Just a quick summary please...

[Stew]

Could smeone in the know give me a bit of info on the current state of
Hookah-Hookah tobacco. I found the 11 pages of HH reviews to be a
little overwhelming.

I would like info on 1) the average duration of a normal bowl and 2) a rundown of flavours worthwhile to buy.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help

[mushrat]

Fair question, since you've taken the time to look it up.
my personal opinions:
hh melon and strawberry dang fine smokes. My bowls lasted well over an hour. Went longer than I did both times. feel free to check out my Brief reviews.

[Mathazar]

A quick Summary:

Best Flavors.........Melon,  Pineapple, Orange, Grape,  and depending on who you ask,  Margarita.

Best Overall Flavors:  Melon,  Pineapple,  and Orange!!! 

Personally,  I didn't care at all for the Menthol, 
Strawberry,  or Cherry.  I think everyone who tried it was in
agreement that the Cherry SUCKS 

In his reviews,  cypress rated Menthol & Strawberry with HIGH points.

I can no longer support Hazelnut or Apple,  as I've found RECENTLY
that they have gone WAY down hill.  When I first ordered them
several months ago,  they were fantastic.  Apple I had to
smoke a couple more times so that I could give it a fair review. 
Upon smoking it a couple more times back then,  I found it to be
very much like Granny Smith Apples.  But,  as I said, 
recently it's gone very much downhill.

Don't even be tempted to try Jamaican Rum,  as it's completely
flavorless.  And the Kiwi tastes and smells like the cross between
Banana & Bubblegum.  Actually, the Kiwi doesn't taste that
bad,  but it doesn't taste at all like Kiwi.

I pack a half bowl and use one and a half Golden Coals,  and I get
a 25 minute smoke.  If you use one coal,  you might be able
to get close to an hour with 3 quarters of a bowl.  But I find
that with 3 quarters of a bowl,  because of the fine cut,  it
burns much easier.  Stick with half a bowl and one and a half
coals,  and I think you'll be happy 

[Stew]

Thanks for your help

[wyteboy]

Pineapple and Melon are both GREAT flavors but the ma'assel is very fine and drier compared to others so I find it much harder to keep the smoke smooth throughout the whole session, every decent bowl I got lasted between 25-35 minutes.  I would definitely say those are the only two HH flavors that are worth buying but if you don't care about duration, they are absolutely worth buying based on flavor!

[mushrat]

I think the duration issue is one of persoanl skill rather than the Ma'asell.
Just kidding wyte. But to be honest I haven't noticed the same problem.

[Stew]

well then, how about a ma'asell that balances great flavours and duration? any reccomends?

[Mathazar]

Just a little note here........HookahHookah Orange is a New Flavor that nobody
else around here has tried,  except me,  and personally I
think it's one of their all-time GREATEST flavors.  A REAL winner
and worth every cent!!! 

To answer your question,  Hookah-Shisha sells a "Ma'assel" called
Romman.  It's very expensive,  but worth it.  My
favorite flavors are:  Double Apple,  Peach, 
Strawberry,  and Lemon.  The other flavors are just
so-so.  Stay away from Sweet Melon,  it used to be
GREAT,  but lately I've been receiving some rotten batches that
both smell & taste like vinegar.  Romman is the BEST,  in
my honest opinion 

[wyteboy]

stew, in my own and many others on here opinion, Al Fakher is the best....the best flavors in my opinion are Grape, Strawberry, CHerry and Golden Seal Eskanderi Apple.  Also two of the best smokes are from Fumari, Watermelon and White Peach, but there other flavors suck but you must try those two!

[mushrat]

The AF Esk. apple is truely a greta smoke. Good flavor and long lasting. The Romman peach is also awesome. and i don't use that word often.

[Stew]

Sounds like I'll be placing an order for some AF within the month,
trying HH orange, and possibly getting a tub of Romman for a "this
calls for a celebration" smoke.
Thanks again for all your help Mushrat, Mathazar, and Wyteboy.

[mushrat]

If oyu are into Cantalope, try either HH melon or, believe it or else, Nakhla.
 

[King Mo]

with many thanks to Mathazar,  I have tried 3 flavours, which I have given my opinion on.

The flavours were apple, hazlenut, and melon

apple and hazlenut were highly not recommended.

The melon was phenomenal, but lasted for approximately 30 minutes. However, it was a superb 30 minutes.

[mushrat]

Am i the only one who got a nice long smoke out of the hh melon?

[Mathazar]

Today,  I just ordered some Melon,  Pineapple, 
Grape,  Strawberry,  and 1000grams of the Orange.
I didn't like Strawberry the first time I had it,  but everyone
keeps speaking so highly of it,  I thought I'd give it another
try. 

I was going to try and quit smoking the hookah.........again,  but
I broke-down and pissed away almost $200 on ma'assel and overnight
shipping instead 

I really can't afford to be blowing money like that every month,  but for some reason I do it anyway.

I just got done puking my guts out over some REALLY saucey Chinese food
I had earlier tonite.  Infact,  I've been puking quite a bit
lately.  It happens after I spend about half a day smoking my
hookah.  My throat gets scratchy,  and then I start coughing
really HARD,  and that triggers me to start heaving.  So then
I stick my finger down my throat,  and up comes the evening
meal. 

I know this is all really appetizing to read,  but I think the
time has come for me kiss hookah smoking goodbye.  I'm just SO
addicted to it that I can't stop myself from smoking bowl after bowl
after bowl all day long.  It's really become quite a sick
habit,  as you have probably figured-out already.

Well,  anyway,  I just thought I would share that with all of you 

[wyteboy]

Math, don't just throw away all that stuff if you do quit....
and remember we're all behind you!

[Mathazar]

I won't throw it away,  wyteboy.  If I quit,  you guys will be first in line to receive the ma'assel

[King Mo]

[quote name='mushrat']Am i the only one who got a nice long smoke out of the hh melon?[/quote]

nah, perhaps you enjoy the burn taste a little more than most

[King Mo]

[quote name='Mathazar']Today,  I just ordered some Melon,  Pineapple, 
Grape,  Strawberry,  and 1000grams of the Orange.
I didn't like Strawberry the first time I had it,  but everyone
keeps speaking so highly of it,  I thought I'd give it another
try.   

I was going to try and quit smoking the hookah.........again,  but
I broke-down and pissed away almost $200 on ma'assel and overnight
shipping instead 

I really can't afford to be blowing money like that every month,  but for some reason I do it anyway.

I just got done puking my guts out over some REALLY saucey Chinese food
I had earlier tonite.  Infact,  I've been puking quite a bit
lately.  It happens after I spend about half a day smoking my
hookah.  My throat gets scratchy,  and then I start coughing
really HARD,  and that triggers me to start heaving.  So then
I stick my finger down my throat,  and up comes the evening
meal.   

I know this is all really appetizing to read,  but I think the
time has come for me kiss hookah smoking goodbye.  I'm just SO
addicted to it that I can't stop myself from smoking bowl after bowl
after bowl all day long.  It's really become quite a sick
habit,  as you have probably figured-out already.

Well,  anyway,  I just thought I would share that with all of you [/quote]

you are smoking too much my man. anything more than say 2-3 bowls a day (which is still a heck of alot) can't be too good.

One recommendation that I can make, from what I have observed, people
that drink alcohol and smoke Shisha do end up throwing up most of the
time. Do not drink and smoke

Try to find another pastime, some other hobby that doesn't involve smoking.

Or better yet, see if you can rent out every movie or series you've
ever wanted to watch, and watch one or two a day, and only have your
shisha on during the movie time.

or get into computer games (you're never too old for that)

I don't know, just a few suggestions, but you really are going overkill.

I'd perhaps go as far as avoiding hookahhookah, and nakhla, and
anything else that burns very quickly and gives you a sh*t taste.
Nakhla flavours are the most common that people throw up to. Probably
because they are usually quite strong and harsh. Stick to the smooth
stuff, like fakher, and perhaps al amir and fumari (the flavours you
like). Romman Lemon and raspberry are also incredibly smooth (with the
lemon being obviously better).

so:

find a new interest
restrict your smoking to times when you designate (e.g. during a movie).
do not touch alcohol any time around your shisha sessions.
Stick to the smoother flavours.

From what I remember, you never used to complain about feeling sick
until you started going away from the fakher , but then again, I
could be wrong.

[King Mo]

again ,no edit function ,so I have to triple post.

Mathazar, I tried firing up another head of hookahhookah (as I still
have plenty left). The apple still was flavourless. But great smoke
thickness.

the reason I'm posting is because I can feel that this is a nausea
inducing tobacco. Definately a stronger effect than fakher and the rest.

I would really try changing brand for a couple of days and see if you still feel like throwing up.

[Mathazar]

Thanks King Mo!!! 

I agree with you on the Fakher,  it is very smooth and a great
smoke.  I may order some GS Esk Apple.  There aren't many AF
flavors I like to smoke anymore,  as I've gotten REALLY tired of
Cappuccino,  Coconut, and many of the other flavors.  But,
perhaps I'll try the Plum and Orange if they have it. 
Though,  if I'm not mistaken, I think you said in a review that
you didn't like the Plum?

It was actually Romman Lemon that I was smoking when I got sick. 
I think I just had too much Chinese food yesterday.  I've been
eating the stuff almost on a daily basis,  and I've found that
it's just a little too rich for my stomach.  Everything in
moderation,  right? 

I really like Romman Lemon,  I'm smoking it right now.  My
order of HH is due to arrive today,  so I'll see how it compares
to the Romman,  as far as making me sick.  It may just be
that I have to give-up HH,  which really isn't such a great
hurdle,  as many of their flavors I have come to dislike. 
Apple & Hazelnut being just a couple.  Those two flavors have
REALLY gone to HELL.  I tried for a long time to enjoy them, 
but I've just recently decided to give them up because their flavors
just don't deliver anymore.  It's too bad they took such a great
product and F**KED it up,  because when they first came out they
were pretty damn good, especially the Hazelnut.

I don't drink,  btw,  but thanks for the tip 

Those were all good reccommendations on how to cut-back on my
smoking,  though there aren't many games out that I enjoy
anymore.  I'm an action/adventure gamer,  and I like game
worlds that I can freely explore and adventure in.  Though, 
there aren't many of those around today,  except for
MMORPG's,  but I've LONG since lost my interest in those. 
Although,  Parkan II looks interesting.  But,  I don't
know if that is a singleplayer adventure game or an MMO.  Just in
case you were wondering,  Parkan II is a new Space Sim.  I
haven't looked much into it,  other than downloading the
movie,  but it looks kind of cool. It looks a little like Earth
and Beyond,  but MUCH better.

In anycase,  I definitely either need to cutback or quit.  I
really don't want to quit,  but my health is more important than
the enjoyment I get from smoking the hookah.

Thanks again Mo,  I really do appreciate your concern.

[King Mo]

man it's nothing,

in my opinion, if you like Golden eskandarani, and most peach flavours,
then you will like the plum. It's the same category of flavour in my
opinion. Not necessarily my style, but it's that kind of thing. Same
with if you are a fan of most strawberry flavours.

I remember describing it as almost a 'buttery' taste. Which I still stand by. Very smooth though as most are.

generally, the strong tobaccos which may have ill effects are usually
the cheaper brands, what i've tried of hookahhookah, and also the Qema
range.

I don't smoke for a 'buzz', so I go for smoother flavours, and found
the fakher and al amir range to be smooth. As also many of the romman
flavours. The lemon is definately a winner

good luck anyway. I do know a guy who is a black belt in some martial
arts, very sporty and athletic, and smokes about 3 heads a day, his
voice is pretty damn deep though, as a result I imagine of so much
smoke , but the shisha doesnt seem to affect him.

I'd try to avoid any other tobacco products as a side note.

Other than that, everyone is genetically different, and the one thing
we all know, is that Shisha cannot be a healthy thing, so moderation is
good.

best of luck with it anyway.

[Mathazar]

By the way,  Mo,  when you become a Moderator you'll get the
"Edit" button and a lot of other cool buttons.  Being a Mod is
pretty cool,  but if in the wrong hands,  one person could
cause a lot of havoc around here,  as one of the features you get
as a Mod is the "Ban" function.  You can delete posts,  move
them,  make sticky threads,  all the control of an Admin is
at your disposal.

I think you become a Mod at somewhere between 500 & 700 posts 

[cypress]

I agree with Mathazar, in the wrong hands it could turn this forum
around. At times I do edit others post upon request and sometimes I
correct web links for conviniece. 

[King Mo]

[quote name='Mathazar']By the way,  Mo,  when you become a Moderator you'll get the
"Edit" button and a lot of other cool buttons.  Being a Mod is
pretty cool,  but if in the wrong hands,  one person could
cause a lot of havoc around here,  as one of the features you get
as a Mod is the "Ban" function.  You can delete posts,  move
them,  make sticky threads,  all the control of an Admin is
at your disposal.

I think you become a Mod at somewhere between 500 & 700 posts [/quote]

lol, at my current rate perhaps I'll be able to edit next year or something