If you could only smoke one brand...

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

I was sitting here smoking my hookah tonight and I got to thinking
about somthing.  If I could only smoke one brand of massell for
the rest of my life, what would it be?
If I could smoke as many flavors as I wanted but they all had to be from one brand only, what would I choose?

  There are really a lot of brands out there that have flavors I
really love... almost too many to pick from. Al-Fakher, Romman,
Al-Amir, Nakhla, Al-Waha... the list goes on and on.

 At this point I think I would either pick Al-Fakher or Nakhla,
although it is a difficult choice for me. So I think I'm just going to
think about it for a few days before I say anything for sure on the
issue



So after all this babbling, my question to the members of this forum is....


"If you could only smoke one brand of massell for the rest of your
life, what brand would you choose and why would you choose it?"

[ZAP]

Al Fakher!

[NERV]

out of what ive tried, nakhla, keep in mind that i still havent tried al fakher

[cypress]

Without a doubt or second guess Al Fakher. In my opinion for the quality and price it is hard to beat.

[King Mo]

I'd go with fakher pretty easily. I can imagine shisha smoking without any brand except fakher.

the richness of the smoke is unsurpassed as well as the very strong base of traditional flavours.

[Rapmaster]

Kinda odd that you guys picked the normal brands over the premium brands?
 
I would prick romman

[cypress]

[quote name='Rapmaster']Kinda odd that you guys picked the normal brands over the premium brands?
 
I would prick romman[/quote]

Romman is almost double of what I can get Al Fakher for. I have enjoyed
more flavors from the AF lineup than Romman.  In my opinion its
not worth 20 bucks a 250. If it would go down to at least 16 then I may
reconsider but untill then I am very happy with my AF.

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

Okay... I spent way too long thinking about this today. 


 As much as I love Al-Fakher's delecious flavors, at this point I'm going to have to say Nakhla.

 Its an incredibly difficult thing to try and decide, as I love
both equally. But theres just somthing about the full bodied richness
of Nakhla's smoke and unique variations of flavors that I cant get
enough of.

  Maybe I'd change my mind if I tried more flavors from Al-Fakher
(so far I've only tried Grape, Orange, Strawberry, Double Apple, GS
Eskandarani Apple, and Al-Quemah Strawberry) but for now I'd have to
say Nakhla.

  I think that Lemon from this afternoon might have really sealed the deal on this one

[wyteboy]

Interesting ZJZ.....I heard a ton of ppl on here badmouth nahkla and alwaha and didn't let that influence me on my smoke...but i didn't enjoy either really.  Maybe I am just better now at setting up bowls and getting the coals right but my smoking sessions with HH and AF so far from Cypress' samples have been SOOO infinitely superior to my sessions with nahkla, I can't even put it into words...
YOu seem to be by far one of the most experienced smokers on this board so when you give nakhla big ups like that, it makes me sit up and take notice...
Just an interesting note I guess

[cypress]

I look at it this way, the best smoke is the one you enjoy the
most.  Its like comparing someone who liked Bud Light or Miller
Light when another person likes Heineken or even Guiness (oil can
beer). Some people look for particular things when smoking. EI buzz,
tabacco flavor, fruit flavor, and smoothness.  In all lets respect
those who smoke a particular brand as opposed to downing them because
it may not be to premium standards.

[HAKOOH]

I'd have to say fahker would be my choice with Romman close behind for the buzz factor.  

[MR Bubble]

Nakhla.
Sure, the other brands are more punched up, but it's like choosing to watch the movie over reading the book. Leaves nothing to the imagination. With nakhla, you have to sit and think about it for a while. You always know what flavor you're smoking, but it seems more fun to ponder it. Plus, I know how to make it taste good. It's just a finicky massel at times.
MR Bubble

[wyteboy]

Just quickly I wasn't trying to down zjz or nahkla at all if it came off that way, so I apologize if it did at all.
Off to work, have a good one!

[Rapmaster]

[quote name='MR Bubble']Nakhla.  
Sure, the other brands are more punched up, but it's like choosing to watch the movie over reading the book. Leaves nothing to the imagination. With nakhla, you have to sit and think about it for a while. You always know what flavor you're smoking, but it seems more fun to ponder it. Plus, I know how to make it taste good. It's just a finicky massel at times.
MR Bubble[/quote]
I would disagree with your analogy.  It's similar to saying eating bland food is better than tasty food because it "leaves more to the imagination".  Anyway, there's nothing wrong with nakhla, I guess I just didn't understand the original poster meant to include price as an object

[ZooJohnnyZETA]

[quote name='cypress']I look at it this way, the best smoke is the one you enjoy the
most.  Its like comparing someone who liked Bud Light or Miller
Light when another person likes Heineken or even Guiness (oil can
beer). Some people look for particular things when smoking. EI buzz,
tabacco flavor, fruit flavor, and smoothness.  In all lets respect
those who smoke a particular brand as opposed to downing them because
it may not be to premium standards.[/quote]


 You too the words right out of my mouth! I think there really is
no such thing as "The best brand of massell". What some people like the
best may not be the choice of others. It all comes down to what you
look for in a smoke.

 Do you want a heavy buzz, no buzz at all, or somewhere in between?
 Do you want your flavor to be 100% realistic or would you prefer somthing possibly stronger tasting but more abstract?
 How thick do you want the smoke to be?

 The list of questions goes on and on, but they can only be
answered on a person to person basis. And somtimes, well... somtimes I
just really like a massell for reasons even I cant figure out.


 And no need to appologize Wyteboy, I wasnt insulted or offended
in the slightest. I may have been smoking the hookah for several years
but that doesnt mean that my tastes are any more refined than the next
persons. The only person who can determine what massell is the most
enjoyable is yourself.

  And trying everything you can get your hands on is really the only way to find out

[MR Bubble]

[quote=Rapmaster][
[/QUOTE]
I would disagree with your analogy.  It's similar to saying eating bland food is better than tasty food because it "leaves more to the imagination".  Anyway, there's nothing wrong with nakhla, I guess I just didn't understand the original poster meant to include price as an object
[/quote]
Well, money isn't an object with me these days. Romman or AF can be on the doorstep at any time. In fact I do plan on shooting one of those arc souses pretty soon (some old timers will understand that one). I do most of my hookah smoking alone. That is when I do most of my thinking and contemplating. Nakhla makes me think of times past. It's my preference. ZooJohnny said it when he described it as "abstract." I call it "impressionist." Some "impressionist paintings," when you get right up on them, are made of strokes and blobs and dabs that look like nothing. But step back and it takes on the proper form. I like my massel to do the same. Just my take on it.
Gotta go,
MR Bubble

[alen]

i would choose nakhla - i dont know if its beacuse it was the first brand i smoked but nakhla is allways nakhla -there is something special with nakhla but is hard to describe what it is
so the arc sous season is on in lousiana mr B ? well happy hunting then

[King Mo]

you guys are too easily satisfied.

I couldn't give a sh*t if supermarket cola was my first cola, or pepsi
was my first. I'd know pepsi is better because one tastes like crap,
and the other tastes better.

It's all a matter of tastes and opinions, but only taste is the true opinion.

some people like prime cuts of meat, and some prefer to have mcdonalds hamburgers which barely counts as meat.

Rapmaster you hit the nail on the head. Why smoke a tobacco where you
have to 'imagine' a flavour, when you can smoke one where the quality
smacks you in the face.

Smoke - fakher is thicker, whiter, and that standard is reached without burning the crap out of the tobacco.

length of smoke - again, no contest

taste: well this is an opinion, and fair enough if you want to imagine
a taste, then thats your choice. But if i ever put a head of grape
fakher, and a head of grape nakhla in front of you. If you take the
grape nakhla, then I have to through the coal on your head. Call it a
dictatorship, but in this democratic age, democracy is your right to
vote for a dictatorship.

as for any accusations of snobbery (hint hint mr Bubble
from previous threads), well, there's a 3 dollar difference between
fakher and nakhla. That won't buy you a cappuccino from starbucks. If
you're talking about romman I'd agree with you. I'd take nakhla over
romman because of the price, but 3 dollars I'm willing to take for a
250g box.

you guys are paying for something, and I'm sorry, no emotion is
involved for me. I pay for tobacco, I want good stuff. If nakhla or
fakher closed as a business, I wouldn't even blink I have no shares in
either company.

No emotion involved. I think Mathazar might have been a bit too
emotionally attached to that hookahhookah brand as well and you guys
seem to display the same symptoms over nakhla, but haven't seen too
much about that lately. The customer is always right.

incidentally, I just bought myself a pack of nakhla fakhfakheena sweets
flavour. designed to taste like lebanese sweets. (or candy to the
americans). Struggling to get any smoke out of it, but reasonable I
guess. 7 out of ten because it is smokeable (not worth a full review
lol) with a bit of sweet taste that is pretty impossible to describe
(like a sweet perfume lol). I guess I have to imagine it

I hope you guys respect my right to take a dump on nakhla, but I am
pretty heartless when it comes to spending money on products made by
big companies who I have no interest in.

I've ordered 3 al amir flavours which should come in a couple of weeks.
Should be interesting. Will post reviews when I get them. All I've
tried is the cherry which is awesome in my opinion. Will have a better
idea of the company when I try the other flavours

happy smoking.

3 dollars can buy alot in this case

[Mathazar]

Romman......especially since they're coming-out with 30 new flavors
starting 2 at a time in late Summer 2005.  I don't know what the
flavors are going to be,  but I'm sure they're going to KICK ROYAL
ASS!!! 

[MR Bubble]

[quote name='King Mo']you guys are too easily satisfied."as for any accusations of snobbery (hint hint mr Bubble from previous threads), well, there's a 3 dollar difference between fakher and nakhla. That won't buy you a cappuccino from starbucks. If you're talking about romman I'd agree with you. I'd take nakhla over romman because of the price, but 3 dollars I'm willing to take for a 250g box."[/quote]
C'mon now, will you please drop your fixation on money? Smoking my machines is one of my favorite past times. Why would anyone think I would be so "brain dead" to not smoke what I like the best if I'm going to spend such a large amount of time doing it? Money? Big flippin' deal! I have one of the highest paying jobs in the area and that doesn't even include my retirement pension. I hate Walmart and all the other discount stores. If anyone knows about buying quality over quantity, it would be me. I drive my wife batty with it. Well, enough.
I can be a tad on the unsulting side as well. Why do you smoke to begin with? Dumb question, but if one smokes tobacco, there would be a reason to find relaxation. Normally people smoke tobacco to satisfy a craving. If you don't have nicotine cravings, then I'm happy for you. But some people would like to satisfy the urge and not every brand does that. Fakher is one of the worst in this area. If I am so in need of just a fruity taste and nothing else at any moment, I could drink my kid's fruit juice. No, I want to smoke and the hookah is my favorite smoking device and I need the a massel that satisfies this. Period. If your Fakher is soooooooo high quality, why do I need another bowl after another bowl after another bow, then a cigarette to feel satisfied from it? Is is really tobacco in it? Maybe it's a tobacco substitute. Kinda like "near-beer," you know, for the kiddies who want to act grown up. Maybe I smoke that cheap crap Nakhla because I prefere it over the "smokeable Kool-Aid," that does nothing for me. Simple concept. I know, almost too simple.

[NERV]

quality flavor doesnt have to mean it tastes real, if nakhla coconut
actually tasted like coconut i wouldnt smoke it, what matters is what
tastes better, besides, if you smoke it only for realistic flavor, then
you might as well just go eat whatever the real flavor is.

and how does one determine the quality of massel? as far as im
concerned nakhla uses better tobacco leaves than any other brand i've
tried because it buzzes like no other, they might not be cut up as well
but lets use the meat reference again, would you rather have a badly
chopped prime cut of meat that you need to pick the fat off the edges,
or would you have a pretty looking mcdonalds burger?

[King Mo]

@Mr Bubble,
earlier on you were saying how the other brands are punched up, and how you like to imagine your flavour and how fun it is to ponder over it.  You elaborated on your thoughts in the last post, so I see what you are saying. As a cigarette smoker myself, I really don't find the nicotine in Nakhla any more than fakher, and in terms of buzz, neither actually do it for me. Shisha smoking in general doesn't affect me anymore. I smoke it only for enjoyment. If you feel it is stronger then it's personal choice I guess. The reason I mentioned the money, is because the money difference is not high, whereas with Romman at 20 dollars a pop is a killer. Also money is an issue with me
@Nerv
By better, I mean thicker smoke, stronger flavour, and lasts longer. Fakher wins that hands down. With Nakhla, the flavour just tastes a little contaminated by something. It is reasonable to smoke, and I sometimes go with them for the odd change, but side by side the difference is clear, whether by the longer time spent smoking, or the luxurious thickness of the smoke, or by the super strong flavour.
hamburgers, or prime meat pieces anyone?
Their eskandarani flavour is pretty decent I guess, not too far off the Golden Fakher eskandarani. But where it may get the odd flavour right, the actual quality and length of smoking session is simply lacking.
If you got a choice between no shisha and nakhla, then of course, get the different flavours and enjoy them. They serve a purpose. But when it comes to comparing the basic stuff to the fakher, then it's like comparing watching your friends play sports, to watching your favourite team do the same thing expertly. Both have a joy involved in them, but one is done in a more accomplished manner.

[cypress]

I'll take a fatty prime cut of meat over a mc donalds any day. At least
with the steak I can trim off the fat while the burger the fat is
grinded in with the meat.

We could go on and on about the flavors and brands that are the best. I
think that in this forum we have pointed out two of the favorite brands
based on the responses.

I think we can say it like this......

If you are looking for a more of a traditional thick smoke and some buzz then maybe Nakhla is what you are looking for.

If you are looking for a more flavorful, new style smoke then maybe Al Fakher is what you are looking for.

In either case just remember 1 rule.....Stay away from Nakhla Mixed Fruit.

[NERV]

i had a few sessions of mixed fruit that were good, but most of it tasted like a rancid medley

[MR Bubble]

Toxic tango anybody?
MR Bubble
Oh,Alen. Yessir! They are coming in season and I will  bust his guts soon.
MR Bubble