What's The Best Way To Pack Nakhla?

[oscarhenson]

How many coals/how tight/what foil?
thanks x

[evilded777]

For me, Nakhla doesn't work so well in a phunnel. I tend to use a regular Egyptian clay bowl.

I wrote up how I pack Nakhla in the wiki, as the second method for packing an Egyptian.

Tight Pack

I use standard HD foil, poke holes mostly the same way whether its a phunnel or not. Coals depend on the size of the bowl: could be one 38-44 mm QL split half, a single coconut coal split in half.... Since Nakhla tends to be drier, I don't use as much heat.

[Hookie The Hookah]

Pack it tight. What bowl are you using?

[xipander]

i smoke nakhla fine in my phunnel and mod bowl. i'm smoking some mizo peach in my phunnel now. in the mod i just throw it in there loosely about flush with the top and some foil and random holes and 3 coco's. in my phunnel i pack it alittle tight up to the top with foil and 4 coco's. they've always tasted the same, but i seem to get a little more buzz from the phunnel, i dunno if it's the extra heat or why though.

[AKammenzind]

Nakhla is one of those delightful shishas that you can pack anyhow you want and have it smoke great. Personally I just plop a bunch in a normal clay bowl and smoke away... don't worry, just do, and you'll be fine.

[JDHarding]

Don't pack it too tightly. I've found in my experiments that picking it up by the fingertips, and dropping it in the bowl as is, then lightly packing it down till it's under the rim is the best method. But don't put a little in, pack it down, a little in, pack it down, and keep adding and packing it down. Then it's too tight and air can't get through all the shisha, and you end up only cooking the top layer.

Coals is anybody's guess. Just keep putting coals on till it gets harsh, then take one off. Though Nakhla can be a little bitchy about getting burned. Sometimes burning it can ruin a whole session 'cause that taste won't go away. Even moreso if you pack tightly and burn the top layer.

I'm not saying packing tightly is bad. But packing tightly tends to use less heat, less coals, and more heat management. It also seems to be more heat finicky. I have to constantly be moving and ashing the coals with a tight pack. With a less tightly packed bowl, I don't have to worry so much. This only goes for phunnel bowls. Regular egyptian bowls can be packed tight or loose regardless. Air will go through them anyway.

[Frank]

HookahJohn has a packing method for Nakhla on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjQ33LXMh6A

[antouwan]

the best way for me IS the phunnel. sa previously stated, put a little down SMASH, a little more, SMASH, etc. until you've got it to about the top. let it sit for about 20 seconds or so and let it rise to how it will normally sit not compressed. it should be to about the rim, or maybe a tad above. toss on HD foil or double layer of the thin shit poke the bullseye pattern with a smaller than usual hole in the middle and toss on more heat that you would put on a head of AF (for nak i use 4 cocos on a small phunnel, and i get 3 to 4 rounds of coals with good smoke) and go.

[4d1ct3d]

Just grab the tobacco and put it in the bowl. Take out the larger stems and leave the smaller ones.

Nakhla is the easiest tobacco to pack and manage

[srawas89]

I pack loosely like AF but I pack it a little above the rim of the bowl instead of at or just below the rim. Than I double foil with thin foil and poke holes starting in the middle and making circles around that center hole. Oh and I smoke out of an egyptian bowl...works like a charm.

[mustang_steve]

pack the hell out of Nak....seriously tamp it down until it can't go down any more. The way a 250 brick is packed in the wrapping in about right.

I find it's like the type of tobacco an old-school briar pipe smoker would smoke...pack it too lossely, it burns hot. Edited April 19, 2009 by mustang_steve

[JDHarding]

HookahJohn has a packing method for Nakhla on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjQ33LXMh6A

I packed tightly, and let a bowl of Tang sit overnight like that. I tried using only 3 of John's coals on it and it was HUUUUUGE smoke. HUUUUUGE clouds. It made me sick, and I choked on it, and it wasn't even harsh. And John uses 4 of these coals? Holy crap. How can you stand it, John? I'm guessing either Nakhla doesn't smoke as much as Tang with that same amount of heat, or John's natural coals are a lot smaller than his QLs. The QLs are.. whoo.. big smoke! And it hangs in the air a lot longer than cocos or canarys.

[Tyler]

Best way to pack Nahkla:
Step 1: Jam it back into the plastic it came in
Step 2: Put it back in the box it came in
Step 3: Take it back to the store/Ship it back to the vendor
Step 4: Buy SB with the money instead.
Step 5: Be a much happier shisha smoker.

[JDHarding]

Best way to pack Nahkla:
Step 1: Jam it back into the plastic it came in
Step 2: Put it back in the box it came in
Step 3: Take it back to the store/Ship it back to the vendor
Step 4: Buy SB with the money instead.
Step 5: Be a much happier shisha smoker.

Happier? You mean poorer.

[mustang_steve]

Best way to pack Nahkla:
Step 1: Jam it back into the plastic it came in
Step 2: Put it back in the box it came in
Step 3: Take it back to the store/Ship it back to the vendor
Step 4: Buy SB with the money instead.
Step 5: Be a much happier shisha smoker.

Bah....Nak Orange....go give it a try..this stuff is so moist it makes SB look dry.

[Tyler]

I tried Nak orange and mandarin, both were dry, flavorless, and tasted like pure tobacco.

[srawas89]

FSU I think you may have picked up some very dry nakhla. Did you buy it from a local shop or vendors? In any case to each his own and I would honestly buy SB if it wasnt so expensive.

[Giant Ninja Robot]

Long live King Nakhla!!!!

that's all i got.

(no I lied, packing it tight works but I've found too tight like Tangiers and it will burn the top layer making the rest of the session harsh)

[mattarios2]

I tried Nak orange and mandarin, both were dry, flavorless, and tasted like pure tobacco.

If you get no flavor out of nak, especially mandarin/orange, you are for sure doing something wrong, Or just lying.

[Giant Ninja Robot]

agree, or it could be an ancient batch, i had a horrible session with nak lemon the first of theirs I tried.

Nak Orange is very flavorful and ohhhhh so delicious.

PACK IT UP!!!!

[JDHarding]

I just did a really tight packing of Nak Cherry in my small Tang phunnel. So far so good. Using John's QLs on it. I like them 'cause I get the most smoke out of them. I dunno why.

[LZ22]

I tried nak double apple and will probably never purchase this brand again. Pretty dry, flavor only lasts about 10 minutes (using phunnel and coco nara). It does give large clouds, but thats it. Virtually flavorless, and the buzz is severely overhyped. I was under the impression it would knock you off your feet by the way its hyped up, but honestly starbuzz and similar brands give much better buzz. And taste better too.

[Pretender85]

Make it: "Toight like a toigah!"

[Jacob Shock]

like tangiers.

[boludo]

I tried Nak orange and mandarin, both were dry, flavorless, and tasted like pure tobacco.

I will have to agree. I am not a fan of Nak because it is too dry and flavorless.