"premium" Tobacco

[antouwan]

so, i was all about having the best setup, buying the "best" hoses, having good rigs, coals and especially buying those 'premium' tobaccos. but now recently, i've been getting my nakhli in order, loading it well, and i've been having rather good sessions; and this has got me wondering, is paying 15 to 20 bucks for overpriced, sugar saturated, excessively dyed, and really not that 'premium' tobacco really worth it, especially when i can get something that i believe tastes better, and is about one third the price? i think not. nakhli is one of the most consistent brands out there; granted, it does need to be packed a little differently than some of the really drippy tobaccos but with the wildly fluxuating 'quality' of AF, and the insane mark-up on the other 'premium' tobaccos. my question is this though: where do we go for a consistent smoke, that doesn't make us feel like we just got held up for paying some of these prices? i think i've found where i feel the most 'comfortable' in terms what i pay for what i get out of the tobacco. don't get me wrong, i'll still keep a tin on hand of SB or fusion guava, pending that i can still get a hold of the SB for about 13 bucks per 250g, but if the price goes up, count me out.

i enjoy new products, and coconaras are the most stupidly convenient charcoal out there, and i plan on continuing to buy them, at least every once in a while, but regularly? i don't think so... i have the money to buy SB, and use cocos, but it's gotten to the point where enough is enough - give me the traditional flavors, and i'll be set, i don't need a starbucks amount of variety on tobaccos, people have been smoking a handful of flavors for at least the past 20 or 30 years, i think i'll be fine.

/rant

anyway, what do you guys think? with these premium tobacco lines multiplying like rabbits, do you like the trend in the arguileh market niche? new coals, new tobaccos, and constantly higher prices - where do you guys/gals lie? do "premium" products merit their equally premium prices?

-tony

[AKammenzind]

Yeah, I never really got into any of the so-called 'premium shisha' brands. I've had fumari, and starbuzz, and fantasia... and I know there's at least one or two more that I'm missing. And well, they just weren't memorable. They might be so-so if they cost $8 per 250g... but they often cost near two or three times that.

The closest I'll get to these shishas is AF, mainly because the smoke they produce just doesn't 'feel' as good to me. Maybe it's just not as heavy as my beloved Nakhla, though. Doesn't hurt that I'm really, really cheap and need to get the best bang for my buck... which will probably always be Nakhla.

But at least the idea of premium shisha is understandable. I'd think that most people would probably laugh at the idea of premium charcoal that sells for several times more than your normal charcoal if they looked at it. Coals are coals to me, I prefer to use only bulk naturals... they generally have little to no taste, last long, rarely burn the shisha like chemically altered coals will... and they're damn cheap if you can shop around. Plus there's nothing quite like the feeling of just tossing a big chunk of charcoal on your hookah, especially when you can see the rings in the wood, and the bark pattern.

[Tom1]

Whats Nakhli?

[antouwan]

Whats Nakhli?

it's what you or any other non-chami speaking arab would call "nakhla" in my head it sounds like nakhli, so i write it nakhli

[Fluffy]

absolutly!

i thing brands such as starbuzz, fantasia, fumari, and roman are way 2 expensive. ther not that great and 20$ for 250 grams i think is just way 2 much for any shisha.

there are some really good cheaper blends out there such as al-waha or nakhla.

[Fluffy]

Heres another thing i want to say

alot of primo bands get all these crazy flavor mixtures i like that but i like the hookah-hookah/freak alot more they have the craziest flavors in the world you can get custom mixes and due to its cut its so easy to mix so the flavors blend easier also great price its better than al faker for my opinion

[ColibriDon]

I think it's crazy how expensive SB and Fantasia are, I don't really understand it. SB just isn't as good as Tangiers, Nahkla, and AF. I think these premium costs just have to do with the people new to hookah. Hell, I was guilty of this, ordering premium SB just because of it's price. I saw Nahkla's price and assumed it was crap because of how affordable it is. I think a lot of new-comers to the hookah scene are like this and because of how popular hookahs are becoming, these premium brands are selling like hot cakes.

That being said, I love Fumari. I think they make some of the best shisha out there and their rose flavor is in my top 5 all time shishas. While it is crazy expensive, it's a once a week treat for me that I'm happy to pay a crazy premium for. haha

[jezter6]

So called "premium" brands are like anything else around the world - they are a fad.

Sadly, you have enough fanboys around for these fads that keep them alive well beyond what they should. When I started smoking hookah, SB was all the rage, I got 3 tins of it, and I never bought SB again.

The only "premium" that I like is Fantasia blueberry - not because it tastes like blueberry. It's my 'splurge' buy every now and then.

These people need to realize that a lot of the new young smoking crowd is broke. It's hard to justify paying $20+ for a tin when you can get a box for $5 for the same amount of smokes, and great flavor. I know I can't really speak for the market, but I know that if SB or Fantasia was better priced, I would probably buy much more of it. Instead, I buy none of it because of the price.

[inino]

ive tried pretty much all the premium brands and now i just buy them if i cant get that flavor in layalina or al fahker. like irish cream or flavors like that.

[mattathayde]

it really comes to smoke what you like,

personally i like some af flavors (specifically mint as my go to in it and hopefully the cola i got will be nice)

ive only had a couple nakhla and they are good but not the best alone (apple and lemon), i like some starbuzz (like bluemyst).

so ya basically yes some shisha is over priced but i like some 20buck shisha as mucha s i like 5 buck shisha.

as for coals i love cocos but i just got a bunch of hookahjohn's coals in to try (the reviews look to have them basically the same as cocos just not keep the insane heat as long when they get tinny but burn for a long time, ill see what happens) but they are 132 coals for 13-14 bucks where the coconaras are 84 for 13-14 bucks

-matt

[dafunk5446]

When I started smoking hookah, I got 3 tins of it, and I never bought SB again.

This is exactly what I did, I got some blue mist, citrus mint, and irish cream. All good flavors, but after 60 bucks worth of shisha was burned, I felt as if I was taken for a very big "ride".

I have not since spent more then 13 bucks on 250g of shisha. Short of the fantasia Pumpkin spice I just ordered.

I doubt I will even buy AF that much anymore, short of watermelon and mint.

Tangiers and Nakhla are going to be the standards in this household from now on!

[Barnaby]

I think it varies though on the brand. Everyone gets some flavors right, and alot wrong. Tangiers is possibye the only premier brand that I've had consistent good taste from. Romman is generally a miss, but they have a few good ones. AF has done nothing to impress me, but I've only recently tried them, so I guess I get the tail end of their downward spiral. I've had some Fantasia that is good, their rasberry lemonade is quite tasty, but I wouldn't pay a premium for it. Their Mon Cherry was shit.. Can't vouch for SB, but the price tag alone keeps me wary. I've had some great sessions from Al-Waha, Fusion, and Layalina, so it really is hit or miss for most brands.

Nakhla has provided some interesting smokes for me, but they're not considered premium.

As a whole though, as I try more and more shisha out, I'm starting to miss the good ol' favorites that I had at my first visits to hookah bars, and even when I first got my hookah earlier in the year. I think alot of the brands are trying too hard to differentiate themselves, and most end up sucking for it. The only brand that seems to be able to pull off odd flavors is Tangiers, and even then I find myself longing for some simple sweet melon, or a mango or something. Being surrounded with Kiwi, Orange Soda, K Cherry, and Schnozzberry, while all damn good, I kinda want to go back to the sweet innocense of yesterday, and just have something simple. Cept for Kashmir Peach though.. I think I could smoke that all the time.. Shit is just damn good.. think it spoiled me for Tangiers, as so far, it still my favorite from them..

[Scoop]

starbuzz, fantasia, romman are all rip offs. i had some romman recently that was god awful, all my friends refused to take it. fantasia is too gross, all the flavors are disgusting to me. starbuzz is meh, i always taste a chemikill taste (same with fantasia). never tried fumari, might be good, but way too overpriced.

ill stick with the only real premium tobacco; tangiers.

[Sordino]

Romman is disgusting, I agree. Never had Fantasia. I got a sample of Fumari with a order from someone on here, and it was indeed really really good. But $1 per 10 grams? No thanks.

Starbuzz I personally enjoy a lot, certain flavors anyway. I am willing to pay the premium for some of their more exotic flavors (Blue Myst, Peaches n' Cream, Blueberry Grape). But buying standard flavors from them would be completely a waste of money.

[mattarios2]

Agreed with everyone

The only premium flavors in my eyes worth smoking are

Fantasia Pumpkin Spice and blueberry from what I have tried and P-Spice is starting to go downhill and taste like chemicals.

But I will say Fusion is awesome. Fusion is the only brand I truly love that is considered "premium" try their guava and pear ... amazing!

Other than that I only smoke nakhla and AF

Oh and if you are gonna try fusion buy from hookahjohn.com he has the best prices on fusion.

[Fluffy]

i guess fumari aint that expensive.

alot of you guys are talking about tangiers 13 dollars for 250 grams is great and its better than alot of the premiums i consider original tangiers the lucky strike of shisha. thier lucid line is a bit pricey though and f line is just a gimmik and rip off

[Santino]

Road to riches: Take a subpar flavor, add way too much glycerin and give it an "exotic" name, sell it to the college kids.

$$$!!

[mikeypas]

that being said, nakhla has some truly awful flavours.. nakhla cardamon, nakhla mandarin.. unsmokeable IMHO.
so, having a core few consistently good nakhla flavours is good, but then if you want some variety, you have to go out a little bit. layalina is quickly becomining more and more my go-to brand.. but i still sometimes splurge on the "exotics" if i just want to try something way out there.

being in canada, even the exotics on the mail order sites are cheaper than the nakhla , so i guess thats how i justify it!!

[SixPackSunday]

havnt read through this... but heres my 02

my fav shisha hands down is tang... which is only 12 a 250... so i have a hard time justifying spending more than that on anything else... nak and af are both cheaper....... so unless its a trade deal i'm generally not willing to pay more than 12 for anything 'premium' or otherwise

[erufiku]

'Premium' is just another bullshit category that doesn't really mean anything. People often have the impression that if something costs more it *must* be better and the companies are cashing in on that misconception. Another thing to consider is that a higher price will actually make the shisha taste better. Don't believe me? Read:

http://news-service.stanford.edu/pr/2008/pr-wine-011608.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_...icle3177658.ece

That being said the only brands I smoke now are Nakhla, Tangiers, and AF. Gotta be careful when comparing the US-made shisha with the non-US brands; remember it actually costs a lot more to make things in the USA (from US tobacco) so it's not possible to have US brands charging the same price as Nakhla. Personally I don't mind paying a bit extra for Tangiers Lucid...

[Bulldog_916]

I agree with the fact that premium shishas just arent premium. I think coconaras are way overpriced. Only Starbuzz flavors I've gotten are Blackberry, White Peach and Blue Mist. But there are better of all three out there if you have some ingenuity and some various flavors.

I think Layalina is the most underrated shisha on this forum. I'll go on record saying that. Nakhla used to be, but they are getting good status back. I think Tangiers is probably the most premium shisha out there. No question.

Other than that, nothing really that hasnt already been said.

[ToncSTAR]

i really dont get this "chemically" taste everyone is talking about. if by chemically, you mean artificial, then someone needs to change the terminology.

I like both non premium and premium brands. i like both AF and SB. but each to his own i guess.

[Switch]

I started out on Nakhla and then swithed to buying AW. Now i pretty much exclusivly smoke Al Fakher. Its not that expensive and i feel that my session stays more consitant throughout and i dont have to mess around to much with the heat. Which is important to me, because constantly adjusting the coal is a nusence

[Scoop]

until i started smoking tangiers i couldn't taste chemikills. afterwards i literally cant touch anything with weird chemikill taste. its not artificial taste, it straight up tastes like chemikills.

[Tom1]

chemikills.

Good god I hope your intentionally misspelling it.

I don't understand why people bashing on brands don't understand that just because they don't like something doesn't make it bad.

Romman is disliked by *most* of the forum, but how long has it been around? Obviously some people like it and are buying it; the same goes for every other brand and flavor.