Bad Experience With Al-Fakher

[YanGsTer]

Watsup guys, Yang from Malaysia here! I must admit, this forum is awesome!

Btw I've only started smoking Shisha two weeks back and I got my very own Hookah two days ago On the downside, my smoking experience for the last two days haven't been good. I'm hoping some of you can guide me on where did i go wrong.

I'm using an Al-Fakher Hookah( that's what the seller told me, but i think it's just an imitation), an Egyptian bowl, unknown hose and coconut shell charcoal. Pictures are attached. I'm also using Al-Fakher as my shisha. Oh yea, can anyone tell me if this hose is washable please? Thank you.

If I may, let me go through my experience.

On the first day, I tried packing my AF Melon loosely. The tobaccos were not touching the foil. I filled the vase just enough water to cover the bottom of the stem by 2 inches. Next, I broke that long charcoal into a piece with 1 and a half inch thickness. After that, I broke that 1 and a half inch thick coal into 3 pieces and then placed them on top of a layer of non heavy duty foil. Let it sit for 3~5 mins and when I tried smoking it, It was tasteless. Oddly, I could only taste the melon at the back of my tongue when i'm not smoking from the hookah. Lucky for me the smoke was quite thick, so not bad for the first time doing it.

On the second day, I packed my Egyptian bowl the way Incubusratm showed in youtube(fill the shisha in the bowl, tap in down lightly to ensure there's no space between the shisha and the foil-nice and flush). Gone through the same procedure but this time I broke the 1 and a half inch thick coal into 2 pieces. I placed the 2 coals on the edge of the bowl. To my dismay, the flavor wasn't there as well when I tried to smoke. To make matters worst, there wasn't much smoke compared to yesterday. In fact, the smoke got a little harsh after a few minutes so that's when I decided to break the coals into half and then placed 3 coals on top of the foil. To no avail, the taste and smoke was still the same. That's when I decided to quit because I can only taste burnt smoke in my mouth.

I would greatly appreciate if y'all could help me out here and give me a few pointers. An important point I forgot to add earlier, the AF i bought wasn't in a box, it was loose. The smell was there, but could it be that it has expire or dried up too much? Edited August 27, 2011 by YanGsTer

[YanGsTer]

One more picture of the coal I used. Charcoal Briquette is the brand name. Edited August 27, 2011 by YanGsTer

[Chreees]

Your hookah is a Syrian one, I think it's perhaps an Al Fakher hookah made by the Syrian Al Nawras company.

Hose is not washable.

If you're following my video, then I'm not too sure what it could be. The tobacco may just not be good. Mind taking pics of your whole process?

[YanGsTer]

Uh, alright that's something I din't know. Thanks for telling.

Alright i'll post more pictures tomorrow when i'm having my hookah session. It's like 6:49am right now.

[Satou]

Instead of just packing it like that, another method to making a bowl is mixing it in your hand - you can do this with two flavors, fluffing it and having it slightly under the rim works wonders as well. Another tip that works well for me is to double up on thin foil, this keeps the coals from burning the shisha too fast which makes it harsher. Also reason it may have come out harsh is the amount of coals you have utilized, often times two coals at a time are too much and burn the shisha quickly..

[spectrum055]

I agree with Satou you have to put love into your bowl making. Every time I didn't take the time and love into making my bowls and preparing my coals I always had a bad smoke. I've never ran into a smoke that was tasteless...for me it has either been flavorful or harsh and well to hot.. But thinking back from the bowls I first used to pack to the ones I packed before I moved I went from horrible to great (in my sessions) with practice. So it's true what they say about practice makes perfect. We all don't admit it or we do but we all started somewhere and had to learn somehow. I don't know how much Shisha I've wasted probably around $50 or more in poor bowl making and dropping and what not if not more shisha lost..

[Bawhee]

you gotta experiment, it seems to me that there is no real formula for packing AF (or any other tobacco) cos some flavors tend to be different from others - say lemon for example needs more heat than lemon mint in my xp.... So you should give different techniques a shot and dont worry about a few wasted bowls, sometimes it just doesnt work

[Bawhee]

So, I was just preparing tobacco for my next bowl and I felt like lemon mint. I just had the really wet stuff left and thought of your thread! How wet is the tobacco youre putting in? Cos I know AF is really molassy all over and quite frankly a bowl with extremely wet tobacco has proved to suck 99% of the time! So my suggestion to you, if your tobacco is too molassy, make yourself a sieve of some kind (with fairly large holes in it and drain the molasses from the tobacco, let it drain for an hour or so, then put it on a plate or a strip of foil or something and mix it up (mix the tobacco up, not the molasses) cos some of it is still gonna be wetter - specially the stuff that was toward the bottom of the sieve. That is usually not a problem tho, once you mix it up it should be about good enough to smoke.
BTW when I say sieve I mean make anything that can hold a portion of tobacco and has some kind of draining capability, my entire thing is made of foil that I made holes into with a knife... be creative :)0

I hope that helped at all If anything remains unclear lemme know!

[YanGsTer]

[quote name='Satou' timestamp='1314497546' post='521639']
Instead of just packing it like that, another method to making a bowl is mixing it in your hand - you can do this with two flavors, fluffing it and having it slightly under the rim works wonders as well. Another tip that works well for me is to double up on thin foil, this keeps the coals from burning the shisha too fast which makes it harsher. Also reason it may have come out harsh is the amount of coals you have utilized, often times two coals at a time are too much and burn the shisha quickly..
[/quote]

I tried packing the shisha under the rim, it doesn't seem to taste at all. Good advice on doubling the thin foil. So how many coals would you normally use?


[quote name='spectrum055' timestamp='1314498001' post='521641']
I agree with Satou you have to put love into your bowl making. Every time I didn't take the time and love into making my bowls and preparing my coals I always had a bad smoke. I've never ran into a smoke that was tasteless...for me it has either been flavorful or harsh and well to hot.. But thinking back from the bowls I first used to pack to the ones I packed before I moved I went from horrible to great (in my sessions) with practice. So it's true what they say about practice makes perfect. We all don't admit it or we do but we all started somewhere and had to learn somehow. I don't know how much Shisha I've wasted probably around $50 or more in poor bowl making and dropping and what not if not more shisha lost..
[/quote]

That's so true! I was rushing to pack the shisha the last two days and kinda neglected them by not giving enough loveee. Alright i'll practice more, but i'm just really frustrated in getting no flavor at all. Btw do you think that the water filled in my vase was too cold? Or maybe the surrounding temperature was too cold and wet that time and I should have like acclimate the shisha first?


[quote name='Bawhee' timestamp='1314544292' post='521681']
So, I was just preparing tobacco for my next bowl and I felt like lemon mint. I just had the really wet stuff left and thought of your thread! How wet is the tobacco youre putting in? Cos I know AF is really molassy all over and quite frankly a bowl with extremely wet tobacco has proved to suck 99% of the time! So my suggestion to you, if your tobacco is too molassy, make yourself a sieve of some kind (with fairly large holes in it and drain the molasses from the tobacco, let it drain for an hour or so, then put it on a plate or a strip of foil or something and mix it up (mix the tobacco up, not the molasses) cos some of it is still gonna be wetter - specially the stuff that was toward the bottom of the sieve. That is usually not a problem tho, once you mix it up it should be about good enough to smoke.
BTW when I say sieve I mean make anything that can hold a portion of tobacco and has some kind of draining capability, my entire thing is made of foil that I made holes into with a knife... be creative :)0

I hope that helped at all If anything remains unclear lemme know!
[/quote]


Yea yea yea! It's very molassy and wet, I thought this was a good sign since more water vapor can be form from the molasses. Guess I was wrong.

Great tip! I'm definitely trying out the sieve thingy, I hope it'll work.

Thank you, i'll definitely ask for your help later when needed. I hope you had great hookah session with that bowl of lemon mint! I won't be starting my session any time soon cause it's raining, too bad. Edited August 28, 2011 by YanGsTer

[Coyote]

[quote name='YanGsTer' timestamp='1314484521' post='521621']
I'm using an Al-Fakher Hookah( that's what the seller told me, but i think it's just an imitation), an Egyptian bowl, unknown hose and coconut shell charcoal. Pictures are
[/quote]

Have you compared your AF label to known legit AF labels? Does the tobacco have a strong scent?

[vendetta_revived]

Do you have any other AF apart from melon? Their melon is quite subtle. Some may discard it as a weak flavour but I enjoy it when I am feeling like a subtle smoke. The flavour is not really strong enough to interest anyone new at smoking hookah. So try another flavour.

If you want to try another AF, then I suggest you try their mint, double apple (No apple, just Anise), bubblegum, Guava (with a capital "G"), peach, kiwi, strawberry.

[YanGsTer]

[quote name='Coyote' timestamp='1314588038' post='521723']
[quote name='YanGsTer' timestamp='1314484521' post='521621']
I'm using an Al-Fakher Hookah( that's what the seller told me, but i think it's just an imitation), an Egyptian bowl, unknown hose and coconut shell charcoal. Pictures are
[/quote]

Have you compared your AF label to known legit AF labels? Does the tobacco have a strong scent?
[/quote]


I bought the shisha loose, they were given in a plastic bag. So there's no packaging for me to compare anything. Yes the tobacco has a very strong scent, but i swear i can only taste smoke when i inhale. Is it possible that the tobacco has expire even with the strong smell?


[quote name='vendetta_revived' timestamp='1314594700' post='521734']
Do you have any other AF apart from melon? Their melon is quite subtle. Some may discard it as a weak flavour but I enjoy it when I am feeling like a subtle smoke. The flavour is not really strong enough to interest anyone new at smoking hookah. So try another flavour.

If you want to try another AF, then I suggest you try their mint, double apple (No apple, just Anise), bubblegum, Guava (with a capital "G"), peach, kiwi, strawberry.
[/quote]

Yep I do have have other flavors, like bubblegum, double apple and mint. I've tried bubblegum and it's not up to par with the ones i had outside. Whoaa, Guava aye? I'll definitely go get that in the store. Well, i'll give the double apple a try tonight, i'll tell you how it goes later. Btw how many coals would u normally use?

[vendetta_revived]

[quote name='YanGsTer' timestamp='1314600087' post='521742']
[quote name='Coyote' timestamp='1314588038' post='521723']
[quote name='YanGsTer' timestamp='1314484521' post='521621']
I'm using an Al-Fakher Hookah( that's what the seller told me, but i think it's just an imitation), an Egyptian bowl, unknown hose and coconut shell charcoal. Pictures are
[/quote]

Have you compared your AF label to known legit AF labels? Does the tobacco have a strong scent?
[/quote]


I bought the shisha loose, they were given in a plastic bag. So there's no packaging for me to compare anything. Yes the tobacco has a very strong scent, but i swear i can only taste smoke when i inhale. Is it possible that the tobacco has expire even with the strong smell?


[quote name='vendetta_revived' timestamp='1314594700' post='521734']
Do you have any other AF apart from melon? Their melon is quite subtle. Some may discard it as a weak flavour but I enjoy it when I am feeling like a subtle smoke. The flavour is not really strong enough to interest anyone new at smoking hookah. So try another flavour.

If you want to try another AF, then I suggest you try their mint, double apple (No apple, just Anise), bubblegum, Guava (with a capital "G"), peach, kiwi, strawberry.
[/quote]

Yep I do have have other flavors, like bubblegum, double apple and mint. I've tried bubblegum and it's not up to par with the ones i had outside. Whoaa, Guava aye? I'll definitely go get that in the store. Well, i'll give the double apple a try tonight, i'll tell you how it goes later. Btw how many coals would u normally use?
[/quote]

See, I don't think the tobacco has expired, but you bought it lose, and when tobacco is not stored properly, it loses the flavour significantly, so you're basically depriving yourself of the taste of fresh tobacco by smoking that.

And I use 2 coals on the very edge of my crown micro phunnel while smoking AF, with windcover on and off as needed, but my coals are low heat. Btw, speaking of coals, I don't think I've heard about the coals you're using. They are made for hookah?

[Chreees]

I wouldn't ever buy tobacco from that person again. There's no way of telling if it's legit AF or not... Find an alternative place to buy so that way you know what you are smoking.

[YanGsTer]

[quote name='vendetta_revived' timestamp='1314600846' post='521744']

See, I don't think the tobacco has expired, but you bought it lose, and when tobacco is not stored properly, it loses the flavour significantly, so you're basically depriving yourself of the taste of fresh tobacco by smoking that.

And I use 2 coals on the very edge of my crown micro phunnel while smoking AF, with windcover on and off as needed, but my coals are low heat. Btw, speaking of coals, I don't think I've heard about the coals you're using. They are made for hookah?
[/quote]

That may be true, the shop people seems to be sloppy while working I'll try my AF mint tonight, it's still in the packaging. I hope i won't be disappointed.

I see, I tried 2 coals but the smoke was much less and it took a while to get the bowl heat up. I guess i'll just have to trial and error. Most of the hookah stalls i've been to in Malaysia are using this brand Charcoal Briquette by Starware. It's a local production. So yeah, i think it's for shisha. I think.

[YanGsTer]

[quote name='Chreees' timestamp='1314607220' post='521752']
I wouldn't ever buy tobacco from that person again. There's no way of telling if it's legit AF or not... Find an alternative place to buy so that way you know what you are smoking.
[/quote]

The problem is, that's the only shop i know that's selling shisha(not many shisha shops in Malaysia, despite it's an Islamic country ). Anyway i'll defintiely take your advice and look for another one. Oh yea, have a look at my 50g Al-Fakher here. It looks authentic to me, made in UAE Ajman. Edited August 29, 2011 by YanGsTer

[mushrat]

that's real.

[YanGsTer]

[quote name='mushrat' timestamp='1314612992' post='521760']
that's real.
[/quote]

Phew, that's enlightening to know I'll give it a try later.

[mushrat]

It looks like a box brought to me by someone from the UAE. The boxes we normally get here don't have the Arabic on the front above the flavour, but that's as legitimate as I've seen.

[Chreees]

Oh yeah, that looks legitimate. So maybe I misunderstood you about the loose stuff not in a box... what is that? If you got the loose stuff AND the boxed stuff from the same guy, just tell him from now on you only want what's boxed, as from far as Mush and I can tell, it looks real. The loose stuff may be something else he gets dirt cheap and is trying to sell you on to make more profit.

[vendetta_revived]

We get the same 50gm packets here in India, so yeah, that's legit.

[Bawhee]

and here in Slovenia, the boxed stuff is 100% the real deal, the stuff that came unmarked could be cheap shit or AF mixed with cheap shit (keeps the right smell but smokes horribly)

[littlec]

Nice hookah man, good luck with future AF sessions, it's a good tobacco. Get some AF kiwi if you can that stuff is goood.

[Cp44]

what i noticed about my AF DA is that the tobacco is dry or drier from before. My previous batch was pretty wet and the juices would drip down to the base during the smoking session.

[YanGsTer]

Thank you guys for verifying the product for me. I appreciate everyone's reply as well

I did extract some of the tobacco juice to make it less wet, but it din't improve my smoking anyhow. Well i guess i was foolish enough to buy some cheap shit from the store. Lesson learnt, always buy something that comes with a nice packaging (that includes the ladies!)