premium tobacco reviews

[King Mo]

 
Here's my review of my latest shipment of tobacco.
 
1) Qemah Apple:
I had high hopes for this baby. came in the premium fakher packaging with a flip top plastic case, and 4 mouth filters. smelled strong, nice texture, and nice and wet. The smell was almost honey-syrupy with a bit of apple.
once lit, I was unpleasantly surprised. I thought this was gonna be great but it wasn't. The flavour was very "tobacco-y" with a bit of a zaghlool feel to it. The fruity aspect of it tasted like cheap grape (not the fakher grape).  A kind of musky taste you feel in your nose.
the smoke produced was excellent, and this shisha is probably amongst the strongest I have ever smoked, due to the strong tobacco flavour of it.
comparitively, Apple Fakher still reigns supreme for me over all the other apples, but this is the strongest, and has an unusual flavour to it. I would rate it over double apple fakher, and also over golden iskandarani fakher. It is a more pleasant smoke than those. It lasts very long too.
overall I give this a 7.5 out of 10. Good quality, and very strong, but was not "appley enough" for my liking, and lacking in sweetness. Not better than Regular apple fakher ,which is the best i've tried.
 
Mango Fakher:
this stuff smells nice and fruity. It's really moist, and gives a nice mango smell.
Not much to say about this one, as it is pretty easy to describe. A good shisha, with a satisfactory amount of smoke generated. The mango falvour comes through mildly, and is not too strong, in the same style as apricot fakher.
overall, i'd give it an 8 out of ten ,as it is a very pleasant (but mild ) flavour, that is good for a change of mood.
Coconut Fakher:
this is a superb smoke. possibly the only non-fruit flaovour that i love. The smell is great, the smoke itself smells like a sweet cocunut.dessert. It mixes well with many flavours, but on it's own, delivers a quite delightful flavour.
I give this one 9.5 out of 10.
Apple Fakher:
lovely texture, great smell, sweet taste. A truely fantastic smoke that oyu can never go wrong with. Guaranteed to be a good shisha, and a must for a collection. It is a little strong, but nowhere near as strong as the qema apple, with a far superior flavour.
A comfortable 10 out of 10.
 
 

[HookahCulture]

Hey Mo is the Apple Fakher the holy grail apple you were looking for or was it not quite the same?
A score of 10 says a lot!  Must be ZERO licorice!

[King Mo]

to be honest, I am not sure. It is very similar, but i can't quite remember. Perhaps when I had it, it was really fresh, and the shisha used was really clean etc. I've tried the fakher range of apple now, all that's left is Golden bahraini. if I try that and it's not the one, then it has to be regular apple.
I give it a ten out of ten, because I cannot fault it. It has a little hint of licquorice, but in no way does that make the flavour less enjoyable. If I cannot fault it or deduct marks, it gets a ten .
 

[NERV]

o dammit, now i have to try these, if i get stuck on premium tobacco
and cant go back to nakhla when i want, i am holding you
responsible 

[HookahCulture]

The AF GS Bahraini tastes like apple raisin cinnamon pastry.
A slight hint of licorice, but that's how it tastes.

[King Mo]

judging by your comment about bahraini, the "cinnamony" tastes is something intriguing, and could be what I'm looking for.
my experience of bahraini has been pure liquorice, but the fakher double apple is pure licquorice, so maybe the Golden bahraini is sweeter. will comment when i hopefully get. Shame I can't find somewhere that does 50g packs.
I tried tobaccoimportusa, but they send to UK by fedex, and I am not paying 40 dollars for delivery of a 5 dollar tobacco lol
i'm going off golden grape because i had it too much. the tobacco also seems to "go off" after a while, not sure why, but the taste seems to be quite different from the first few smokes from the pack. Perhaps a flaw with Golden grape !! been having regular fakher grape, which is another great flavour.

[Teufelhund]

Personally, I like the Al-Qemah flavors. You're right though, they're not for everyone, they do have a much stronger tobacco flavor with the fruit in the background.

[HookahCulture]

Hey Mo --

What I do with my AF 50g packs after I open is keep it in a ziplock
sandwich bag and suck the air out, and roll up. I keep 2 ziplocks in
the handy Golden Seal box.
You can do the same with the 250g bags, just remove about 1/3 and put
it into a canning jar for daily access. This way you keep the main
stash fresh and don't expose it to air so often.
  I know what you mean about the flavor going off after a while and that prompted me to try that idea. Success!

[King Mo]

@HC,
thanks for the tip mate. So what you're saying is you remove a chunk of the pack for immediate use, and keep what's left behind in an airtight bag, and reach into whats left when the current stash is finished.
Sounds perfectly logical. Hope it works. Usually I find the fakhers maintain their flavours for a while, but the Golden grape really lost it quickly. Have you ever tried refridgerating the fakher? I've seen people do it, but I wonder if it actually works (never tried it myself)
 

[Mr. Scratch]

[quote name='NERV']o dammit, now i have to try these, if i get stuck on premium tobacco and cant go back to nakhla when i want, i am holding you responsible [/quote]
Enjoy the cheep stuff while you can, Nervo my friend.  I guess at some point we all have to graduate to the hard stuff.  I've got about 400 g of perfectly good Al Waha that I can no longer smoke due to my passionate encounter with Al Fakher.  Now when it comes time to break out the ma'assel, it never even so much as occurs to me to smoke the Al Waha.   Guess I'll give it to my kid sister this Christmas; she's young, she won't know any better.
I liken it to acquiring a taste for decent whiskey. When you fist start drinking it, you can hardly tell the good stuff from the cheap crap.  Then one day you realize the difference, and can never stand to so much as smell the lower quality stuff again.

[HookahCulture]

I don't refrigerate any of my ma'asells.
I read more people recommending room temp rather than fridge.

On another note, after trying Macallan 25 year, I'm spoiled for everything else!
Too bad I can't afford a bottle. YET.
I will only drink single barrels / malts now!
Exceptions being a few finer American brands.

Some brands and flavors of ma'asell have the same effect.
NERV I suppose you might want to return to Nakhla sometime just to confirm your
 "What the hell was I thinking?"

OR....since you're a Nakhla fan it's good to return to your standards....

--Reiner

[MR Bubble]

Now, now. Let's not be too hard on the Nakhlaphiles. Scratch, I swear I'll yell from my rooftop "MR. Scratch like Nakhla grape!" I have tried the "good stuff" quite a few times, and I will openly admit the difference in quality to anyone. Even you. I mean, the difference will smack you right between the eyes. Nakhla is one of the lowest quality massels there is, but there is something about the mind-bending effect it has. The lung expansion is great, and the niccotine dose is so satisfying. I'd say that smoking Nakhla is the manly-man way of smoking, while the sweeter, more flavorful, less buzzing, expenive higher grade massels is like a trip to uncle Barney's Kool-aid bar.
Be good everyone,
MR Bubble

[alen]

Couldnt said it better myself Mr B-as i have said to some of your guys on the forum(on the pm) i tried the most of A.F flavours -and i can`t say that all is good some flavour are really lame i think-
and nakhla(and other brands) does many of them better but ofcourse A.F is way better made (no stems-better cut and so on) but if you take the time preparing your tobacco well -there are way better stuff out there 
-and after some exchange with peden i have learned that there are better brands than A.F -so thank you peden for letting me try brands like s.a.p.p.t -kamarain -K.M.A -so to everybody who freaked out and think they found the ultimate masell i just say keep on looking there are so many brands out there to explore(cheeper too)

[Mr. Scratch]

[quote name='MR Bubble']Nakhla is one of the lowest quality massels there is, but there is something about the mind-bending effect it has. The lung expansion is great, and the niccotine dose is so satisfying. I'd say that smoking Nakhla is the manly-man way of smoking, while the sweeter, more flavorful, less buzzing, expenive higher grade massels is like a trip to uncle Barney's Kool-aid bar.[/quote]
I dunno Mr. Bubble...It is true that the high-falutin' brands might be a bit sissified, but given your appreciation of the mind-bending effects of the high-octane cheep stuff, wouldn't you say Nakhla is roughtly the equivelent of a brown-bagged bottle of MD 20/20! 

[King Mo]

reviews coming up after I try them (received today), romman peach, romman cherry, romman strawberry. (will post by sunday at the latest hopefully)
initial thoughts:
first of all, the lies. They charged 18 dollars for delivery. After an email, the Romman guy tells me he'll take 5 dollars off (after explaining that my calculations put the postage at no more than 10 dollars)
after receiving the package, the postage sticker on it was for just over 7 dollars!!!!!
I am disappointed in that.
When I looked at the tobacco, the smell of the strawberry and the peach was nice, the cherry smelled ok.
the tobacco texture looks really cheap, and the quality and packaging looks suspiciously like Waha. In fact, The strawberry and the Cherry, smell and look exactly like waha.
I feel like I got bumped on the price and the quality.
will let you guys know how it smokes, and I will provide an honest review, so far not impressed at the overcharging, and the quality.
the smoke better be good. (my expectations are low, so anything is a bonus).
 

[HeadCheese]

All I have is Nakhla and Al-Waha, since I did most of my buying before discovering these boards.
 
C'est la vie.  I like them, actually. I'm beginning to think the coffee is my favorite of the bunch (Double-Apple, Banana, Mint and Coffee), because I keep going back to it.

[Mr. Scratch]

[quote name='King Mo']When I looked at the tobacco, the smell of the strawberry and the peach was nice, the cherry smelled ok.
the tobacco texture looks really cheap, and the quality and packaging looks suspiciously like Waha. In fact, The strawberry and the Cherry, smell and look exactly like waha.
I feel like I got bumped on the price and the quality.
will let you guys know how it smokes, and I will provide an honest review, so far not impressed at the overcharging, and the quality.[/quote]
A pal of mine had similar (almost exactly the same) observations about Romman.  When he first pulled it out of the package, his immediate reaction was disappointment.  It said the cut looked like Waha, and he could barely smell it at all.  His initial reaction was to say that this stuff was overpirced Waha.
Then he smoked it.  Afterward, he said it was among the best Ma'assel he's had, and plans to buy more as soon as it comes time to reorder.
So don't let the appearance color your opinion to much just yet.  You might be surprised when it really gets down to business, Romman is worth the extra expense.

[King Mo]

first romman review- cherry:
smell was very similar to waha, and had a cheapish feel about it. Had it today.
How was it to smoke? well the flavour was among the better cherries I have had. It smoked extremely well, with a very rich white satisfying smoke. The flavour was not as sweet as I would have liked, a little musky/nasal is the way I'd describe it. A subtle flavour that typifies a good cherry. There was similarities with the waha though in type of flavour, although this one smoked better.
The bowl was a small one that I had, and it was going strong about an hour and a bit later when I stopped (i imagine would have lasted a lot more as there was no hint of burning). So it gets full marks on that count.
The tobacco wasn't very fine, but this did not detract from the fact that this was a good shisha, and although I probably wouldn't buy this particular flavour again, I rate it highly.
7.5 out of 10
is it Fakher quality? near enough, although the fakher cherry has a slightly sweeter flavour to it hence I prefer that more.
I am impressed though, and I have high standards
looking forward to trying the peach and strawberry this weekend.
 

[HookahCulture]

To be fair....as I've been thinking about it....
I meant in my above post that if you're a Nakhla fan it's good to return to what you like.
Hey you like what you like, and I'm not out to change minds, that has to come by experience.

OK I hope my karmic guilt has been released!

[MR Bubble]

Shame on you for picking on me Hookahculture!
I think I'm gonna cry.
Mr Bubble
The Nose Knows

[Gamaliel]

Heres another tip for keeping masell fresh.Get one of those vacuum food sealers,you've prolly seen the ads on tv.They actually work.I also use the sealer for storing my charcoals.I just vacuum the whole box.I'd stay away from the canisters they sell,I've tried them for storing fresh roasted coffee beans and it doesn't hold the seal that well,I think the gas from the beans screws up the seal,I imagine masell <prolly misspell>also gives off some gas.I've never had a problem with the vacuum bags tho.

[MR Bubble]

The vacuum sealers are good as I use one also, but mostly for mailing small samples to people. I guess it works fine.
MR Bubble

[King Mo]

Conclusion of the romman review.
Peach:
I had some of this legendary peach today. Similar quality to the cherry. I have peach already at home by a make called "al dana" which is a premium flavour, and I must say, it is 3 times as good as the Romman peach. (or should I say Al-waha- more on this at the end of this post). Al-dana also cost me about 16 dollars,so cheaper than Romman (which in london is a small price comparitavely speaking)
The flavour was a mild peach ,and not as sweet as Dana which I have. The smoke and longevity of it was good, similar to the cherry, and as a flavour, peach is not very common, so makes a nice change. It is not premium tobacco, and as an experienced smoker, you pick up these things pretty easily from the whole smoking experience.
Overall, it was a reasonable smoke, but this was the worst of the 3 that I had (sorry for any offence caused) and although it was pleasant, I again, would not buy this flavour.
6.5 out of 10, as the quality was similar to the cherry, but the flavour wasn't nice enough, and not like the good peach that I have at home.
 
Strawberry:
This was the killer for me. This confirmed my fears, and earlier suspicions.
first the flavour. A nice aroma, pleasant light taste with a reasonable smoke. A better flavour than the peach, and a similar level of quality as the cherry. Not bad at all, and above average. enough said. 7 out of 10. (I wish to demote the cherry to 7 out of 10, from 7.5 pardon my mistake   )
Now for my rant:
You guys are all being taken for mugs. Perhaps cos in the USA shisha is relatively a new phenomenon, people feel they can overcharge and deceive. (happens here in the UK with fakher being up to 50 dollars in places for a box, and nakhla being 12 dollars).
The strawberry romman, is near enough identical to Waha strawberryl. Same flavour, same smoke, perhaps lasts a little longer.
The cherry was incredibly close to Waha too.
Waha I believe is made in Jordan (not too relevent, but if true makes a difference), and Romman says "made in jordan". Suspiciously, Romman's packaging is completely in English ,with no arabic writing. The first Arabic product I have seen with no arabic writing. Could it be that they are simply repackaging Waha for the American public??? and charging a comical price??
Psychologically ,it is tough to treat them as the same tobacco, but I really feel that they are either from the same place, or there is very little difference in the manufacturing process, like from the same factory but a little change (in the way that Qema is different from Golden which is different from Reg fakher, but all the same company).
This brand is not even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as al fakher, let alone be claimed to be superior by this Romman character (who sodomized me on the postage rates, as well as the ridiculous price on his Waha, I mean romman tobacco)
 
they may come up with some funky flavours, and they may be nice. But quality m3assal is more than just a funky flavour. It is something manufactured to high standards, producing a unique smoke different to the others.
I'm telling you guys, I'd estimate about an 85 percent probability that it is just repackaged and repriced waha tobacco.
You may wonder why I love my Fakher so much, and that is because the quality is there for all to see. I do dislike some flavours, such as rose, orange, pineapple, banana milk, but that is down to personal taste, and also the fact that Shisha tastes good in the more traditional flavours, anything exotic is a risk (with any company).
If you guys disagree, then stick to your nakhlas, wahas, and WrommanAhA, and I'll stick to the premium flavours that deserve the 'premium category'.
before you guys attack me for insulting an 'amazing ' shisha for most of you. Remember you are being absolutely conned by a substandard product which deserves to be spat on due to the price. Thank goodness I only bought 50g packs.
 
I did give them above average ratings, but that is the same rating I could give a nakhla or a waha. My annoyance comes with the fact that it is being treated as premium, and is the most expensive tobacco for no reason whatsoever combined with the lies and deception involved.
my next order should include fumari and also al amir which are both brands i wish to try. Let's see if they deserve the premium tag. Hopin to find a nice sweet charry ,and maybe a sweet apple too.

[HookahCulture]

Hey Mo --

So far people have been saying Fumari is nothing special.
But as Alen says, explore for yourself if you wish.
I believe Fumari used to be $10.00 for 100g but has come down to $6.00.
You should try the Al Amir grape though. I would send that but I have no local source. I got mine from George at TheHookah.com.

[King Mo]

I'll get a couple of friends to join in the order and that'll help knock down the price. Amir grape sounds good, I want to try their cherry and maybe apple too. I hope theirs is premium. The fumari sounds interesting because apparantly they manufacture it and pack it there, so may again go in with friends and try to get do an order. 100g not so risky.
I am just amazed nobody noticed romman tobacco being like this. I mean, their flavour range happens to be practically identical to al waha's too