl going a little longer. In fact, it's very difficult to find any fault with this shisha at all. At worst, it occasionally errs on the side of too much flavor, which distorts the actual taste a little, but it's hardly noticeable. This is now easily one of my favorite tobaccos. Not only would I buy this flavor again, but it is going to replace Romman Rose in our regular lineup.

Eric's Thoughts:
When you take our satisfaction with rose flavored shishas, and cross that with our happiness with Al Fakher's Golden Apple Eskandarani, the resulting venn diagram would suggest that our next logical step would be to try Al Fakher's Golden Rose. This stuff smells much stronger than any rose we've ever had before, strong enough that I was slightly uneasy with its strength before we even started smoking it. Well all my fears were dashed the minute I started smoking it. This rose is by far the best rose I have ever had ever. Now I don't pretend to be some kind of rose shisha expert, but this is pretty much everything I wanted out of a rose shisha, strong sweet rose flavor, thick smoke and a knock your socks off buzz. I knew this stuff was really worthwhile the minute I found myself actively trying to look for problems and not coming up with much that couldn't be attributed to the fact that Andrew and I smoked this at near 4am and were both too tired or lazy to really take care of the coal. And even given our slightly half-assed heat management, the bowl still performed very well. I absolutely look forward to smoking this again, and once I run out, I will quickly buy more. This is a must buy for anyone who likes rose.

Peanut Gallery:
(Caroline)
I have been a huge fan of Romman Rose since I started smoking, and I didn’t think anything could beat it. The Golden Rose does though, and by a wide margin. The flavor is incredibly strong and very sweet. I definitely agree with Andrew on this one—I’m never smoking the Romman again.

Conclusion:
This is our first A tobacco. Need I say more? Unless you really don't like rose, go out and buy this. Now.

A