Newest Case Of Exoticas The Worst Yet!

[mavsfan31]

So I come into this thread thinking I'd get some good ideas of what to do as far as naturals go, but I think this just made me more unsure of what I should buy.

[newjacksm]

Exoticas are my favorite dont be scurred.

[antouwan]

i don't work with ra'ed any more but for lounges (depending on quantity, obviously) i think the price is around $8/box...not TOO steep, especially since you probably only need 2 to 3 coals to smoke a MYA head of most water-based tobaccos like SB and AF et al

[Toxik916]

Bulldog there is a place on fulton and alta arden that carries exoticas. It's called blow tell. I bought a box there the other day because he was out of coconaras. I only used 1 stick so far but i like coconaras better.

[ilikemyusername]

What about exotica jap style, you know the "easy lite hookah cubes" they're not bad and they seem to put off a pretty damn good ammount of heat.

[mushrat]

The time you leave them on the burner doesn't matter. Believe me, I go though a LOT of these coals. It's as was described a few times before, there isnt much money to be made in charcoal, so many companies start off really high quality to make their name, then after a while start skimping to make more money figuring they can be carried by their name. I predicted this would happen with exoticas, especially knowing the quality of the owner if you will, and I think this is how they are going to be from now on.

Remember when exoticas came out with the new "easier to break" version. How do you think they made them easier to break? More binder, less charcoal, made em softer, less dense, and lower quality.

*sigh* such is the nature of the business.

[Canon]

as an avid supporter of exoticas on the forum for a while i have to agree with mush on this one. when i first got exoticas they were really hard to break, they lasted forever and they never went out on me.

now, i can break exoticas in 1/4ths and 1/3's easily. they dont last as long as they used to and a few of them dont even burn all the way through. they are so much lighter then they were when they first started coming out.

mush, if you find something better then keep me updated.

note: BTW ive tried coco's and they suck, they dont produce enough heat for me, they are too expensive and they dont stay lit for me.

[shesha1]

Funny thing is Canary seems to have gone up in quality. Its more dense now than it was a year ago.

[The Messiah]

Canarys are awesome but pricey. I have two boxes of the older exoticas. Once those are gone don't know what I'm gonna do.

[Johnny_D]

Oh well, not a huge surprise as there has been a long history with this company.

Back to the staple of japanese easy lights....oh wait, my vendor is no longer as well.FMHL

JD

[newjacksm]

i dont like japanese coals because i smoke in my room and i have to blow the silver shit off.

[mattarios2]

as an avid supporter of exoticas on the forum for a while i have to agree with mush on this one. when i first got exoticas they were really hard to break, they lasted forever and they never went out on me.

now, i can break exoticas in 1/4ths and 1/3's easily. they dont last as long as they used to and a few of them dont even burn all the way through. they are so much lighter then they were when they first started coming out.

mush, if you find something better then keep me updated.

note: BTW ive tried coco's and they suck, they dont produce enough heat for me, they are too expensive and they dont stay lit for me.

I've gone through about 12-13 boxes of cocos ... not 1 coal has let me down. If i remember correctly you pretty much exclusively smoke tang right? and tang requires very low heat. Cocos are known for giving off a shit ton of heat ... something doesn't sound right here.

They are 11.xx bucks a box if you buy them in bulk ... i find that to be right in the middle not cheap or expensive.

And if they don't stay lit they either need to stay on the stove longer or you need to puff on it more often ... :-)

only time i ever had issues with them going out was when i didn't puff it every 45 seconds or so. If you wait longer than that they may start to go out.

I would vote cocos only thing is they need to be cut in half for most shishas because they give off so much heat.

figure exoticas are 7 bucks a box give or take ... you get 25 sticks that can be cracked in 4 pieces so 100 pieces.

Cocos you get 84, cracked in half = 168.

I needed 3 pieces of exoticas to get remotely the same smoke as cocos, which i use 4 halves ( 2 coals )

exotica
100/3 = 33.3 sessions,

coco
168/4 = 42 sessions

You get roughly 9 more sessions from cocos, and you never have the problem with bad boxes.

Also i am sure since mush buys coals in bulk you could get them cheaper than 11.xx a box ... that is what i pay from mnh and a few other sites.

But i may be biased because i smoke nakhla and it needs a lot of heat.

I just can't see how you could say they don't give off enough heat ... sounds like to me they werent fully hot and they kept going out on you causing low heat.

I've never had an issue with them going out with normal smoking.

[SmokinMoose]

If you want a less expensive alternative to Coconaras go with Starlight Coco's they are just as good and alot cheaper.

I use cocos because I get for the wholesale price which works out cheaper for me.

[newjacksm]

Cocos are so small to be cutting them in half. CH coals on the other hand are small too but doable.

[BBKakes]

I've never had a good experience with Exoticas. There was a period where people where finding all types of miscellaneous stuff inside them like metal, yarn, plastic, etc. I swore them off for good after that. There is no perfect coal, but for the money I prefer CHs.

[liquidglass]

as an avid supporter of exoticas on the forum for a while i have to agree with mush on this one. when i first got exoticas they were really hard to break, they lasted forever and they never went out on me.

now, i can break exoticas in 1/4ths and 1/3's easily. they dont last as long as they used to and a few of them dont even burn all the way through. they are so much lighter then they were when they first started coming out.

mush, if you find something better then keep me updated.

note: BTW ive tried coco's and they suck, they dont produce enough heat for me, they are too expensive and they dont stay lit for me.

I've gone through about 12-13 boxes of cocos ... not 1 coal has let me down. If i remember correctly you pretty much exclusively smoke tang right? and tang requires very low heat. Cocos are known for giving off a shit ton of heat ... something doesn't sound right here.

They are 11.xx bucks a box if you buy them in bulk ... i find that to be right in the middle not cheap or expensive.

And if they don't stay lit they either need to stay on the stove longer or you need to puff on it more often ... :-)

only time i ever had issues with them going out was when i didn't puff it every 45 seconds or so. If you wait longer than that they may start to go out.

I would vote cocos only thing is they need to be cut in half for most shishas because they give off so much heat.

figure exoticas are 7 bucks a box give or take ... you get 25 sticks that can be cracked in 4 pieces so 100 pieces.

Cocos you get 84, cracked in half = 168.

I needed 3 pieces of exoticas to get remotely the same smoke as cocos, which i use 4 halves ( 2 coals )

exotica
100/3 = 33.3 sessions,

coco
168/4 = 42 sessions

You get roughly 9 more sessions from cocos, and you never have the problem with bad boxes.

Also i am sure since mush buys coals in bulk you could get them cheaper than 11.xx a box ... that is what i pay from mnh and a few other sites.

But i may be biased because i smoke nakhla and it needs a lot of heat.

I just can't see how you could say they don't give off enough heat ... sounds like to me they werent fully hot and they kept going out on you causing low heat.

I've never had an issue with them going out with normal smoking.

I'm with Canon on this one. They are easier to break over time, but I still say exoticas > cocos. Coco's just don't feel like they put off much heat at all. Everyone says they do but I need more cocos to get the same amount of smoke that I get with less exoticas.
(As with any coal I use I make sure they are red fucking hot before using them, so no worries there)

I'm going to give them another try but I doubt my experience will change.


Last but not least. If you're factoring costs into thing, then you have to factor the time cost of actually breaking the damn things, along with the extra time needed to flip the coals more often than exoticas. But of course it'd be impossible to do without actual information
And of course, like you, I'm probably biased based on my experiences with various coals.

[ryno]

Right now is when I miss the old Al'Alwahel (sp?) coals from Hookah Company. Hands down the best coals I ever had...

On a side note, Mush, have you heard of a coal called "Natural Bird Charcoal"? I get them all the time from a Sunoco in IN where i get Nakhla as well, they are great coals.

[freeOS]

Right now is when I miss the old Al'Alwahel (sp?) coals from Hookah Company. Hands down the best coals I ever had...

On a side note, Mush, have you heard of a coal called "Natural Bird Charcoal"? I get them all the time from a Sunoco in IN where i get Nakhla as well, they are great coals.

That's crazy that there's a Sunoco in Fort Wayne that sells hookah gear.

[antouwan]

<br />If you want a less expensive alternative to Coconaras go with Starlight Coco's they are just as good and alot cheaper. <br /><br />I use cocos because I get for the wholesale price which works out cheaper for me.<br />

and what is that? i mean you could be paying one of a few different prices...Coco-nara has a tiered pricing structure depending the purpose you're buying them fore. if you buy a large quantity for resale, for instance, you'll pay significantly less than some one who buys a large quantity for restaurant use. so CAD i really don't know what that will be...

[SimplexCoda]

Right now is when I miss the old Al'Alwahel (sp?) coals from Hookah Company. Hands down the best coals I ever had...

On a side note, Mush, have you heard of a coal called "Natural Bird Charcoal"? I get them all the time from a Sunoco in IN where i get Nakhla as well, they are great coals.

YOu can still get the Al' Alwahel from like smoking hookah or the hookah i think. I cant remember which one. But i never order from either so im not gonan order from there just for a box of coals, but how i did love those things.

[mushrat]

Right now is when I miss the old Al'Alwahel (sp?) coals from Hookah Company. Hands down the best coals I ever had...

On a side note, Mush, have you heard of a coal called "Natural Bird Charcoal"? I get them all the time from a Sunoco in IN where i get Nakhla as well, they are great coals.

never even seen em. Can you get them from an online place we trust?

[mattarios2]

Cocos are so small to be cutting them in half. CH coals on the other hand are small too but doable.

Who cares about the size, they crack in half, easily, and they still put out monster heat.

as an avid supporter of exoticas on the forum for a while i have to agree with mush on this one. when i first got exoticas they were really hard to break, they lasted forever and they never went out on me.

now, i can break exoticas in 1/4ths and 1/3's easily. they dont last as long as they used to and a few of them dont even burn all the way through. they are so much lighter then they were when they first started coming out.

mush, if you find something better then keep me updated.

note: BTW ive tried coco's and they suck, they dont produce enough heat for me, they are too expensive and they dont stay lit for me.

I've gone through about 12-13 boxes of cocos ... not 1 coal has let me down. If i remember correctly you pretty much exclusively smoke tang right? and tang requires very low heat. Cocos are known for giving off a shit ton of heat ... something doesn't sound right here.

They are 11.xx bucks a box if you buy them in bulk ... i find that to be right in the middle not cheap or expensive.

And if they don't stay lit they either need to stay on the stove longer or you need to puff on it more often ... :-)

only time i ever had issues with them going out was when i didn't puff it every 45 seconds or so. If you wait longer than that they may start to go out.

I would vote cocos only thing is they need to be cut in half for most shishas because they give off so much heat.

figure exoticas are 7 bucks a box give or take ... you get 25 sticks that can be cracked in 4 pieces so 100 pieces.

Cocos you get 84, cracked in half = 168.

I needed 3 pieces of exoticas to get remotely the same smoke as cocos, which i use 4 halves ( 2 coals )

exotica
100/3 = 33.3 sessions,

coco
168/4 = 42 sessions

You get roughly 9 more sessions from cocos, and you never have the problem with bad boxes.

Also i am sure since mush buys coals in bulk you could get them cheaper than 11.xx a box ... that is what i pay from mnh and a few other sites.

But i may be biased because i smoke nakhla and it needs a lot of heat.

I just can't see how you could say they don't give off enough heat ... sounds like to me they werent fully hot and they kept going out on you causing low heat.

I've never had an issue with them going out with normal smoking.

I'm with Canon on this one. They are easier to break over time, but I still say exoticas > cocos. Coco's just don't feel like they put off much heat at all. Everyone says they do but I need more cocos to get the same amount of smoke that I get with less exoticas.
(As with any coal I use I make sure they are red fucking hot before using them, so no worries there)

I'm going to give them another try but I doubt my experience will change.


Last but not least. If you're factoring costs into thing, then you have to factor the time cost of actually breaking the damn things, along with the extra time needed to flip the coals more often than exoticas. But of course it'd be impossible to do without actual information
And of course, like you, I'm probably biased based on my experiences with various coals.

Sounds to me like you guys don't have enough air flow passing through your bowl. I have never had an issue with cocos going out unless i didn't hit on the hookah for a solid amount of time.

Also you have to crack exoticas so why factor in cracking coconaras?

[Barnaby]

I cannot count myself as a charcoal connoisseur by any means, but I stick to coco for a reasons, first being consistency. Every coal behaves the same way every damn time. There are no bad batches of cocos. They just work, period.

I've tried a couple of sticks of exoticas, and I wasn't very impressed. The only thing I liked, was how much less I had to flip them, compared to cocos. But I have never seen so much ash in my life. Cocos hardly have any. And when I lit them, they stink BAD. It makes me wonder whats in them to smell so bad, when with cocos, they smell alittle, and it smells kinda like a camp fire. Just seems more natural to me.

Oh, and while cutting cocos does work well, I've found that letting them hang off the edge alot works just as well. Really, the time I'm down with moving them around alot in the beginning, they've burned down enough to slide them almost all the way over. At this point, the cut in half ones are almost done, and this just means more work for me.

I've used my share of quicklites as well, and some fake jap coals, which did show some promise, to were I'm considering getting some canary's next time around.. They just broken in half constantly...

[mattarios2]

I cannot count myself as a charcoal connoisseur by any means, but I stick to coco for a reasons, first being consistency. Every coal behaves the same way every damn time. There are no bad batches of cocos. They just work, period.

I've tried a couple of sticks of exoticas, and I wasn't very impressed. The only thing I liked, was how much less I had to flip them, compared to cocos. But I have never seen so much ash in my life. Cocos hardly have any. And when I lit them, they stink BAD. It makes me wonder whats in them to smell so bad, when with cocos, they smell alittle, and it smells kinda like a camp fire. Just seems more natural to me.

Oh, and while cutting cocos does work well, I've found that letting them hang off the edge alot works just as well. Really, the time I'm down with moving them around alot in the beginning, they've burned down enough to slide them almost all the way over. At this point, the cut in half ones are almost done, and this just means more work for me.

I've used my share of quicklites as well, and some fake jap coals, which did show some promise, to were I'm considering getting some canary's next time around.. They just broken in half constantly...

Bold point 1 : Hell yeah

Bold point 2 : not true, because you would have 4 halves cut down to a small size rather than 2 pieces that are still reasonably large, so in reality, with the cut ones you just have less heat, but all over the bowl and more balanced.

Rather than more heat only in 2 spots.

Think about it, you have the same amount of coal whether it is 4 halves or 2 full, the cut in half ones look to be done, but there are 4 of them, so you still get great heat when they "look to be" dying.

[Barnaby]

true, but I just usually throw 3 cocos on there, hanging off and call it a day..

it just seems, that while cutting them in half works great, it just doesn't last as long. I might give it some more experimentation this weekend, but considering I don't smoke as frequently, I'm less prone to playing around, vs. just getting a good session going. .