Cardamom

[MR Bubble]

REVIEW OF NAKHLA CARDAMOM

Thanks goes out to Erica for the generous sample she sent me. I received it today in a locking flippy-type lid. Nice touch Erica. Thanks again!

Smelling this flavor left me unimpressed. It smelled like Vics vapor rub, and I felt as if it would be a waste of my time. However, I always have lived for smoking the unusual Nakhlas of the world, so I just had to do it. Of course, the cut is typical Nakhla, but the color's just a shade lighter than normal. Chocomint is the same shade. Must be a different tobacco, or process. Same sticky, greasy feel and texture. A few good size Nakhla soup bones (logs) are included, as they don't want to break from tradition. Smoking it is a complex mix of flavors, best endured by the hardcore Nakhla connoisseur. There's no foo-foo going on in here. This is for old Nakhla soldiers. Well, here's the poop:

FLAVOR: Kinda cool, in a twisted sort of way. There is cardamom alright. In case you don't know what cardamom is, it's that magical ingredient found in Turkish coffee. It's best described as the spicy, menthol aftertaste that makes some ask: "What's with this coffee?" That and a host of other things I'm picking up on. Coriander is one of them. This can also pass as an eucalyptus flavor. Someone recently asked about that flavor, and I must say that if you are willing to put up with other notes, you may have it in this. If you smoke it fast enough, you get a burning in the throat that isn't really the tobacco burning. It's just kinda strong. I can't do Nakhla mint, but I can do this, even if there is a touch of mint in there in the background. Also, ever been doing a lot of shots of, say, vodka, and start getting this pungent, sick feeling in the back of your throat? If not, maybe you haven't shot enough . If so, then this is another sensation. Hope I don't hurl. I also detect the weird, hair raising flavor that parallels the lemon flavor in Nakhla's Lemon shisha. This may sound funny, but all the flavors combined give me the feeling I'm smoking through a vase filled with a huge, HUGE gin and tonic with massive amounts of lime. Kind of chemical like.

Smoke Density: Normal Nakhla like clouds of controversial puffiness. I thinks it's about normal, but given the chance to play around with it, I may get cotton balls.

Buzz-Factor: Oh goodness. I may have to shave my tongue after this. A virtual celebration of the good ol' fashioned nakhla sloppy buzz. I hope I'm normal by tomorrow afternoon.

Nose-Hittability: My sinus problem isn't so big and bad after all!

Shisha-Nazi-Factor: Does it look like I really give a rip? I may lace the toilet paper with this. I'm ticked about something with her. May need a friend.

General feeling of wellness: Uh...Er... Wow. I guess I'll survive.

Closing comments: Not your typical Nakhla, or typical anything for that matter. This, boys and girls, is only for those who appreciate the absurd. I can't say it's bad, but I don't recommend it for the Al Fakher or AL Amir crowd. This is full of nicotine, packs a buzz that has no limits, and mimics a flavor that's non-standard in the shisha world. It's a celebration of exotic spices that are consumed by those looking for a certain flavor. It reminds me of something I'd come up with in the kitchen that the kids wouldn't touch. I honestly could do without so much vics vapor rub, but you may not be able to put on a cardamom act without it.

I'll give it 2 ratings here. One rating is taking into consideration the "normal" hookah forum population and applying it to what the current flavor trend is: I'll give it a 3+ for you all.

The next rating is for the small population like myself who thrive on powerful, unique smokes, that feel earthy, exotic, and just down-right middle eastern type wild: I'll give this 8. It could be a bit sweeter (though cardamom by it's self isn't sweet) but sweetness lends it's self to tobacco so well anyway. And, of course, it could be a bit wetter. Also too many confusing flavors, but hey, what flavors does one use to create a flavor a lot of folks never heard of? Yes, 8 or 8+ is good for this if you're out for the weird stuff.

MR Bubble

[pigpen]

Nakhla Cardamom

Appearance: Medium brown, very sticky, coarse cut. Lots of little balls of tobacco that need to be broken up.

Aroma: In the jar the aroma is herbaceous and spicy with a slight medicinal quality. It is not too dissimilar to natural cardamom but lacks the peppery "nose" of the real thing.
Very powerful. Although dissimilar to the real thing, Nakhla Cardamom still smells wonderful.

Taste: Very much like it smells in the jar but sweeter and less medicinal. Not a subtle flavor at all. Very strong and I suspect an acquired taste. Personally I love the flavor. It would mix well with clove, cinnamon, vanilla, double apple and lemon. Probably the coffee flavors too.

Buzz: I don't get much of a real "buzz" off of tobacco these days. But there is more head feel to Nakhla than other tobaccos.

Clouds: Lots of clouds if it matters to you.

Duration: About an hour with 2-3 kings. I could have smoked longer - bottom of the bowl was still quite moist and fresh. But I ran out of time.

This one takes the heat well. Probably needs more heat than some. But don't go crazy because too much and your smoke will be very harsh.

Overall: Total 10 to me. Great flavor. Wonderful aroma. Easy to smoke. I think this one is NOT for everyone. The strong flavor might put off some people who enjoy candy flavors. But if you are adventuresome and don't like jolly rancher flavors you might find this one is a new favorite.

[cigarron]

NAKHLA CARDAMON

Setup: MYA RAZO, MYA bowl, 2 CH QL’s, Water base, foil

Appearance: Large flakes, brown, big stems. It’s Nakhla, albeit more moisture than the line.

Smell: Pure spice

Smoke: Nice, thick.

Flavor: Just like the smell.

Buzz: Nah!!

Duration: 1.5 hours

Overall: 7/10. Nice alternative to fruits and coffees and I expect it’ll be a great mixer.

[mattarios2]

[b]Nahkla [color="#000000"]Sherazade [color="#008000"]Cardamom[/color][/color][/b]

[b]Hookah:[/b] KM Hour Glass
[b]Bowl:[/b] Small Phunnel
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynold Heavy Duty[b]
Hose: [/b]Vinyl Hose
[b]Coals:[/b] Cocos
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water

[b]Appearance: [/b]Typical nakhla cut, moist and gooey
[b]Nicotine:[/b] 0.5%
[b]Base:[/b] Molasses/corn syrup/glyc
[b]Smell:[/b] Like irish springs soap, heh
[b]Taste:[/b] Like an irish springs bar of soap.
[b]Smoke:[/b] Great Clouds
[b]Buzz: [/b]Good
[b]Duration: [/b]1 Hour
[b]
Purchased From:[/b] Distributor
[b]
Overall: [/b]This will be hit or miss. I can't stop tasting what Irish springs soap smells like. If you overheat this flavor, it will taste soapy and gets nasty. I personally like it, but all of my friends and family hate it. It is definitely an acquired taste. There is no other way I can explain it than to say smell a bar of irish springs soap and it tastes like that. This is a good flavor to change things up when you want something different from the usual flavors.
[b]8/10[/b]

[Stuie]

[b][size="3"]Nakhla [color="#a0522d"]Cardamom[/color] (Sherazade Line)[/size][/b]

[b]Hookah:[/b] Mya Saray Nou Nou
[b]Bowl:[/b] Social Smoke Medium Bowl
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynold Heavy Duty
[b]Hose: [/b]Nammor
[b]Coals:[/b] Coconaras
[b]Base Liquid: [/b]Water

[b]Appearance: [/b]Usual short cut with natural looking tobacco, Sticky.
[b]Nicotine:[/b] 0.5%
[b]Base: [/b]Molasses
[b]Smell: [/b]Cardamom
[b]Taste:[/b] Cardamom
[b]Smoke: [/b]Great Clouds
[b]Buzz:[/b] Good
[b]Duration:[/b] 1 Hour

[b]Purchased From: [/b]Hookah-Shisha.com

[b]Overall: [/b]10/10 Like it's cousin Ginger, this is a strong and a flavor not for everyone. Personally I love it. Even solo this is just outstanding. Mixing it can create some heavenly tastes. Just for the record Cardamom Orange is just divine!

[nile_lata]

Nakhla Sheherazade CARDAMOM
0.5% Nicotine, 0% Tar
FYI: Cardamom is an NHT (Non-Hookah Tobacco) used in Indian cuisine & medicine.
Appearance & Cut: chunky and slightly-moist - like raisins.
Smell: medicinal w/ a minty undertone. I immediately thought of Mentholatum
Base Liquid: Ice water.
Clouds: great clouds once it gets going.
Taste: Like ginger or eucalyptus.
Buzz: slight calming effect, but no buzz/headache.

Purchased from: Afghan International Market. $5 for 250g.
Duration: I have 2 Three Kings coals on a large Havana Phunnel bowl and with proper heat management,
can stretch a session to 1 1/2 hour - 2 hours. This shisha in particular takes heat pretty well!

In conclusion: This is what you'd buy when you're bored of candy & fruity shisha and want to rock it OL' SKOOL.
The ginger and lemony taste made me feel like I was smoking a cup of tea... an excellent after-dinner shisha.
I rate it an 8/10 for the feel on the palate and gentleness on the lungs. Plus, at 5 or 6 bucks, you can't afford
not to try it.

[thatonethere]

Nakhla Sheherazade CARDAMOM (50g)


[b]Hookah:[/b] Mya QT
[b]Bowl:[/b] HJ Alien
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] cheap precut stuff from H-s
[b]Hose: [/b]Mya
[b]Coals:[/b] 2 CH Nats
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water

[b]Appearance: [/b]Typical Nak
[b]Nicotine:[/b] 0.5%
[b]Base:[/b] Molasses
[b]Smell: kind of like cedar[/b]
[b]Taste:[/b] floral, and earthy
[b]Smoke:[/b] Big clouds
[b]Buzz: Not much
[/b][b]Duration: 1hr[/b][b]
Purchased From:[/b] HJ

9/10

I really like this shisha. It numbs my tounge a little (similar to how a clove cig). The floral undertone reminds me of Tangier's Kashmir peach, except it isn't so pronounced. There is a little buzz , but not much. It's a nice break from all of the fruity flavors I have. I'll definitely order 250gs of this shisha in the future.

[followthereaper]

[b]Naklah [/b][b]Naklah [/b]Cardamom
[b]Hookah: [/b]Mya Bambino
[b]Bowl:[/b] Standard Egyptian
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] Reynolds Heavy Duty
[b]Hose: [/b]Nammor
[b]Coals: Golden Quick lights 40mm[/b][b]
[b]Base Liquid:[/b][/b] Water

[b]Appearance: moist and sticky, typical Naklah, few stems
[/b]

[b]Nicotine: [/b][b].5
[b]Unwashed[/b]
[b]Smell: Like Irish Springs soap[/b][/b]
[b]Taste: Ginger[/b]
[b]Smoke:[/b] big white clouds
[b]Buzz:[/b] Typical knock you on your ass Naklah
[b]Duration: 1.5 hours[/b]

[b]Purchased From: [/b]Hookah Company

[b]Overall: 8/10[/b] This stuff isn't bad on its own. A very unique taste that I can only compare to ginger. IMO it makes a better mixer then a loan flavor but I can enjoy it either way.
[b]
[/b]

[absalom]

[size=5][b]Nakhla Cardamom[/b][/size]

[b]Hookah: [/b]KM 2011 quad metal
[b]Bowl:[/b] standard egyptian
[b]Screen/Foil:[/b] reynolds heavy duty
[b]Hose: [/b]KM
[b]Coals: c[/b]oconaras
[b]Base Liquid:[/b] Water

[b]Appearance: [/b]Short cut with natural color, Slightly Sticky, Several Stems.
[b]Nicotine:[/b] 0.5%
[b]Base:[/b] Molasses
[b]Smell: [/b]Vicks Vap-o-Rub
[b]Taste: [/b]Vicks Vap-o-Rub
[b]Smoke: [/b]moderate, but I didn't smoke it long enough
[b]Buzz: [/b]don't really get a buzz from hookah
[b]Duration:[/b] 10 or 15 minutes

[b]Purchased From: [/b]local shop

[b]Overall: [/b]so I kinda bought this on a whim; I could clearly smell this through the package, and I thought maybe it would be kinda like a menthol experience. when I opened it at home, I was overwhelmed by the 'fragrance'. it really does smell like Vicks. but I continued on (as a side note, I bake with cardamom and I like its flavor and aroma). the best description of the smoking experience...remember when you were a kid and had a chest cold, and your mom rubbed vicks all over your chest? well it was just like that, except from the inside. seriously this was just too much for me, and it only lasted 10 or 15 minutes before I just said fuck it, and got out some Nakhla mandarin. thinking maybe it would be good mixed (cardamom and orange would be great together in the real world), I left some of it in the bottom of the bowl (not much however) and just stacked some mandarin on top. it overpowered the orange flavor. I'm really surprised how potent this stuff is. maybe I need to leave the jar open for a week or so (as an air freshener and to acclimate) but I don't know if that would be enough. I don't know what I'm gonna do with the rest of this...

[Nerdy]

Nahkla Sherazade Cardamom

Hookah: Al Nawras Swirl
Bowl: Large Egyptian 
Screen/Foil: Reynold Heavy Duty
Hose: â€‹ New Nu-House‹
Coals: Cocomazayas and 3 of them
Base Liquid: Water

Appearance: Typical nakhla cut, moist and gooey, some stems, very choppy
Nicotine: 0.5%
Base: Molasses/corn syrup/glyc
Smell: Clean Fresh Eucalyptus-esque Spice
Taste: Divine 
Smoke: Good NakClouds 
Buzz: â€‹ More than normal, more than Tang for me.
Duration: â€‹ Still smoking 45 minutes in currently

Purchased From: John - Mattarios

Overall: This reminded me of Shiazo Eucalyptus Mint without a strong mint tone.  I can taste something other than cardamom in this for sure.  It has maybe some fennel or corriander hints to it.  Its very clean and very fresh.  It's truly a spice that is too be enjoyed smoking.  i was surprised by this flavor.  When i opened the package, the smell filled the room instantly.  Taking the initial smell it made my eyes tear up a bit from how strong this was.  This will be in my rotation for sure.  10/10 for me easily.