Af Issues

[TiLLooR]

I have a lot of friends in the Middle East who often bring me tobacco, usually AF because it’s the easiest to get and I don’t want to explain Nahkla and the rest of it since I’m getting it for free and I’m grateful. Anyway, other than the mint I got I’m struggling to get the grape and orange to smoke properly. I know the history grape has had although it smells lovely as does the orange the only problem is there is just so much dye and juice. They were both produced in December 09. I have used a medium phunnel, small phunnel and Egyptian. Last night with a small phunnel all the juice ended up in the base I had never seen that before. The water in the base was red like it was blood and when I took the bowl off the just went all over the tray and stem. I’m thinking that its maybe too juicy and that’s cause it to burn really quickly? The grape flavour hasn’t been that strong, actually quite weak. I’ve tried halving coals, no wind cover lots of holes, deep holes. I try to pack it fluffy like I do with mint (Which smokes great) but it’s too juicy and comes out like small rocks which are hard to break up. I was wondering if I should try and pat the tobacco a bit to take some of the juice off?




Thanks guys this is really getting to me now, ive waited two weeks to post this ive run out of ideas.

[Guest Cheng]

AF double apple smokes great for me. I like juicy

I got some DA from the states and the cut it different to the stuff I got here, its more chopped.

I had a problem with juices running down the stem with Fantasia pink lemonade, I have no idea how???

As for your problem im not sure, I only smoke AF DA and the flavour is strong which I like

[fillup]

Well, you could try to air some of it out. Although, when you take the foil off, does some of the burnt stuff stick to the top of it. If so you might want to try packing it a bit lighter.

[fineout]

how did you manage to get that much juice down into the base with a phunnel? ive literally never had that happen in all the time ive smoked hookah

[chinamon]

i think too much juice would cause it to smoke horribly.
it would be like filling your phunnel with ONLY juice (no tobacco) and trying to smoke that. it just wouldnt work.
you need a good balance between tobacco and juice.

[TiLLooR]

This is what the base looks like, if you look closley you can see the water is red..

EDIT: O yea, there is a ring of burnt tobacco when I take the foil off. Should I put less in the bowl and pack it even fluffier? Edited February 4, 2010 by TiLLooR

[Deutsch am Herzen]

wow, i dont think ive ever had juice bleed that bad. i smoke mostly AF too. sometimes i get a slight tint to the water, even with tangiers i get that. before i got my small tang phunnel i smoked AF in mod bowls and only got a slight juice build up on the grommet, sometimes dripping into the tray.

i think it does have something to do with heat. maybe double up your foil? i would try airing it out a little like fillup said. i think if you pat it off, you run the risk of taking too much off, kinda hard to put back after that. hopefully you figure it out

[TiLLooR]

[quote name='Deutsch am Herzen' date='04 February 2010 - 07:14 PM' timestamp='1265310899' post='449719']
wow, i dont think ive ever had juice bleed that bad. i smoke mostly AF too. sometimes i get a slight tint to the water, even with tangiers i get that. before i got my small tang phunnel i smoked AF in mod bowls and only got a slight juice build up on the grommet, sometimes dripping into the tray.

i think it does have something to do with heat. maybe double up your foil? i would try airing it out a little like fillup said. i think if you pat it off, you run the risk of taking too much off, kinda hard to put back after that. hopefully you figure it out
[/quote]

Im already using two layers of foil since I ran out of HD foil.....

[Deutsch am Herzen]

[quote name='TiLLooR' date='04 February 2010 - 12:21 PM' timestamp='1265311305' post='449720']
[quote name='Deutsch am Herzen' date='04 February 2010 - 07:14 PM' timestamp='1265310899' post='449719']
wow, i dont think ive ever had juice bleed that bad. i smoke mostly AF too. sometimes i get a slight tint to the water, even with tangiers i get that. before i got my small tang phunnel i smoked AF in mod bowls and only got a slight juice build up on the grommet, sometimes dripping into the tray.

i think it does have something to do with heat. maybe double up your foil? i would try airing it out a little like fillup said. i think if you pat it off, you run the risk of taking too much off, kinda hard to put back after that. hopefully you figure it out
[/quote]

Im already using two layers of foil since I ran out of HD foil.....
[/quote]


hmm...i guess you could give airing it out a little a try. i know AF tends to be messy but ive never had that problem. what about chopping the tobacco up? with like one of those slapchop type things. ive never had to chop AF though. maybe that would not allow the shisha to "hold" as much juice. who knows

[solidseth]

I've smoked AF grape a few times but never noticed it being any juicier than any other AF. The flavor was actually one of the strongest I've smoked too.

But since you said you used a phunnel and you got juices in the base, it might very well be too juicy. Try letting it sit out or use a paper towel or something to dry it up a bit.

[joytron]

Af grape is one of the strongest flavors i have smoked. Keep messing around with it, you are packing too much if its winding up in the vase.

[Codename067]

I don't think it's too juicy, I think it has just the right amount of molasses actually for a washed line.


If anything, leave a tub open over night, and try to give it a shot and see how it smokes the next day.

[ih303]

I can vouch for this one. AF is hands down the juciest tobacco I've come across. Combine that with their new shitty "soggy saw dust" cut, and you have a recipe for disaster. The good news is, for whatever reason, that new cut seems to show up only randomly. Most of the AF we get at the lounge still has their traditional cut. If you find some of the other, finer cut, good luck. I've never been able to get that to smoke as well as the other.

The problem with finely-cut, juicy tobacco is there is really no way to make it "fluffy" without drying it out first. It just seems to clump together. I've actually used an entire 50g on a small phunnel and STILL had room to spare.

The first rule is USE A PHUNNEL. I absolutely dread packing AF in anything other than a phunnel - even an egyptian. It's too wet and clogs the holes like no other. If you have to use something other than a phunnel, blow it out before smoking it. Granted, you'll spend the first five minutes of smoking trying to clear out the scorched, throat melting harshity caused by all the juices that flew to the underside of the foil. I haven't found a way around this.

The second rule is USE LESS HEAT. I find the jucier the tobacco, the less heat I need to get it really smoking. On a small phunnel, I generally start with three CH Nats, but inevitably pull one off shortly after start. Two coals seem to keep the juciest of AF flavors going for a long time.

Two more thoughts - First, we have a decent selection of AF flavors at the lounge and I've noticed that juciness and cut is by no means consistent across all the flavors. I think it's a batch thing. Second, when dealing with kilos and 250's, make sure you alway stir it up prior to use. It may be tempting to use the dryer stuff on the top, but when you get down to the soup at the bottom, you'll think differently.

I'm not gonna lie, I have dried out AF numerous times with paper towels before loading, especially in the smaller bowls. It's always an option.

[TiLLooR]

[quote name='ih303' date='05 February 2010 - 01:53 PM' timestamp='1265378007' post='449876']
I can vouch for this one. AF is hands down the juciest tobacco I've come across. Combine that with their new shitty "soggy saw dust" cut, and you have a recipe for disaster. The good news is, for whatever reason, that new cut seems to show up only randomly. Most of the AF we get at the lounge still has their traditional cut. If you find some of the other, finer cut, good luck. I've never been able to get that to smoke as well as the other.

The problem with finely-cut, juicy tobacco is there is really no way to make it "fluffy" without drying it out first. It just seems to clump together. I've actually used an entire 50g on a small phunnel and STILL had room to spare.

The first rule is USE A PHUNNEL. I absolutely dread packing AF in anything other than a phunnel - even an egyptian. It's too wet and clogs the holes like no other. If you have to use something other than a phunnel, blow it out before smoking it. Granted, you'll spend the first five minutes of smoking trying to clear out the scorched, throat melting harshity caused by all the juices that flew to the underside of the foil. I haven't found a way around this.

The second rule is USE LESS HEAT. I find the jucier the tobacco, the less heat I need to get it really smoking. On a small phunnel, I generally start with three CH Nats, but inevitably pull one off shortly after start. Two coals seem to keep the juciest of AF flavors going for a long time.

Two more thoughts - First, we have a decent selection of AF flavors at the lounge and I've noticed that juciness and cut is by no means consistent across all the flavors. I think it's a batch thing. Second, when dealing with kilos and 250's, make sure you alway stir it up prior to use. It may be tempting to use the dryer stuff on the top, but when you get down to the soup at the bottom, you'll think differently.

I'm not gonna lie, I have dried out AF numerous times with paper towels before loading, especially in the smaller bowls. It's always an option.
[/quote]

EDIT:

Thanks I have left the tubs out over night to see if it changes anything. It seems some of the juices have gone but its still damn juicy. How long do you keep it with 3 CH Nats? Im between 3 for like 5-10 mins and then two with a windcover for the rest of the sesssion.. If it changes ill have to try drying it out with a paper towel...Its weird how the mint is perfect and smokes amazing but the grape/orange are both dripping.. Edited February 5, 2010 by TiLLooR

[ukhookah]

move on from al fakher. i used to love the stuff, i still smoke it. but the stuff is too inconsistent. ive just tried nakhla mizo, and thats my staple now.

[ih303]

[quote name='TiLLooR' date='05 February 2010 - 07:00 AM' timestamp='1265378412' post='449877']
Thanks I have left the tubs out over night to see if it changes anything. It seems some of the juices have gone but its still damn juicy. How long do you keep it with 3 CH Nats? Im between 3 for like 5-10 mins and then two with a windcover for the rest of the sesssion.. If it changes ill have to try drying it out with a paper towel...Its weird how the mint is perfect and smokes amazing but the grape/orange are both dripping..
[/quote]

I simply throw three Nats on and smoke it until I can tell it's starting to get hot. Like I said before, the problem with the wet stuff is dealing with the scorch. In my experience, the hotter you get it at first, the quicker you get past the scorch. Working at a lounge, we try to get the hookah out ASAP so we do whatever it takes to get epic smoke quickly. It's kind of a joke when we're starting a mod bowl of super juicy AF. We take turns hacking through the scorch. But once it's gone, it's gone and it's good.

Also, I still think AF is a fantastic smoke and the flavors, for the most part, are excellent. Every tobacco has it's nuances. Nakhla is generally dryer with a bigger cut and needs to be packed tighter and smoked hotter. Tangiers... well, we all know how difficult that can be at times. SB has a huge sweet spot but only lasts for 45 min. And a whole bunch of others just taste like ass. What I'm trying to say is, there's no such thing as the perfect shisha. Just find something you like to smoke and figure it out how to get the best smoke from it. Then, just kick back and enjoy.