So Apparently Jap Coals And I, Are Not My Friends

[Stuie]

So A while back I tried some Easy-Lite Japs from HC and after a few attempts I traded them off. Well I got my hands on some Exotica Japs, and I am still having the same issue... which is apparently I don't know what the heck I am doing with these. I wanna get this right before I buy some canary's (too expensive to waste those).

So the Silver is suppose to flake off on it's own?

I tried scrapping it off... coals shards everywhere.

Buy the time they get glowing anything more than the gentlest of touches make these things fall apart.

[Click]

The Canarys will not fall apart like the Exotica Jap coals and the silver coating flakes off during lighting.

[mattarios2]

i found with the easy lites some of them wouldnt flake off but most of the time they did for me.

the GC's, i never once had an issue with getting the silver off, right after they started glowing i would just blow on them and all the silver would blow right off.

i say snag a box of gc's and try them before you assume that YOU are doing something wrong, which i highly doubt.

[Balthazar]

I tried the canaries after much praise. The silver goes off with ease, but I've never ever been able to enjoy a session with them without one or two break apart. I don't take them off the oven too quickle, they're glowing all over when I remove them. Still, the second time I move them they always seem to break on me.

[Scoop]

weird. mine only break if i dont snap them into 4s before i light and try to do it after. otherwise no problems.

easy lites and exotica japs are kind of bootleg for jap coals. i think they are painted silver instead of the silver actually being an accelerant to start em.

[mattarios2]

weird. mine only break if i dont snap them into 4s before i light and try to do it after. otherwise no problems.

easy lites and exotica japs are kind of bootleg for jap coals. i think they are painted silver instead of the silver actually being an accelerant to start em.

i have also heard that

[joytron]

Just blowing on them has worked fine for me, although the exoticas just seem to randomly crack while heating them up every once in a while.

[Svaals]

I just went through a box of the exotica coals and I have the chipping/falling apart problem sometimes when lighting. I think it has to do with the silver junk not doing its job, and the coal not heating up evenly. I usually blow the silver stuff off 1 or 2 sides of the coal, but I can't ever get it all off.

[ilikemyusername]

My exotica easy lites crack when lighting, but i've never had them straight up break on me, until I knock them on the tray from too high up. I really like johns quicklights now though, possibly the only coal i'll ever use again. They don't last nearly as long as a coco, but they last about as long as the exotica jap style.

[AmunRa]

The silver shit flakes off during lighting, or at least its supposed to. I had to blow on them to get it to come all the way off. Anyhoo, I stick to cocos now to avoid the hassle. The added cost is worth it IMO.

[shaffaaf27]

eric's fav are canaries. im sure they are the best

[RingsMaster]

eric's fav are canaries. im sure they are the best

all a matter of preference dude personally i love coco's and lemonwood coals lol

[ProbablyTaken]

eric's fav are canaries. im sure they are the best

I believe Santino swears by Canaries too.

[Arcane]

i love my canarys too...but, i have had quite a few explode on me when i go to pick them up...sucks too because that's about 100 small embers on a carpet...yep...carpet burns galore...

but, i still think they're the best coals out there....

[MechAnt]

I feel this is the best way to handle chinese made jap coals:

Get them going, do something else. once they are about 70-80% lit, turn off the heat source and let them sit for another few minutes. By the time you pick them up, the silver should EASILY come off. If it doesnt come off easily and you need to scrape it off, let them sit a little longer or air them (I like to spin my coal carrier around several times). This method has yet to fail me when it comes to imitation japs.

[jeremyk]

GC's are nice but not their price tag isnt I stick with cheaper coals they seem to work fine with me

[mattarios2]

people are always saying Coco's are way overprice, first off you can get em for like 11-12 bucks if you buy 3 boxes.

secondly it isn't the quantity of coal it is the quality. sure some coconut coals you get more coal for the money, but i only use 2 cocos for a full 1 hour session with a wind cover. IMHO for the money and the awesome quality every single time, you can't beat cocos. I have never had 1 bad coconara coal, not one, every time they light perfectly and burn incredibly well.

but that's just me

[Jeff_T]

I used some canarys quite a while ago and they were very good, but for the price they're just not for me. I've currently got a box of the exotica easy lights, used about half and haven't had one crack/break on me while lighting. With the exoticas some of the silver doesn't come completely off, but a very gentle scrap with my tongs gets the leftover stuff off. For the price, I think the exoticas are good. Guess I just got a good batch or something, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. Edited August 7, 2009 by Jeff_T

[Vampy6997]

people are always saying Coco's are way overprice, first off you can get em for like 11-12 bucks if you buy 3 boxes.

secondly it isn't the quantity of coal it is the quality. sure some coconut coals you get more coal for the money, but i only use 2 cocos for a full 1 hour session with a wind cover. IMHO for the money and the awesome quality every single time, you can't beat cocos. I have never had 1 bad coconara coal, not one, every time they light perfectly and burn incredibly well.

but that's just me

I agree...I've paid a lot more for a lot less coals, fewer sessions, in my past. In upwards of $20/box of crappy quick-lites.

I like coconaras...I don't change just because the wind blows differently than what I'm used to. I like quality, and it's the best quality I've seen, and lower carbon monoxide compared to exoticas....however that was posted in the forum somewhere, I don't have that link saved.

Regardless, if everyone says the silver flakes off, don't keep rapatapping the coal while it's on the burner, just let it sit, glow, blow on it gently, pick it up (gently with tongs), put it on the bowl and let it do it's thing. The longer the production of carrying the coal/maneuvers/fiddle faddling/tapping, the greater the risk to accident and injury or. omg what did I just do? That's with *any* shaped coal, not just japs or whatnot.

Those are just my thoughts though....idk.

[Barnaby]

people are always saying Coco's are way overprice, first off you can get em for like 11-12 bucks if you buy 3 boxes.

secondly it isn't the quantity of coal it is the quality. sure some coconut coals you get more coal for the money, but i only use 2 cocos for a full 1 hour session with a wind cover. IMHO for the money and the awesome quality every single time, you can't beat cocos. I have never had 1 bad coconara coal, not one, every time they light perfectly and burn incredibly well.

but that's just me

I hear ya. I just found a local store near me that sells coco's for $13 with tax. Its going to be hard for me to pass that up, as not having to pay shipping is a nice incentive.

I've tried many different coals, except for Golden Canaries. Coco's have been by far the most consistent, qualilty coal I've used thus far. I think I'll buy a box of canaries on my next shisha order to try, as even the easy lites held some promise, short of them breaking in half 9 times out of ten. (this is an old box I got with a craigslist find. So, probably some humidity issues, but they never popped like they were though)

My ONLY complaint with cocos is the need to flip them more than other coals. Chopping them in half does help reduce this, but its not like an exotica, where you can just leave it alone (short of ashing periodically). I'm guessing the Canaries are more like that.

[mattarios2]

people are always saying Coco's are way overprice, first off you can get em for like 11-12 bucks if you buy 3 boxes.

secondly it isn't the quantity of coal it is the quality. sure some coconut coals you get more coal for the money, but i only use 2 cocos for a full 1 hour session with a wind cover. IMHO for the money and the awesome quality every single time, you can't beat cocos. I have never had 1 bad coconara coal, not one, every time they light perfectly and burn incredibly well.

but that's just me

I hear ya. I just found a local store near me that sells coco's for $13 with tax. Its going to be hard for me to pass that up, as not having to pay shipping is a nice incentive.

I've tried many different coals, except for Golden Canaries. Coco's have been by far the most consistent, qualilty coal I've used thus far. I think I'll buy a box of canaries on my next shisha order to try, as even the easy lites held some promise, short of them breaking in half 9 times out of ten. (this is an old box I got with a craigslist find. So, probably some humidity issues, but they never popped like they were though)

My ONLY complaint with cocos is the need to flip them more than other coals. Chopping them in half does help reduce this, but its not like an exotica, where you can just leave it alone (short of ashing periodically). I'm guessing the Canaries are more like that.

not entirely true. it depends on your setup. if you look at my nakhla tutorial link in my sig you will see that i poke large deep holes in my bowl. this allows for incredible airflow therefore not making me have to flip or ash my cocos once in a session. i drop them on and leave them for the entire session.

[redjako]

My coco's always turn black, hell even on the stove lighting, but it means nothing if you light them aLL the way through, till they GLOW. Then if they turn black while smoking.

[Necro-I-Omen]

So A while back I tried some Easy-Lite Japs from HC and after a few attempts I traded them off. Well I got my hands on some Exotica Japs, and I am still having the same issue... which is apparently I don't know what the heck I am doing with these. I wanna get this right before I buy some canary's (too expensive to waste those).

So the Silver is suppose to flake off on it's own?

I tried scrapping it off... coals shards everywhere.

Buy the time they get glowing anything more than the gentlest of touches make these things fall apart.

I know what you mean, they crack up real easy. I dropped a fresh one a day ago and it shattered into like 10 pieces. They take forever to light also. But at least they burn for a while and you dont get that nasty harshness taste like those circular instant lights.

[RingsMaster]

My coco's always turn black, hell even on the stove lighting, but it means nothing if you light them aLL the way through, till they GLOW. Then if they turn black while smoking.

i figured out why they turn black its the ash kind of burning to the bottom of the coal, i just flip and seems to do fine lol

[Sonthert]

Neither one of those brands are genuine Japanese coals, Stuie. Try the real ones.

Also, if you have sharpish tongs and grab formed coals by the edges, they may shatter. Its safer to grab the coals by the faces...not the edges. Easier, too. Personally, I grab them by the edges and have no problems at all.