Mola-Mix

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[magick777]

[b][size=4]Mola-Mix [color=#008000]Mint[/color][/size][/b]

Price: £3.50
Purchased from: hookahshop.co.uk

[b]What?[/b] A flavoured mixture of molasses, glycerine, water, flavourings and glucose, in 100ml dropper bottles.
[b]Why?[/b] To moisten shisha tobacco and enhance or change the flavour.
[b]When?[/b] Drip it onto your packed bowl or soak your shisha in it, your call.
[b]Where?[/b] Produced by Aladin in Germany, sold in Germany and the UK.

A tobacco additive is a difficult thing to review, as the end result will depend substantially on the tobacco with which it is used, the quantity of it that is used, and the hopes with which it is used. Mola-Mix is produced predominantly for the German market, where shisha cannot contain more than 5% glycerine, and it's intended to add flavour and moisture to the tobacco.

For my first test, I've got some rather substandard Nakhla Mint that's been sitting around for a while precisely because it was too dry and lacking in flavour. This is usually one of my favourite flavours and I was disappointed with this batch, so if the Mola-Mix turns it into an enjoyable smoke, it will get a fair hearing in these parts. I half-filled a Crown Micro Phunnel, added ten drops of Mola-Mix, filled the bowl to the brim and added another ten drops, so that's perhaps 1-2ml of additive on 10-20g of tobacco. The product itself is, as might be expected, a viscous liquid, more viscous than pure glycerine but thinner than the typical honey or syrup, not difficult to apply one drop at a time if desired.

The bowl was given three Cocochas around the edges and five minutes to warm up; initial results were impressive with a cloud of white smoke that looked like Tangiers, though I was aware of it starting to smoke at a much lower temperature than would be usual for Nakhla and the smoke initially was lacking something in the way of body. After about five minutes more, with most of the juice dripping down the bowl, the smoke had taken on an agreeable balance of flavour, body, and colour and was a distinct improvement on the Nakhla alone. My only reservation was that it seemed to dilute or delay the buzz, which took longer in coming than I would expect; this may just be because I started smoking sooner. The flavour is highly compatible with Nakhla Mint; not the strongest I've had but clearly more peppermint than spearmint, likely to blend well with other flavours.

On balance, it doesn't turn Nakhla into Tangiers - but it comes bloody close, and it's good enough that I've treated the rest of the jar of Nakhla with a quarter of the bottle. It strikes me as an improvement on just glycerine or agave, as it adds flavour as well as smoke quality. Conclusion: for conditioning tobacco that's old, or dry, or you just didn't like it much, this is a no-brainer. It loses points for price (£3.50 is a lot for 100ml of sugar and water, even if it's cheap as compared with shelving £10 worth of shisha) and for the lack of instructions or guidance on how much to use, but on a sample of one it's a worthwhile product that I will buy again. [b]8/10[/b]