Potion Xtreme Berries Review

Brand/Flavor:
Potion Xtreme Berries

Methodology:
-14 hits/person over 30 minutes
-5 individuals in the circle
-2 CoCo Naras on standard Mya bowl
-3 hose Mya Staff filled with water at room temperature

First Impressions:
Came in a nifty blue tin, with a few free natural coals. Pretty red and finely cut, with a strong sweet smell.

Post Mortem:
Partially cooked, probably could have gone quite a bit longer.

Pros:
-Moderately thick smoke

Cons:
-Weak flavor
-Tasted like cough syrup

Andrew's Thoughts:
Potion Xtreme Berries did not impress me. I found it's flavor thin and medicinal, with only hints of the fruity sweetness we were promised. While the smoke itself was fairly thick, it was hardly exceptional. I like fruit flavors, but I expect them to overwhelm me with sweetness, particularly when they have names like "Xtreme Berries". I would not smoke this again.

Eric's Thoughts:
Potion shisha is another brand we knew nothing about. Intrigued by the notion that it comes with coals and foil, we decided to try it, in this case opting for the rather hilariously named "xtreme berries", mostly due to the name. Suffice it to say, this stuff was less than interesting. While the smoke was very thick and quite impressive, the flavor was severely lacking. The only time the flavor really came through for me was when the shisha began to overheat, a characteristic that no shisha should ever strive for. And when the flavor did come through, it tasted like that nasty berry cough syrup that your mother would feed you when you had a cold...you know...that one. In the end, thick fun smoke, but the flavor is so not xtreme.

Peanut Gallery:

(Caroline)
Much like Hydro shisha, "xtreme berries" tastes more like children's medication than anything else, and it takes a stretch of the imagination to classify the flavor as anything berry-related. The smoke was nice and thick, but that didn't make up for the atrocious taste.

(Tasha)
Cheap herbal tea which loses flavor toward the end of the bowl- nice and fruity in the beginning, fun smoke.

(Ross)
A slightly flavorless but interesting smoke. A lot of smoke but very little reward. Low tobacco buzz but a slow smooth smoke.

Conclusion:
Potion's Xtreme Berries' lack of flavor makes it a difficult product to recommend to anyone. It's not altogether bad, but we wouldn't smoke it again.

C-

Epic Smoke Pink Lemonade Review

NOTE: This review brought to you courtesy of Arnold Stein over at Epic Smoke! Thanks Arnold!

Brand/Flavor:
Epic Smoke Pink Lemonade

Methodology:
-14 hits/person over 37 minutes
-5 individuals in the circle
-2 CoCo Naras on standard Mya bowl
-3 hose Mya Staff filled with water at room temperature

First Impressions:
Juicy and almost watery, just like the Apple on a Stick. Smells incredible, exactly like pink lemonade.

Post Mortem:
Still quite juicy, with the liquid pouring out of the bowl.

Pros:
-Incredibly huge, thick clouds
-Sweet and fairly accurate flavor
-Strong pink lemonade smell

Cons:
-Flavor was very subtle, at times bordering on absent

Andrew's Thoughts:
Epic Smoke's Pink Lemonade is a little light on flavor. Though it's smell was overwhelming and sweet, the flavor itself was rather subtle. At times I found myself straining to taste it, though when I could it definitely tasted like dilute pink lemonade. However, the smoke was completely over the top. We consistently blew monstrous white clouds, and I had incredible fun practicing my smoke rings. This product surprised me- after the Apple on a Stick experience, I really didn't expect to enjoy it. And while I did have serious problems with it, I could definitely see myself smoking it again, if it were offered to me.

Eric's Thoughts:

Lets just get one thing out of the way right now. This stuff smells freaking fantastic. I mean...if you stuck your nose in a pitcher of pink lemonade, you couldn't get a more accurate smell. And, true to its name, this stuff does produce rather epic smoke. Unfortunately that's more or less where the praises end. This stuff did taste good, however there just wasn't enough of it. When it comes down to it, it tasted like pink lemonade, but it tasted like that watered down lemonade that your camp counselors used to give you at summer camp. Another issue the stuff seemed to have was the stuff was a little bit heat sensitive. Towards the end of the bowl (which ended very very quickly for a phunnel session), everyone's second hit tasted like coal. I suppose this means that this stuff is more conducive to a more relaxed session and simply respond well to the frenetic pace of our reviews. In the end, I would smoke this again, especially if the flavor was stronger.

Peanut Gallery:

(Caroline)
The flavor was alright, although not as strong as I would have liked. Good smoke, though.

(Avi)
I would certainly consider myself an aperture [Editor's note: we think he meant "amateur"] smoker. That being said, I really enjoyed this flavor. As previously stated, the flavor was a little week [sic] and tasted a bit like lemonade mix with a bit too much water. I actually like the lemonade when it is not too sweet, so I really did enjoy this flavor. Again, the smoke was amazing. All in all, I would definitely buy this shisha after having smoked it with Eric and Andrew.

Conclusion:
Light on flavor, big on smoke, Epic Smoke Pink Lemonade may not be for everyone, but if you're a fan of huge clouds you really ought to give it a try.

B-