uglycustoomer Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 i bought a box of coco's, but you have to turn them every 10 minutes or so or they go out. Exotica's always burn perfectly without having to turn them, just the occasional ash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staygone Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I've done full bowls never rotating cocos, and they never went out.I bet that all natural coals do this. My Stargates did it, but I think it is a minimal problem. Tis the nature of the natural coals.-QM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog_916 Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 I've never had them shatter on me thus far but I've only gone through about 10 sticks so far. The times where they did fracture a little bit I was squeezing too hard unconsciously. Yes, they do smell a bit, but I havent had them impart a taste yet. That's odd. I'll probably have to go through at least a few more sticks and I'll see if I encounter this problem. Even if I do encounter this issue, no coal is perfect, including coconaras. So I guess it really does all come down to preference in the end. I just wanted to see, from this thread, if coconara is screwing you guys over on pricing. 15 bucks for 84 coals is bullshit in my opinion. If you can get similar quality for way less money (even if slightly lesser consistency), it's worth it to me. Even Canary Jap coals give you more for 15 bucks than coconara does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1v3th3ad Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 (edited) what I would like to see next is CocoQuicks (quicklight cocos)edit: just noticed, CocoQuicks sounds like some damn good cereal! Edited July 10, 2008 by r1v3th3ad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy1966 Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Yeah I do get a few cocos that do not want to stay lit sometimes. That was the first time the ones from HC had a taste to them. I kept them on the burner longer too. I still am gonna try a box and see. If they are pretty consistent I will order more. I will still get the cocos for now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamscott06 Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Out of 4 coconaro boxes i'v had about 5-10 little cubes not stay lit after being on the stove for 10+ minutes.. Pisses me off but since it rarely happens im not to upset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiefin Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I will stick to my boxes of 84 "Pieces of Art" for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy1966 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 QUOTE (Chiefin @ Jul 10 2008, 01:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I will stick to my boxes of 84 "Pieces of Art" for now.+1 for that. I really do not see me swaying away from the best coal. The box from HC is really gonna have to impress me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lp640man Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 QUOTE (iamscott06 @ Jul 10 2008, 11:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Out of 4 coconaro boxes i'v had about 5-10 little cubes not stay lit after being on the stove for 10+ minutes.. Pisses me off but since it rarely happens im not to upset.Your burner is weak, get yourself a 1000w burner an it takes like 7 minutes to fully turn red. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattarios2 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 QUOTE (Snoopy1966 @ Jul 10 2008, 08:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (Chiefin @ Jul 10 2008, 01:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I will stick to my boxes of 84 "Pieces of Art" for now.+1 for that. I really do not see me swaying away from the best coal. The box from HC is really gonna have to impress me.+2Like i've said, 3 boxes of tangiers and a box of cocos from HS for 44.95. 3 boxes of tangiers is 39 so they give you a box of cocos for 5 bucks, if you are a tangiers fan, then this package can not be beat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greeknate88 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 (edited) QUOTE (mattarios2 @ Jul 11 2008, 11:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (Snoopy1966 @ Jul 10 2008, 08:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (Chiefin @ Jul 10 2008, 01:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I will stick to my boxes of 84 "Pieces of Art" for now.+1 for that. I really do not see me swaying away from the best coal. The box from HC is really gonna have to impress me.+2Like i've said, 3 boxes of tangiers and a box of cocos from HS for 44.95. 3 boxes of tangiers is 39 so they give you a box of cocos for 5 bucks, if you are a tangiers fan, then this package can not be beat.Actually, you can get 3 packages of tangiers for 35, so you're paying 10 dollars for the cocos. Thats the way I look at it. Edited July 11, 2008 by greeknate88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamscott06 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 QUOTE (lp640man @ Jul 11 2008, 01:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (iamscott06 @ Jul 10 2008, 11:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Out of 4 coconaro boxes i'v had about 5-10 little cubes not stay lit after being on the stove for 10+ minutes.. Pisses me off but since it rarely happens im not to upset.Your burner is weak, get yourself a 1000w burner an it takes like 7 minutes to fully turn red.Well everytime the coals only take 5-7 minutes to get fully red. Its only happend a couple times where they barely light after 10+ minutes and then go out after about 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahara Smoke Co Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 great comparison! I was curious about HC coconut coals, cant wait to try them for myself. good post!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookah hippie Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I guess I am going to have to try cocos but I got 3 unopened boxes of the HC coals so I am not going to get cocos for a while unless I see them locally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willbb123 Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 My coco's started to piss me off last night. I normaly smoke with other people but last night I was by myself. I had to keep flipping the coals after every one or two hits. If I didnt the smoke would just disappear, once I flipped it was back to normal right away.QUOTE (r1v3th3ad @ Jul 9 2008, 09:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>what I would like to see next is CocoQuicks (quicklight cocos)edit: just noticed, CocoQuicks sounds like some damn good cereal!Im cuckoo for CocoQuicks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog_916 Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 Coconaras vs. Coconut Coals from HCFinally, I can get my review in. Ugh, I would have yesterday but I couldnt even lift a finger I was so tired. So, me and a friend of mine fired up some Lucid Blue Gumball to talk and BS about her visit to Sacramento. I opened up the sample pack of Coconaras that Snoopy sent me and when I brought out a small row of 4 of them, I noticed right away that they were more dense than the HC coals. They seemed heavier and more...I dont know how to really describe it....but mineral-ly? Not really like charcoal but seemed like there were bits of mica or some sort of mineral in there. Not really a problem but more of a "I noticed this" kind of thing. When I tossed them on the burner I noticed it does take a long time to light them up, about 10 minutes to get them nice and red hot. This quality is the one that is most detrimental to the coals as a whole. The HC coals take less time at about 6 minutes to light up fully. The rest of the qualities are very good. 2 sets of them lasted for me roughly the same amount of time as the HC coals, about 2.5 hours for 2 sets. They smelled pretty much the same during lighting as the HC coals do. I did notice that they do leave bits of black deposit behind when you go to ash them, its a little bit difficult to blow those off when you ash the coals. BUT, the Coconaras didnt break or anything when I ashed them. The HC coals have a minor problem with that, but it's mostly after the coal has become so small you need new set of coals anyway. The ash from the coals at HC is more fluffy and you just kind of blow it off, no deposits of any kind are left. It's a difference, if a minor one.These coals do put off heat but not quite as much as the HC coals. This is both good and bad. Good for Tangiers, bad for other tobaccos that may require more heat such as Nakhla or juicier tobaccos like Starbuzz. If you need to use more coal to acheive the same effect then that means you are getting less value from the coal over the long term. Less coal, ideal heat is the desired end to attain the most value from the coal. To summarize, if you smoke a lot of Tangiers, this coal is perfect for you because you are less likely to get the harshness that may come from a coal that puts off more heat. If you are smoking more Nakhla, Starbuzz or AF, I would use the HC coals because you wont use as much of them and you'll be able to acheive a better value. If you smoke both types of tobacco, I would use the HC coals because you can adjust the coals to smoke Tangiers and you can use the coals as they are to smoke the Nakhla or AF or SB. I dont know if it was just me, but when I put on a new set of coals the second time, I got a little bit of a charcoal-like taste, it was faint, but it was there. It went away after a few minutes but I noticed it. The coals were fully lit, there was no issue with that at all. But I've noticed that every once in a while with most of the coals I've used. The only one I didnt get that with were the Diamante Jap coals. Price is the largest issue I have with these coals as I've mentioned before. 14.95 for a box of 84 is a bit steep for the amount of value you get from the coals. You get substantially more coal with the HC coals for substantially less money. Some may say "But the Coconaras are higher quality, a more premium coal." I dont buy that Final ScoresI will give the Coconaras an 8.8 out of a possible 10. I take away .5 because of the long lighting period, .5 because of the value difference, and .2 because of the heat difference. I give the HC coals a 9.5 out of 10. I take away .2 because of the excessive heat sometimes when using Tangiers. I take away .2 because they break sometimes when the coal has gotten so small it isnt necessarily useful anymore. Being more gentle with it and not squeezing the hell out of it helps too though. HAHA. And finally I take away .1 because you do have to break them with your hands and it isnt a clean break 100% of the time. Some pieces may end up being slightly larger than others. I will call it a tiny issue. That is my review of Coconaras vs. The Coconut Coals from HC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greeknate88 Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Excellent review, very thorough. Props to Bulldog on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy1966 Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Nice work Bulldog. Try flipping the cocos every once in a while to begin with and that helps out a lot. I like both coals because they have great heat for Tangiers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamscott06 Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Guess i'll pick a pack up and see how they are .. Damn you forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicayotte Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 since everyones switching to cocos, ship me your exoticas you will be giving up lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog_916 Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 Didnt you stop smoking nic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattarios2 Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 QUOTE (Bulldog_916 @ Jul 14 2008, 10:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Didnt you stop smoking nic?i beleive he posted recently saying he was getting back into it, and I believe he was looking to order a KM if my memory serves me right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog_916 Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 Yea, I figured that out. I smoked last night. Blue Gumball....mmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srawas89 Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Very Thorough review...I might buy the HC coconut coals now...damn it its so frustrating...that and I need new coals....ARGH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 i got a box of the HC Coconut Coals from Neal about 2 months ago and they aren't good coals. As others have mentioned they smell horrid when I heat them with the coal burner and I have gotten an aftertaste when smoking using them.CocoNara's are definitely my coal of choice. I recommend CocoNara's to everyone, they might cost a little bit more but they are worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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