Our Shisha Labeling System

Kind and loyal readers, do I ever have a treat for you today: the Zookah! Triple-Patented Comprehensive Hookah Tobacco Storage and Labeling System. Also, pictures (though they aren't very good)!

This means that we don't, surprisingly, use the well-constructed and durable storage that most shisha comes packaged with, which generally consists of a torn plastic bag. In fact, we use canning jars and polypropylene tupperware to store our tobacco. While this isn't exactly revolutionary, we did come up with what we think is a rather creative labeling system, and I'd like to share it with you.

For most tobacco, we use small canning jars, Ball Quilted Crystal 4 Oz. Jelly Jars, specifically. For amounts up to about 75 grams, these are usually sufficient, but when we buy larger quantities we generally employ the 8 oz. version. Our labels for these are roughly circular cardboard cutouts, usually from the box the tobacco came in. We then apply magnetic tape generously, resulting in a fancible label that immediately latches on to your new container. Best part: since nothing is holding it on other than magnetism, you can easily pop it off and rinse out the container without damaging your artwork. Not to mention the sweet fridge magnet set you get outta this (pic soon, promise).









While this provides a simple, cheap, and dare I say elegant solution to the problem of tobacco identification 90 percent of the time, we do run into problems with shisha like Tangiers, whose need for acclimation and thorough mixing require a wide, flat container (think GladWare). It's worth noting that Eric of Tangiers suggests that you stick to polypropylene (recycling ID number 5) if you do this, as other plastics can affect the flavor of your tobacco. Since these containers generally do not have metal lids, we cannot simply stick magnets onto a piece of cardboard and be done with it. Rather, we have to stick magnets on the other side, too.









While the two magnetic strips on the underside of the lid appear to be attached, they are not: we want these containers to be fully washable, so those strips are held on by the force of the label on the other side. The duct tape you see on them is merely to cover their adhesive side, as we don't want them sticking to any of our shisha. This method has the downside of dropping your inner magnets in the tobacco every time you pull off the label, so we suggest not pulling off the label very often. Of course, you can just tape the magnets on, but then you have to be very careful when cleaning the lid.

When all is said and done, your containers will look like these:









Note that for the Tangiers labels we glued the paper label onto a piece of cardboard before adding the magnets for a bid of structural integrity. Also, please forgive the terrible photographs, we had all of five minutes to shoot them before Caroline's AA-powered stallion of a camera crapped out. Hopefully we shall get more batteries soon.

-Andrew

Coco Naras Save the Day

So we've been smoking Coco Naras pretty successfully lately, largely due to Reynolds Heavy Duty foil, which is simply fantastic stuff. Coco Naras really allow the flavors of the tobacco to come through much better than even the best quicklights, and so we felt obligated to make some changes.

First, Romman Chocolate Strawberry. When we first reviewed this flavor, we could barely taste it, and consequently felt it didn't qualify for a B. Smoking it with the Coco Naras, however, the flavor of strawberries and chocolate was unmistakeable. While the flavor itself wasn't spectacular, it was certainly quite pleasant, though it still could have been stronger. We have thus decided to change its grade to B-.

Second on the list is Romman Cappuccino, a flavor that gave us a lot of problems. While it sometimes tasted fantastic, it often tasted burnt and strange, and was quite difficult to manage. Since we've started using the Coco Naras, however, the flavor has been nothing but good to us, tasted both bitter and chocolatey, but definitely like cappuccino. Therefore, we are changing the grade to B.

Lastly is the Al Fakher Jasmine. This may seem like an odd choice, since we reviewed this WITH the Coco Naras, but we felt it was important to give it a mention. The Jasmine is an extremely subtle flavor, and without the Coco Naras it's hard to imagine it being anywhere near as enjoyable. Without a doubt, Coco Naras are worth the time and effort to anyone looking for the perfect smoke.

Adventures in Natural Coals

With our last major hookah order (the one that brought us that brand spankin' new Mya Staff we are so thoroughly enjoying), we received a box of 84 Coco Nara natural coals. We bought a range cooker at Target yesterday, so we finally had a chance to try them, and I thought the rather spectacular results were post-worthy.

We lit the coals fairly easily by just leaving them on the heater until the bottom was lit, then flipping it over and waiting another couple of minutes. Aside from the slight smell of cooked ham, it was a surprisingly low-maintenance process. That changed radically, however, as soon as we started smoking the bowl.
We started with a standard pattern in the foil, poking 10 to 15 small holes near the side clustered in an area roughly half the size of an unlit coal. The bowl started well, and after a couple of passes we (Eric, Caroline, and I) were quite impressed with the thickness of the smoke. However, in spite of our frequent coal rotations, it quickly became inexplicably harsh. When we lifted up the coal, the cause became immediately apparent: the hotter, denser Coco Nara coal had burned straight through the foil, leaving a hole nearly big enough to drop itself into the tobacco.


We killed the bowl immediately and cleared the hookah (something which the Staff does not do easily, incidentally), but were uncertain of how to proceed. We tried using a coal screen, and while we did get moderate smoke using roughly 2.5 coals, it simply wasn't as thick as the smoke we were getting with the foil. Mustering up some courage, I tried a new foil with only 5 small holes, spaced relatively far apart. This seemed to work for a while, and the clarity of the Coco Nara's taste put the Romman Cappuccino in a new light for me. However, after about 10 minutes, we tasted that odd metallic taste again, and when I lifted the coal, it had made a smaller but equally disturbing hole in foil.

Giving up for time being, Eric and I shot some zombies for a while (yay L4D), but I was determined to get these coals functioning. Working under the assumption that the issue was that our foil (Reynolds) was not the heavy-duty kind, I tried doubling the foil, and while that seemed to work for a while, we had already had too much hookah, so we didn't quite give it a fair shot. I'm interested in trying this again tonight, as the coal screen is an unacceptable compromise and the Coco Naras just have too much potential to give up on.
Look forward to updates soon!

UPDATE: More photos of ground zero.





UPDATE (4/30/09): So we tried smoking some Al Fakher Jasmine last night with a couple different hole patterns (expect a review up soon!), and we think we have some relevant results to share. First, with our Syrian bowl (the one from Ophelia), we used a variation on our standard pattern, which consisted of a rectangle of tiny holes made with a safety pin on the standard Reynolds double-layered, spaced roughly 2-3mm apart (the change came in the size and spacing of the wholes), slightly smaller than the size of the coal. This rectangle was off-centered, with a vent placed opposite that could be covered by a flap of foil as necessary. This seemed to work for a while (in fact, our entire review), but when we tried to restart the bowl a half hour later, the top layer of the foil had a small piece burned away.

We tried again later with another bowl of Jasmine, this time with the Mya bowl, using a variation on our previous technique. This time, contrary to all our previous patterns (for QL or natural), we made the rectangle large enough that some holes would always be uncovered, and act as a vent. To compensate for the lost heat, we used two coals instead of one. Though we ended up cutting a vent later on anyway, this method seemed to have worked quite well, with no signs of damage to the foil whatsoever. Assuming this wasn't a fluke, it seems that by placing our vents at the actual site of the heating we actually cool off the hottest part of the foil, so that it is much harder for the foil to get too hot. Of course, if this problem continues, expect further updates.

Hookah-Shisha.com Price Increase

Dunno about other brands, but it appears that Hookah-Shisha.com, the site where we buy most of our Romman tobacco, has increased the prices on 50g boxes to $5.95 and 125g tins to $12.95.

Also, not sure if they had it before, but it now appears that they are carrying Starbuzz ($11.95/100g), so look forward to a couple of those reviews in the coming weeks.

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A note on our rating system

Our Rating System

Some people give 5 stars, some give 10/10. We are uber-collegiate and give letter grades. Or something. Anyway, our ratings break down roughly as follows:

F: Toxic. Smoke only at risk of total lung collapse and years of recovery from physical and psychological trauma.

D: Recognizable as hookah, but barely. Taste is only loosely related to the flavor advertised, and smoke is harsh and unpleasant. Recommended only for the extremely stingy.

C: Passable. Certainly not what we would recommend you keep in stock, but reasonably acceptable for party situations and the uninitiated.

B: Solid smoking. Flavor as advertised, with moderate to thick smoke 90% of the time. For all but the most discerning hookah enthusiast, B grade shisha is what we recommend for the majority of your purchases.

A: Perfect. This grade will certainly not be passed out often. However if we ever get something that we feel warrants it, you can be certain that we heartily recommend it. A must buy for any hookah enthusiast.

+ and -: These modifications to the above grades are given based on how we feel about the product.

One added note before we start...

When things are slow, ie: between our shipments of shisha, we will be posting some of our secrets for getting the best experience out of your hookah. These tips will range from beginners tips (Foil and such) to more advanced tips. If we feel like it at times, we might even put up some of our smoke tricks. So stay with us and soon you'll be smoking like the pros that we would like to think we are.

F1rst P0st!!1

Hey Everyone.

Welcome to our blog.

Statement of Purpose:
To review hookahs, shisha (tobacco), and hookah-related products and services available both on the web and around the greater Amherst area.

Expected Result:
Lots of pretentious ranting about hookah, college, and life in general.

Basically, Eric and I are hookah-loving juniors at UMass Amherst. Having exhausted the local selection of shisha brands and flavors, we naturally turned to the internet for a wider selection. However, anyone who has ever googled "hookah" knows that there are literally hundreds of online vendors to choose from, their stocks ranging from obscure Middle-Eastern brands to bizarre homemade concoctions. Obtaining a consistent opinion on even the best-known shishas proved impossible, as websites shamelessly promote their exclusive wares, while forums are invariably infested by teenagers buying their first two-dollar pack of "Double Apple".

And so, we have decided to chronicle our previously informal adventures in the fascinating (and often perilous) world of hookah.

Our initial goal is to put out at least one full review on a particular tobacco variety every week, and depending on personal interest, free time, and your feedback, we'll see where we want to take this thing.