Apple

[hookah_hoop]

Soex Apple

Setup: 18" hookah with ceramic bowl, metal screen, ice water, starlight easy light disc

Appearance and texture: On the extremely dry side, sort of oily, not much molasses or honey at all, very crumbly.

Smell: In the package it smells like sweet apples with a hint of black liquorice. When smoked it smells like an earthy and woody apple.

Taste: It takes about five minutes to develop any apple flavor at all and even when the smoke is thick and white the apple flavor is very subtle and not "up front." If you didn't know what flavor you were smoking you would have difficulty guessing "apple." Despite the somewhat muted apple flavor the smoke is still pleasant tasting although it is only mildly sweet. Not a terrible experience but not the greatest either.

Smoke: Thick white plumes.

Buzz: Somewhat of one from time to time but obviously its not a nicotine buzz, perhaps it is just due to lack of oxygen. I don't really enjoy inhaling Soex products into my lungs because the "herbal shisha" movement is so new and undocumented. I usually prefer short "cigar style" puffs and blowing smoke rings.

Combinations: I mixed 50% Soex Apple with 50% Soex mint and it made for a nice twist on the flavor by increasing the sweetness and adding a spicy note to the inhale as well as a menthol-like coolness to the exhale. Again, I don't really enjoy inhaling Soex into my lungs though so the exhale factor isn't a big plus for me. During a party we mixed Soex mint and Soex apple and added a little red wine to the water and the flavor was a smash! Everyone enjoyed and raved about it, but most seemed to enjoy the mint flavor more than the apple. It was agreed that the apple carried a definate black liquorice flavor. Later, during the same party we mixed 50% apple with 50% blueberry with a little red wine added to the water and again the flavor was raved about by everyone. The flavor was similiar to fruit candy and oddly took on hints of watermelon! I guess in shisha math Apple plus Blueberry equals watermelon!

Add ons: Some black liquorice flavored liquor mixed with the water really made this mediocre flavor quite nice! It brought out the wonderful anise flavors of the shisha. Five parts water to one part liquor. I used Ricard and would suggest trying these similar liquors if you can't find Ricard; Jagermeister, any Absinthe, or Pernod. Here is a video of me enjoying Pernod in the base and a Gala apple fruit bowl, delicious! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfZMqr3RPtg

Score: By itself the apple is pretty good, not fantastic, but good. As a mixer with other fruit flavors its outstanding and even though its not at the top of my list I'll definately keep this one around as a permanant part of the collection. 8/10 Edited February 7, 2008 by hookah_hoop