im new..a little help?

[cypress]

Here are some good links that can anwer the questions.

[url="http://www.hookahculture.com"]www.hookahculture.com[/url]

A good hookah is an air tight one with an air tight hose.

Size does matter. Cooler smokes are from the bigger ones. Some people
like the small ones because of portability.  24-32 are good sizes.

How bad.... I believe its not as bad as i gag smokeing a cigarette. IF
there are concerns smoke the hookah like a cigar. Dont inhale.

Some peolple like the screens. Definatly safer as there is no aluminum
involved. You have to regulate the heat more with the screens as the
holes are bigger and u need more heat.

If you have any other questions try to search for it before asking.  If you still have trouble give us a buzz. Good luck.

[Mathazar]

Go to:  www.Hookah-Shisha.com and click on "User Guide" at the top of the screen.

Also

Go to: www.SocialSmoke.com and at the very top right of the page,  click on Hookah 101.

These sites should answer MANY of your questions 

[jmexx]

Molson? Canada? Are you from Montreal? PM me if you are, I'll take you to some amazing shisha places so you can try it out, you can try out some of the tobacco from southsmoke.com, I'll pass you some samples. If not, go to southsmoke.com! It was good to me (being Canadian, it's difficult to find a customs friendly place.Happy smoking!Jon

[uselessdreamer1]

both of those are awesome hookahs i would reccomend them highly. im
getiign the torrent package there, which is just a bigger one of the
1st model. but those are awesome choices.

good luck

[Mathazar]

I think you might find a better-looking selection of Acrylic hookahs in different sizes and more appealing colors at:

www.myasaray.com/store/index.asp?DEPARTMENT_ID=46

Mya Saray designs their own hookahs,  and their Acrylics aren't
made in China like many of the cheaper ones out there,  I think
they're made in the United States exclusively for Mya Saray. 
Sure,  you'll pay a few dollars extra and you won't get all the
extra accessories,  but what you will get is a hookah that you
LOVE looking at and you'll probably get a FAR better smoking experience.

But,  Hookah-Shisha has some GREAT tobacco (which is also called
ma'assel,  the term most commonly used in this forum to refer to
Hookah Tobacco).

For ma'assel,  Hookah-Shisha has something called Romman, 
and it comes in several tasty flavors.  My favorites being: 
Double Apple (licorice),  Peach, Lemon, Orange,  and
Strawberry.  I would avoid all the other flavors.

Al-Fakher is another good ma'assel.  Once again,  my
favorites being:  Orange, Coconut,  Cola,  and Banana is
sort of good but it's got a very subtle flavor which does not blast you
in the face with Banana flavor.  I do not think that Al-Fakher's
Orange or Double Apple was as good as Romman's.

Buy a MYA SARAY Acrylic for a few dollars more,  and I promise
you'll be MUCH happier than the ones you picked-out at
Hookah-Shisha......GUARANTEED!!! 

[jmexx]

Hey Molson, For some reason whenever I try to PM someone it doesn't let me put in a subject then says I can't send the PM cuz I don't have a subject. Basically, southsmoke.com isn't a Canadian site but it's very Canadian friendly. I didn't have a problem with customs when they shipped it here, the US customs sheet even had "Shisha" written on it. I guess they're not really sure what shisha is. Well if you have any questions feel free to ask, I'm going to have to contact someone about this no subject allowed thing!Jon

[Mathazar]

Shisha  = Hookah

Ma'assel = Tobacco

Welcome to The Hookah Forum 

[jmexx]

Thanks! Sorry about the mix up. How is Ma'assel pronounced? Like two words or is it just Massel? Looks like I'll be learning a lot from this forum!Jon

[Mathazar]

I just pronounce it mahsell,  but I've heard others pronounce it
ma'assel.  I don't know which is the the right way.  When you
go to online hookah stores,  they refer to the tobacco as
"Shisha",  but really Shisha is the hookah pipe you smoke out
of. 

Don't be sorry,  I learned that my first week on the forum 

[jmexx]

Thanks! Every in town calls it shisha but we learn something new everyday . I'll be learning a lot over here. To the original poster, I found a few hookah bars in your area but I lost the search. I suggest going to one with a couple of friends and trying it out before anything. If you have any questions again, about shipping and such, feel free to PM!Jon

[Molson]

alright guys i think i decided on my first hookah
mathazar- they got nice ones but to expensive
aight so im gonna go with one of the 2 that i posted above
spend 15 bucks on 150 coals (from the discounted section)
get some of those red mouth tips
want a metal bowl
the cleaning brush kit
and last spend 20 on tobacco so that would lock me in at 103....so 128 shipped and 156 canadian
my big question is how long can i keep the tobacco before i have to throw it away? i can get about 800grams of the cheap stuff for 20 bucks but i only plan to smoke maybe 20 grams a week...so thats 40 weeks so about 4 months. is that allright? can i keep tobacco for 4 whole months?
 
if yes then what is the absolute meximum i can keep it for
oh and if anyone had any comments or suggestions about what i plan to purchase please add....also not the hookah comes with a lot of accesories
thanks

[jmexx]

You can keep your ma'assel for upto a year (right guys?) as long as you put it in an air tight container (ziplock tupperware, for instance.) I wouldn't know, I smoke about 2 boxes a month between my friends and I, but word is it takes a year before it goes bad. Some say to refrigerate portions you don't use but 4 months shouldn't be a problem. I find after refrigeration the sugars from the fruits harden and get a little dirty. That's just my opinion! Happy smokingJon

[Mathazar]

I'm not sure how long it will last,  I usually smoke through my
supply in a few weeks. But one of our other knowledgable members, King Mo,  who
only smokes Al-Fakher says that it'll last 2 years.  That seems
kinda long to me,  but what do I know,  I blow thru that stuff
so quick it would make your head spin.

About what you're buying.  First-off,  those red mouthpieces
are filters,  and I don't know how good they are.  If you
want mouthpieces,  buy a pack of 100 plastic mouthpieces. 
2nd thing is,  I would HIGHLY discourage you from getting the
cheap tobacco.  I swear to you it S.U.C.K.S.!!!   
You're just going to be disappointed that you wasted your money on
sh*tty tobacco,  and then you're gonna come back in here whining
over the fact that you wished you had gotten the GOOD stuff.

Haven't you heard the old saying:  "It's not quantity that matters,  it's quality."

Take whatever money you have left over and buy some Romman: Double
Apple (which is essentially a high-quality licorice),  Lemon,
Peach, Orange,  and Strawberry.  You can buy them in assorted
500gram packs,  or you can buy them individually in 250gram
containers.

DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID BY GETTING A LOT OF THE CHEAP STUFF
TO SAVE MONEY.  YOU'RE JUST BUYING A LOT OF......CRAP!!! 

If Romman is too expensive for you,  you can get Al-Fakher: 
Lemon,  Orange,  Coconut,  Cappuccino, Grape, Cola, and Plum
(which pretty much tastes like Peach).  The Romman Double
Apple,  IMO,  is MUCH better than Al-Fakher's.  Romman's
is MUCH stronger.  Romman is my favorite brand,  as if you
couldn't tell.

Concerning the hookah,  there's another company called
www.GenuineHookahs.com that sell basically the same Acrylic Hookahs as
MYA SARAY.  The only difference being that they are imported from
Egypt and MYA'S are made right here in the United States. 
GenuineHookah's Acrylics sell for half the price of a MYA.

But,  if you're happy with the hookah you're getting,  that's all that counts 

[Molson]

hehe its allways awsome to have a fellow canadian help me out
so this next question if for you...do you know how much id have to pay if customs did find the tocacco? im looking at about 800grams.
if you don't know thats ok i'v been looking for a wile
thanks again

[Molson]

damn no edit button?
just saw mathazars post (u posted as i was)- you sir have convinced me for the roman stuff...i can afford it and if you say the crappy stuff really is that bad then i won't even try it. hehe
as for the hookas its not that im looking for a nice one...more of looking for one with tons of accesories but i will check out the ones at genuin
thank you very much sir

[Mathazar]

Well,  okay,  I'm not Canadian....but,  I'm pretty sure
that Hookah-Shisha won't write Native American Art on the box filled
with tobacco.  Plus,  the tobacco has a VERY strong aroma
that will permiate  the air around the box. It would
be an ACT of GOD if they DIDN'T look inside the package.  You will
have to pay something,  I'm not sure what it is,  but if
you're getting the Premium tobacco like I suggested,  then
whatever you have to pay will be WELL worth it.  I have a friend
who owns VoodooPC in Calgary,  and he ordered a BIG Syrian Hookah
from Hookah-Shisha,  along with some Romman.  He said that he
had to pay a tax,  but that's just what you have to do, 
because there are no Hookah stores in Canada that sell online. 

I suggest you start a new thread asking people what the tax is to
Canada on the amount you're buying.  There was another thread that
dealt with this question,  but I can't remember the name of
it.  You could try running a search on "Canadian Tax" and see what
you come up with.

[Stew]

18 cents a gram for tobacco duty. to put that in context, it costs 9 dollars per 50g of tobacco. sucks, I know.

[Mathazar]

I'm glad you're getting the Romman. It's the BEST tobacco
(ma'assel.....might as well say it correctly) that I've EVER
tasted.  It's nice and smokey and tastes GREAT!!!

GenuineHookahs has some nice Acrylics,  but if you live in
Canada,  you might as well just buy all your stuff from one
place.......Hookah-Shisha.

Might I also suggest that instead of getting the bargain
charcoal,  which is just cheap crap like the cheap ma'assel, 
if I were you I would buy the Golden Coals.  They are
quick-lighting coals,  and they have ABSOLUTELY NO CHARCOAL ODOR
OR FLAVOR WHATSOEVER!!!  I GUARANTEE you'll be quite pleased with
Golden Coals.  All the other stuff out there tastes like
charcoal,  and it will RUIN your smoking experience

[jmexx]

I've had three orders of tobacco and I haven't been taxed yet. I know that it's ridiculously expensive. Here, at our grocery stores, it costs like 12 bucks for standard ma'assel, 50grams! I was told by my hookah lounge that the tax on the box is about 20 bucks per 250 gram box. *Knock on wood* I have yet to be charged for the tobacco. From southsmoke.com they wrote SHISHA in the US customs sheet and I didn't get charged. The box doesn't smell, they're usually well packed. I've had only one order of just tobacco and two orders with accesries/hookahs. I suggest getting a quality hookah with a GOOD hose, or else you'll never enjoy your smoking experience. You end up spending more but in the end it's worth it! Good luck and happy smoking!Jon

[Mathazar]

I agree 100%!!!  If you get a quality hookah right now,  that
will satisfy your every desire of Hookah smoking.  The cheap ones
are REALLY cheap.  They charge less on them for a
reason.............THEY'RE CHEAP!!! 

But,  if you get a good Acrylic hookah,  I'm quite certain
you'll be happy for quite awhile until you decide to upgrade to
something a bit fancier 

[jmexx]

I mean a little cheap one is alright for a little. I have a total of four hookahs just myself, plus my close friends have at least one of their own. I have 2 that are just cheap, those didn't last long at all! I have one one hosed hookah that is great and a two hosed hookah that is great. I can't even imagine how I used to smoke out of those horrible, rust infested hookahs. It's the same for the lounges I went to. Dirty underground purely Arabic lounges to nice, clean, relaxing shops. I don't have anything against Arabs, it's just when you're trying to relax with a hookah while they're yelling at eachother because of a bad gamble, it's frustrating. It's all about quality. Jon

[Mathazar]

That's right.......Quality means EVERYTHING when you're smoking a
hookah.  From the hookah down to the ma'assel you smoke,  to
the coals you use.  Everything is QUALITY where hookahs are
concerned.

Always avoid cheap bargain deals with all the accessories. 
Because all you're really getting is a cheap hookah with cheap
tobacco,  and cheap coals.

Buy Quality stuff and you'll be a HAPPY HOOKAH SMOKER 

[Mathazar]

You'll probably be just fine with that hookah.  It looks nice enough 

[Mathazar]

Plus you're getting a case and a bunch of cool accessories.  As
long as you get the Premium tobacco and the Golden Coals,  you'll
be just fine! 

[Mathazar]

My only concern about the black vase is that you're likely going to
have a hard time seeing the water-level inside the vase.  You're
only supposed to fill it up no higher than 2 inches above the stem
inside the vase.  That way you'll get lots of smoke.  Even 1
inch will work,  but 2 inches is reccommended.

You know for the same price,  minus the case and the accessories,  you could get a MYA SARAY acrylic hookah 

Though,  it's probably better to order all your stuff together