Rosanna Tobacco

[Chreees]

Post your reviews below for Rosanna Flavours. This includes all Lines and Varieties. This is for reviews only. Questions and comments should be posted in separate threads. Non-review posts or parts of posts deemed not part of the review will be edited out by Mods. For ease of using the search engine, each review should start with: Rosanna (flavour)

[Bawhee]

Right, first time doing a review so feel free to ask/remind me if I leave something out!
setup: my unknown manufacturer hookah, hose presumably from the same manufacturer, cant be sure but if my word counts for anything I can guarantee that its a good setup, I smoke from a classic egyptian bowl. Also, this may sound unusual but I use 4 layers of foil (MUST BE FOLDED, USING 4 PIECES OR FOLDING IT INTO 4 LAYERS IS NOT THE SAME!). I used a nakhla 50mm coal, huge beast of a coal, I usually smoke first with one half then add the other when one starts dying out as it provides quite a bit of heat but with this tobacco some trial and error proved that it is best to use one entire coal and move it around in regular intervals (5-10 minutes).


Rosanna strawberry:
tobacco pre smoke: It smells wonderfully like strawberry and it is quite moist, more so than nakhla, kind of like a mix between nakhla and al fakher in moisture, not near tangiers from what I have heard but I have not tried tangiers before so i dunno It is semi well cut, some larger bits remain but nothing huge.

smoking experience: sadly the original wonderful smell doesnt transfer to the smoke, or rather, the smell of the smoke is pleasant but the flavor seems really weak (in all my different coal, foil etc setups so far). The smoke is fairly thick but very light (im not sure how to describe it, anyone who has smoked al fakher will know that it has this thick kinda heavy, even kinda greasy (in a way) smoke, this is similarly thick but it dissipates really quickly) and it leaves a nice scent in the room for a few hours.

overall I would have to give it a 3/5 rating, my biggest issue being the weak flavor, also a BITCH to clean from this bowl cos it just seems to stick after its been heated... Edited July 2, 2011 by Bawhee

[Chreees]

[size=5][b]Rosanna [color=#ff0000]Strawberry[/color][/b][/size]

[b]Hookah:[/b] Al Nawras Wooden Brass Syrian With Red Genie Vase.
[b]Bowl:[/b] Tangiers Mini Phunnel.
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty.
[b]Hose:[/b] Red Razan Abu Mahir.
[b]Coals:[/b] Razans first round, Cocomazayas second round.
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Appears to be just like Nakhla Mizo's cut. Pretty much exactly the same.
[b]Smell:[/b] Sweet, candyish strawberry. I REALLY love the smell.
[b]Taste:[/b] Taste is good, just like it smells. Only problem is it doesn't last long. At all. First 20-30 minutes was pretty good I guess, but the flavor just dies down and never comes back. It's just not a strong flavor at all. Way too light. If the flavor intensity were increased, this flavor would be a solid 10/10, or A+, in my opinion.
[b]Smoke: [/b]Excellent clouds. It's hard to burn this stuff, and to get big clouds, it doesn't take a whole lot of coal.
[b]Buzz:[/b] None.
[b]Duration:[/b] ~2 hours.

[b]Overall:[/b] B-. I just can't get over how they failed in making this flavor more intense. The flavor is sooooo good! They just made it way too damn light. It's a pretty big disappointment. But I still gotta give it a B- because the flavor is excellent while it lasts. Best strawberry flavor I've experienced, thus far. Just doesn't last!

[Chreees]

[b]Rosanna [color=#a52a2a]Caramel[/color][/b]

[b]Hookah: [/b]Al Nawras Wooden Brass Syrian.
[b]Bowl: [/b]Tangiers Mini Phunnel.
[b]Foil: [/b][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Reynolds Heavy Duty[/font][/color].
[b]Hose: [/b]Razan Abu Mahir.
[b]Coals: [/b]Two Razans.

[b]Appearance: [/b][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Pretty thin cut, juicy, sticky, light brown in color, pretty much looks like it's in a caramel juice or light syrup, haha.[/font][/color]
[b]Smell: [/b]Sweet, in yo face, caramel. It smells so delish. And the aroma will fill your entire room and you will love it!
[b]Taste: [/b]Amazing. Just amazing. The flavor is spot-on with how it smells, never gets harsh, and lasts a very long time before dying down.
[b]Buzz: [/b][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]None.[/font][/color]
[b]Duration: [/b]~2 hours.

[b]Overal: [/b][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]A+++. This stuff is incredible. I had it a few years ago thanks to Justin (TwoApplesPlease), and it's exactly like I remember, and more. It's one of those flavors that you never forget about. If you ever have the chance to buy this Rosanna flavor, DO IT! You won't regret it.[/font][/color]

[Hassouni]

[size=5][b]Rosanna Strawberry[/b][/size]

[b]Hookah:[/b] Elmas 628
[b]Bowl:[/b] Standard Elmas bowl
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty.
[b]Hose:[/b] Elmas hose
[b]Coals:[/b] Razan
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Red. Cut similar to Mizo, but finer and wetter. In other words, longish pieces, but thin, and wet. Very few stems. Sticky!
[b]Smell:[/b] Intense strawberry jam. Exquisite
[b]Taste:[/b] Exactly like the smell. I don't know what Chris meant about not lasting long - I went two full rounds of coals and there was still flavor at the end, and I only stopped because I was tired. It tastes just like a high quality strawberry jam, I can't possibly describe it better than that. Flavor was fairly forward, but this being Rosanna, not knock-you-out intense, but still delightful. I smoked it with 4 other people and everyone loved it.
[b]Smoke: [/b]Reasonably big, puffy, dense clouds - sort of on par with Al Fakher. When the coals die down and the smoke diminishes, the flavor still carries through.
[b]Buzz:[/b] None.
[b]Duration:[/b] Approaching 3 hours and still flavorful.

[b]Overall:[/b] 10/10. Best strawberry I've had, and a great, great smoke

[Hassouni]

[size=5][b]Rosanna Grape[/b][/size]

[b]Hookah:[/b] Elmas 639
[b]Bowl:[/b] Standard Elmas bowl
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty.
[b]Hose:[/b] Elmas hose
[b]Coals:[/b] Razan
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Al-Fakher Red. Cut similar to Mizo, but finer and wetter. In other words, longish pieces, packed tightly in the package, but thin, and wet - though nothing like the caramel. Very few stems.
[b]Smell:[/b] Sort of disappointingly like Mizo Grape or Tangiers White Grape, neither of which I'm that fond of.
[b]Taste:[/b] Not like the smell. Hard to describe. It's subtle, and takes a while and some heat to get going, but there is a light taste of sweet, balanced grapey-ness. I wish it was more upfront, but what there is isn't icky the way most grape flavors are to me these days.
[b]Smoke: "[/b]Excellent clouds. It's hard to burn this stuff, and to get big clouds, it doesn't take a whole lot of coal." - Chreees. I used 2 Razans, which was just on the edge of enough - I had to use the windcover a lot. I think for more flavor, 3 coals, or thinner foil might do the trick.
[b]Buzz:[/b] None.
[b]Duration:[/b] ~2 hours.

[b]Overall:[/b] 8/10 - the flavor was great, it just was so light that I have to dock a point or two. It seems a lot of Rosanna flavors are pretty subtle, this is no exception.

[Hassouni]

[size=5][b]Rosanna Karamel [/b][/size]
(Turkish spelling)

[b]Hookah:[/b] Elmas 639
[b]Bowl:[/b] Standard Elmas bowl
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty.
[b]Hose:[/b] Elmas hose
[b]Coals:[/b] Razan
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Similar to Mizo, but finer and much wetter. In other words, longish pieces, but thin, and very wet. Very few stems. Seriously this shit is wet though, it leaked karamel juice all over the place after the box was opened.
[b]Smell:[/b] Like caramel sauce for desserts, or like toffee. Buttery tones as well. VERY sweet.
[b]Taste:[/b] Exactly like the smell, maybe with a bit less butter, but maybe not. VERY intense sweet caramel taste - the most intense of the Rosannas I've tried.
[b]Smoke: "[/b]Excellent clouds. It's hard to burn this stuff, and to get big clouds, it doesn't take a whole lot of coal." - Chreees. I used 2 Razans, which was just on the edge of enough - I had to use the windcover a lot.
[b]Buzz:[/b] None.
[b]Duration:[/b] ~3 hours

[b]Overall:[/b] 10/10. It delivers what it promises. Messy as shit tho, it's like the entire tobacco was dunked in syrup and quickly shoved into plastic packaging. Also a tip, if having a drink along with the smoke, a sweet drink is a bad idea since it'll overpower you.

[Hassouni]

[size=5][b]Rosanna Pomegranate[/b][/size]

[b]Hookah:[/b] Screw-together possible Nawras (according to Kasbah anyway)
[b]Bowl:[/b] Standard Elmas bowl
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty.
[b]Hose:[/b] Elmas hose
[b]Coals:[/b] Deezer
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Red. Cut similar to Mizo, but finer and wetter. In other words, longish pieces, but thin, and wet. Very few stems. Not as sticky as Nakhla
[b]Smell:[/b] Mostly like rose...
[b]Taste:[/b] Similar to the smell. Like rose but with a hint of sweetness and tartness. So not quite a rose flavor, and not really a pomegranate flavor either. Whatever it is is nice, but I don't get pomegranate at all. Decent flavor intensity, but not in-your-face.
[b]Smoke: "[/b]Excellent clouds. It's hard to burn this stuff, and to get big clouds, it doesn't take a whole lot of coal." - Chreees. 1 Deezer disk split and put on opposite sides of the bowl with the windcover was good, but the coals run out fast.
[b]Buzz:[/b] None.
[b]Duration:[/b] Only went a little over an hour, but the flavor showed no sign of stopping. It was just getting late.

[b]Overall:[/b] 7.5/10. Not pomegranate, but good. For all those that don't like most rose flavors, it wasn't straight rose, as I'm not a fan of that, and I liked this. It has a certain floral exoticness to it that's enjoyable. Nothing unpleasant about it at all, but it's not pomegranate, so -2.5 points.

[Hassouni]

[size=5][b]Rosanna Vişne [/b][/size]
(Sour cherry)

[b]Hookah:[/b] Elmas 639
[b]Bowl:[/b] Standard Elmas bowl
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty.
[b]Hose:[/b] Elmas hose
[b]Coals:[/b] Razan
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Red. Cut similar to Mizo, but finer and much wetter. In other words, longish pieces, but thin, and wet. Very few stems.
[b]Smell:[/b] Unlike the vişne flavor I know and love. Cherry-ish but rather sweet. Not an intense smell
[b]Taste:[/b] Similar to the smell. Some sort of vague cherry taste, but without any of the tartness of real sour cherry. Mahir from Nazar Hookah thinks it tastes faintly of Maraschino cherries, but I'm not sure about that. Overall very subtle taste.
[b]Smoke: "[/b]Excellent clouds. It's hard to burn this stuff, and to get big clouds, it doesn't take a whole lot of coal." - Chreees. I used 2 Razans and had to use the windcover a lot. I think more heat might get more flavor out, or maybe a tighter pack.
[b]Buzz:[/b] None.
[b]Duration:[/b] ~2 hours.

[b]Overall:[/b] 6/10. It's not bad, but nothing special, and sadly not very sour cherry-like. Also, the flavor REALLY needs some boosting.

[Chreees]

[size=5][b]Rosanna [color=#008000]Watermelon[/color][/b][/size]

[b]Hookah:[/b] Al Nawras Brass Syrian on Syrian Trumpet Vase.
[b]Bowl:[/b] Tangiers Mini Phunnel.
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty.
[b]Hose:[/b] Red Razan Abu Mahir.
[b]Coals:[/b] Two Cocomazayas.
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Appears to be just like Nakhla Mizo's cut. Pretty much exactly the same.
[b]Smell:[/b] Really nice watermelon smell. Quite pleasant.
[b]Taste:[/b] Just like Rosanna Strawberry, the taste is too light. I wish it were more intense.
[b]Smoke: [/b]Excellent clouds. It's hard to burn this stuff, and to get big clouds, it doesn't take a whole lot of coal.
[b]Buzz:[/b] None.
[b]Duration:[/b] ~2 hours.

[b]Overall:[/b] B-. Okay, I'm giving it the same rating that I gave Rosanna Strawberry, only because it mirrors it in the way of the flavor being too light and dropping off too soon. Hassouni got different results when I sold him the Strawberry, and I'm wondering why. My only guess is he's using a Turkish standard bowl, whereas I used a Tangiers Mini Phunnel. Perhaps I should have tried it in my Turkish bowl. So I guess keep that in mind. It's also probably safe to just follow how Hassouni did it compared to me (Listen to his reviews over mine, as he's more experienced with this brand). But yeah, since I can only speak for myself, it gets a B- from me.

EDIT: I do wonder, though, why Bawhee's experience with Rosanna Strawberry was similar to mine in regards to the weak flavor. Perhaps we were both doing it wrong?

[Hassouni]

[color=#282828][size=4][size=5][b]Rosanna Watermelon[/b][/size]

[b]Hookah:[/b] Elmas 639
[b]Bowl:[/b] Standard Elmas bowl
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty.
[b]Hose:[/b] Elmas hose
[b]Coals:[/b] Razan
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Red. Cut similar to Mizo, but finer and wetter. In other words, longish pieces, but thin, and wet. Very few stems. Sticky!
[b]Smell:[/b] Sort of vaguely watermelon-like. Not overpowering.
[b]Taste: [/b]Very nice, though not particularly like watermelon. It had a sort of indeterminate sweet fruit flavor, which was quite enjoyable - very smooth, soft, and pleasantly sweet without being sickly. A light flavor, but without any tobacco notes, so it's a sort of nice subtlety. Not sure what exactly it tastes like, but I liked it!
[b]Smoke: [/b]Reasonably big, puffy, dense clouds - sort of on par with Al Fakher. When the coals die down and the smoke diminishes, the flavor still carries through.
[b]Buzz:[/b] None.
[b]Duration:[/b] Not sure how long it'd last since I only did 1 round of coals, but at the end it was nowhere near finished. Most Rosanna can go for 2-3 hours without much deterioration.
[b]Overall:[/b] 8/10. A great smoke, even if not really watermelon (2 points off for that). Otherwise, I'll happily enjoy the rest of it.[/size][/color]

[Hassouni]

[color=#282828][size=4]
[color=#282828][size=4][size=5][b]Rosanna Bahraini Apple (Bahreyn Elması)[/b][/size]

[b]Hookah:[/b] Lebanese apple-only pipe
[b]Bowl:[/b] wide Lebanese unglazed male bowl (apple-only bowl)
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty.
[b]Hose: [/b]Apple-only Lebanese leather hose
[b]Coals:[/b] Razan
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Red. Cut similar to Mizo, but finer and much wetter. In other words, longish pieces, but thin, and absolutely soaking in syrup. No stems.
[b]Smell:[/b] Powerful very sweet red apple.
[b]Taste: [/b]Unlike any apple mu'assal I've had. Almost no anise -possibly none at all, sweetness for days, and a nice apple flavor, like the sweetest red apple you've ever had. Very smooth and pleasant
[b]Smoke: [/b]Reasonably big, puffy, dense clouds - sort of on par with Al Fakher. When the coals die down and the smoke diminishes, the flavor still carries through.
[b]Buzz:[/b] None.
[b]Duration:[/b] Not sure how long it'd last since I only did 1 round of coals, but at the end it was nowhere near finished. Most Rosanna can go for 2-3 hours without much deterioration.
[b]Overall:[/b] 10/10. It doesn't have the nuances and changing flavor that Nakhla DA has when you play with the heat, but this is a solid damn product and the best I've had along with Nakhla from the can.[/size][/color][/size][/color]