Beware The Belgian Ql Coals

[mathuv]

well i've had this problem with another brand of quicklights (headache and vomiting) i found out. also they left a nasty taste. Now i use them and they only leave a slight taste, cos theyre cheap & generic . My problem was i put them on after they finished sparking. now i let them finish sparking and blow on them for a good 2-3 mins till theyre red hot. still a small taste but its negligble (sp?) hope this helped.

[Poro-]

I've smoked 1 roll of 40mm Belgian charcoals. I had bad headache once, and once I felt little weird. Both of the times were with Nakhla mint-apple mixture.

[EternalSoil]

HOLY SHIT ITS SCALLI!!!

[Dom]

i'd like to start off by clearing the air and saying that i LOVE Social Smoke because they run a good business and REALLY take care of thier customers.

now, what i would usually do with the belgians is wait quite a while before smoking because of that nasty gun powder flavor. i figured that out prety quickly. lol. i have tried waiting until it is all the way white, but when i would go to put it ont the bowl two things would happen: it would be very brittle and would be very brittle and would break apart easily and sometimes fall onto the floor. but when i did get it onto the bowl in one piece, it usually wouldn't be hot enough to get any good smoke. (maybe i'd have better luck with the 40mm). so i would wait until it appeared to be fully lit, but not necessarily white all over before i started smoking. maybe the problem with the headaches come when there is even a little bit of gunpowder left on the outside shell of the coal that had sparked before, but had not been fully consumed by the heat and gone away. i guess it takes longer for the gun powder on Belgians to go away than other QL's.

as much as i am scared to try another belgian (and i can't believe i'm thinking about doing this), i think i'm going to give those coals another try and i'm going to light one of them and watch it and wait until it stops sparking, then put it on the bowl before it gets too brittle, then just not smoke a single puff until it is all the way white. i just hope that letting the gun powder ignite while on the bowl won't get into the shisha through the holes and cause headaches. if it weren't for the coal being so brittle, i'd just wait to put the coal on until after it was all the way white. now, if i still get a headache, then, to make sure, i'll light it off the bowl and wait until it's all white all over and then CAREFULLY put it on the bowl. now, if it still gives me headaches, then i know that letting it get all white does not help.

i REALLY hope this works. i LOVE Belgians other than the fact that they have given me headaches. if this works out well, then there is no doubt in my mind that i will make Belgians my only QL to use.

wish me luck, everyone!

[Dom]

okay, so i took Social Smoke's suggestion and i waited until after it was all white and ashy all over with no black spots at all before i put it on. (about 5 minutes.) seems i was sadly correct about the headahces but wrong about them breaking apart. if i put them on AS SOON as they got all white, then it did not break apart, but i had to be careful.

i smoked some very tame SB watermellon with 3 belgian coals (one at a time). not much taste at all - same as if you wait until they are just done sparking, like i did before. i was really wishing that it did not give me headaches, but all i can say is that the headaches weren't as bad. i smoked just like i regularly do with my naturals with some pauses in between puffs and i drank plenty of water. i also ate before and after i smoked. still got headaches. they weren't incapacitating like before so that makes me kinda glad. but i still had headaches. it was not a pleasureable smoke, i can tell you that. Edited January 16, 2008 by Dom

[Poro-]

I'm just re-testing my belgian 40mm charcoals, now I broke them to smaller pieces to get them easier fully ashed before putting on.

Still, it feels kinda nasty on head, and 40mm cc is lasting same time as 33mm of my other charcoals. Tobacco is this time different, Nakhla fruit mix.

When I broke coals smaller pieces, gunpowder taste got less harsh but still noticeable. Suits well for small smokes, but you cant take a big cloud because after that, you feel like drunk :/

[mathuv]

i have a headache now from using these weird coals.. i bought a new hookah, i should have some pics on the site before the weekend

[ZenSilk]

haha, i don't get why people keep using the coals they get with their Hookahs. If you don't get a Hookah from H-S.com or from a site that says you are getting 3K coals, then don't use them!

This is like the 10th thread about how shitty no-name/belgian/chinese knock-off coals really are! Ugggghhhhh.

[mathuv]

haha, i don't get why people keep using the coals they get with their Hookahs. If you don't get a Hookah from H-S.com or from a site that says you are getting 3K coals, then don't use them!

This is like the 10th thread about how shitty no-name/belgian/chinese knock-off coals really are! Ugggghhhhh.

these are the only coals i can get in malta :/

[ZenSilk]

Aww dude that's stupid! I'm sorry to hear that man.

[mathuv]

Aww dude that's stupid! I'm sorry to hear that man.

theres another brand which is better but its far away from my house not worth the trip just for coals...

[Scalliwag]

Aww dude that's stupid! I'm sorry to hear that man.

theres another brand which is better but its far away from my house not worth the trip just for coals...

Hell, if there are more locals around you and a means of spreading the word, you could buy better coals and any other items that are hard to get locally in bulk, mark the price enough to make it worthwhile and sell.
Whatever it takes to get the quality smoke is what ya gotta do bro. Financing your habit is not exactly a new concept either

[ASUSEAN1]

i am glad mr. moodz sent me to check out a local shop.. 10 dollar 3Ks.. cant beat it

[Dom]

i have a headache now from using these weird coals.. i bought a new hookah, i should have some pics on the site before the weekend

I'm just re-testing my belgian 40mm charcoals, now I broke them to smaller pieces to get them easier fully ashed before putting on.

Still, it feels kinda nasty on head, and 40mm cc is lasting same time as 33mm of my other charcoals. Tobacco is this time different, Nakhla fruit mix.

When I broke coals smaller pieces, gunpowder taste got less harsh but still noticeable. Suits well for small smokes, but you cant take a big cloud because after that, you feel like drunk :/

just to make sure, are you guys doing the thing where you wait until the coal is all the way white with no black spots?

Mathuv, i know you said that you'll wait until it's done sparking, but try waiting to put the coals on until they have no black spots left. the headaches may go away, or at least, be not so bad. worth a shot since those are the only coals you can get.

Poro-, it's interesting to hear that the 40mm ones do it, too. thank you for posting.

[Poro-]

just to make sure, are you guys doing the thing where you wait until the coal is all the way white with no black spots?

Mathuv, i know you said that you'll wait until it's done sparking, but try waiting to put the coals on until they have no black spots left. the headaches may go away, or at least, be not so bad. worth a shot since those are the only coals you can get.

Poro-, it's interesting to hear that the 40mm ones do it, too. thank you for posting.

I've tested them straight away, and I've tested them completely white, no black spots, and I've tested them split in parts. After my long testings tonight, I made conclusions:

- Belgian coals work only when splitted to small quarter-pieces, lit completely.
- They dont last long, good quality 33mm lasts longer than 40mm belgian
- Gunpowder taste is only temporary, it goes away after few puffs and clearance of previous smoke.

so, if you want or have to use coals, you get less headaches when you wait until it is all white. That way, the coal never lasts long, but at least you can manage your head.

[Poro-]

And forgot to mention that these coals also spark more than my other coals. Haven't tested 3Kings yet so I cant compare to "market leader"

[mathuv]

well the coals i use give off a terrible smell when lighting and they dont really go white all over like normal coals :S they just turn grey-ish with a bit of black spots, usualy i just blow on them until the black spots are gone. the ash of this coal is gray. it leaves a taste for around 5 mins, until i remove the top layer of ash (the ash on this coal flakes off :S)

[EvansLight]

Hmm, i got 3 different types of the belgian coals, the 2 QL sizes, and then the natural charcoal tablet. Ill have to try it i guess.. now im worried about trying it XD

[Ralleac]

Eh. I have 2 rolls of them from SS that I haven't used yet since I have better stuff on hand, but I'll give them a whirl later this week.

[timmediahOU]

i used some last night with my new starbuzz orange because i was tired of waiting for my exoticas, they were not as good as 3k but i didnt get a headache

[oolatec]

Hmm, i got 3 different types of the belgian coals, the 2 QL sizes, and then the natural charcoal tablet. Ill have to try it i guess.. now im worried about trying it XD

Have you tried the natural tabs yet?

[pyo]

I normally use 3Kings but my headshop stopped selling them and started selling these Belgian coals. I was hesitant at first but I really wanted to smoke hookah and I don't like the Golden Coals my Tobacco Store offers....

These coals definitely light a bit faster than 3kings with less sparkles coming off but they do have loud popping/crackling noises and a very foul smell that comes off of it. Kind of smells like herbal medicine...

anyhow, moving on after they finished popping/crackling, I blew on them until both coals were bright red then let them sit for another 5 minutes to ensure that they were full lit inside and out. Afterwards, I placed it on the bowl, moving it 3 times to let the shisha temperature rise up a bit before I started pulling.

After the initial pull, i got the smoke going at about the 2nd pull and the flavor was definitely there.

there is minimal to no taste coming from the coal and i have not gotten a headache like the OP stated.

These coals ash pretty nicely compared to 3kings and they aren't as brittle as 3kings. Before, I would drop the coals on the tray and 3kings would break almost every single time.

my setup:
Mya Glass Vase
Tangiers Small Phunnel w/ Scalli Mod
Custom Hose
Starbuzz White Grape
Heavy Duty Foil with ring on outside and inside

[Seanij]

B-QL they're the man!
If they cant give you a headache
nothing can!

[Revenant]

Ordered a case of 40mm off social-smoke. Will review when it gets here... a day after placing the order they stock 3 Kings again.

Pretty skeptical, but will try them anyway.

[jnk]

Personally I use the 33 mm Belgian Charcoals, and have had absolutely no headaches whatsoever. However, the Belgian Charcoal Company does make a special charcoal designed for hookah use, and it looks like socialsmoke.com is selling the wrong kind. http://www.belgiancharcoal.com/products.html

You can see the difference in the labeling. I went to socialsmoke.com, the charcoal they are selling is designed for use with incense, not with shisha. Maybe this is why you are getting headaches?