What Do You Consider "premium" Shisha?

[speel]

I've tried tons and tons of brands both considered traditional and "premium", my concern is, what exactly is premium shisha? is it the extra juice? the extra food coloring? or are we just paying for the name?

[MeHT]

I think it's the whole process of tobacco production - growing, cutting, adding ingredients, packaging. Serbetli for me is a solid example of premium sheesha. You really have to try to smoke it wrong.

[speel]

I think it's the whole process of tobacco production - growing, cutting, adding ingredients, packaging. Serbetli for me is a solid example of premium sheesha. You really have to try to smoke it wrong.

Yea but then you have to question, whats really the difference between say mizo and starbuzz?

[Zinite]

I think it's the whole process of tobacco production - growing, cutting, adding ingredients, packaging. Serbetli for me is a solid example of premium sheesha. You really have to try to smoke it wrong.

Yea but then you have to question, whats really the difference between say mizo and starbuzz?

About $13.

[Capt. Morgan]

Honestly I think its mostly hype and the name of the brand. And labeling anything as "premium" is an easy justification for he company to tack on a few dollars to the price tag.

[speel]

I think it's the whole process of tobacco production - growing, cutting, adding ingredients, packaging. Serbetli for me is a solid example of premium sheesha. You really have to try to smoke it wrong.

Yea but then you have to question, whats really the difference between say mizo and starbuzz?

About $13.

Lol, besides price..I mean you don't say to your self .. hmm why is starbuzz 20$, or do people just accept it and say ah ok cool 20$.

[Zinite]

I think it's the whole process of tobacco production - growing, cutting, adding ingredients, packaging. Serbetli for me is a solid example of premium sheesha. You really have to try to smoke it wrong.

Yea but then you have to question, whats really the difference between say mizo and starbuzz?

About $13.

Lol, besides price..I mean you don't say to your self .. hmm why is starbuzz 20$, or do people just accept it and say ah ok cool 20$.

Starbuzz has a few good flavors. I have never found myself craving a $20 tin of Starbuzz though. It is absolutely a luxury to buy something like Starbuzz. The cut, ingredients, and quality of smoke aren't better than Nakhla or Al Fakher. Some people like Blue Mist, and can justify spending 8 cents a gram. On the other hand, I know many 18 year old girls who see the cocktail flavors, the $20 price, the metal tub and think 'Wow, this stuff must be better than the $10 Al Fakher right next to it!'

I for one will not pay a premium price for a product that is arguably inferior to its cheaper competitors.

[Hobbs]

It's like asking the difference between the $3 packs of cigarettes, and the more expensive brands like Marlboro.

Personally I think the main factors that give us our "Premium" shishas would be packaging, and advertisement. The lounge nearest me has a big cling on in the window that says "Starbuzz" and something about it being exotic, with a sexy half naked woman laying on some pillows.

Basically though I don't pay attention to anything except for what I assess myself and what the guys on the forums think.. if someone can afford it, that's their choice.

[dafunk5446]

I consider a shisha to be premium if its better then crap shisha. It is all your opinion. Just cause a company labels it premium doesnt make it premium. Most of the "premium" shisha are gimicky. Tangiers and Nakhla are premium to me.

[Zinite]

It's like asking the difference between the $3 packs of cigarettes, and the more expensive brands like Marlboro.

Personally I think the main factors that give us our "Premium" shishas would be packaging, and advertisement. The lounge nearest me has a big cling on in the window that says "Starbuzz" and something about it being exotic, with a sexy half naked woman laying on some pillows.

Basically though I don't pay attention to anything except for what I assess myself and what the guys on the forums think.. if someone can afford it, that's their choice.

Good point. I tried Golden Layalina Mango Tango. It was 5 bucks for 50g. It smelled and smoked exactly like regular Layalina.

But then again, Golden Layalina does advertise with that sexy half naked lady...

[Bye bye now have fun]

On the other hand, I know many 18 year old girls who see the cocktail flavors, the $20 price, the metal tub and think 'Wow, this stuff must be better than the $10 Al Fakher right next to it!'

want to hook me up with them? they sound just dumb enough to go out with me

[speel]

Interesting points, the sad thing I see is that a few brands are following in the "premium" foot steps, al almir, Baja, and its sad and hopefully more companies WONT follow that path, but hey I see nothing wrong with having something new next to their original stuff.

[Bye bye now have fun]

hey look at apple they whole business model is sell overpriced products to gullible people

[Capt. Morgan]

On the other hand, I know many 18 year old girls who see the cocktail flavors, the $20 price, the metal tub and think 'Wow, this stuff must be better than the $10 Al Fakher right next to it!'

want to hook me up with them? they sound just dumb enough to go out with me

Send a few down my way while our at it.

Personally the way I would define a "premium" shisha would be its overall quality, Thinks like taste, smoke thickness, and duration are more important to me than the image or name associated with a shisha. To me Tangiers is a premium shisha because of its overall quality.

[Zinite]

To answer the original question, I think of Tangiers as a premium brand. No food coloring, quality ingredients, great life-like flavors. Smoking Melon Blend right now, and it tastes like I'm eating a fucking honeycantaloupedew.

[speel]

To answer the original question, I think of Tangiers as a premium brand. No food coloring, quality ingredients, great life-like flavors. Smoking Melon Blend right now, and it tastes like I'm eating a fucking honeycantaloupedew.

True, even tho I personally dislike Tangiers, he does stick to the no bull shit category and respect to that.

[Zinite]

To answer the original question, I think of Tangiers as a premium brand. No food coloring, quality ingredients, great life-like flavors. Smoking Melon Blend right now, and it tastes like I'm eating a fucking honeycantaloupedew.

True, even tho I personally dislike Tangiers, he does stick to the no bull shit category and respect to that.

Definitely not for everybody. Luckily, I had a short learning curve. If you haven't tried it yet, you should pick up some Tangiers Lucid. No weird acclimation or packing rules for it.

[Hippo_Master]

Tangiers is the only thing I can say is premium. hand-made, no colors, perfect flavors, unwashed, as natural as shisha can get.

Every other brand has shit colors, crappy tobacco, nasty cut, etc.

Premium has nothing to do with price or packing.

[r1v3th3ad]

tangiers, 'nough said

but really, that and nakhla have been the only ones that go completely smoot, no probs, excellent sessions everyone one for me...others, no matter how many times I try them, they dont hold up like those two do.
the cut, the juice, the flavor, alllll perfect, but I'm moreso a tangiers fanboy.

[Rani]

While the word premium comes with hype, I consider any shisha premium if it has consistency. Whether you like it or not, it's always the same. Same wetness, same flavor, same cut. They've worked out their formula and they're sticking with it. Whatever you can say about Starbuzz, it's very, VERY rare to get a bad batch. The same is true of Tangiers. Like it or hate it, it's conpletely consistent unless Eric changes the formula in which case he renumbers it and makes it clear he's changed it. So you're really smoking a new formula and the consistency (by definition) is still there.

Al Fakher while being advertised as premium has been very inconsistent lately and then there was the whole grape fiasco. Layalina is up and down though not as drastically as Al Fakher has been lately. Fantasia is also pretty consistent but I have had a bad couple jars. Nakla is cheap and generally pretty dry. As a result almost everyone tinkers with it by adding honey and glycerin on their own. So everyone is doing their own remix which most don't mind because it's so cheap. (You know a savy marketing person would build on that and Nakla would come with little tubes of honey and glycerin for a "personalized" smoking experience.)

So what do Starbuzz and Tangiers have the others don't? Quality control. When any product is new, quality control is generally considered part of the bells and whistles they add on after they're making enough money to pay for it. Good quality control managers get paid a lot of money because their judgement makes or breaks every new batch going out the door. When you're new and on a budget, you're trying to get it made and sold so consistent quality control isn't at the top of the list. In the case of Tangiers, you have a unique situation where Eric is personally involved in every step. When the owner has his nose in the vat, you have pretty much guaranteed quality control per the owner's specifications. It's a shame more companies are too big to follow his example.

'Rani

[mattarios2]

Tangiers is the only thing I can say is premium. hand-made, no colors, perfect flavors, unwashed, as natural as shisha can get.

Every other brand has shit colors, crappy tobacco, nasty cut, etc.

Premium has nothing to do with price or packing.

Nakhla fits your specs, I have been told by many their food coloring is all natural, not artificial.

While the word premium comes with hype, I consider any shisha premium if it has consistency. Whether you like it or not, it's always the same. Same wetness, same flavor, same cut. They've worked out their formula and they're sticking with it. Whatever you can say about Starbuzz, it's very, VERY rare to get a bad batch. The same is true of Tangiers. Like it or hate it, it's conpletely consistent unless Eric changes the formula in which case he renumbers it and makes it clear he's changed it. So you're really smoking a new formula and the consistency (by definition) is still there.

Al Fakher while being advertised as premium has been very inconsistent lately and then there was the whole grape fiasco. Layalina is up and down though not as drastically as Al Fakher has been lately. Fantasia is also pretty consistent but I have had a bad couple jars. Nakla is cheap and generally pretty dry. As a result almost everyone tinkers with it by adding honey and glycerin on their own. So everyone is doing their own remix which most don't mind because it's so cheap. (You know a savy marketing person would build on that and Nakla would come with little tubes of honey and glycerin for a "personalized" smoking experience.)

So what do Starbuzz and Tangiers have the others don't? Quality control. When any product is new, quality control is generally considered part of the bells and whistles they add on after they're making enough money to pay for it. Good quality control managers get paid a lot of money because their judgement makes or breaks every new batch going out the door. When you're new and on a budget, you're trying to get it made and sold so consistent quality control isn't at the top of the list. In the case of Tangiers, you have a unique situation where Eric is personally involved in every step. When the owner has his nose in the vat, you have pretty much guaranteed quality control per the owner's specifications. It's a shame more companies are too big to follow his example.

'Rani

It is possible to smoke nakhla well with it dry like that, I just think most don't really wanna figure out how, or deal with the burning, either that or they just want bigger clouds (for me it is a little of both) . Nakhla is up at the top in terms of quality control along with Tangiers and Starbuzz IMHO.

I agree with what your saying in your post though, it definitely is about QC.

[Cerberus]

It's like asking the difference between the $3 packs of cigarettes, and the more expensive brands like Marlboro.

Personally I think the main factors that give us our "Premium" shishas would be packaging, and advertisement. The lounge nearest me has a big cling on in the window that says "Starbuzz" and something about it being exotic, with a sexy half naked woman laying on some pillows.

Basically though I don't pay attention to anything except for what I assess myself and what the guys on the forums think.. if someone can afford it, that's their choice.

Ok, first off I have to say there is a huge difference in a pack of Grand Prix's and a pack of Marlboro's. They are ungodly rough compared to Marlboros, and second, why would you pay more than $3 for a pack of Marlboros? I can get em for $2.85 +tax which is about $3.13 total.

But back on topic, I don't smoke shisha that is more than about $11 per 250g. I personally smoke 3 brands, Tangiers, AF, and Nakhla. Tangiers is about the most expensive shisha I will buy and its $34 for a 3 pack at hookahjohn.com. I've tried Starbuzz, Romman, and other brands like Fumari but I don't see the point in buying those when I can get something of the exact same, if not better, quality for $5-$15 cheper per 250g.

[zeppyrkr]

It's like asking the difference between the $3 packs of cigarettes, and the more expensive brands like Marlboro.

Personally I think the main factors that give us our "Premium" shishas would be packaging, and advertisement. The lounge nearest me has a big cling on in the window that says "Starbuzz" and something about it being exotic, with a sexy half naked woman laying on some pillows.

Basically though I don't pay attention to anything except for what I assess myself and what the guys on the forums think.. if someone can afford it, that's their choice.

Ok, first off I have to say there is a huge difference in a pack of Grand Prix's and a pack of Marlboro's. They are ungodly rough compared to Marlboros, and second, why would you pay more than $3 for a pack of Marlboros? I can get em for $2.85 +tax which is about $3.13 total.

But back on topic, I don't smoke shisha that is more than about $11 per 250g. I personally smoke 3 brands, Tangiers, AF, and Nakhla. Tangiers is about the most expensive shisha I will buy and its $34 for a 3 pack at hookahjohn.com. I've tried Starbuzz, Romman, and other brands like Fumari but I don't see the point in buying those when I can get something of the exact same, if not better, quality for $5-$15 cheper per 250g.

sorry to be off topic but cigs are different every where, here in WI pack of marbs cost you 5.19 after tax, i work at a gas station

back on topic, mainly you are paying for the advertising and packaging but that doesn't mean that it isn't quality shisha tho

[TizaNabi]

I agree with those who said "money and hype" are the price on "Premium".Companies like Romman would have been out of business long ago without the fancy price-tag.

[Fluffy]

off topic (well kinda)...People think starbuzz is the best for 2 reasons

1.They think since i cost $20 its worth $20, they also thing since it cost the most $ its the best...oh how wrong they are.

2. because people flip when they see it in the hookah bar, since they serve it they buy it.