Rate Shisha By Brand?

[teq]

I'd like to be more confident in my selections when I go to local smoke shops. What I'm looking for are specific flavors and specific brands I should look into or avoid, rated by what will provide the best smoking experience in high commodity(meaning Tangiers is out of my ideal price range for now).

The traits I'm most concerned about are as follows(in order of importance):

1) Flavor: Does it have any? All of the Havana and AlWaha flavors I've tried that were fruity have not provided an obvious, punch in the face taste and could be easily over-powered simply by changing the liquid in the base.

2) Smoke thickness: I don't mind adding milk to my vase, but I'd rather not have to.

3) Smoke duration: I've found that most, if not all, of the sisha I've bought has burnt too quickly, despite the setup.

4) Freshness: Which brands have the highest import rates to the US? (I live in Southern California)

[web250]

Layalina.

1) Excellent flavors (esp their berrys and melons).
2) Amazingly thick smoke. Also isn't finnicky, it just works.
3) Good duration.
4) Always fresh

[teq]

Layalina.

I have yet to come across anything but Nakhla, AlWaha, or Havana in my local shops... is there an online store that won't require me to buy in bulk or charge me an insane amount for shipping?


Also, does anyone know the preferred brand of choice for hookah lounges or does it vary by politics(ethnicity of the lounge owners)?

[Gaara]

Layalina.

I have yet to come across anything but Nakhla, AlWaha, or Havana in my local shops... is there an online store that won't require me to buy in bulk or charge me an insane amount for shipping?


Also, does anyone know the preferred brand of choice for hookah lounges or does it vary by politics(ethnicity of the lounge owners)?

Most lounges use Naklha since it's the cheapest and they can make a profit; at least all the ones around here.

[Johnny_D]

A lot in the uk use nahkla -or- Al Fakhir.

Layalina is probably one of the best value and best smoking and tasting shisha (I've reviewed everything i've smoked)

And I think that is an important point - Best Value. It's not the cheapest or the most expensive (by far) but i believe it offers the best value for money.

Lots of good online vendors - where abouts in the world are you?

JD

[lazria]

The store/lounge here uses: Hookah-Hookah, Havana, Starbuzz, and Al Amir.

Most tobacco stores carry: Al Amir - (replaced Al Waha)

1 store only carries Havana and 1 other store only carries Nakhla and Al Waha (although they had 2 tubs of Pharo's Banana Split)

Best bang for the buck? It's all personal. I LOVE Al Waha, but Tangiers and Layalina are great as well - I like layalina for the sweetness and tons of flavors! Tangiers has ausome taste, but can be strong (if you'r not used to it or smoking ) Edited May 14, 2007 by lazria

[kornkitten42]

The bars around here use Havana and AL- Fakher.

Al-fakher and Havana are decent tobacco's.
They produce flavor, and smoke without much hassle.

Hookah Hookah has lots of flavor options but most people prefer other brands
I personally like HH. It has decent flavor (some flavors have more bite and
staying power than others, decent prices,and tastes better than al amir/ al waha
and Nakhla (YUCK !!!!!!!!!)

Sinbad is a tobacco that has good tastes and produces nice smokes.
It's more expensive but i like it. Nice strong taste.

Starbuzz is very expensive but produces great clouds and great tastes
I have only found one flavor i didn't like. The fruit punch.
It is like i said more expensive but if you got extra cash to blow,
it's the way to go. The taste is strong and doesn't get pushed around easy
by other flavors

Smileys-
I love how thick his clouds are. It's 7.00 for 150 g. A tad steep but not bad.
The only flavor i didn't liek so far is irish cream, and it's not that it had a bad taste,
just not a lot. Bubble berry is my favorite so far. Edited May 15, 2007 by kornkitten42

[The King]

Go through the review section

[teq]

Go through the review section

Naturally, that's the first thing I did. However, it's hard to gather a consensus when each review stands alone and doesn't make comparisons to other shisha. What I'm basically trying to do is narrow down sure-fire winners without having to spend a lot of time or money to do so.

Before making this thread, I could gather that Nakhla was pretty bad, with more common brands like Havana and Al Waha simply being so-so. I guess what confuses me more than anything is that most of the online shops I visit have a lot of unfamiliar brands, such as Golden Seal, Fumari, and Afzal.


I'm in Southern California, so what would be the best online shop for me to use?


On a side note, I'm also interested on how herbal shisha smokes, anyone have some insight into that? Edited May 15, 2007 by teq

[The King]

Well I usually smoke AW... not expensive but gets some good flavor...
Starbuzz is the best though, I buy it now in then kind of a treat. But you'll drop about 20 for a tin... it has a lot of flavor and nice clouds, never gets harsh for me Edited May 15, 2007 by The King

[Zerodynamic]

Guys, just to clarify:

Al-Fakhir= Fake Al-Fakher
Al-Fakher= The real stuff.

[staygone]

Tangiers. You're not just blowing the clouds, your riding on them. Buzz master flex fo sho. Tangiers is awfully tasty also.
Layalina is good to bust out for the friends, they can't handle Tangiers very well.

[ezie]

Guys, just to clarify:

Al-Fakhir= Fake Al-Fakher
Al-Fakher= The real stuff.

i want to know more about the fake al fakher. can you give some picture of the real stuff and the fake ones? I just wanted to know what i'm smking a fake one or the real one thanks for the info Zero peace

[Zerodynamic]

Guys, just to clarify:

Al-Fakhir= Fake Al-Fakher
Al-Fakher= The real stuff.

i want to know more about the fake al fakher. can you give some picture of the real stuff and the fake ones? I just wanted to know what i'm smking a fake one or the real one thanks for the info Zero peace

I don't have any pictures, but the website is www.alfakhir.com. But they list themselves as "al-fakher trading co."

The real site is www.alfakher.com

[DrunkenWizard]

I say for the beginners smoke Layalina. For the experienced smokers, Tangiers!

[ezie]

Guys, just to clarify:

Al-Fakhir= Fake Al-Fakher
Al-Fakher= The real stuff.

i want to know more about the fake al fakher. can you give some picture of the real stuff and the fake ones? I just wanted to know what i'm smking a fake one or the real one thanks for the info Zero peace

I don't have any pictures, but the website is www.alfakhir.com. But they list themselves as "al-fakher trading co."

The real site is www.alfakher.com

i just look it up on the internet and sent an email regarding the 'al-fakher trading co' both of them seem to be located in the same region which is dubai. After i got the answer i'll post it here so that things are made clear. Is it fake or whatnot. Again thanks for the info Zero

[teq]

I say for the beginners smoke Layalina. For the experienced smokers, Tangiers!

Sounds good to me, but now I have a few questions:

Does Layalina produce a thicker smoke than Nakhla?

It's my understanding that both produce a rich flavor, while Tangiers produces the thickest smoke around. In terms of flavor, would Starbuzz be preferred over Tangiers or vice versa?

Where would be the cheapest place to get sample packs of Layalina, Starbuzz, and Tangiers?

[lazria]

Starbuzz is easier to smoke than Tangiers. Tangiers is alittle cheaper than Starbuzz. I like Tangiers.

To me, Nakhla and Layalina produce about the same amount of smkoe, depending on set-up and coal/heat management. I've had Nakhla get harsh, but also had Layalina do the same. Heat management is the key.

Cheapiest? Search, search, search... compair the different sites. Edited May 15, 2007 by lazria

[teq]

Starbuzz is easier to smoke than Tangiers. Tangiers is alittle cheaper than Starbuzz. I like Tangiers.

To me, Nakhla and Layalina produce about the same amount of smkoe, depending on set-up and coal/heat management. I've had Nakhla get harsh, but also had Layalina do the same. Heat management is the key.

Cheapiest? Search, search, search... compair the different sites.

So, in your opinion, is there a significant difference between Layalina and Nakhla when it comes to flavor? Personally, I've only had success with Nakhla cinnamon flavor... but it's only widely available during the holiday season.

[ASUSEAN1]

Layalina.

1) Excellent flavors (esp their berrys and melons).
2) Amazingly thick smoke. Also isn't finnicky, it just works.
3) Good duration.
4) Always fresh

+1