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.
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
I LOVE rose shisha and am glad to hear the Golden Rose is so good. Others like to mix mint with everything, me, I am finding myself mixing a little rose with everything. Intoxicating indeed! Great review.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes, Caroline and I especially are huge rose fans. Incidentally, rosemint is one of our favorite mixes :)
ReplyDeleteFunny. I don't like mint but I'll break down eventually and try mixing it with a few things. I might not mind it that way.
ReplyDeleteOther mint-friendly flavors include chocolate (obviously) and grape. With chocolate especially a cheap and tasty trick is to just crush up peppermint Altoids and add them to the base. I like to dissolve it in a small amount of hot water first, but it's probably not necessary.
ReplyDeleteRose mint?
ReplyDeleteAlways heard it called mintrose xD Haha. Might have to have a bowl tonight :).
Told you guys Golden Rose was good :D
:D Tomato... tomato. Hm. That didn't quite work in writing. But you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy, and thanks for the recommendation :)
I've frequently wondered what I could add to my shisha, Altoids is not something that had crossed my mind! I've wondered about adding cocoa though. Also, honey and molasses. The herbal shisha seems like it could use a blast of molasses. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI think the herbal stuff might not need it as much, but I'm not sure. In any case, know that adding honey or molasses or some such thing to the tobacco itself will NOT affect sweetness, as sugars aren't very aromatic. If you add flavored jelly or syrup, however, you'll probably taste that flavoring. Experiment, let us know how it goes! I'm very curious to hear what happens.
ReplyDeleteThe Hydro is much less goopy and sticky than the Nakhla and the AF I have, that's why I've thought about adding honey or molasses to it. It only has glycerin, no molasses. Thought perhaps a bit of molasses would enhance the flavor.
ReplyDeleteIn an Indian market I found several bottles of food flavoring that included rose and various spices that I've heard of and many I hadn't. I bought the rose but it's so mild, I somehow doubt it could add much flavor to shisha.
Try adding it to the water. If it's mild, add a lot. That's the nice thing about adding it to the vase: no real limit on quantity.
ReplyDeleteAl Fakher Blueberry flavor shisha is best
ReplyDeletecheck this for more al fakher shisha flavour
ReplyDelete