Best Coal On The Market.....

[Mathazar]

I was asked to start a thread to rate your favorite coals.  So,  I figured,  why not create a poll.

C'mon everyone........Rate your favorite coals and help-out those who
are in need.  It's a difficult question,  I know,  but
we MUST do our duty and help-out those less fortunate than ourselves
who haven't the experience nor knowledge of picking the right coals.

I encourage you to write some brief reviews of your experiences, 
good & bad,  with different brands.  And I'll do my best
to add my expertise on this subject,  also 

[Stew]

I have had experience with Golden Coals, Three Kings, and a piece of
sh*t huge coal that tasted like gunpowder. Golden Coals and Three Kings
are on par in my opinion. No charcoal taste in either, fair lighting
time, decent duration. However, the reason Three Kings got my vote is
because they don't have a reputation of exploding. Although the number
of Golden Coals that do blow is very small (1 in 100 I believe the
count was), that was enough to put me on edge while lighting them when
I had a roll.

[Mathazar]

Everyone who's been here in this forum for awhile knows that I LOVE
Golden Coals and that 3Kings and all those other
quick-lights.........SUCK!!! 

Why? 

Because Golden Coals impart NO flavor whatsoever in your smoke. 
This means that all you're going to taste is the PURE goodness of your
tobacco (aka....ma'assel).  They light quickly,  burn
HOT,  and last a LONG time,  at least a good hour.

3kings and all those other stinking brands impart LOTS of charcoal
flavor into your smoke.  They don't burn hot,  nor do they
last a long time.

Golden Coals are most people's #1 Choice for Premium Quick-Light Charcoal.

As far as Natural Coals go,  Nour are my favorite.  They also
impart no charcoal flavor into the smoke,  they burn HOT, 
and last a LONG time.

Hope that helps! 

[Mathazar]

Oh,  and I should mention that I mean NO offense to those who
prefer 3Kings,  Golden Coals are just my personal preference.

And,  yeah,  I forgot to mention (thanks Stew),  Golden
Coals Sparkle a lot while lighting them,  and on RARE
occasions,  sometimes Golden Coals blow-up and send burning
fragments of charcoal in 10 different directions.  My carpet is
proof of that

[brother812]

had to vote Nour because from what i am told they are just like the ones i am using now ( Diamante natural finger style). for me they have no taste at all and last around an hour.
Golden's- like i said tonight in other posts i am not liking these much. i do detect a very distinct flavor from them and the heat just doesn't seem to be their. i have not tried 3-kings but will soon and what ever one i like best will be the quick light i keep on hand for when a natural is to much of a PITA to use.
Coconut coals- to use Math's words....these things SUCK. i think if i went in the back yard and got a dried up dog turd and used it as a coal i would have a better flavor. these things taste like a chunk of Kingsford from the start all the way till they are all ash. anyone who just has to give them a shot give me a yell i have 1kg of them that i will only use if a gun was put to my head......then i would have to think about it. the gun would be less painful.

[Mathazar]

"taste like a chunk of Kingsford"

LOL.....probably true,  I have not tried those,  but have heard similair comments

[Soup]

gotta go for goldens

[MR Bubble]

Voted for 3 Kings as they are best for heat management. Very consistant since they stopped their "3 Queens" campain. However, sometimes difficult to light, but this depends on the humidity in my area mostly. See, I have to swim to work sometimes around here with how humid it is. But as far as the actual smoking experience, you can't beat them.
MR Bubble

[cypress]

Such a dilema for me.  I can use either Goldens or 3 Kings. I was
a strong Golden person but one weekend I had to buy some coals. 
Well the only thing that was close and local was 3 kings.  I have
to admit they were just as good. I started with goldens on the first
set of coals then switched to the 3 kings.  I also like Nour. So I
am not going to vote just yet. If I could I would vote for all
three. 

[wyteboy]

I have had great experiences with BOTH 3kings and Nour Coals...3 kings are much quicker and a great smoke, but I prefer the Nour even though they take a bit longer to get going and they do produce a lot of ash but they are COMPLETELY natural coals, add absolutely no flavor to the smoke (neither do 3kings if you use them correctly) and can burn for a long, long time!  Nour and 3kings are both great but I give a slight edge to Nour.

[ahwahoo2006]

Im being sent some Star quick-lights to try out.  I hear they
light almost instantly and burn really well.  I will review when
they come and I try them.

[alen]

Just a friendly advice - light the first one outside
Alen

[alen]

Oh i forgot- i woted for the noir i think that they are the best but since im a lazy S.O.B i mostly use quicklites and right now im using pegasus that i find really ok but when im really dying for a smoke i use the star coals since they are the fastest lightning coals i ever seen (if it just wasnt for all smoke- goddamn)

[danguarda]

Hey any comments about Al-Shialah swift-lights?  I got these at hookah-hookah with my dragon order.
- Dan
 

[John Deere]

If I'm not mistaken, Al-Shialah is made by swiftlite, which = CRAP.
They were originally intended for burning church incense and have a
horrible smell when you light them. Once completely lit, they arent
THAT bad, but unless they are red, watch out.

[Mathazar]

That sounds a lot like Vivi Natural Coals,  while heating-up they stink like the DEVIL

[dikydave]

thanks for starting this post math.  i've only ever used goldens
and i have never been disappointed, but im thinking about ordering some
3kings with my next order just out of boredom really.

[jmexx]

I voted for 3 kings yesterday just because they get much hotter and give thicker smokes then any other coals I've tried (including Golden coals). I know that math isn't gonna like me saying that but it's true, I enjoy the 3 kings much more I have a whole pack left, math, if you want it!Jon

[Mathazar]

NOT!!! 

[cypress]

Math,  you might have gotten a bad batch of coals. You should at
least be a team player and give it another honest chance. You did give
Hookah Hookah quite a few chances even though some of their batches
were not up to par.   Hell even if it did make you puke its not
like you haven't done it before. You have smoked to the point the crud
was so bad that you pucked. 

[Mathazar]

It wasn't that the ma'assel was bad,  I puked because of the
amount of bowls I was smoking per day,  which was in the 10 to 15
bowls a day range.  My lungs couldn't handle it anymore and I was
heaving-up fluids,  which in-turn caused me to puke.

jmexx......I'm sorry man,  I thought you were offering me some
packs of 3kings.  If you were offering your remaining packs of
Goldens,  thanks,  but I've got enough

cypress.......it wasn't an isolated incident,  I've had bad
experiences with several smoking experiences using 3Kings from
different boxes on different occasions that I bought from different
places.  3Kings BLOWS,  and that's the stance I'm taking.

But,  I won't keep shoving the point down your throat,  I think I've made my point on more than one occasion 

[cypress]

3 Kings has the lead. 

[jmexx]

Ha, I'll send you a pack of 3kings if you want! I buy them boxes at a time at a local shop for 15 bucks CND so it's not so bad.Happy smoking!JonOh and if someone can PM alen telling him to PM me his email, I can't PM and it's driving me nuts!Jon

[Mathazar]

You got it buddy 

[King Mo]

I'm sorry mathazar, but what you are saying is completely false, and could not be further from the truth.
Golden are better when it comes to lighting, and they light very quickly indeed, but there is little to no difference when it comes to taste/smell.
You must be the only guy in existence to find a distinct flavour difference between the Golden and the 3 kings, as it really is negligible (if it does exist).
I prefer Golden due to the speed it lights, but when it comes to taste, there is NEGLIGIBLE difference (if any).
some things are opinion, but this really is a fact, unless you are allergic to some ingredient that exists within the 3 kings. perhaps you can have an allergy named after you
best wishes.
His Highness.