Al Fakher Golden Eskandarani Apple Review

Brand/Flavor:
Al Fakher Golden Eskandarani Apple

Methodology:
-26 hits/person over 35-40 minutes
-4 individuals in the circle
-3 CoCo Naras on medium generic phunnel
-3 hose Mya Staff filled with ice water with a small Heba diffuser

First Impressions:
The Al Fakher Golden line is something we've been meaning to sink our teeth into for a while now, and we were quite excited to have this lovely yellow box in our hands. The outer cardboard container opened to reveal a large golden zip-lock bag and a plastic tub, presumably for storage. The tub itself, while flimsy, lends itself well to the purpose, especially since the bottom is seamless and therefore unlikely to trap juices. The shisha itself was of typical semi-fine Al Fakher cut, extremely juicy yet happily undyed. It smelled quite fruity, particularly reminiscent of those gummy peach rings you can buy in gas stations, but with a tang of green apple peel.

Post Mortem:
Probably should have thrown a couple more coals on, because while it was quite cooked and a little burnt on the top, the bottom was still quite juicy. Smelled like baked apples or that apple cinnamon oatmeal stuff.

Pros:
-Delicious, interesting flavor that actually tastes like apple
-Produced moderate to thick smoke

Cons:
-Buzz is a bit on the mild side
-Flavor might be stronger

Andrew's Thoughts:
I've heard some good things about this shisha, so I was extremely excited when this order came in. Packing our new phunnel (which takes much larger quantities than our old Mya/Egyptian bowls), it was immediately obvious just how juicy this stuff is. While not weirdly syrupy (i.e. like Starbuzz), it is definitely quite moist, especially after mixing up the stuff at the bottom of the bag. After just one or two pulls we were puffing away happily, with only a few problems related to shisha getting stuck to the foil (this was NOT an issue in subsequent sessions). The smell of this stuff is remarkably similar to its flavor, much like a tangy-er version of those gummy peach rings (as mentioned above). You can really taste the green apple, though it avoids the overly artificial flavor of candies like Warheads. While I was far from passed out by the end of this session, I definitely felt a buzz going, but it is worth remembering that I have something of a tolerance, as I smoke quite a bit. Overall, it's a solid flavor that I think most people would enjoy. We've smoked this stuff quite a bit now, and I look forward smoking it some more.

Eric's Thoughts:
Ok so I typically respond one of two ways to hype. On the one hand, I sometimes go with it and end up being the tip of the spear leading the charge in positive words for something. Other times, it only serves to make me more skeptical of a product. This time I was of the former mind. Unfortunately there are some pitfalls that come with being in that state of mind. One of which is relative disappointment. Ok time out, I'm not saying this shisha is bad...you'll see what I mean later on. The smoke was great and lots of fun to play with. The flavor was strong and fruity. Not candy-like, much more naturally sweet. While it didn't exactly bulls-eye the apple mark, it was still spectacular and distinctly fruity and much closer to apple unlike some "apple" related flavors we've smoked in the past. The buzz was more mild than usual, not the kind of knock you off you feet buzz that you'd get from Romman, but still solid. So, do I think this is a great flavor? Yes. Do I think you should go out and get it? Yes. So where is the disappointment you ask? While it was a great flavor and great smoke, it ended up still not being that perfect shisha that some people believe it is. Bottom line is, don't believe the hype, but buy this stuff on its own, more realistic merits.

Conclusion:
Solid, subtle, but not perfect, Al Fakher's Golden Eskandarani Apple is strong addition to any hookah smoker's inventory. While it's relatively weak showings in both nicotine and flavor hold it back from a perfect A, it's definitely worth giving a shot.

A-

Romman Double Apple Review

Brand/Flavor:
Romman Double Apple

Methodology:
-22 hits/person over 35 minutes
-3 individuals in the circle
-2 CoCo Naras, offset holes with 3 small vent holes opposite, foil rotated every few minutes
-3 hose Mya Staff filled with ice water with a small Heba diffuser

First Impressions:
Typical choppy Romman cut, very sticky and moist. This batch was a bit more stemmy than those past with at least one very large stem. Smells strongly of anise (kind of like black licorice) with a vague hint of apple. Very herbal.

Post Mortem:
Cooked almost all the way through, less than 5% moisture retention.

Pros:
-Reasonably thick smoke
-Strong buzz
-Strong anise flavor

Cons:
-Anise completely overpowers the apple

Andrew's Thoughts:
Double Apple is one of those flavors that every hookah smoker has tried at least once. Nearly every brand has one, and it's usually one of its top sellers. That said, I only recently discovered what Double Apple actually is, at least according to Sonthert over at Tangiers (he actually makes the stuff, so I'm taking his word for it). Apparently Double Apple is made with apple, anise and rose oil, and that is what distinguishes it from normal apple flavors. I was therefore a bit more forgiving when I took my first hit and tasted nothing but anise. However, the same went for my second, third and fourth hits, and indeed throughout the entire bowl I could taste nothing resembling an apple or even rose-like flavor. As a licorice-lover, I do enjoy anise most of the time, but this was just too much. It was sharp, herbal, and overpowering, and beyond practicing my smoke rings I really had very little motivation to keep inhaling. If you really really like anise, you'll probably like this shisha, but everyone else would probably be better off looking elsewhere for their apple fix.

PS. Eric says this tobacco is for licorice lovers. I disagree. I LOVE Romman Licorice, which tastes like licorice. This tastes like anise. Anise is a lot less sweet, and any real licorice fan can readily distinguish the two. If you hate licorice, however, they probably both taste the same, and you probably ought to stay away from this stuff anyway.

Eric's Thoughts:
I'm personally no fan of black licorice, so I will admit I'm a wee bit biased against this flavor. But here goes. The smoke was thick and fun to play with and the buzz was strong. Not pass out strong, but strong. That said, from my understanding of Double Apple, the Anise flavor should balance with the apple flavor. Romman doesn't quite get that though. In fact, I could honestly barely taste anything resembling apple whatsoever. Each hit I took was simply anise, anise and more anise. The smoke and buzz were both good enough not to make me want to stop smoking it, and the Anise flavor wasn't nasty enough to make me gag, but as far as apple goes, there really wasn't anything going on. So if you're looking for something that tastes like licorice, Romman Double Apple is great. If you're looking for a proper double apple, I suppose you could do a helluva lot worse than Romman, but not by much.

Peanut Gallery:
(Caroline) I was excited to try Double Apple, because I love apples and anything apple flavored, but was sorely disappointed when I did. It's like Apple Jacks—it doesn’t taste like apples. Except, unlike Apple Jacks, it doesn’t even taste like sugary, delicious cereal, either. The flavor is more along the lines of burnt Italian cookies combined with old black licorice and despair. Anise was the dominant flavor, and there wasn’t even a hint or an aftertaste of anything that remotely resembled apples. Not a flavor I would willingly smoke again.

Conclusion:
The usual Romman strengths of buzz and thick smoke couldn't save this shisha from its lopsided flavor. Recommended only to anise-lovers and those who care only about nicotine and smoke.

C+

Romman Cola Review

Brand/Flavor:
Romman Cola

Methodology:
-4 people in the circle
-24 hits/person (3 people), 9 hits/person (the other guy), over 40 minutes
-2 Coco Nara coals, offset holes, rotated every few minutes
-3 hose Mya staff filled with cold water, small Heba defuser attached

First Impressions:
Sticky Romman tobacco in a pretty Romman box (ie, the usual). Smells strongly of Coke, but far more herbal, as you might expect a cola shisha to.

Post Mortem:
Dry and crusty on top, a little moist on the bottom, but overall fairly well cooked.

Pros:
-Thick smoke
-Strong buzz
-Delicious, accurate cola flavor

Cons:
-Herbal nature of flavor might be unpleasant to some

Andrew's Thoughts:
Dear god it took us a while to finish this review. I suppose we ought to begin with the usual Romman routine: good buzz, good smoke, blah, blah, blah... Flavor! Here it gets interesting. This shisha mells and tastes like essence of cola, and is quite pleasant for it, though you might not like the sharpness of its herbal-ness (but, of course, I do). The idea that Coke-flavored anything doesn't have to be obscenely saccharine is refreshing, and even Caroline, who hates Coke, loved this flavor. It's strong but not overpowering, and it's quite easy to imagine mixing it with a variety of flavors (vanilla, cherry, etc.). Damn do I love this shisha.

Eric's Thoughts:
First and foremost, if you're looking for a shisha that tastes like Coke, go elsewhere. Now that that's out of the way, on to the reviewing. The smoke was thick as is typical of Romman tobacco, and the buzz was strong, also typical of Romman tobacco. The flavor was absolutely incredible though. When we first bought this a while back, we were expecting it to taste like Coke. Boy were we wrong about that. In fact, calling it Cola flavored was probably the best idea overall, as it tastes far more herbal than Coke or Pepsi taste. Simply put, it tasted exactly like how I would imagine the cola plant would taste or smell prior to any industrial meddling. And still, despite its herbal nature, this is still a very sweet shisha. Not as sweet as Sweet Start is perhaps, but still quite sweet and strong. Overall its an excellent flavor and a great smoke.

Conclusion:
Another solid showing from Romman, Cola is a delightful flavor that can easily be mixed or smoked alone. For us, it's certainly one to keep in stock. While its strong herbal flavor might repel some, everyone should at least give it a try.

A-

Romman Berry Breeze Review

Brand/Flavor:
Romman Berry Breeze

Methodology:
-24 hits/person over 40 minutes
-4 individuals in the circle
-2 Coco Nara coals, offset holes, rotated every few minutes
-3 hose Mya staff filled with cold water, small Heba defuser attached

First Impressions:
Typical choppy Romman cut, very moist and sticky. Aroma very sweet, like mixed berries. Not too many stems.

Post Mortem:
Almost cooked completely, very little moisture, about 5% with any color.

Pros:
-Sweet flavor
-Thick smoke
-Good buzz

Cons:
-Strange aftertaste, kinda soapy

Andrew's Thoughts:
Romman Berry Breeze was an extremely strange experience. I remember smoking it last year and even last semester, and it was delicious. Very much a "berry" flavor. However, while this pack looked and smelled like a strong, berry-flavored Romman shisha, it acted quite differently. On the very first hit of our first bowl (not the one described above, and one Eric was not present for), I got an overwhelming taste of bitter soap. While I could discern the familiar berry-ness behind it, it was completely unsmokeable. Thinking I had somehow packed it wrong, we cleaned out the bowl, even washing it with hot water, and redid the foil with some new tobacco. However, the exact same thing happened: whatever berry flavor present was eclipsed by a mask of soapy toxicity, and we put the hose down after only 3 hits.

Thinking of Tangiers (an unwashed tobacco), which needs to be acclimated before smoking, we tried leaving it out for a few hours. After three, the shisha still smoked poorly but was noticeably improved, so we decided to leave it out overnight. The next evening, in the session described above, the tobacco was much better than it had been before. The berry flavor was now prominent, and we actually had a chance to see how the smoke and buzz were. While the smoke wasn't spectacular, it was average for Romman, which is always quite good. I also felt a significant amount of nicotine in my system, but again, nothing unusual by Romman standards. The biggest problem with this tobacco was the soapiness. Even on that final bowl, I could still taste it a little, and as the berry flavor faded it become increasingly prominent. Moreover, our friend who bought a pack of Berry Breeze at the same time and place that we did also had this problem, so it wasn't isolated to the pack. This could just be a bad batch, but as we grade on the experiences we have, the soapiness was a major setback for this shisha.

Eric's Thoughts:
We've smoked Berry Breeze before, but this batch was a little stranger than previous bowls. Couldn't tell you what about it changed, but something had changed. The shisha smelled strongly of mixed berries and was very sweet. The flavor was very close to the smell, though there was something a bit off. Andrew and company described it as somewhat "soapy" though I didn't quite get that impression. However I do agree that something wasn't quite right with the flavor. Still though, for the majority of the bowl, the flavor to me was quite good. Smoke was thick, buzz was strong, and flavor was, for the most part, reasonably enjoyable. Its not the berry breeze from my memory, but it was still a decent smoke.

Conclusion:
Romman Berry Breeze is a solid tobacco with some serious consistency issues in production. Grading from memory, this shisha could easily be a B+ and possibly and A, but this batch was simply too flawed. While the flavor was good for much of the session, it took a lot of work to get it that way, and it never quite lost its soapiness.

B-

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.

Al Fakher Jasmine Review

Brand/Flavor:
Al Fakher Jasmine

Methodology:
-20 hits/person over 30 minutes
-3 individuals in the circle
-1 Coco Nara coal, offset holes rotated every few passes
-3-hose Mya Staff filled with ice water, small Heba diffuser attached

First Impressions:
Aroma was simply fantastic, smelled exactly like jasmine tea leaves. Very juicy, no stems. Finer cut, but not as thin as Hookah-Hookah.

Post Mortem:
Somewhat blackened, but still surprisingly juicy and aromatic. Almost didn't want to throw it away, but the foil started to burn.

Pros:
-Strong aroma of jasmine tea
-Thick smoke
-Decent buzz

Cons:
-Flavor was a little weak

Andrew's Thoughts:
Al Fakher is a giant in the American shisha market, and we felt obligated to give it a shot. As one of the few non-premium tobaccos out there consistently getting good reviews, I was excited to see what all the buzz is about (pardon the pun). Happily, Jasmine largely lived up to the hype. The smoke was thick and smooth, and though the bowl died with what appeared to be a smokeable mass remaining, that could have been an issue with our coals dying (we've been having lots of fun with coals lately). Though I wasn't knocked on my butt the way I am with Romman, I definitely felt some nicotine, which was likely enhanced by my dogged attempts at improving my smoke rings. The shisha smells fantastic, just like taking a tin of jasmine tea and holding it up to your nose. Unfortunately the flavor was not as strong, but then jasmine tea always smells stronger than it tastes.

Eric's Thoughts:
With the majority of my smoking experience falling within the Romman brand, I'm always open to try a new one. There's a fair amount I don't remember about smoking hookah before I owned my own, but one thing I do remember is that Al Fahker was a brand that we typically bought, due to its ready availability in the stores closer to home. But despite this, I was still slightly skeptical that Al Fahker would be able to stand up to our usual standards. Well I was wrong on that front. The Jasmine smelled like flowers and tasted exactly like it smelled, something that some shishas seem to have trouble with for some reason. But despite the quality of flavor, there simply wasn't enough of it. Some more flavor would have made this shisha simply excellent. The smoke was thick (once we figured out the coals) and the buzz was strong. All in all, a bit on the weaker side, but still very enjoyable through and through.

Conclusion:
A solid but subtle flavor that any tea aficionado would appreciate.

B+