SteveSteveSteve

QUOTE (INCUBUSRATM @ Nov 16 2009, 10:41 PM) QUOTE (Sin on Sunday @ Nov 16 2009, 09:31 PM) maybe I can add some incentive... say I buy 100g of shisha for the winner? *Starts practicing smoke rings...* Haha, my QT doesn't really put out enough smoke to be able to do anything amazing, so I wouldn't have a chance anyway. Sorry, and I think I posted it a million times too, my phones being weird, thanks for the heads up

I haven't smoked my QT in a long time, it was during my awkward rings stage as well, but I do remember it producing amazing smoke. What set up are you using?

I honestly have no idea, tried a few times but from what I've seen and experienced, the snapping is all about distance from the ring, try not to do it too close and not too high. Also it has to be a slow moving ring.

Lol, my nara's are completely glowing red on both sides when I use them, I haven't tried fantasia in a while because I was tired of constant bad sessions, but I packed it poorly at first, received advice on packing and I sprinkled it in the bowl until it was over the rim in the center, and under the rim around the edges, then padded it down, evened it out, and made sure no shisha would be touching the foil, or too high. used heavy duty foil, put the nara's on. Smoke was a little better, but still odd. I know it's not tasting the way it's supposed to because when I get it at a hookah lounge it tastes orgasmic, my mouth feels like I'm drinking sweet grape juice when I'm smoking purple haze. But when I try it at home, I just get this really bland flavor like it's being burned, but not quite burnt yet, like the aftertaste of harsh burnt shisha, but it's not burned. I do keep the coals on the edge until they get really small and the session is about over then I just throw them in the middle to get the best of them and call it quits. Water level is right, same as I always have it and works great with other brands. I think I just got a bad batch or something, I've had many people give me advice on what they'd do to fix it and nothing works well. And it's only the purple haze and pink lemonade flavors. I got the pumpkin spice and that smokes really really well. I'm just stumped because the flavor on pumpkin spice was good, but the 2 others weren't, and I think the odds of getting 2 bad batches are very very low. But I've had the flavors in hookah lounges before and they're amazing, so I know it's not that I just don't like the taste. I'm stumped and tired so I don't feel like thinking about it anymore lol, I'll try again tomorrow and see if it was just a careless error the last few times I was smoking that caused it to taste bad, but I doubt it. Thanks for the replies guys

Not exactly sure what to call this thread, and if it already exists or something similar I'm sorry, and could someone point me to it? Thanks now onto the thread., We've all had issues with bad sessions, some more than others. I seem to have problems with Fantasia, I either get good clouds but a very bland smoke taste, or nice flavor and invisible clouds. I've tried using 2 nara's, 1 Nara, 4 nara halves, windcover and no cover, less and more shisha in the bowl, I just can't seem to figure it out. I'm sure there's at least a couple other noobies like me on here, so I guess the point of this thread is for people to post past problems they've had and how it was resolved, I'm sure many of the problems have the same solution so any problem you've had, someone else has had as well and will get something out of it. Thanks!

The invisible hookah, I've heard mixed reviews.. Some say you get really bad clouds, although I've been told the draw is as easy as breathing. I find it difficult to keep the bowl on, perhaps a better grommet would help. And probably my biggest complaint is all the carpet burns associated with trying to smoke this hookah, which I can't seem to find anymore!

Yeah, I'm planning on picking up some tomorrow when I get my cutters for the stone-like Nara's I know it has more of a tobacco taste, and would have just shrugged it off as not being the brand for my taste; but the first sessions I had with each were great, slightly more tobacco taste but not bad at all, something I was planning on stocking up on. But, now it tastes really bad, I'm not sure how to describe the taste, and I'm not even sure it's just tobacco flavor like I said earlier. It just tastes really weak, almost no flavor, and when I try tasting it as opposed to just blowing smoke rings or something, I just feel like ditching the bowl and getting something else. Also come to think of it, the other day I left the mint unsealed in my kitchen for a couple hours when I was smoking something else I can't remember, was worried at first that would cause it to dry out or something. I mixed it up really well and it smoked great, so I'll definately remember to acclimate it tomorrow before smoking.

@ INCUBUSRATM thanks, I needed a tutorial on phunnel anyway, some sessions are good, others are not as decent lol @ antouwan thanks, I was thinking that even if the bags aren't the only problem, it did seem to do something, the flavor wasn't great after the first smoke after storing if a day in the bag whereas the mint in the tub lasted a couple days. I've tried cutting the coals, but not on Nak yet, should have thought of that. It seems like too much effort at the time but for a better session it's worth it lol. Just saw a thread about some cutters that I'm definately going to pick up sometime soon, which will make the stoneage-like method of steak knife and brute force a lot less annoying thanks for the replies guys!

Yeah, shortly after I posted it I remembered I left out that. I had a problem a couple months ago which was resolved by mixing the shisha so it wasn't as dry as you said. Today I did that and also just used the shisha from the bottom of the AF tub I was using, so it was noticeably wetter than the rest, but not overly wet.

Thanks for the fast reply! I'll definately try this tomorrow, thanks

Well I started smoking Nakhla a few weeks ago, I bought 3 boxes from a local Mediterranean grocery down the street: mint, sweet melon, and strawberry. The first time I opened each box and smoked it that day it was excellent; perfect clouds, flavor was spot on, and well everyone knows Nakhla packs a buzz. So it was great, put the remaining shisha in a freezer bag and put it on the shelf. The next 2 days I repeated the process, opening the new box, great session, and stored the rest. Over the past couple days I smoked the flavors again, and I'm stumped. The taste was very, I don't know..tobacco'y? Hardly any flavor resembling what it was supposed to be. I cleaned the bowl, repackef it with a different flavor, cleaned my hookah, and tried smoking mint, same result. Then I tried strawberry, cleaning everything out again. What once were strong, amazing flavors now tasted bland. I smoked some AF mixed berry to see if maybe something with the hookah was wrong, but it tasted great. I even tried using a different bowl with one of the Nakhla flavors and same result. One of the bowls I found the shisha was burned on the top, but the others weren't. I have been thinking about it all day, and am away from home now on my phone so I can't upload photos of how I'm packing it, but will try tomorrow. Some of the possible problems I've thought of are: 1. The price is really cheap on them, $6 for 250 gram box and I noticed on hs they are 10, which makes me wonder why these are cheaper when all the other shishas he has are the same price found elsewhere, although I think it's a problem on my side. There is no date printed on the box, like there is with AF, but the boxes seem to be sealed and undamaged. 2. I use 2 cocanaras, what do you all use for nak? 2 nara's worked well for the first smoke so I'm not sure why not now, but any advice would be greatly appreciated. 3. I was thinking I packed the bowl too much on the bowl that burned, the next 2 were packed with a lot more attention, held the bowl at eye-level and didn't see any shisha showing, and I blew slowly into the bottom after I put the foil on and felt air flow. 4. Could it be how I'm storing it? I used zip loc (spelling?) bags for the melon and strawberry, those flavors were bad the second day, and I put mint in a plastic 250g tub leftover from some AF I finished, and that flavor lasted a couple days before tasting bad. I'll try to think of anything I left out, and any additional info I'm missing. I pack it a little below te rim on an Egyptian bowl, sprinkling the shisha in, and padding it down softly, definately not overpacking it. I'd try a phunnel bowl with it just for the hell of it, but mine is broken, courtesy of my dog.. Once again I'll definately upload some pics of my setup tomorrow. So I think that about covers it, I'm sure I left out something, but typing this on a phone has been quite annoying, lol. Thanks ahead of time!

Thanks guys, I think I have it figured out. Wasn't sprinkling the shisha in, I just picked it up with tongs and layed it in, which worked most of the time with AF but when I started smoking Fantasia and SB it didn't work too well.

Ok thanks

I seem to burn the top of the shisha when I'm smoking. I use a standard egyptian bowl, and it burns every time I pack a bowl with SB and Fantasia. I've smoked Fantasia flavors where the flavor is extremely strong, and with purple haze almost tasted like I was drinking it. Then I go home, pack myself a bowl of it, the flavor is VERY week, and begins to taste like something horrible. I use 2 nara's, going to try just 1 and break it in half, but is there anything else someone can think of that I'm doing wrong besides that? Thanks

QUOTE (jordanneff @ Oct 31 2009, 10:20 AM) A lot of it is personal opinion. You can get great smoke from more than one brand but here's how I see it: the heaviest smoke seems to be nakhla, it's great for blowing rings too. The smoothest smoke is Al Fakher IMO. Both of those brands have some really good flavors (especially nakhlas mizo line) but tangiers has some notable classics too. And if you're willing to pay the extra money Fantasia has some really tasty flavors too, but it's a rarity I smoke something like that... mainly because I'm cheap lol. Edit: QUOTE (INCUBUSRATM @ Oct 31 2009, 05:27 AM) One example is AF's grape. Nasty shit. Smells/tastes like ketchup. Ooooohhh snap! you did not just go there. AF Grape is one of the best flavors out there. Does not taste like ketchup at all... Grape from what I've heard used to taste great then they changed it. Now it tastes great for the first 10 minutes then has a really bland, gross after taste, and hardly anything on the draw. IMO it's not worth it, and pretty gross, but that's just me :L

The Walgreens one is on sale for 7.99! Just bought one from them a week ago or so...lol