Bubble’s Stabuzz

[MR Bubble]

Here sit, alone on Friday night with the MRS and kids gone to AR for a week. Oh yessss! So, as I promised, (or hinted at. Take your pick) I broke into my first bag of Starbuzz. As luck would have it, I retrieved the sample of "Social Smoke Blend." I opened it at about 1:00 this afternoon to air out. That was for Tangiers. The smell was in fact minty, with some lemon, and oddly enough, I had a whiff of coconut. Go figure. In fact, I was looking forward to a blend with coconut in it.
Smoking, I'm not able to figure out where that coconut smell came from. At one point, I thought I got a taste of it (during the nose hit part of the test), but I'm thinking it was just my imagination. The taste is mostly made up of mint and lemon. There is a taste of eucalyptus that reminds me of munching on an original flavored Fisherman's friend. All you UK guys will know about that one.
One very, very odd thing about this brand is I have no sensation of smoking an American made massell (let's just call it shisha tonight.) as it does not leave the typical American "lucky Strike" taste in my throat. Then again, it may be due to the wild mint ride. Here's a break-down of what I'm tasting here:
Mint: 60%
Lemon: 30%
Some other substance: 10%
The "mystery substance" may be the weird eucalyptus but it is a little chemical-like tasting. Must have imported something from Egypt of the EL Basha line for that one. Other than that, this is a very interesting smoke. Mint lovers would get a bang out of this, as it is a weird take on mint, with the lemon mixture. I really think they could have found something better to mix mint with. But hey, I'm not the artist, I'm just along for the ride.
The first 5 or 7 minutes, the flavor is very bold. After that it settles down nicely, becoming very smooth and relaxing. The lemon taste subsides, leaving the mixture of mint and eucalyptus spotlighted. This is not my favorite flavor, but one I can live with whenever I get the urge for mint, although it's a "dirty" feeling mint. Oh, almost forgot: The cut is a lot like AL Amir and it even has just a smidgen of the gritty feel to it. I have a feeling this grit we feel may be the molasses or whatever "sugaring." I guess what happens is honey and molasses will, over time, kind of dry out and return to a sugary state. It happens all the time to home made preserves and honey and such when it gets old. Strawberry preserves or jam is the worst. Anyhow,
Flavor:  Not too sure about it. Not really my cup of tea, but I won't condemn the project. I mean, not something I would throw out, as it has its place here. Just weird, so I need to love it for that. I will go to it when I want a mint, but if I want a lemon, I'll go to the Nakhla Fahakfina Lemon shisha instead.
Smoke-Density:  This is the mother-load boys! Lots of white, puffy smoke, but not quite as silky looking as, say, AF.
Buzz-Factor:  I'll call it above average. I'm very relaxed, but not a sloppy buzz like Nakhla. Rather tight and controlled like AF. However, it is much stronger than AF.
Nose-Hitability:  Oh yess lads! I feel like I swallowed a bowl of Chinese mustard. Went straight to the sinuses and I saw stars against a dark grey sky! You just gotta love it! And the carpet tacks.... About a 3 carpet tack hit through the nose.
General feeling of wellness: I'm okay. I feel rather buzzed and relaxed here. I don't have the "Lucky-Strike" wad of thick, air reducing crud in my throat. Thank goodness for that. Tangiers's brew is the only other one that leaves my feeling okay as well. An American made shisha like these two are really rare.
Shisha-Nazi-Factor:  Who knows? Who really gives a rip? She's not here. She would hate it. She would hate it like monkey poop.
Overall impression: Hey, what appeals to me is the originality of this. This Brew is not for the 'Milk bar" type. If John Wayne were here, he'd love it! I can just see him pulling the cork out of the bottle with his teeth, taking a swig of whiskey, having a hit or two and farting. Yeah, he'd like it. Too bad I'm going to have to scrub the machine down after this, because this is sure to screw up any other flavor.
Overall, this may deserve a 7 out of ten.
Set-up: 30 inch Egyptian, single hose. Standard Egyptian clay bowl with foil. 1 each 3-Kings disc, broken into 3 pieces. About 40 minutes smoke time. I rarely recoal, as I think it is a waste of time with only 15-20 grams in the head. Besides, I'm not the best recoaler out there.
MR Bubble

[mushrat]

AH HA! Im not the only one who felt  there was somthing "else" in this one when I reviewed it. [img]http://www.hookahforum.com/forum/smileys/smiley14.gif[/img] I too got a mentholy feel from it when we smoked it.
Cool review.
Going to be an interesting week of reviews....
 

[MR Bubble]

Forgive me gang, as I am not able to give a good review tonight of the Starbuzz cherry. I need another smoke session to get a good impression. However, I will tell you this: When I opened the bag, I was greeted with a smell, color and texture that blows away anything else out there that carries the name "cherry" on it. Too bad it didn't smoke like it smelled. But, that is the reason for needing another night with it before I actually, officially shoot it down, or pump it up. We'll see. I would smoke another bowl now, but I have been battling headaches all day and I'm afraid another bowl may put me back over the top.
Until next time,
MR Bubble

[Sonthert]

Cherry is a really difficult flavor. I still haven't released one because I can't get one that measures up to my standards.Was the mystery flavor off-sweet and grainy? Could have been alcohol? (Which would be used as a solvent for terpene bearing flavors like lemon and mint).

[MR Bubble]

Ho ho ho. Cherry time again. As I said last night, this is the most amazing cherry smell yet! It smells like Marciano cherries. EXACTLY! Like a plate full of them. And the color is a bright red, translucent red. OMG, the 2nd most beautiful shisha I've seen yet. The first was Abed El Kader licorice.
But once again, the smoking flavor is somewhat disappointing. I've bee pondering what it is I'm tasting that is screwing things up so bad, and I have it nailed down to whatever it is in Al Waha's mixed fruit. It's that "urinal mint" taste again. Something that tastes kinda soapy, but dissinfectanish. You know, like walking down the Household Cleaner isle at the super market, with your mouth open. Sani-flush supreme. What do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about? Yes you do. You just won't admit it.
Where's the cherry flavor? Well, you can get a small taste of it. However, it just isn't coming through very good. Yes Tangiers, I let it air out. The cherry taste that is there isn't too accurate. God, if only it would taste the way it smells in the bag! I'm not into "foo-foo" smokes, but after getting a whiff of this, I was really looking forward to some good cherry foo-foo! One thing almost sames the day: After smoking for about 15 minutes, lick your lips. There's the cherry! Just a quick lick, a swallow, then it's gone.
Flavor:  Nothing to write home about. Disappointing. However, it's not a bad smoke, even if Ajax may be mixed in. Nothing disgusting here. It's smooth and none of the American made lucky strike throat swelling goo. Nothing I'd consider buying. Nakhla cherry has it beat, and beat BAD!
Smoke density:  Not as thick as the Social Smoke Blend, but still a great smoke cloud.
Buzz-Factor:  I'm happy. Nothing mind blowing like Tangiers and Nakhla, but relaxing.
Nose-Hitability: God, yes! Another nose-hitting masterpiece! A solid 3 carpet tack rating! (Yes, I'm 40 years old) Now I know where that Ajax is.
General Feeling of Wellness:  Nothing bad here. I'm stable, relaxed and don't want to wretch.
Shisha-Nazi Factor: Still in Arkansas. I won't waste her time with this. Well, maybe I will. She just might like it. Maybe she sees something in it I'm missing.
Closing thoughts:  I've had cherries before. Let's see now: Al Fakher, Al Waha, Romman, Nakhla, AL Amir and the closest one to a cherry is still Nakhla (IMO). This rates at the bottom of the cherry food-chain. Sorry. I'll give it a 5 out of 10 for not being unsmokeably nasty.
MR Bubble

[Terence]

MR Bubble, I loved the read....I think you may like Mint Graple!!!25% Mint40% Grape35% AppleIt is a random mix that was made inlight of firing up eight hookahs with only shy amounts of each left.

[MR Bubble]

Mint grapple, huh? Looks interesting enough. I'll have to "Copy & Paste" this recipe.
Anyway, on to the Mango tonight. Starbuzz Mango, that is.
The cut and juice and all is the same as the other in the Buzz family. This one's color is a beautiful golden. One thing about this line of shisha is, the sauce tastes so darn good! Now remember, I don't have much mango experience. I've only smoked one other mango shsha, and it doesn't take a degree in aerospace engineering to figure out which brand in was. Well maybe. It was Nakhla. Nakhla's mango is not for the faint of heart. It is a weird take on ANYTHING out there. I'm not a mango expert, who only has one once every couple years, but Nakhla's version is very exaggerated. The "pine needle" taste you get from it does exist in unripened mangoes, but not to THAT extent.  This Starbuzz version is a night and day difference. It comes closer to a RIPENED mango. There is a very, very slight "piney" tone to it, but you have to be looking for it I think. Actually the flavor reminds me of what I envision a mix of the following would taste like: 30 % Romman apple, 30% (someone's good) pineapple, and 40% Nakhla Eskandarany apple.  It has the Nakhla ESK apple "sweet-sour" taste (which is pretty rich, yummy shisha), A hint of Sweet, lemony apple I always got from Romman apple, and something is giving me visions of pineapple Jolly Ranchers. Still, a very fine and yummy smoke!
Flavor:  Oh boy! This is so good! It may not be the most accurate representation of mangoes, but considering my limited professional mango-connoisseur  credentials, it is mango. A complete opposite take of Nakhla's. The flavor of massells doesn't have to be accurate to be successful in my book. It has to taste good and MUST (IMHO) be interesting enough to keep you going back for more. While not the most interesting flavor, it is very, very good tasting. I can find nothing about this that turns me off, other that it being a "foo-foo" smoke. Not too Manley here, but something I can see myself actually buying.
Smoke Density: Very thick, white, and almost as silky as AF. Not disappointing at all.
Buzz-Factor: Same as the other ones.  Just a light, mellow, disciplined buzz. Very easy to get along with.
Nose-Hittability:  This is what noses were made for! Damned, made my left eye water for a second.
General feeling of wellness: I feel gay. Just messing with you.  For those of you who don't know me, I shun AF and other super fruity massells because I just don't like the "smoking Kool-AId" taste of these. I like my shisha to be weird and interesting, like Nakhla stuff and Tangiers has some that fit that bill too. But I'm actually getting a bang out of this mango! I really, really like it! The buzz is also helping.
Shisha-Nazi Factor:  I can't say with any certainty, but I will get her on this one when she gets home. She will be getting back tomorrow sometime. I want to see her reaction.
WELL: Deep subject. As I rambled on about before, this is a wonderful departure from EN's mango, even though it has a place in my collection. Another (very successful) take on the mysterious fruit that has me captivated. I'll plead insanity and give this one a [b]9.5[/b] [b]out of 10[/b], just for being closer to an actual mango, AND being so flippin' yummy!
Setup: 30" Egyptian hookah, Standard clay Egyptian, cheap brown bowl, 1 3-Kings disc, broken into 3 pieces on top of foil.
MR Bubble

[JByer323]

I really liked the mango as well, and am planning on reviewing it soon.

[Terence]

If you realy want Mango too go wild when you smoke it make you head as you always do but get some Mango Nector (100% Mango Juice), if you get the thick stuff you may need to water it down...This little mix puts milk to shame!! the smoke is mad and the flaver blows you away!!

[MR Bubble]

Dang, I didn't think I'd ever find this thread. Anyhow, once again, I've bee a busy guy around here in the evenings. Been trying to take advantage of the good weather and get my router table finished. Done, now I can smoke. Of course, I tried to make an appearance every now and then to throw some smart a$$ed remark out at Tangiers, just because he's so messable withable.
So, tonight, we do some Starbuzz Kiwi. The same cut as the others in the brand, but this one has got to be the soupiest yet! As far as smell goes, well it sure doesn't smell much like Kiwi to me. I don't know what it smells like. Kinda bad.
The smoke is pretty stout, but it may be how I set it up. The flavor mimics the sweet-sour sensation of a kiwi, but the taste isn't quite there. It may sound weird, but it tastes almost as if Nakhla booby-trapped it with just a pinch of their mango. When I eat a kiwi, I usually do so with the skin on. The first 1/8 of the fruit is really sour with the skin. I get that when I draw in. Toward the middle it is one of the sweetest fruits I know of, and I get the sweetness on the exhale. But I can't say "it tastes like kiwi." I guess it does an interesting job of mimicking it.  I apologize for not being able to describe this in great detail, but it's rather indescribable for me. I pick up just a bit of a lemony taste, with a pinch of chemical. That must be the secret pinch of Nakhla mango they smuggled in. All I can say is that it's flippin' weird stuff. Definitely NOT tasteless. The problem is spotting exactly WHAT it tastes like.
Flavor:  Uh, hmm. Sour on the inhale (biting through the skin) and sweet on the exhale (Second bite into the middle. I found that if you exhale through the nose, it is a more pronounced flavor that may be like kiwi. But, just try to describe the flavor of a kiwi. C'mon, I dare you to try. But a descent smoke if you like weird Nakhla type flavors: You get a general idea of what it's supposed to be and you fry a few brain cells thinking it over. I'll smoke it again due to my bold taste for the absurd.
Smoke Density: Seems to be about on par with Nakhla.
Buzz Factor:  For some reason, this is about to wipe me out. Maybe it's from lack of hookah lately, but I smoke smokes, so that can't be it. I think brand/flavor combos are different for different peoples. But I can compare this one to the wildest, sloppy Nakhla buzz.
Nose-Hitability: Nothing like the mango and Social Smoke Blend, but a solid 2- carpet tack rating. However, it does nothing for the flavor.
Shisha-Nazi Factor:  To co-exist in perfect balance, I'm not even going to bring her in on this one. She'd cough up a lung and curse me .
General feeling of wellness: I'll have to get back to you on this one.
Final thoughts: If my setup didn't have much to do with it, then I can honestly say that this is one potent recipe. Not for the sheepish type, but for a masochist. The flavor is nothing to write home about, as this shares nothing more with a kiwi's flavor that the suggested sweet, then sour flavor I tried to describe before. If you like realism in flavors and like to take it easy, don't even bother with this. If you are more adventurous, and are the type who would take a strong curry dinner over steak and  lobster any day, you may want a 50 gram sample of this to just "say you did it."
Overall, on a scale from 1 to 10, I'll go with a [b]6.5[/b] just because it kept me amused for 40 minutes, and I want to try it again to see if it's as strong next time. Then I'll give my final score.
MR Bubble