Saw Boxes Of Tobacco In A Mediterranean Grocery Today

[NimbleCow]

Hey Guys,

Just thought I'd share what I saw today at a small Mediterranean Market.

They had Moassel Salloum Apple, Mint, Al Waha DA, and Nakhla "Tombac Super Zaghloul". The kicker--each was $2.99 for a 250g box!

Is this Nakhla the same as the Nakhla Zaghloul that you would find anywhere, or different? If I got it to try, would I have to put the coals right on the stuff or could I use foil?

Also the Moassel Salloum gets mediocre ratings.. Any fans out there or is it just aiight? Al Waha DA? Are any of these even worth $2.99?

[mushrat]

I have never seen flavoured Moussal Saloum. Very interesting. Wish they had it around here.

The Zaghoul is tha same as i get for the shop. Al waha....eh.

[Scoop]

http://hookah1.com/index.php?main_page=pro...;products_id=56

flavored salloum...

[NimbleCow]

I have never seen flavoured Moussal Saloum. Very interesting. Wish they had it around here.

The Zaghoul is tha same as i get for the shop. Al waha....eh.

Well they had a BOX of the MS Apple (I dunno, 20 x 250g?). I'm sure if you wanted to take it off their hands they'd probably even cut you a deal. I mean it was a food store and this stuff was sitting on top of a fridge in the back

[no longer welcome]

Those Zag boxes actually look different than what I have stocked. It looks like a counterfeit to me, and I actually heard that China counterfeits shisha.
Look at it this way, if 250g of shisha has an added $1.25 to the box how much were taxes before? Where is the markup from the distributor to the wholesaler to the retailer?
I;m calling 3 things, counterfeit, tax fraud and complete BS. But for $2.99 I'd try it at least once, it may be good.

You can get Salloum in CA, all flavors are in jars like Nakhla jars except for their unflavored which are packaged like the box in the pic, however I am saying this packaging is prob some type of black market counterfeit too.
Where is this place? Dearborn?

[NimbleCow]

Those Zag boxes actually look different than what I have stocked. It looks like a counterfeit to me, and I actually heard that China counterfeits shisha.
Look at it this way, if 250g of shisha has an added $1.25 to the box how much were taxes before? Where is the markup from the distributor to the wholesaler to the retailer?
I;m calling 3 things, counterfeit, tax fraud and complete BS. But for $2.99 I'd try it at least once, it may be good.

You can get Salloum in CA, all flavors are in jars like Nakhla jars except for their unflavored which are packaged like the box in the pic, however I am saying this packaging is prob some type of black market counterfeit too.
Where is this place? Dearborn?

Cincinnati.

The Nakhla boxes were open, and the tobacco was just wrapped in cellophane. I forget how the only other Nakhla I got was packaged so can't compare I took a look at it and there was some juiciness to the stuff on the underside.

You're probably right. My feeling was that this stuff has been around the shop for years, and no one was buying it, so they figured they'd mark it down to $2.99 and put it in the back and forget about it. I mean, Both Al Waha and MS don't even use these designs on their current package!

Also they had 1 (one) "SuperHooka" next to it which I didn't look at, but I would imagine wasn't much more than $2.99 either.

[no longer welcome]

Nakhla has changed their cellophane packaging to an airtight bag, so yes it's old or otherwise fishy, but then again $3, see if it's any good and if so then go back and buy it all up.

[mushrat]

hmmm..may have to try some of the flavoured Saloum. Learn something new everyday.

[srawas89]

Nimble Cow what shop is this in?

[liquidglass]

Those Zag boxes actually look different than what I have stocked. It looks like a counterfeit to me, and I actually heard that China counterfeits shisha.
Look at it this way, if 250g of shisha has an added $1.25 to the box how much were taxes before? Where is the markup from the distributor to the wholesaler to the retailer?
I;m calling 3 things, counterfeit, tax fraud and complete BS. But for $2.99 I'd try it at least once, it may be good.

You can get Salloum in CA, all flavors are in jars like Nakhla jars except for their unflavored which are packaged like the box in the pic, however I am saying this packaging is prob some type of black market counterfeit too.
Where is this place? Dearborn?

I disagree on a few things.

1) It's legit Nak. I've got a box that's identical to that for Zag (not super Zag though) from a trusted Arabic friend. He smokes everything so he only buys the real thing.

2) I understand the whole thing about pricing but you have to consider if it was selling and what price they got it for, even if someone had just given it to them. The price I pay for Nak is lower in a brick/mortar store than these online stores. Which is BS becuase online stores are supposed to "cut the cost" by not having to finance a building etc etc. So it's completely possible.


3) On top of all this Nak packaging changes all the time. The store I go to has it in glass jars, tins, boxes, and there are even varying designs, nothing too radical but they are there.

[no longer welcome]

liquidglass, consider me your trusted arabic friend too. I took some pics so we could discuss a few points. Let examine both pics, I know this is trusted stuff only because i buy it at the importers whose names are on the box.
Now, with that said, I've learned one thing in this industry and that is not to trust anything anyone says bc it could be complete garbage. Yes, I kind of trust where I am getting it from but Nakhla actually has a grey and black market.
Secondly, I don't doubt your friend the retailer so much but I doubt that all of us retailers do know everything to be true.
On the brick and mortar vs. internet sales, that a whole separate discussion. You would think that we are cheaper than them but remember they sell everything usually, like groceries, which everyone in their community needs something from. We, internet retailers only sell hookah stuff. The markets can mark up 20% just for volume since they want to attract the customer who is grocery shopping to pick up a box an extra box he wasn't planning too. Internet retailers can't survive on those numbers.

What do you guys think of the difference in pics?

[liquidglass]

liquidglass, consider me your trusted arabic friend too. I took some pics so we could discuss a few points. Let examine both pics, I know this is trusted stuff only because i buy it at the importers whose names are on the box.
Now, with that said, I've learned one thing in this industry and that is not to trust anything anyone says bc it could be complete garbage. Yes, I kind of trust where I am getting it from but Nakhla actually has a grey and black market.
Secondly, I don't doubt your friend the retailer so much but I doubt that all of us retailers do know everything to be true.
On the brick and mortar vs. internet sales, that a whole separate discussion. You would think that we are cheaper than them but remember they sell everything usually, like groceries, which everyone in their community needs something from. We, internet retailers only sell hookah stuff. The markets can mark up 20% just for volume since they want to attract the customer who is grocery shopping to pick up a box an extra box he wasn't planning too. Internet retailers can't survive on those numbers.

What do you guys think of the difference in pics?

That I do John, I wasn't trying to take a shot at your knowledge. I appreciate the pictures, and that's exactly what my box of Nak looks like. From what I could tell his box looked identical save for the name on that side of it.

After considering the details I can see what you mean about the differences. I would personally research it if I was him to see if there was a chance at a "super" zag, that's the only thing that threw me off.

The only boxes of Nak I've seen that were counterfeit have been grossly fake, it was completely obvious, so perhaps if this one is, it's just a better fake.


I agree with your skeptic statement, I'm shooting to be an attorney so I'm always one with a healthy dose of it.

I understand your point, but this guy is one that I trust from knowing him for years as well as my hookahing Indian friends asking him to import things. He doesn't have any of the "new/hip" flavors AF is about as modern as he gets, but he knows his Nak, AF, and even found Tombac there, he also makes his own mix of shisha.


As far as the brick and mortar coversation goes, I think I'll have to agree and disagree at the same time. I agree that online retailers have it a bit tougher becuase of the niche rather than variety. However, many of the sites have a harder time surviving because of their prices. Instead of playing their own game, lowering their profit margin per unit thus selling more units and capturing a larger share of an ever growing market, they attempt a bigger profit margin and as a result don't sell as much.



I realize that my ideal can sometimes be harder to do than say but it works.


*as a side note* I've done it before in other venues and I'm working on something right now that will address issues like this in the hookah market.

[liquidglass]

Completely off topic: but HookahJohn, I'm assuming you've smoked Zag before, how is it? I got the box but I've always had so many tasty things to distract me I haven't touched it yet. (which is why the box itself is still here for comparison lol)

[no longer welcome]

look closer, they are not identical, the box you show say tombac super zaghlool, and mine has a french wiring but zaghloul is spelled differently in the 2. I am willing to bet at this point that mine is real and legit and yours isn't, i'd be willing to bet 2 boxes of 250g your choice shisha. Now to prove this you need to call Nakhla in Egypt and ask them if they can shed light, but I do believe that Karabetien and Delta are the only 2 legit distributors in the US. What you have pictured is a fake I state and I would like to be proven wrong, care to respond counsel?

[liquidglass]

look closer, they are not identical, the box you show say tombac super zaghlool, and mine has a french wiring but zaghloul is spelled differently in the 2. I am willing to bet at this point that mine is real and legit and yours isn't, i'd be willing to bet 2 boxes of 250g your choice shisha. Now to prove this you need to call Nakhla in Egypt and ask them if they can shed light, but I do believe that Karabetien and Delta are the only 2 legit distributors in the US. What you have pictured is a fake I state and I would like to be proven wrong, care to respond counsel?

?

I don't have anything pictured. Unless you're repsonding to the OP. I actually stated that I agreed I could see the differences from your and the OPs picture. And that if his were fakes they were not terrible fakes as I've seen.

I ask for a mistrial on the account that opposing counsel is confused to the defendants identity lol




*But if the challenge still stands I'd be happy to take a picture of my legit Nak and then get to pick some flavors from your store *

[no longer welcome]

ok, let me backpeddle a bit, i thought you were OP and thought you said there were no differences, so yes, i suppose. as far as a bet, hmmm i don't know much about where they get their nakhla in NC so I wouldn't chance it.
On another topic I have been saying that I want to try zag for some time now, i'm going to open the one pictured and ;et it acclimate for tonight.

[liquidglass]

ok, let me backpeddle a bit, i thought you were OP and thought you said there were no differences, so yes, i suppose. as far as a bet, hmmm i don't know much about where they get their nakhla in NC so I wouldn't chance it.
On another topic I have been saying that I want to try zag for some time now, i'm going to open the one pictured and ;et it acclimate for tonight.

Lol I thought that might have happened, since I was posting more than the OP. NO biggie. I didn't notice any differences from my recollection of the box and a quick glance over while typing the post. I considered taking a picture but was occupied with other things. Then when I saw your picture I was able to compare them a little better like the two pictures with the "10 differences" in the sunday paper.



Sounds good I might do the same thing for my zag, it would be interesting to try. I just hope it's not to hard to get out of my hose

[NimbleCow]

OP here. Great discourse. This is my second post of "Look what I found in Cincinnati" and both times the verdict came back "fake."

I will likely only buy any of those tobaccos unless someone felt that what I saw was beyond Zag, and that "Tombac Super Zag" was indeed Super!

Sounds like I should save my $2.99.

[srawas89]

haha well in any case its only $2.99 but in this economy it can be quite a bit i guess. Granted 2.99 for me right now is quite a bit...I am saving my shisha as much as possible. Anyway liquidglass I am gonna say that the zag taste will stay in your hose it is not washable. 99% sure about that. But pack Zag right and it smokes real nice just the next morning sucks (at least for me it did...it was slightly harder to breath lol)

[liquidglass]

haha well in any case its only $2.99 but in this economy it can be quite a bit i guess. Granted 2.99 for me right now is quite a bit...I am saving my shisha as much as possible. Anyway liquidglass I am gonna say that the zag taste will stay in your hose it is not washable. 99% sure about that. But pack Zag right and it smokes real nice just the next morning sucks (at least for me it did...it was slightly harder to breath lol)

Thanks bud.... well to help the economy spend away OP lol.

Hmmm well I have Nammors but some flavors are harder to get out than others. I'm def going to have to try it, thanks for the warning though lol.