Reviews of Starbuzz & Nakhla Chocomint

[Johnny_Z]

Hey hey once again! 

 I recieved some new samples in the mail today, and thought I would create a new thread for the reviews to come.

Mushrat was kind enough to send me some samples of Starbuzz Pomeranate,
Starbuzz Guava, Starbuzz Apple, and Nakhla Premium Cocolate Mint! I
thank him greatly for every last one and look forward to trying them
all!

 They all smell wonderful, but there was one bag among them that
really stood out from the rest... it smelled so strongly that I could
smell it even before I opened the package they were shipped in! Thats
when I knew exactly which flavor I would be trying first...




=====================
Nakhla Premium - Chocolate Mint
=====================


Appearance : Its got that typical chunky Nakhla cut, thats for sure.
The upside is that it seems quite a bit more moist then I’m used to
Nakhla being! It’s definitely fresh for sure... I mean it’s super
fresh! Fresher then fresh! Almost dripping with the overwhelming
freshness!
The freshest of the freshy fresh!


Smell : You ever had one of those “Thin Mint” Girl Scout cookies? If
you have then you definitely know what this smells like! If you haven't
had one of those cookies before, then just imagine a laid back milder
version of Nakhla mint hovering at the core of a velvety sweet
chocolate soul sphere. Did that make sense? I didn’t think so either...


Flavor : It all begins with the burn... that chilling frigid wave that
crashes down against your lung’s inner most walls. But just before your
lungs begin to feel the first signs of frost bite, the great chocolate
warrior rises from his slumber to valiantly defend the fortress of your
lungs and bring tidings of joy to the vast expanses of your taste buds.
And joy he does bring! While the hoards of Mint goblins rage on ever
strong, the might of the Chocolate warrior is known to all who witness
the great battle. He cuts their numbers by a third and makes his
presence known by the chocolatey light emanating from his being,
casting his milky sweet magic and raining down choco-drops upon the
battlefield that is your lungs and taste buds.
The war rages on for an hour... and at the end of it all,
there are no winners or losers. There is only flavor... and the flavor
will linger on, ever diligent, in your mind for hours to come.
Reminding you of the great battle that was waged in the far off land of
Hookania. Your thoughts will surely drift to it many times to come, and
desire to come back only to relive the great spectacle once more. 




Smoke Density : Thick and beautiful. A beauty equaled only by the
temperature of the clouds it produces, so cold could you would imagine
them freezing in mid-air. Tumbling to the ground and shattering into a
thousand icy shards.



Buzz: My description of the flavor should give you a pretty good idea
of the buzz on this one... strong and whimsical, almost Tolkien-esque.
Try it, you’ll like it!



Overall Impression : Wow... I mean just, WOW! It starts out as a super
strong mint and after about 5 or 10 minutes the milk chocolate flavor
rises to the surface. From that point on out the smoke balances out to
about (just as Mr. Bubble said) to about 70% Mint to 30% chocolate. I
honestly wouldn’t have minded the chocolate being a little bit
stronger, but I think Nakhla did a really fine job of finding a good
balance between the two. Much like a cross between a York peppermint
patty and an Andes mint. It’s a really delightful and refreshing smoke
that I would be more than happy to have at least once a week. If you
like Mint flavors but long for something more rich and complex, this is
surely a good choice for you.



Rating : 8.7 out of 10

[mushrat]

Um ya..what he said!
(Now you're back in form... See why we missed this guy?)

[Brad]

After reading that I HAVE to give this flavor a try.

[MR Bubble]

Now THAT boy gets emotional. Thank God he's back so more people will start considering ME normal for a change. We love you Johnny_Z!!
I'm just wondering.... The way you described it leads me to expect a higher rating than 8.7. What was it that blew it? For me, I didn't think there was a rich enough sensation. What about you?
MR Bubble

[dizzing]

haha, you're right mushrat, that's one helluva review 

[Johnny_Z]

[quote name='MR Bubble']Now THAT boy gets emotional. Thank God he's back so more people will start considering ME normal for a change. We love you Johnny_Z!!
I'm just wondering.... The way you described it leads me to expect a
higher rating than 8.7. What was it that blew it? For me, I didn't
think there was a rich enough sensation. What about you?
MR Bubble[/quote]


It must have been that Nakhla Cola I smoked a few days ago... I swear I havn't been quite right since then
That stuff will twist your brain six ways from sunday ! I think I'm
gonna go back and smoke some more Cola tomarrow to see if I get the
same effect again...

As far as the 8.7 goes, there are a couple little things I probably
should have mentioned that made me give it a slightly less then perfect
rating. I think the main thing was the sheer strength of the mint. It
was cut with chocolate so that mellowed it out a little bit, but it was
still strong enough to clear even the most impacted of sinuses and made
my lungs feel as if they were starting to freeze as I smoked it.
  I would have liked the mint to have been a little bit lighter
and the chocolate to have been a little bit stronger to be honest.

 You could still taste the chocolate really well, but it would
have been nicer if the chocolate was a little bit darker. I would have
probably have given it a perfect rating if the preportions of mint to
chocolate were 60/40 instead of 70/30. But still, it was a super nice
(and really mind blowing) smoke that I'm sure I'll order a full sized
box of.

 One other little downside of it was that the mint did linger in
the hose a bit... not as bad as regular mint would have, and after
smoking a bowl of Nakhla Cherry mixed 50/50 with Nakhla Askandarany
Apple all the minty coolness had disappeared. But it is safe to say
that the next bowl you smoke after the Chocolate Mint will retain that
minty coolness.


 Anyway, its like 1:30 AM and I'm on my third bowl of ma'assell
today (Nakhla Askandarany Apple by itself this time) so its probably
time to call it a night.

  More reviews to come tomarrow! The Starbuzz shall soon arrive...

[MR Bubble]

Ah, a Nakhla Esk fan now, are we? I remember having fun with that one a year or so ago. I found it a little over-powering. A real cartoonish sweet-sour mix. We never got your take on it. I like hearing your reviews of stuff I've smoked to make sure I'm thinking like another human being out there.
MR Bubble

[Johnny_Z]

[quote name='MR Bubble']Ah, a Nakhla Esk fan now, are we? I remember
having fun with that one a year or so ago. I found it a little
over-powering. A real cartoonish sweet-sour mix. We never got your take
on it. I like hearing your reviews of stuff I've smoked to make sure
I'm thinking like another human being out there.
MR Bubble[/quote]

 Indeed I am a fan of the Nakhla Esk these days!
  Its got a nice apple flavor with no anise at all, thats
complemented by a certain sweetness and different flavor that the
normal Nakhla Apple doesnt seem to have. And yet, despite being sweet,
it still retains that Nakhla type "heaviness" to the smoke that keeps
it from being just another foo-foo candy flavor.  I'm also
thinking there might be a few drops of lemon juice in the backround of
the smoke that add a nice little zing to it.

 I spose' I'll have to review the Nakhla Askandarany Apple
sometime soon, seeing as how I've been enjoying it so much. And yes,
for anyone whos curious, I have smoked Al-Fakher's Eskandarany Apple
before (about 500 grams of it to be exact).  Al-Fakher's is a
great and bubbley flavor but it just lacks that certain "punch" that
Nakhla's version has... Nakhla's take on the Esk is veeerrry different
from Al-Fakher's, but equally good in it's own way I think.


And yeah, Mr. Bubble I know what you mean about making sure your still thinking like another human being
But I suppose whats right for one may not be right for some and... aww
hell, who wants to join me in a sing-along of the Different Strokes
theme?

[Sonthert]

I remember when Nahkla first released eskanderani. Everyone was eskanderani this and eskanderani that and Oh! Isn't it fun to say eskanderani. Eskanderani's the best. Eskanderani is the flavor that the Saudi's made to be perfect. I remember that it was dyed the must absurd color of green, is it still that way?Oh yeah, I still keep Nahkla eskanderani around, just in case the mood strikes me. Great stuff.

[Johnny_Z]

Yeah, people did go pretty crazy when that stuff first came around. I
think the hype was more around the Al-Fakher version then the Nakhla
though... at least in the circles I traveled in 

 As far as the color, maybe I got into it a little late in the
game, but I don't think I've ever seen a bright green Esk. Apple! The
Al-Fakher version I have is light golden colored and the Nakhla is a
very light brown color. I think the only green ma'assell I've ever seen
was Al-Amir's Sour Apple, and that stuff didn't really taste like much
of anything from what I remember.

By the way, does anyone even know what the world "Eskandarani (or in
Nakhla's case, "Askandarany") means? I've always kinda wondered about
that one...

[Johnny_Z]

Nakhla, Al-Fakher, I know them well... but the time has come for something new!

Double, double, toil and trouble, load up the Starbuzz cause' its time to bubble!



=================
Starbuzz - Apple
=================


Appearance : A medium golden brown color (not too dark, not too light)
ma’assell that has a cut thats like a cross between Romman and
Al-Fakher. In about two bowls worth I only found one tiny little bit of
stem, and the ma’assell itself was cut into tiny little quarter inch
wide strips. The cut was almost perfect all around, and broke up/packed
very nicely into the bowl. Its got the sauce, and then some! My sample
wasn’t floating in liquid like a lot of Al-Fakher can be, but if it was
any wetter it would have been.


Smell : Wow!... Reminds me a lot of Nakhla Apple, only without that
licorice note that Nakhla’s has to it. Also, it had a much brighter and
more realistic smell then I’ve found from almost any other brand. It
truly smelled like a glass of apple juice! Not the stuff from
concentrate, but the real fresh kind. And because of how good it
smells, I don’t think I can stand to sit around talking about the smell
any longer! Its time to smoke!



Flavor : Wow... I mean just WOW!! Its a bad mother “shut yo’ mouth!”. I
was honestly expecting some lightly flavored generic “candy” sweet
ma’assell. But oohh was I wrong, so very very wrong! (In the best kind
of way). After trying the regular Apple flavor from countless brands
(Al-Waha, Nakhla, Romman, Sultan, Al-Fakher, Al-Qemah, Al-Amir, HookaH
HookaH, and probably a few others as well) I don’t think I have ever
encountered an Apple flavor that was this completely and utterly
realistic tasting. I really found it to be a cross between the flavor
of freshly pressed apple juice and real apple sauce. There is a tiny
hint of licorice in the background, but the real and true Apple taste
that I’ve never really found anywhere else stands strong right up
front. Theres just the tinniest hint of mild sweetness to the smoke
that really completes the flavor all around.  It’s just so rich
and wonderful!... it has truly been a long time since anything made my
mouth water like this after each puff. The flavor also lingers in your
mouth for quite a while after each puff, unlike most brands who’s
flavor is gone right after you blow out the smoke. I gotta say I am
beyond impressed!



Smoke Density : Al-Fakher has some SERIOUS competition here! Starbuzz
Apple gets as thick as you could possibly want it without ever becoming
harsh. Smooth as silk and thick enough to white out anything and
everything in it’s path. The thickness, richness, and total smoothness
of this smoke is nothing short of ma’assell perfection. You don’t have
to be gentle with the coal either, this little masterpiece can take a
lot of heat and never even come close to burning.



Buzz: In this respect, Starbuzz Apple is actually pretty mild. It
provides a very nice sense of relaxation and overall well being, but
don’t expect to have your brain launched into orbit by it. I would have
liked it to have been perhaps a tiny bit stronger, but given the
quality of every other aspect of this flavor it’s not something you
would smoke for the buzz anyway. I can really see it as a good every
day smoke for seasoned veterans and newbies alike.



Overall Impression : I suddenly understand why it is that this
ma’assell costs as much as it does. The high price of Starbuzz is
equaled by the incredibly high quality of flavor and richness of the
smoke it provides. After trying a sample of Starbuzz Apple I would have
no problem paying the price of $18 for a 250 gram jar of it. Yes, that
is fairly expensive for a ma’assell (about the same price as Fumari and
Romman) but in the case of Starbuzz I really do believe you get what
you pay for. Every aspect of the smoking experience is refined to a
level of quality rarely ever matched, and the only negative thing 
I could possibly say about it is that I would have liked the buzz to
have been a little bit stronger. Of course then, I am a “half a pack a
day” cigarette smoker, so this should be taken into account.
 If you haven't tried Starbuzz yet, I highly suggest you save up a
little money and treat yourself to a jar of it (or 3 even!). You’ll be
glad you did!


Rating : 9.9 out of 10!

[Johnny_Z]

Seeing as how I can't edit posts on this board, I had one more thing that I'm gonna have to mention in a seprate post.


 This Starbuzz Apple was just soooo good that I decided to smoke
another bowl of it later on in the evening (the second bowl was the
last of my sample... but it was too good to wait on!). The odd thing
was that I got a pretty darn strong buzz from the second bowl, as where
the first bowl's buzz was really light.

 So it should be noted that in my experiance so far with Starbuzz that the buzz factor has yet to be really pinned down.

 Buzzes in the in the mirror may be larger then they appear  

[masriya1980]

Askandarany means Alexandrian......people that come from Alexandria, Egypt are Askandarany.
Egypt all the way baby!!
I'm ordering six flavors from Starbuzz, anyone have any suggestions other than Sour Apple?  Ordering that one for sure!

[Shift_Six]

Ive got blackberry, strawberry kiwi, strawberry, cherry, and raspberry to smoke tonight, ill try and let you know.

[Johnny_Z]

Hmm, sounds like some good variety of hard to find (and rarely done
well, in the case of the blackberry and raspberry) flavors Shift_Six!
I'll be really interested to hear your thoughts on em'!

 In the meantime, I should note that I havnt tried the Guava and
Pomegranete flavors yet due to a rather unpleasent experiance I had
with the second bowl of Starbuzz Apple.

 After smoking the first bowl, it tasted so good I wanted to smoke
another! But about 15 minutes into the second bowl I started feeling
reaaaaally sick to my stomach, much in the way I did the time when I
smoked Hookah Splash long long ago. It really suprised me because I
often smoke two bowls of Nakhla or Al-Fakher back to back and never
have any problems, but that Starbuzz just totally wiped me out and left
me feeling like I had suddenly came down with the flu for the rest of
the evening.

 So needless to say I've been a bit wary about going back and smoking the other 2 samples
I've been pretty much sticking to Nakhla flavors the past few days
(Cola, Cherry, Apple, Orange, Strawberry, Choc. Mint, Esk. Apple) and
have had no problem smoking 3 bowls of those a day.

 But fear not, I shall once again take up the hose and be brave as
I delve into the remaining Starbuzz samples tomarrow or the next day

[mushrat]

Repete after me Johnny....Moderation.
(moderation is for monks, live life to the fullest, take big bites! Lazerus Long)

[HookahCaterpillar]

I just smoked nakhla's choco-mint for the first time and i must say i
didnt like it. It is a good flavor and has a pretty nice taste but i
PERSONALLY cant stand the minty coldness. I wish it were 70% chocolate
and 30% mint but defenitely just my opinion because I can understand
why people would like it just didnt do it for me.