I Don't Even Know..

[SteveSteveSteve]

Well I started smoking Nakhla a few weeks ago, I bought 3 boxes from a local Mediterranean grocery down the street: mint, sweet melon, and strawberry. The first time I opened each box and smoked it that day it was excellent; perfect clouds, flavor was spot on, and well everyone knows Nakhla packs a buzz. So it was great, put the remaining shisha in a freezer bag and put it on the shelf. The next 2 days I repeated the process, opening the new box, great session, and stored the rest.

Over the past couple days I smoked the flavors again, and I'm stumped. The taste was very, I don't know..tobacco'y? Hardly any flavor resembling what it was supposed to be. I cleaned the bowl, repackef it with a different flavor, cleaned my hookah, and tried smoking mint, same result. Then I tried strawberry, cleaning everything out again. What once were strong, amazing flavors now tasted bland.

I smoked some AF mixed berry to see if maybe something with the hookah was wrong, but it tasted great. I even tried using a different bowl with one of the Nakhla flavors and same result. One of the bowls I found the shisha was burned on the top, but the others weren't.

I have been thinking about it all day, and am away from home now on my phone so I can't upload photos of how I'm packing it, but will try tomorrow. Some of the possible problems I've thought of are:

1. The price is really cheap on them, $6 for 250 gram box and I noticed on hs they are 10, which makes me wonder why these are cheaper when all the other shishas he has are the same price found elsewhere, although I think it's a problem on my side. There is no date printed on the box, like there is with AF, but the boxes seem to be sealed and undamaged.

2. I use 2 cocanaras, what do you all use for nak? 2 nara's worked well for the first smoke so I'm not sure why not now, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

3. I was thinking I packed the bowl too much on the bowl that burned, the next 2 were packed with a lot more attention, held the bowl at eye-level and didn't see any shisha showing, and I blew slowly into the bottom after I put the foil on and felt air flow.

4. Could it be how I'm storing it? I used zip loc (spelling?) bags for the melon and strawberry, those flavors were bad the second day, and I put mint in a plastic 250g tub leftover from some AF I finished, and that flavor lasted a couple days before tasting bad.


I'll try to think of anything I left out, and any additional info I'm missing. I pack it a little below te rim on an Egyptian bowl, sprinkling the shisha in, and padding it down softly, definately not overpacking it. I'd try a phunnel bowl with it just for the hell of it, but mine is broken, courtesy of my dog.. Once again I'll definately upload some pics of my setup tomorrow.

So I think that about covers it, I'm sure I left out something, but typing this on a phone has been quite annoying, lol. Thanks ahead of time!

[Bulldog_916]

You might just have to leave it out for a while. Being an unwashed tobacco it definitely benefits from contact with the air. Leave it out for maybe 3 or 4 hours and then seal it up. Smoke it tomorrow and see where you are. If it's better than you know you did something right. If it smokes off or bland still, we'll try troubleshooting it more from there.

[SteveSteveSteve]

Thanks for the fast reply! I'll definately try this tomorrow, thanks

[Stuie]

Well Ziplocks aren't the best but I use them on smaller boxes no problems.

I would let it acclimate and mix it up really well before packing a bowl. Nakhla doesn't have a lot of extra juice, but it has some, you pack just the stuff that's on top and drier, it won't taste as good!

[SteveSteveSteve]

Yeah, shortly after I posted it I remembered I left out that. I had a problem a couple months ago which was resolved by mixing the shisha so it wasn't as dry as you said. Today I did that and also just used the shisha from the bottom of the AF tub I was using, so it was noticeably wetter than the rest, but not overly wet. Edited November 16, 2009 by SteveSteveSteve

[Chreees]

Yeah, mix it up real well each time.

Use this tutorial if you're using a phunnel:

http://www.hookahforum.com/?showtopic=33144

Nevermind, I just saw you said you use an Egyptian. But regardless, if you get a phunnel, this method works perfect for me everytime. Edited November 16, 2009 by INCUBUSRATM

[antouwan]

i would say that the majority of your problems come from the bags. i remember eric saying something about certain materials in storage containers reacting unfavorably or absorbing the flavor 'out of' the tobacco. he said that the ideal container was recyclable #5 and poly propylene (identified above the recycle symbol by MF). i currently use rubbermaid take alongs and haven't experienced any flavor loss on the 14 plus tobaccos i have on hand.

certain flavors, especially the mint, tropicana, and coffee need to be acclimated. just leave it uncovered for a few hours and seal it up and you'll be good to go. your packing method sounds good. the only thing i think some people here will differ with you on is the heat. i would say most people cut the cocos into halves and would use 3 to 4 pieces on a bowl like you described, for even heating.

[SteveSteveSteve]

@ INCUBUSRATM
thanks, I needed a tutorial on phunnel anyway, some sessions are good, others are not as decent lol

@ antouwan
thanks, I was thinking that even if the bags aren't the only problem, it did seem to do something, the flavor wasn't great after the first smoke after storing if a day in the bag whereas the mint in the tub lasted a couple days.

I've tried cutting the coals, but not on Nak yet, should have thought of that. It seems like too much effort at the time but for a better session it's worth it lol. Just saw a thread about some cutters that I'm definately going to pick up sometime soon, which will make the stoneage-like method of steak knife and brute force a lot less annoying

thanks for the replies guys!

[alexander]

I'd recommend you get some tupperware-style containers, I store all of my shisha in them and I've never had any kind of flavour change. Also, Nakhla tends to have a more predominant tobacco taste than most other shisha, so you might just be noticing that as well if you're switching between brands.

[SteveSteveSteve]

Yeah, I'm planning on picking up some tomorrow when I get my cutters for the stone-like Nara's

I know it has more of a tobacco taste, and would have just shrugged it off as not being the brand for my taste; but the first sessions I had with each were great, slightly more tobacco taste but not bad at all, something I was planning on stocking up on. But, now it tastes really bad, I'm not sure how to describe the taste, and I'm not even sure it's just tobacco flavor like I said earlier. It just tastes really weak, almost no flavor, and when I try tasting it as opposed to just blowing smoke rings or something, I just feel like ditching the bowl and getting something else.

Also come to think of it, the other day I left the mint unsealed in my kitchen for a couple hours when I was smoking something else I can't remember, was worried at first that would cause it to dry out or something. I mixed it up really well and it smoked great, so I'll definately remember to acclimate it tomorrow before smoking.

[Arcane]

store your tobacco in containers, glass or plastic...not bags...the more airtight the better...

i do leave my nakhla out a few minutes before i start smoking...it works out pretty well...