You Probably Don't Remember...

[ih303]

but I'm back.

A lot has happened since I've been away. But I'm still passionate about hookah culture.

So tell me, what's new?

[Chreees]

I remember!!!

Not a whole lot, actually... Turkish hookahs are all the craze now, the online vendors have changed a good bit, mostly George selling HC to H-S and NazarHookah going AWOL, Tangiers has a new line out called Birquq... I'm probably missing a lot, but those are the highlights.

Welcome back, man. Good to see you return.

[Skoozle]

You're back for one...

Syrian and Turkish hookahs are the new thing.

Nakhla made some new flavors, Tangiers made a new line of tobacco.

No one puts any liquid in their base anymore.

What's new with you?

[ih303]

Well, not a lot.. I got kicked out of my lounge by my partners because they wanted to get into selling synthetic drugs. They broke a lot of laws and there were lawyers involved, but I ended up getting fudged.(explicit censored)

Still, I still love hookah, and even though I'm prevented from providing hookah services via contract, I still love it and still love the culture. (There's nothing in the contract about me posting hookah love on forums )

Not gonna lie, after the "breakup" I retreated a bit... I stayed away from everyone I was associated with, hence the absence from HF. But I think it's healthy to do what I love and converse with people who love what I do. So now I'm back.

Still, I tried to keep up a little. Of course I still smoke. Gave away my Noir because I didn't like it, but otherwise kept the rest of my collection. Still sticking with the same old brands - TN, AF, NK. Actually, not so much NK anymore - it doesn't last long enough to justify buying it. I mean, when you PAY for your baccy, you start being more pragmatic in your selection.

Anyways, I'm jonsing for new info on new products. What's good? What's bad? Give me the express tour back into the loop.

[ih303]

Wait, HC sold out to H-S? Why?! That's bad. What was George thinking? He was always one of my top vendors when I was in the biz. Probably money.

H-S is #1 bro-hookah-site, imo. Ugh... sad panda.

[Skoozle]

Wow, you got fudged hardcore. Sorry to hear about the rough time you're having.

I miss the old HC, too.

From the new Nakhla line I have tried Orange peach and Ice Lemon Mint. Orange peach was delicious and surprisingly sweet, Icel Lemon mint was good and very sour.

Lots of people like the other flavors in the new line too.

Birquq doesn't blow my skirt up, but others like it. If you try some of those, Start with K-Peach, Ololoqui and Soursop. Those are the best I've had.

[Coleman]

Welcome back I too mis HC especially since it was so close to me

[Chreees]

He got tired of the industry and wanted out. He's moved on to other things that probably make him a lot happier and give him way less headaches.

Sorry to hear you got screwed in your business, man. Very sad to hear. I'm sure it could have gone much worse for you, though, and at least now you can say you have the experience of running a business and can potentially start a new one sometime down the road.

Elmas is the brand to get if you want to check out Turkish rigs. Currently 5StarHookah.com and NazarHookah.com sell them, but I wouldn't order from Nazar as he hasn't been processing orders lately (he's not taking anybody's money). Khalil Mamoons are still top dog but the prices have increased to the point of ridiculousness. I also personally do not like the new models they're churning out. Syrians are also very popular, but kinda on the rare side. They're getting harder and harder to find due to the Syrian crisis going on. Al Nawras is the best brand to look for. I was lucky enough to get the two that I have. Mark at Kasbah.us (a new vendor who focuses on carrying rarer and unique items) has been successful and finding these pipes and reselling them at great prices. He also figured out a way to get Bohemian Czech Crystal vases over here to the States, which he sells around $100. I'm sure you remember bohos, but not at those prices. Nakhla's new flavors are awesome, you should give them a shot. Probably the most impressive one as of late was Mizo Lychee, or Mizo Blueberry. I haven't tried their new ICE line, but have heard good things. It includes flavors such as Orange Peach and Ice Lemon Mint, which sound amazing. As for the forum, I hope you like the changes that have happened, most notably the reviews section overhaul and integration of Tinychat to the best of our abilities despite TC taking away the "TC Preview" module that allowed you to see who was in the video chatroom before actually joining. If you see anything you think we could improve on, please let us know. Always good to have somebody who hasn't been around for a while and just jumps right in noticing all the changes. Oh! And Tangiers finally did something about the Mini Phunnel craze... Eric invented a totally new bowl, called the Pico, which is about two-thirds the size of the Mini. He created a new bowl size chart, which the Pico falls in at number 8, and the smaller the numbers go, the bigger the bowl, so for example a Large Phunnel is a size 2 (I'm not sure about that, just using as an example). Anyway, the new Birquq line is awesome according to reviews. I've only tried Now With Melon. The line takes the buzz from Noir and pairs it with the clean, no-tobacco-undertones taste of Lucid. Very nice. It focuses on fruity and sweet flavors. Eric is also working on a new blueberry flavor, and pumpkin pie.

That's all I can think of right now to tell ya... Again man, sorry to hear about the business. Keep your head up. Things always have a way of working out.

[ih303]

Wow! So many things!

First, what is it with the Turkish trend? Do they smoke better? Look better? What? Honestly, I have no complaints with my Egyptians.

Second, Nazar being unresponsive? Weird. Mahir was always a boss at customer service. Still, I knew he had other things going on.

Third, I don't like what AF and NK are doing with their new lines. I've tried them, I'm not impressed. It's like they feel pressured from SB to appeal to the bro-masses.

Fourth, the new tangiers line, not sure what the hype is about. I've tried some of them and don't really see the point. Now I know it seems like I'm being a negative nancy, plus I LOVE eric and all that he's done for the scene. But when I tried his new line, I wasn't quite sure what the point was. Keep in mind, I don't smoke for the buzz, I smoke for the flavor. Lucid fits my bill EVERY TIME.

Last, totally stoked about the new bowls. Plz, keep me posted on this. I have to get my hands on one.

[ih303]

I'll add, I recently broke an alien and a small funnel bowl which made me very sad. (they were both originals) (Damned tile kitchen floors!)(and Damned Girlfriends!) New funnels have smaller "funnels". Good thing I have several backups.

[king_lunchb0x]

welcome back ol' chap! sad to hear about the lounge. I remember several posts about your discussion of products and service you provided, Sounded like a great place to smoke! glad to see you didn't give up entirely.

[Chreees]

Elmas are a more traditional hookah in that they do not have a purge valve, and they have a female bowl port adapter, meaning they only accept male bowls. Or you can buy an adapter that allows you to use your female bowls as well. The draw on them is pretty much in between a KM and a Mya. The hoses they come with are massive and impressive. They're simply gorgeous. Everything about them is handmade and it shows. The brass models are extremely durable and heavy. They're just overall really nice. A bit too expensive, though, but I think that will be alleviated once other alternatives are found and exported here. There's another alternative already, a brand called El Nefes, but they have serious quality control issues, so I'd steer clear from those.

Sounds like you already know a good bit about the new lines of tobacco that have come out. I'm like you- I'll stick to Lucid. It's never let me down before. I don't care about buzz, and the flavors are amazing. As for Nakhla, it'll always be my second favorite brand.

Yeah, the Mahir situation is weird... All was good and then suddenly he disappeared. A couple people report updates on him as if they talk to him on a daily basis. Really weird, actually. I miss him a lot, and hope he comes back someday.

Buy a Pico. It has the proper dimensions compared to the Alien. You'll love it!

[ih303]

Mahir used to always be on Stickam on one of the hookah channels. I haven't been there in a while so I don't know if he's still on. But he had a lot of stuff going on for him. But I'm surprised he disappeared off the i-map.

Are Elmas hookahs like Temsah's? I know they're Egyptian, but still, my second favorite brand next to KM.

[Hassouni]

[quote name='Chreees' timestamp='1354594888' post='563783']
Elmas are a more traditional hookah in that they do not have a purge valve, and they have a female bowl port adapter, meaning they only accept male bowls. Or you can buy an adapter that allows you to use your female bowls as well. The draw on them is pretty much in between a KM and a Mya. The hoses they come with are massive and impressive. They're simply gorgeous. Everything about them is handmade and it shows. The brass models are extremely durable and heavy. They're just overall really nice. [b]A bit too expensive, though, [i][color=#ff0000]not from NS... [/color][/i][/b]but I think that will be alleviated once other alternatives are found and exported here. There's another alternative already, a brand called El Nefes, but they have serious quality control issues, so I'd steer clear from those.

Sounds like you already know a good bit about the new lines of tobacco that have come out. I'm like you- I'll stick to Lucid. It's never let me down before. I don't care about buzz, and the flavors are amazing. As for Nakhla, it'll always be my second favorite brand.

Yeah, the Mahir situation is weird... All was good and then suddenly he disappeared. A couple people report updates on him as if they talk to him on a daily basis [b][i][color=#ff0000]as if? I more or less do [/color][/i][/b]. Really weird, actually. I miss him a lot, and hope he comes back someday.

Buy a Pico. It has the proper dimensions compared to the Alien. You'll love it!
[/quote]

[Hassouni]

Elmas are the best of the best. You could kill large men with a standard 20" Elmas shaft - the stems are solid brass, beautifully cast, and weigh anywhere from 4 to 10 pounds or something nuts, the glass is really good (thick, heavy, durable, pretty) as conventional glass goes, the bowls are some of the best for traditional mu'assal, the hoses are of the highest quality and beautiful (not to mention gigantic - 93" tip to tip with the handle taking up about 30" of that).

[ih303]

[quote name='Hassouni' timestamp='1354595753' post='563786']
Elmas are the best of the best. You could kill large men with a standard 20" Elmas shaft - the stems are solid brass, beautifully cast, and weigh anywhere from 4 to 10 pounds or something nuts, the glass is really good (thick, heavy, durable, pretty) as conventional glass goes, the bowls are some of the best for traditional mu'assal, the hoses are of the highest quality and beautiful (not to mention gigantic - 93" tip to tip with the handle taking up about 30" of that).
[/quote]

So like Temsah's? Aside from the bases and hoses...

[Hassouni]

Good pics of my two Elmas pipes, for reference

[url="http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/42302-naraagiil-lebanese-and-turkish-awesomeness/page__st__40#entry503807"]http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/42302-naraagiil-lebanese-and-turkish-awesomeness/page__st__40#entry503807[/url]
http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/42302-naraagiil-lebanese-and-turkish-awesomeness/page__st__80#entry539336

The one Mattarios just ordered:
http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/49043-elmas-636-luks-kafesli/

Good shit

[Hassouni]

[quote name='ih303' timestamp='1354595932' post='563787']
[quote name='Hassouni' timestamp='1354595753' post='563786']
Elmas are the best of the best. You could kill large men with a standard 20" Elmas shaft - the stems are solid brass, beautifully cast, and weigh anywhere from 4 to 10 pounds or something nuts, the glass is really good (thick, heavy, durable, pretty) as conventional glass goes, the bowls are some of the best for traditional mu'assal, the hoses are of the highest quality and beautiful (not to mention gigantic - 93" tip to tip with the handle taking up about 30" of that).
[/quote]

So like Temsah's? Aside from the bases and hoses...
[/quote]

No, way better

[ih303]

Not trying to be a troll, but how are they better? Granted, they look AMAZING! The detail is better than none. But what's the real selling point for a connoisseur? Is it just looks? I know they're solid brass, but what of the ID of the downstem and ports? Obviously you'd switch out the bowl, right? Is the hose washable? Does it restrict flow at all? No purge?

Again, not trying to troll, just trying to understand.

[Chreees]

[quote name='ih303' timestamp='1354595579' post='563784']
Mahir used to always be on Stickam on one of the hookah channels. I haven't been there in a while so I don't know if he's still on. But he had a lot of stuff going on for him. But I'm surprised he disappeared off the i-map.

Are Elmas hookahs like Temsah's? I know they're Egyptian, but still, my second favorite brand next to KM.
[/quote]

He actually created his own Tinychat room. Word is he doesn't even get on there anymore.

As said before, they're pretty much in between Syrian and Egyptian. Many differences from Egyptians you're used to seeing. Check them out on 5StarHookah.com.

[quote name='Hassouni' timestamp='1354595587' post='563785']
[quote name='Chreees' timestamp='1354594888' post='563783']
Elmas are a more traditional hookah in that they do not have a purge valve, and they have a female bowl port adapter, meaning they only accept male bowls. Or you can buy an adapter that allows you to use your female bowls as well. The draw on them is pretty much in between a KM and a Mya. The hoses they come with are massive and impressive. They're simply gorgeous. Everything about them is handmade and it shows. The brass models are extremely durable and heavy. They're just overall really nice. [b]A bit too expensive, though, [i][color=#ff0000]not from NS... [/color][/i][/b]but I think that will be alleviated once other alternatives are found and exported here. There's another alternative already, a brand called El Nefes, but they have serious quality control issues, so I'd steer clear from those.

Sounds like you already know a good bit about the new lines of tobacco that have come out. I'm like you- I'll stick to Lucid. It's never let me down before. I don't care about buzz, and the flavors are amazing. As for Nakhla, it'll always be my second favorite brand.

Yeah, the Mahir situation is weird... All was good and then suddenly he disappeared. A couple people report updates on him as if they talk to him on a daily basis [b][i][color=#ff0000]as if? I more or less do [/color][/i][/b]. Really weird, actually. I miss him a lot, and hope he comes back someday.

Buy a Pico. It has the proper dimensions compared to the Alien. You'll love it!
[/quote]
[/quote]

You sound defensive.

We've already discussed the whole NS/price thing, in that other thread.

If he can talk to you, then why can't he talk to anybody else, especially his customers who are eager to place orders?

[ih303]

Me? Defensive? Maybe. I suppose I'm holding on to what I have. My thought is, if you have a good thing, why change it? But of course, you don't buy that. I'm sure you've read my posts and know that I'm all about improvement and innovation.

But are these Turkish contraptions an improvement? Honest question.

[Coleman]

Most people who try them say the restriction is just perfect. The hoses are beautiful not washable but beautiful plus most people have hosed dedicated to flavors shit some even have whole pipes

[mustang67n]

welcome back!!

I'm not a big fan of the turkish pipes, TBH. They look cool, and different, but after smoking from one I don't get the hype..

I've been really REALLY liking syrians a lot lately. I think they're much more prettier than any other pipe out there, and they smoke.. soo.. theres that

[Hassouni]

[quote name='ih303' timestamp='1354596357' post='563790']
Not trying to be a troll, but how are they better? Granted, they look AMAZING! The detail is better than none. But what's the real selling point for a connoisseur? Is it just looks? I know they're solid brass, but what of the ID of the downstem and ports? Obviously you'd switch out the bowl, right? Is the hose washable? Does it restrict flow at all? No purge?

Again, not trying to troll, just trying to understand.
[/quote]

It's not just looks, it's the artisanship of them as a small boutique company, as well as the great function. The ID is fine, the hose port on the outside is big, but the port on the inside of the heart is small, which is where the restrictiveness comes from. The smoke is perfect when using one of their hoses. The restriction and construction of the hose make it so that it's a kind of dry smoke, but also a very concentrated one in terms of flavor - flavors just taste more intense through them. The hoses are not washable because they're made from goat leather and dogwood - when you buy one, they smell like a farm for the first few uses (really! but it goes away) - however, they seem to ghost flavors less than other leather hoses and even some washables. You can tell that the hose has been used, but it's hard to tell for what, and it doesn't really affect the flavor of whatever you're smoking.

Indeed, there's no purge, which is why people often say they aren't for beginners. If you know what you're doing with heat and packing, you won't have any problems. If it starts to get harsh, simply take the coals off the bowl to let the tobacco cool down, quickly inhale and exhale with the coals off until no more vapor is being emitted, wait a few minutes, and put the coals back on. It works very, very well if things get too hot.

As for the bowl, the bowl is AWESOME for anything besides Tangiers - it has five GIGANTIC holes at the bottom for absurd airflow, and holds enough tobacco to last a good 2+ hours if packed right. Mahir also commissioned the guy that makes the regular bowls for Elmas to make male Turkish-style funnel bowls - I have 2; they work well with Tangiers, but hold a lot of tobacco (probably equivalent to a Tangiers medium or "large small"), so that's the one downside.

Finally, this is overlooked often, but the windovers are really nice in that they're open-top, so they keep some heat in without scorching the bowl. 2 coconut coals and a windcover is about all you need for a solid hour.

[quote name='Chreees' timestamp='1354596760' post='563791']
If he can talk to you, then why can't he talk to anybody else, especially his customers who are eager to place orders?
[/quote]

That I don't know, but I became friends with him outside the nargile context, which he seems kind of sick of. It's unfortunate though - I basically stopped ordering online when he stopped having stuff to sell (except for that Facebook coal deal), and with the loss of HC it's like a double blow to the community

[Chreees]

[quote name='ih303' timestamp='1354598991' post='563797']Me? Defensive? Maybe. I suppose I'm holding on to what I have. My thought is, if you have a good thing, why change it? But of course, you don't buy that. I'm sure you've read my posts and know that I'm all about improvement and innovation.

But are these Turkish contraptions an improvement? Honest question.[/quote]

I meant Hassouni sounded defensive in his post about NS not being cheap and him talking to Mahir on a daily basis. I posted it after his quote. Sorry for the confusion.

It just depends on how you look at it... If you like what you're used to, then feel free to stick to it. But if you want to try new things, then feel free to indulge... I know I'm glad I did, because otherwise I'd never have found the awesomeness that is Al Nawras. And I'm also glad I can say I've tried an Elmas, too.


Tapatalk'd via iPhone