TCNJHookah Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 So, I've had quite a large stash of Tangiers tobacco for quite some time after hearing all the rave reviews, and I've never gotten it to smoke correctly. I've tried about ten different heads, including a Tangiers head, different types and amounts of coal, different packing techniques, everything. I couldn't get it to work. It was either thin or harsh every time. So, I started to think to myself, what's so different about this tobacco from all of the other brands which smoke perfectly on every attempt? Its the same stuff really, all the same old ingredients that every tobacco manufacturer uses, so why is this tobacco so different? After about thirty five seconds of deliberation I decided that the only difference between this tobacco and others is the way it is cut. With this in mind, I decided to experiment a bit. I took a small amount of Kashmir Peach; and by a small amount, I mean the usual 7-10 grams I use when packing any other brand, smoking from a medium sized clay egyptian head, not the 25 grams or so I usually try to stuff into the bowl when I smoke Tangiers. This amount of tobacco is usually just one clump in the bag of Tangiers. I placed the tobacco in an herb grinder and began to tear it apart. After about ten seconds of grinding, my Tangiers was now somewhere between the cut and consistency of Al Fakher and Al Amir. No more whole leaves clumped together like the usual Tangiers cut. Once the tobacco was of a more familiar cut, a-la Al Fakher, I packed it into my clay egyptian head the same way I would pack a bowl of Al Fakher. The bowl was packed about 3/4 full and very loosely. Tobacco basically just placed into the bowl, not packed down at all. Exactly the same way I pack my Fakher bowls. Placed one three kings coal on the bowl just the way I do when smoking anything but Tangiers, and voila! Perfect tasty thick smooth smoke. Some more experimenting over time will of course prove if it is indeed only the cut of Tangiers tobacco that makes it so hard to smoke, but I am quite confident that this is at least part of it. Give it a try and see for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunsboy Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 I have Tangier Kashmir Peach and have not tried it yet .. I am waiting for my new hookah to try that .. If it does not work following previous methods i will try this one, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 This is very interesting.What are you doing with an herb grinder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCNJHookah Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 It's for, um, cooking spices? I'm going to have to get another one just for my Tangiers now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skimo Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 good to know. is there such a thing as cutting it to fine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macho555 Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Huh...honestly I'm not sure why no one else thought of that...I'll have to give it a go when my Tangiers gets here. My herb grinder is wooden though, I wonder if that would be okay... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCNJHookah Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 I'm sure you could chop it up with a knife. Might take a bit more effort and handiwork to tear the clumps apart, but it should work just the same in the end. As far as a wooden grinder goes, it should work fine as long as its a quality grinder. I would think that perhaps you should loosen up the tobacco a bit before grinding it, maybe do two or three different small batches and then put them together in the bowl so theres not so much that it pulls the wooden teeth off. Shouldn't be much of a problem though. Just remember with either metal or wood, make sure to wash it out right afterwards so the molasses don't stick to the inside of your grinder. I wouldn't want to get that stuff mixed in with my cooking spices, of course. I hope someone else has some success with this method. I'm ecstatic that I can finally enjoy my Tangiers. It's a shame I ran out of blueberry though before figuring this out. That was by far my favorite one. I'd like to hear about everyones experiences trying this out. Hopefully it doesn't just work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyGuy Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 I'm really tempted to get a herb grinder now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c4r80n Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 holy molly! a genius!couldn't you use a coffee grinder too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 You put dry things in a coffee grinder. If you were to put, wet shisha, you would not get that "grind" It would most likely wrap around the shaft. Herb grinders are much different then coffee grinders. Im thinking about just using scissors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c4r80n Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 how about this thing?[img]http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0006IVYYW.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1101322023_.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c4r80n Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 you smash on the top and it chops up whats in the clear part below.i know it's good for tomatos, olives, herbs..etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 I guess it would work.Im just going to cut some up with my scissors after I find something to eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djnick Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 eric any comment on this? i know eric said that his tobacco had larger chunks for a reason but i cant see that being the root of the problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 I've also been waiting for Tangiers to post on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skimo Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 lol but if it works it works right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crepenchicha Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Tangiers includes an info sheet when he sends out his tabacco. It says that it's cut in bigger chunks so as to allow for more air to pass through and produce more smoke. Maybe the flaw is that too much air passes through for most of us?I've also been thinking that even his stickier tabaccos aren't anywhere near as goopy as things like AF, so if they're ground, they would still allow for that effect you get from the larger chunks but minimize some of the burning and make it more of a "familiar" smoke?In any case, I'm going to give it a try, too. Thanks for the tip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Ok, I've just fired up a bowl of cut up Watermelon Tangiers.I'm only 5 minutes into it, but I'm seeing a huge difference!I'm currently using:2 squares of Cococut CoalsLarge Ceramic BowlScreenFirst thing that I notice, is that I'm getting THICK smoke. I'm also pulling some flavor, although it is a little light.My screen is not touching the shisha BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 So I packed a pretty light bowl and finished under 1 hour.I need to try this with different coals. My new Coconut coals are really pissing me off... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymptom Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Back when I was having a lot of trouble with my Tangiers, I found I had more success when I unfolded all the large clumps of leaf and broke them into smaller pieces. I thought about chopping it up with scissors, but then it started smoking fine so I never got around to it. I'd try the herb grinder if I had a bigger one... I mean... if I had one at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymptom Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Argh damn the no edit function...I forgot to ask... what's the problem with the coconut coals, Catalyst? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCNJHookah Posted July 13, 2006 Author Share Posted July 13, 2006 When I did it, I used a whole three kings and rotated it around the bowl, and then once it had died out I replaced it with a three kings in thirds placed around the bowl and still rotated once in a while. The second coal was both smoother and thicker in terms of smoke than the first, and both tasted equally good. I'm on the third coal now, several hours later, and it still tastes very fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 [quote name='cymptom']Argh damn the no edit function... I forgot to ask... what's the problem with the coconut coals, Catalyst?[/quote]They are really hot, for one. And two, the side I have face down gets stone cold after awhile...I REALLY dont feel like buying more coals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff_T Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Cataylst: how big is the head you are using? is it a tangiers or like a mya one? With your foil what type of hole placement, quantity do you have? As well as when you say 2 coals, do you mean just 2 of the small squares or, do you break a stick into 2 pieces? Im in the same situation as you are, and seem to be using about the same set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalyst Paintball Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 My bowl is from Social Smoke: [img]http://www.socialsmokehookah.com/shop/media/images/product_xlarge/BCL_l.jpg[/img] It is wide, and somewhat shallow. From looking at the pictures of a MYA, it seems shallower then a MYA. I used a screen instead of foil [img]http://www.socialsmokehookah.com/shop/media/images/product_detail/Screen.jpg[/img] When I said I used 2 small squares, it was 2 squares of a 4 square stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now