Natural Coals: The Showdown

[ih303]

Alright, gang. I have searched the forum and have found no posts adressing the two most similar natural coconut coals on the market today - CH and Cocos. To date, I have used CH primarily due to the price. However, I recently bought a box of Coco's for comparison. Made my first high-level comparison yesterday and this were my initial observations:

Price: I know Coco's cost more but I don't know by exactly how much. CH sells it's coals by the kilo while CocoNara sells by the piece. More information to come. Advantage - CH

Lighting Time: CH coals seemed to light quicker but this may be due to their uniform size which is a bit smaller than the Coco. Advantage - CH

Smell: While CH coals definately put off a smell while lighting, Coco's did not. Advantage - Coco

Ash: CH coals produce quite a bit of course ash which must constantly be knocked off the coal. Coco's, on the other hand, produce very little, very fine ash and seems to stay more red all the way around for its duration. Advantage - Coco

Burn Time: Again, I didn't have the timer out for this one, but Coco lasted substantially longer. Advangage - Coco

Heat: It has been said before and I'll say it again. CH burns too hot initially. I had to do much more heat management with my CH than with the Coco's. Both had very weak heat in the end, but that's to be expected. Advantage - Coco


So, to sum things up, CocoNara is the better coal. CH is still a very good coal, better than non-nats hands down, but it's not the best. I suppose you get what you pay for, however I'm not convinced the difference in quality is worth the difference in price. I go through a lot of coals so that difference could become substantial given enough time.

Stay tuned. This is just an initial compilation of observations. I will break out the ol' stopwatch and come back with more detailed specs.

[GreatPigHookah]

Price: Probably close here, I think I agree with you though. Advantage - CH

Lighting Time: They do light pretty quickly. Advantage - CH

Smell: I don't care if they smell a little while lighting, personally - not important to me at all. Neither seem to smell much once they are fully lit. Personally, I think both brands have a slight taste. Most people say they are tasteless, but I can taste them. I've done it many times...I'll be smoking along with exoticas and get lazy, not wanting to cut up some more logs, I'll throw on some coco coals. As soon as they go on, the taste shows up for me. And yes, they are FULLY lit.

Ash: I actually like the coarse ash. I don't find myself constantly knocking it off. Advantage - CH

Burn Time: Cocos do seems to last longer. Advangage - Coco

Heat: I'm just the opposite of you here. I love the way CH coals heat. I have no problems with heat management at all with them. In fact, I have a much harder time managing coconaras. Different strokes. Advantage - CH


I like the CH coals better overall. Edited March 19, 2009 by GreatPigHookah

[SuburbanSmoker]

gaia did something similar to this back in the day.

http://www.hookahforum.com/?showtopic=19780. the way he set it up was really simple.

Price: They are pretty similar so in terms of value id have to say that they are even

Lighting Time: CH coals seem to light alot quicker. Advantage - CH

Smell: I hate the smell of the CH coals while lighting. Advantage Coco

Ash: CH ash is like wet sand. Advantage Coco

Burn Time: Cocos seem to last longer w/o needing to put more on the bowl. Advangage - Coco

Heat: The CH coals have always been a pain in the ass because every bowl ive ever smoked using them is good for 10 minutes then just gets really hot. Coconaras have always been consistent. Advantage - Coco

[ih303]

hmm... it looks like the results are getting closer

[ilikemyusername]

i've never had chronic hookah coals. but i like my coco's
maybe one day i'll buy a box and revive a dead thread, maybe my vote will tip the scales... who knows?

[Bulldog_916]

Neither. There wasnt that option. I bought a box of both and I really dont like them, especially the CH coals. It made me want to stay with Exoticas until I'm forced to invest in another brand. I think coconaras are better for Tangiers than the CH ones, but neither are as good overall as Exoticas. If you nailed me down and forced me to name a good coconut coal, I would say Al Awa'el coconut coals. That would be it.

[EternalSoil]

i had to vote to see the results...

biased though cause i havent had the natural CH, only instant light.

[no longer welcome]

can i vote here? (ducks for cover) i actually have some cocos that i smoked 3 night in a row last week, however i have been using ch since i got them last august (go figure)
either way thanks for making this thread

[antouwan]

they are evenly priced, but you get a lot more of john's coal for the same price. i think johns coals are 120 or so to the box while coconaras are only 86

[ih303]

...neither are as good overall as Exoticas.

I also have a box of exoticas for comparison. I like them but feel they are a bit of a hassle. How big do you cut your exotica fingers down to and what do you use to cut? I've been using a dremmel tool with a cutting attachment. Works good but mighty messy.

[mattarios2]

The way i see it is al'awael or whatever they are called, were too hit or miss, i had a box that was awesome, then i had a box that sucked horribly, every coal was so soft it fell apart, i bought a total of 4 boxes and 2.5 of them sucked. So i pass on those, I liked the CH coals but buying cocos in a bulk quantity yields a better price (yes i know some say you get more for the money from CH coals, but it isnt always quantity that matters)

I had to use more coal then i do with cocos.

I use 1.5 cocos give or take a little, and I had to use 3 ch coals to get the same result.

132 coals in a box / 3 coals per session = 44 sessions.

84 coals/2 = 42 sessions.

I can get cocos for about 11-12 bucks a box when buying in bulk.

HC coals are 14.

So in conclusion i feel like you get less weight (less coal) cheaper S+H, and more bang for cheaper if bought in bulk.

COCO FTW

[Giant Ninja Robot]

...neither are as good overall as Exoticas.

I also have a box of exoticas for comparison. I like them but feel they are a bit of a hassle. How big do you cut your exotica fingers down to and what do you use to cut? I've been using a dremmel tool with a cutting attachment. Works good but mighty messy.

I use and love exoticas. All I do is score them to size on 3-4 sides with a cheapo steak knife on a cheapo lil cutting board and then break with my hands. When it gets to the end of a stick and hand breaking wont work i get out the meat tenderizer and hammer the end of the knife into the coal where the score marks are for a clean break.

[ih303]

I use and love exoticas. All I do is score them to size on 3-4 sides with a cheapo steak knife on a cheapo lil cutting board and then break with my hands. When it gets to the end of a stick and hand breaking wont work i get out the meat tenderizer and hammer the end of the knife into the coal where the score marks are for a clean break.

How big are the pieces that you break your exoticas into?

[Hippo_Master]

CH coals are cheaper and last much longer, they give off much less heat when i use them. I have to use 1 more coal then i normally do when using CH's. Coconara are smaller, more expensive, burn hotter and last about 25 minutes less.

I have to do WAY more heat management, obviously, with the hotter burning Coconaras. I get 96 Coconara in a kilo, but I get 146 (something like that) CH coals in a kilo. I use 2 coconara on a bowl that lasts about 50-70 minutes. I use 3 CH on a bowl that lasts 60-90 minutes.

Bowl length is based on many factors, but no matter what, the CH coals burn themslves out slower, therefore producing less heat, but are gentler on shisha.

Both coals smell like death when being lit, but that's coals, that's why they are lit in the garage.

Both coals are made of coconut shells, which are renewable.

No tastes are imparted by either coals, they burn clean.

_______________________________

Exoticas are very light, not dense, you have to cut them, and they aren't made out of an earth friendly renewable resource. Not many people care to notice this fact, but you should. You may get 100 pieces of coal in an Exotica box for ~7.99, but they burn extremely hot, they crumble far too easily, and the quality control is absolutely nonexistent. They smell very chemical as well. They very easily go completely out on the side touching the foil.

I do not notice any taste imparted by Exoticas.

Each time I lit them, my Monoxide detector goes off. It didn't take me long to take the whole box ands throw them the fuck out, especially when the Coconaras were not emitting enough for the detector to notice.

In my simple experinces, I have found that Exotica coals are the worst coals you can smoke with of the 4 forum-leading coals currently (Coconara, CH, Exotica, Awa'el). Back when i was not a member of the forum, I had major problems with my Exoticas so I went online to find the distributors website. I found this forum and read posts from mushrat and Gaia about major problems with gigantic coal shipments being water-damaged, and the guy who was representing Exotica Imports, name was gabe i think, was simply saying that the user was wrong, and refused to replace mush's coals for most of the time, until something sparked gabe's interest and he decided to replace every single box of Exoticas anyone had, with ones that ended up being shittier. This is what spawned "Coalmageddon" apparently - Gaia's terrible experience with shitty exoticas.
(See what a little searching can do noobies?)

The coconut coals are far better than any of the other coals, which is very, very obvious.

[Giant Ninja Robot]

How big are the pieces that you break your exoticas into?

It's diffferent for different tobaccos and bowls, for Nakhla and Tangiers I go up to 1/4 to 1/3 of the stick x 2-3 (on phunnel), smaller pieces for other wet shishas.

Honestly I don't use pieces nearly as big as most people per Mushrat's advice, so I barely use more length than the natural width/height of the stick, so JUST past the point of being a cube, and I spce like 3-4 over a bowl, that way I'm using the same/less coal and getting a more even coverage. You do have to use a new set a tiny bit sooner my way though.

And though Exoticas have had there issues I personally have had nary a problem with them. Sometimes they will break easier than I'd like but all that means is I have the same ammount of coal in smaller pieces

And they're WAY the fuck cheaper than cocos or CH coals.

Oh, so thanks for that advice in chat Mushy it works

[delSol_si]

Well, it seems everyone is a bit different in their opinions, but I ordered a box of CH coals awhile back with some shisha. Before these, I always used those 3K QL. I was amazed at the flame the CH produced when lighting and how fast they light. They do seem to work better then 3K, but I am having some troubles with them. I am using a Tangiers small phunnel bowl with the tea light mod. I have to use 3 coals to start the bowl. Then, the f-ers ask like crazy! I have never seen so much ash from a coal before. Before my bowl is done, I have to light at least one more coal if not two because the damn things don't last very long at all. Then by the time I am done, my entire ash tray has a good 1/8"-1/4" of ash, which is a bit much to me, plus I have to constantly be knocking the ash off the coals and blowing the ash off the bowl. Anyone have any suggestions? Should I try coconaras instead? Or should I just be happy and deal with the CH?

Btw, I am glad to be using natural coals instead of the 3K, they do seem to work better overall, just a little bs here and there.

[ih303]

I like CH better than Exoticas. I find I have to change out my Exoticas far more often than CH's or Coco's. They also shrink a lot when you light them. Plus the whole hassle with cutting my own coals makes them more hassle than they're worth. Sure they're cheap, but I'd rather pay a bit more for what I feel are higher quality coals.

The difference between CH and Coco coals is in their composition and density. CH coals are made up of courser pieces of charcoal. This results in more air inside the coal which causes it to burn faster. The courseness also contributes to the high level of ash.

Conversely, Coco's are made up of a much denser compression of finer pieces of charcoal. This lets them burn slower and ash less. I would bet if you took a Coco and a CH coal of the same size, the Coco coal would actually weigh more. I don't have a scale but someone who does could prove or disprove this theory.

Ultimately, I think I'm now leaning towards Coco's as my coal of choice. I can warm a small phunnel off of two Coco's vs three CH's. This makes the price difference between the two justifiable.

So, delsol, I would say try some Coco's and see what kinds of differences you notice and if they justify a switch.

[EternalSoil]

How much different are CH naturals than their instant lights?

i dont really like the CH instant lights. they smell terrible when you light them (obviously the naturals wouldnt)

the ash they produce is the most dense ash i have ever seen. this causes a problem with my heat.
when they start to get a good layer on them i have to ash them, which i dont like doing. this is when there is before they are 1/2 way done.
i have used plenty of other coals without having to touch them until they are almost burned out.

Right now i'm just kinda rolling along with coals...

I dont have a coil burner and my hotplate wont light coconaras. exoticas add more taste than 3K (yes they were fully lit. maybe i got a shitty batch idk). i dont like to use 3K because they do add a bit of taste. and the CH instantlights smell terrible and have stupid ash.
i think i'm gonna try some canary's soon and see how those go.
i might just have to order a coil burner (cant find them in town and yes i have checked) and use coconaras..

[joytron]

How much different are CH naturals than their instant lights?

i dont really like the CH instant lights. they smell terrible when you light them (obviously the naturals wouldnt)

the ash they produce is the most dense ash i have ever seen. this causes a problem with my heat.
when they start to get a good layer on them i have to ash them, which i dont like doing. this is when there is before they are 1/2 way done.
i have used plenty of other coals without having to touch them until they are almost burned out.

Right now i'm just kinda rolling along with coals...

I dont have a coil burner and my hotplate wont light coconaras. exoticas add more taste than 3K (yes they were fully lit. maybe i got a shitty batch idk). i dont like to use 3K because they do add a bit of taste. and the CH instantlights smell terrible and have stupid ash.
i think i'm gonna try some canary's soon and see how those go.
i might just have to order a coil burner (cant find them in town and yes i have checked) and use coconaras..

get em online?

wallgreens

[SuburbanSmoker]

not to sure how much they are from walgreens but i no there are plenty of single coil around on the net for under 15$

[redjako]

...neither are as good overall as Exoticas.

I also have a box of exoticas for comparison. I like them but feel they are a bit of a hassle. How big do you cut your exotica fingers down to and what do you use to cut? I've been using a dremmel tool with a cutting attachment. Works good but mighty messy.

Garden snips, 10 bucks. Bust exotica's into WHATEVER sections you need: very very useful.


Coco Nara > AF Coco's > Exotica's (taste, heat, ash)

Haven't had Chronic yet.

[ih303]

I would think those would merely break the coals rather than cut them. Course, it would probably be less messy than my dremmel tool.

[SuburbanSmoker]

no shears work like a champ on exoticas, just wish they my hands wouldnt get covered in black shit every time i need new coals.

[EternalSoil]

How much different are CH naturals than their instant lights?

i dont really like the CH instant lights. they smell terrible when you light them (obviously the naturals wouldnt)

the ash they produce is the most dense ash i have ever seen. this causes a problem with my heat.
when they start to get a good layer on them i have to ash them, which i dont like doing. this is when there is before they are 1/2 way done.
i have used plenty of other coals without having to touch them until they are almost burned out.

Right now i'm just kinda rolling along with coals...

I dont have a coil burner and my hotplate wont light coconaras. exoticas add more taste than 3K (yes they were fully lit. maybe i got a shitty batch idk). i dont like to use 3K because they do add a bit of taste. and the CH instantlights smell terrible and have stupid ash.
i think i'm gonna try some canary's soon and see how those go.
i might just have to order a coil burner (cant find them in town and yes i have checked) and use coconaras..

get em online?

wallgreens

Tried plenty of places here in town including several walgreens, walmarts, targets... Just havent gone online to grab one. i just get lazy sometimes when it comes to hookah stuff actually. cause i only think about it when it's hookah time (everyday after work/school when i'm by myself). So i have been able to get by. but i'm getting low on all my backup stuff.

I'm guessing that since the coconaras have smashed the CH naturals in this poll that it's probably not worth it to try them when i already have used cocos...

btw, has anyone else noticed the bad heat due to ash problem on the CH instantlights?

[momatik]

I've used both CHs and Coco's and I think the differences in ALL categories are very slim.

It's this reason why I buy CHs and not Cocos.