Naraagiil - Lebanese and Turkish Awesomeness

[Hassouni]

[quote name='antouwan' timestamp='1289494231' post='487965']
[quote name='Hassouni' timestamp='1289476555' post='487956']
Build quality looks a bit better, I still prefer my Leb araageel to be tall though. Also, def is the small port design, while I prefer the larger ones (there are Leb pipes with the larger ones, but I'll be damned if they're online)....

But you already bought it right?
[/quote]

it looks pretty decent. and i figured it's the smaller port design, but yeah - good luck finding the larger ones online. and 27" is tall enough for me. i'm not a fan of the massive pipes that are like 40" tall. in fact some 32" pipes can feel overwhelmingly bulky at times so for me, under 30" is preferable, and this hits that on the mark.

yep, i already ordered it. i hope it's a good one - i don't want to have to pay return shipping to canada...
[/quote]

A small port is less relevant than the inner diameter and type of hose you use. The DirtCheapHookahs one has a very narrow ID, the new one from Sour is wider. If yours is like the latter, it'll hit just fine. Personally I like the leb designs at 32" or taller because it complements the sleekness, and that's what cafes tend to use.

Do keep us updated when it arrives! I would suggest using the Syrian Beater with it, unless you find a bigger hose fits (Let me know, because I'd like something a bit wider than what I've got). I'm also really curious about your other Leb pipe.

[antouwan]

i'll get some pics up here a little later in the day.

[Hassouni]

With the Elmas in my possession and all my pipes reunited back home in the States, here are some gratuitous group photos:

[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs035.snc6/166520_599273913481_37003198_34699368_691849_n.jpg[/img]


[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1366.snc4/163834_599273948411_37003198_34699375_7594474_n.jpg[/img]


Left to Right:
[list][*]Lebanese cafe style pipe, picked up in Sour (Tyre), Lebanon, October 2010. Original hose[*]Lebanese (maybe Syrian?) screw-together cloisonné stem nargile, purchased in Beirut, January 2005. My very first and my only for over 5 years. Narbish v4. Came with an old style (actually not bad) Mya, then I traded up for a Razan which fell apart, before getting the Narbish. Also came with a Mya hard case.[*]Elmas 628 İşlemeli Normal all brass solid nargile, ordered direct from Turkey, received December 2010. Original hose (extra on the floor)[*]Lebanese pipe, ordered from dirtcheaphookahs.com, May 2010. My second (and not very satisfactory) nargile. Came with a SUPER crappy new Mya hose - pictured is an embroidered Temsaah hose from HC[/list]
Not pictured: Lots of unglazed male bowls, a few Turkish, a lot of small and deep Lebanese, 3 or so wide shallow Lebanese, 1 tanbak bowl. Also a a Mya male bowl, a Tangiers small funnel (from a while ago when they were actually small), and a handmade olivewood male to female bowl adapter. Also at least two Mya hoses, the Mya case, and my various mu'assal and coals


Close up of the first two:

[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs785.ash1/167533_599273918471_37003198_34699369_6773935_n.jpg[/img]


and the cheapo one:
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs011.snc6/166183_599273928451_37003198_34699371_5515142_n.jpg[/img]


Stem detail of my first:
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs765.ash1/165692_599273933441_37003198_34699372_4079634_n.jpg[/img]


Of the Elmas:
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs025.snc6/165521_599273938431_37003198_34699373_6980308_n.jpg[/img]


And of the better Leb cafe:
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs300.ash2/58034_599273943421_37003198_34699374_7445842_n.jpg[/img]


No doubt the Elmas is by far the best made of all of them. The furthest to the left is the lightest in terms of the stem and gauge of the metal - the dirt cheap one looks similar but the stem is slightly more robust. HOWEVER, the furthest to left has bigger ports, bigger holes, and a wider bore and longer downstem, which means its smokes much better. It also looks a hell of a lot nicer. Also the cheap one has a CRAPPY tray which already has rust spots, came with crappy bowls, and the most restrictive Mya hose I've ever used.

My first one, the screw-together, has a common chamber, but it's very solid, put together very well, and smokes great - definitely equals KM style clouds when used with the funnel and Narbish. The cheapo one is definitely going to be cast aside for the rare occasions I smoke zaghloul, tanbak, etc, i.e. hardly ever, and where pull and clouds don't matter.

I think all that's left to get eventually is one of the more robust Lebanese cafe styles (like the ones with bigger hose ports and purges), and an Elmas model 639.

Who needs KMs? [img]http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/_sheesha2__by_Majunka_aurore.gif[/img]

[SmokingShaolin]

I admire your collection, Hass

[mustang67n]

friggin sexy

[Cp44]

damn chris! So you back in VA now? When are you going to invite me over? haha

[Epoch]

Your collection is fairly exotic here on HF. Niiice pipes, I'm filled with envy.

[Hassouni]

[quote name='SmokingShaolin' timestamp='1293433051' post='492477']
I admire your collection, Hass
[/quote]


[quote name='mustang67n' timestamp='1293433413' post='492478']
friggin sexy
[/quote]


[quote name='Epoch' timestamp='1293472605' post='492524']
Your collection is fairly exotic here on HF. Niiice pipes, I'm filled with envy.
[/quote]

Thanks very much! Exotic is sort of what I aim for in most aspects of life.

[quote name='Cp44' timestamp='1293456957' post='492506']
damn chris! So you back in VA now? When are you going to invite me over? haha
[/quote]

Yeah Aaron, I'm back. I dunno when you're invited, I'm at my parents' house for the time being....

[mustafabey]

Nice collection! Some nice carpets too!!

[king_lunchb0x]

definitely not your avg collection!! nicely done good sir!

[Chreees]

VERY nice collection, Hass!

[Hassouni]

So, one or two of you know I was in Beirut for a terrible family emergency. It wasn't a holiday and wasn't meant to be a fun trip, but fortunately I have friends there who provided much needed distraction when I needed it. This mostly consisted of eating delicious LebaNoms (see what I did there?), drinking lots of Arak and Almaza (the local beer, produced by Heineken), and smoking argileh at least once a day.

Some of you may remember from my last Lebanon trip report that there does indeed exist a style of Lebanese argileh with a large hose port, and almost KM-esque purge. Last time I failed to find one in a shop. This time, I saw one at a cafe (where I had seen them before), asked the attendant where I could get one, and he referred me to the shop "Yahya" on Bechara el-Khoury street near downtown, where he said he got all the pipes for the cafe. So I went to the shop a few days later, explained what I was looking for, no dice. Went back to the cafe, found the same guy, explained the deal, I asked if I could buy a used one....he was hesitant, he said he didn't have any new hoses he could give me - I said hey! no prob! I bought new hoses and bowls and trays from Yahya! and showed him the bag, so he laughed and said so you have everything else huh? I said yup, just need the stem (which honestly I have no idea the word for in Arabic, I don't remember what i called it!) and the glass. And he said hmmmm, well...I can't give it to you for $20 or anything like that...I said no problem, he asked what I'd pay, I said, hmmm 40,000 LL ($27), he said ok deal! and that was that. He spent a long time washing and cleaning it, and it was mine!


Here it is:
[img]http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/179880_605318624831_37003198_34837098_1225858_n.jpg[/img]


Note the almost Egyptian style hose port and purge. Note, this is a THICK hose, it wouldn't even fit in the tiny hose port of some of the other ones in the Yahya shop, but it easily fits in this.
[img]http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/180581_605318629821_37003198_34837099_1917160_n.jpg[/img]


For what it's worth, a day or so later I was with my friends driving around and found a nargile shop, so I stopped for curiosity's sake, and the guy had very similar (though not identical) pipes with big hose ports for 30,000LL ($20) for a complete set. Oh well!! At least I can say mine has sentimental value because it has been used in one of the bustling downtown cafes, which are some of my favorite places to chill in Beirut.

FYI here is the shop, as described on the business card of the guy: Argilet Al-Malik, Sarba - Jounieh Highway, right outside Jounieh (a city just north of Beirut on the coast). If anyone wants his name or email or phone no, PM me. One of the best shops I've seen in Lebanon, even if it's outside Beirut. My only complaint is their lack of the cool pointy tongs that I like so much.

For the record, I got two of those big hoses- which were by far the thickest and with the largest bore in the shop, 1 small tray, and 3 clay bowls all for about $12 from Yahya before heading back to the cafe to buy the argileh.


As for more observations on smoking in (mostly) Beirut, here we go:

As I mentioned in October, argileh is EVERYWHERE. Pretty much every Lebanese restaurant and cafe worth their salt will have them. However, most places have a very limited selection of flavors. In order of prevalence, they are as follows:

1. Two Apples/Grape (everywhere has at least these two)
2. Grape w Mint (like the AF pre-mixed one)
3. Lemon or Lemon w Mint (equally prevalent)
4. Rose

Everywhere will also have 'Ajami as well. The Listed mu'assal flavors run from about 10,000LL to 15,000LL ($6.67-$10), with 13-15 being the norm at nicer places, and under 10 possible at downmarket places. Ajami is always one or two LL (Leb. Lira) more.
----------------
The above are the most common that almost any place will have, though many places do not offer more than this.

Next up, melon is also common, and then you start needing to go to places that have more of a focus on argileh vs food (such as Falamanki, see my review in the appropriate section) for stuff like strawberry, fruit cocktail, blackberry, etc.


I saw more little labels on pipes, indicating that a given pipe was meant for one flavor only. When you only have 3 or 4 flavors and dozens if not hundreds of pipes, I guess this is pretty easy. As it happens, I only smoke a small handful of flavors anyway, so I may be assigning this to just one or two.

As for 'ajami, I finally tried it:
[img]http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/168324_605317966151_37003198_34837050_1413111_n.jpg[/img]

I was not impressed. It's more expensive than regular mu'assal, and is really unsatisfying, except on a nicotine rush level. Salloum smokes better and tastes nicer. I think I'd prefer a cigar to be honest. Maybe I need to try it again, but at 17000 LL or so, I felt like I had wasted my money.

As for the hitting/pull/etc- the best draw and clouds I had on this trip were at a place that as far as I could remember used standard small hose port pipes with regular Lebanese leather pipes. The pull was in between Elmas and KM restriction. I'm now a firm believer that it's more about packing and coals than anything else. Other stuff helps, but that's the biggest difference. The better places seem to pack straight to the top, maybe slightly over, and poke only a modest amount of holes in. This last trip was unusual, in that roughly half the places were using bulk wood coal, and the other half using coconut or finger coals. Previously I'd rarely seen anything besides bulk. Still no instant lights anywhere, thank God. I will now say that when managed by a nargile attendant who comes by every 10 minutes, CCN types work just as well as bulk, my previous favorite.

By the way, a lot of shops and some of the cafes have a style of argileh where there is no outer pipe, like from the tray to the heart is just the inner pipe, so it's very very thin....I do NOT like the look of this, and I hope it doesn't take over from the prevailing slender yet still well-proportioned type. I don't think it will, but boy do they take up a lot of space in the shops.

OK, that's about it. I'll review the places I went to later.

[thehelios]

Beautiful stem! And WTH is that bowl in the last picture?? A shwarma?!

[Cp44]

I love that hookah Chris, hopefully i will be making a trip to Lebanon soon.

[Hassouni]

Thanks Helios! The stem is VERY close to this one:
[img]http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/73286_592564314571_37003198_34554486_3134232_n.jpg[/img]


As you can see, that has a bit more design at the top and bottom of the stem. Again, that's a type I have yet to see in a shop, but only at cafes/restaurants. Not sure if I should look for one of those next time I go over there....6 aragiil is a lot, though really having a Leb one with a huge hose port is awesome....why not 2?


As for what's on that bowl, that's what the Lebanese call 'Ajami (meaning "Persian") and the Turks call tömbeki. If you've seen the Isfahan tobacco on the HC website, that's what it is. Plain cured unflavored pure tobacco, soaked, and frankly not so nice to smoke. Hardcore stuff.

You know by the way, I was there for 9 days and didn't get a shawarma. Not sure how that happened....

Aaron, let me know when you go, there's a probably chance I'll be living there soon, or at the very least can give you a total insider's guide.

[Hassouni]

Oh man. Just fired it up on my deck for the first time on this unseasonably warm day (69º in February!). This thing is a champ, great pull, and it purges as well as any KM - full smoke to empty in 4 seconds. This may stand alongside my Elmas as my new favorite!

[Hassouni]

Props to whoever gets the thread title reference.

Bowls:

[img]http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/180874_605565350391_37003198_34841830_1177017_n.jpg[/img]


[img]http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/181751_605565365361_37003198_34841832_3431949_n.jpg[/img]


first: olivewood Male-to-female bowl adapter
next, L to R: Standard Lebanese bowls of various sizes. The ones in the middle are "normal" the one on the left is really small, and the one far right is a bit bigger and wider and I was sure I bought two of these a few days ago but sadly only bought one.
Next row: 2 Elmas bowls, 1 generic Turkish bow, two wide shallow Lebanese bowls (like the "Italian" ones HJ has, but male). I should have two more of those wide shallow ones but I have no idea where they are. There many be one or two other "standard" Leb bowls missing too.
Final row: Mya male bowl, old Tangiers small, KM bowl, and first run Alien (never used...)

Hoses:
[img]http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/181571_605565385321_37003198_34841833_1466703_n.jpg[/img]


[img]http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/180464_605565395301_37003198_34841835_4793550_n.jpg[/img]


[img]http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/183759_605565425241_37003198_34841836_359260_n.jpg[/img]
L to R or bottom to top depending on the pic: 2 Elmas hoses plus extra mouthpiece, 2004 era Mya, 2010 Mya, 2 chunky long handled Leb hoses (blue and red), one less chunky Leb hose (red). "Shahbandar" Syrian hose, V4 Narbish, Temsaah

[Cp44]

great collection Chris!

[joytron]

I just love the Elmas hoses, they really dwarf everything else.

[Chreees]

Nice! I think I like the Elmas hoses best as well.

[Hassouni]

Yeah my vote is split between the Elmas and my brand new chunky Leb hoses

[Epoch]

Temsaah and Elmas hoses are looking AWESOME.

[NUBBS]

Is the title like Boats and Hoes??!?

[The Jester]

more like
bros before hoes



EDIT: actually, I believe its from a TV series called Fools and Horses
maybe even from Married with children
but i like my first idea better Edited February 19, 2011 by The Jester

[Hassouni]

Nope, keep guessing! I'll give you a hint: it's a big song in the Detroit "ghettotech" genre